• FREE RESOURCES
        • Accounts Payable
          Finally! The trick to securing greater T&E compliance
          Benefits
          Rooting out folks who don’t belong on your health plan: A 6-point dependent audit checklist
          IT
          3 costly misconceptions about biz email compromise
          Credit and Collections
          Collecting via email: 4 must-make moves in your subject line
          Accounts Payable
          5 Tough-to-spot signs that an invoice is fake
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • Staff management
          120 Proven Communications Tips for Today’s CFO
        • Payroll
          Handling Nonexempt Employee Pay: Stay Compliant and Avoid DOL Audits
          Accounts Payable
          T&E Best Practices: Complete Guide to Ensure Compliance
          Payroll
          Payroll Best Practices: 4 Ways to Save Time and Money
        • Staff management
          Email Best Practices: A 6-Question Quiz
          Staff management
          Innovative Communications Strategies: An Email Case Study
          Staff management
          A 5-part Framework for Successful Workplace Communications
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

CFO Daily News

  • FREE RESOURCES
        • Accounts Payable
          Finally! The trick to securing greater T&E compliance
          Benefits
          Rooting out folks who don’t belong on your health plan: A 6-point dependent audit checklist
          IT
          3 costly misconceptions about biz email compromise
          Credit and Collections
          Collecting via email: 4 must-make moves in your subject line
          Accounts Payable
          5 Tough-to-spot signs that an invoice is fake
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • Staff management
          120 Proven Communications Tips for Today’s CFO
        • Payroll
          Handling Nonexempt Employee Pay: Stay Compliant and Avoid DOL Audits
          Accounts Payable
          T&E Best Practices: Complete Guide to Ensure Compliance
          Payroll
          Payroll Best Practices: 4 Ways to Save Time and Money
        • Staff management
          Email Best Practices: A 6-Question Quiz
          Staff management
          Innovative Communications Strategies: An Email Case Study
          Staff management
          A 5-part Framework for Successful Workplace Communications
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
  • Accounts Payable
  • Credit and Collections
  • Payroll
  • Accounting
  • Benefits
  • Finance Technology
  • More
    • Employment Law
    • Strategy
    • Policy and Culture
    • Fraud
    • Payments and Transactions
    • Budgeting and Forecasting
    • Banking
    • Staff Management
    • Cost Control
    • Supply Chain
    • IT

Hiring in Finance: Legally, what can and can’t you say?

Alyssa Evans
by Alyssa Evans
August 30, 2019
  • Employment Law
  • Policy and culture
3 minute read
  • SHARE ON

Any time Finance is looking to bring on new staffers, you must ensure the interview process is carried out smoothly and soundly.

In today’s age, there are more than a few fair hiring laws to remember, from the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay Act to the Americans with Disabilities Act. And with any fair hiring law, even a small step toward noncompliance could lead to a laborious legal issue or costly settlement.

Let’s talk about …

When stepping into the interview room, you want to be confident that all the topics you and your finance department supervisors cover with candidates are not just appropriate – but legal. Here’s a brief review of some lawful hiring keys:

1. Be aware of sensitive topics. In general, you’ll want to avoid asking questions about:

  • affiliations (clubs, social organizations, union membership, etc.)
  • age (other than proof that the candidate is 18 years of age)
  • alcohol or drug use (other than if they currently use illegal drugs)
  • criminal record (other than if they’ve ever been convicted of a crime)
  • culture/natural origin (other than proof of legal right to work in the U.S. and language fluency, if relevant to the job)
  • disability (other than 1) ability to perform essential job functions with or without accommodation 2) how they would perform a job-related function 3) prior attendance records, and 4) undergoing a medical exam after an offer has been made)
  • gender/sex (other than asking if they’ve ever worked under another name)
  • marital/family status
  • personal aspects (appearance, home ownership, finances, etc.)
  • race, and
  • religion (other than if they have a problem working Saturday or Sunday, if relevant).

2. Keep the conversation job-related. If a sensitive topic does come up in conversation, make sure all your questions revolve around how it will affect their ability to perform the essential job duties.

For example, if a candidate mentions having an anxiety disorder, you can ask: “This role requires talking to trading partners on the phone. Can you tell me how you’d plan to do that?” You shouldn’t ask: “Were you just recently diagnosed with that?”

Or, if a candidate mentions having three sons in elementary school, you can ask: “We do our check runs every other Wednesday at 4 p.m. Does that present a problem for you schedule-wise?” You shouldn’t ask: “Do you have someone that can pick up your kids from school?”

3. If they provide personal information, don’t dig more. Sometimes, candidates willingly offer up information that you can’t legally ask about, such as one of the topics mentioned above. In those situations, it’s best to not pursue it further and leave it out of your documentation. That way, those comments can’t be held as part of your hiring decision.

4. Stay consistent to stay fair. If all else fails, you can protect yourself and your company by sticking to a process that asks all candidates the exact same questions, keeping each interview equal and unbiased.

Alyssa Evans
Alyssa Evans
Alyssa, a member of the CFO Daily News staff, has written extensively on business and finance for several years. She has produced content for accounts payable professionals and finance executives and has developed whitepapers and infographics for the finance and accounting industry.

Keep Up To Date with the Latest Finance News

With CFO Daily News arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on accounting, benefits, payroll & employment law strategies.

Sign up for a free CFO Daily News membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
CFO Daily News Logo
  • ABOUT CFO DAILY NEWS
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Accounting
  • Benefits
  • Payroll
  • Policy and Culture
  • Employment Law
  • Fraud
  • Finance Technology
  • Accounts Payable
  • Credit and Collections
  • Strategy
  • Payments and Transactions
  • Budgeting and Forecasting
  • Banking
  • Staff Management
  • Cost Control
  • Supply Chain
  • IT

CFO Daily News, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest Finance and employment law news for Finance professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, CFO Daily News delivers actionable insights, helping Finance execs understand what Finance trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

preloader