Legal Aspect of Recruitment and Hiring



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Recruiting is a necessary party of any company's expansion efforts. But, there are a number of legal considerations in the recruiting process. Job postings, interview questions, checking references, and making hiring decisions / job offers all need to be done in a manner that decreases risk to the business. In fact, it is possible to ask unlawful or even discriminatory questions without realizing it. For example, employers are forbidden from discriminating on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, marital or family status, physical or mental disability, gender, age, and possibly sexual orientation. The resources below will help guide you in the recruiting process and help you to avoid liability in the hiring process.


Recruiting and Hiring

  • Employer's Internet Recruiting Guide

    Kansas Department of Labor Guide for Recruiting over the Internet. Includes the following topics: Introduction; Benefits of Internet Recruiting; How to Search on the Internetl Where to Search; Register at KansasJobLink; The Employer Home Page; Creating a Job Order; Inactive Jobs Search; Careers; Other Information; Automatic E-mail Matches; How to Write an Internet Job Description; Marketing Your Job; Internet Recruitment Web Sites; and Advantages of E-recruitment.

  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. The EEOC has the authority to investigate charges of discrimination against employers who are covered by the law.

  • National Association for Law Placement (NALP)

    NALP, the association for Legal Career Professionals, is a non-profit educational association established in 1971 to meet the needs of all participants in the legal employment process (career planning, recruitment and hiring, and professional development of law students and lawyers) for information, coordination and standards.

  • National Labor Relations Board

    The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the primary law governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector. The NLRB has two primary functions: to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices, whether committed by labor organizations or employers; and to establish whether or not certain groups of employees desire labor organization representation for collective-bargaining purposes, and if so, which union.

  • Top 4 Strategic Interview Styles

    There are four key interview styles that can be leveraged to obtain valid answers and insights about potential job candidates. This article describes the four styles.

  • United States Department of Labor

    The Department of Labor, the federal agency within the US Government responsible for enforcing labor laws. Federal statistics and data, laws and regulations, relevant links and a library for accessing current information.

  • Workforce Management - Recruiting and Staffing

    Find the information you need. Search through product and service listings, download informative white papers and best practices and watch vendor webinars.

Job Interviews

  • How To Win a Job Interview in a Competetive Market

    Article about making it past the screening process receiving job interview offers.

  • Illegal Job Interview Questions

    The key to understanding unlawful inquiries is to ask only questions that will provide information about the person’s ability to do the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Also note that inquiries which are unlawful to ask a candidate directly may not be asked as part of a pre-offer reference check.

  • Job Interview Techniques

    The job interview is the most important aspect to overcome when looking for work. The objective of the interview is to separate yourself from the competition. It is aimed at highlighting, skills, personality, personal strengths and interests in the job.

  • Job Interview Tips and Techniques

    Tips and techniques for job interviews, sample interview questions and answers, and sample interviews letters and templates.

  • Nine Questions you can NEVER ask in a Job Interview

    The range of anti-discrimination and industrial laws that operate in an employment situation are often just as applicable to the job interview process. Sometimes employers let their guard down and ask questions that could imply that their decision to employ or not to employ someone has been influenced by considerations that constitute unlawful discrimination. Here are nine inappropriate questions and why you should avoid them.

  • Organising a Job Interview

    Article about job interviews and disclosure of one's disability: Should Disclosure Occur? Why Applicants May Choose To Disclose Why Applicants May Choose NOT To Disclose What To Disclose To Whom Should Applicants Disclose The Purpose Of Disclosing Applicants: Rights And Responsibilities When Organising A Job Interview Employers: Role And Responsibilities When An Applicant Discloses Their Disability When Organising A Job Interview

Background Checks for Employees

  • Conducting Employee Background Checks: Navigating Current Rules

    Article about using background checks in the hiring process.

  • Employment Background Checks - A Jobseeker's Guide

    This guide explains the why and how of background checks. It also tells you what can be covered in a background report, your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and what you can do to prepare.

  • Employment Background Screening

    Universal Background Screening is a leading provider of comprehensive employment background checks including county, state and federal criminal record checks, verifications of past employment, education, professional licenses and certification, searches of government and industry-specific sanction lists, and much more.

  • Employment Drug Testing

    Universal Background Screening offers a variety of workplace drug testing services for pre-employment and ongoing testing purposes.

  • FBI Criminal History Checks for Employment and Licensing

    The FBI’s authority to conduct a criminal history record check for non-criminal justice purposes is based upon Public Law (Pub. L.) 92-544. Pursuant to that law, the FBI is empowered to exchange criminal history record information with officials of state and local governments for employment, licensing, which includes volunteers, and other similar non-criminal justice purposes, if authorized by a state statute which has been approved by the Attorney General of the United States.

  • FBI Identification Record Request / Criminal Background Check

    An FBI Identification Record—often referred to as a criminal history record or a “rap sheet”—is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service. The process of responding to an Identification Record request is generally known as a criminal background check.

Articles on HG.org Related to Employment

  • Problems with California's Bill Limiting Workers' Compensation for Out-of-State Athletes
    California has moved one step closer to making its controversial workers’ compensation bill a reality. Earlier this month, the California Senate voted to pass the bill, which restricts most professional athletes playing for out-of-state teams from filing workers’ compensation claims in California. The bill is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown.
  • Can Store Uniforms Constitute Religious Discrimination?
    A former Abercrombie & Fitch employee has won a major discrimination case against the popular clothing company. Umme-Hani Khan, a 19 year old Muslim woman obtained the assistance of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  • Illinois Industrial Accidents
    In Illinois, employers have a duty to their employees to provide a safe work environment that protects them for injury on the job. This is even more true where industrial equipment or manufacturing machines are in use. But, industrial workplaces like factories, energy plants and warehouses have a higher than average rate of injury and death for their workers.
  • Habitually Absent, Tardy, or Sick? How to Deal with Employees Who Are Not Coming to Work
    Do you have a trouble employee that can never seem to make it to work when they are supposed to? Either they are always late or they are not there at all? How should you go about disciplining this employee, particularly if you have let it slide in the past? Is there any risk to firing someone for claiming too much sick time (even if they are entitled to those days under the terms of their employment)?
  • What to do if You Have Been Fired for Whistleblowing
    A "whistleblower" is someone who reports a violation of the law by his or her employer. The violation may be against the reporting employee, as with sexual harassment claims, or may be a general violation like illegally polluting, securities violations, etc. While the law is supposed to protect people for doing the right thing, often whistleblowers are fired after reporting the inappropriate situation. So what should you do if you have been fired after blowing the whistle?
  • How to Deal with Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
    Sexual harassment is usually defined by Courts and employers using the definition of sexual harassment contained in the guidelines of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This language has also formed the basis for most state laws prohibiting sexual harassment. The guidelines define sexual harassment as:
  • My Employer Didn't Pay Me, Now What?
    Employment law can be confusing and it can be difficult to learn what your rights are and what you are entitled to. When an employer does not pay for something (whether regular wages, overtime, tip splitting, reimbursements, or something else) it can be very frightening and confusing. Is the employer right? Should I even bother fighting? This is a list of ten workplace violations that employees should be aware of and for which legal help may be available:
  • Who is Protected from Employment Discrimination?
    The quick answer is everyone is protected from employment discrimination. But, more specifically, who are the protected classes? Which businesses are subject to employment discrimination standards? What constitutes discrimination?
  • The Basics of Workers' Compensation in Illinois: An Overview
    Illinois workers' compensation laws allow employees who are injured in the course of their work on a job to seek payment from their employer's workers' compensation insurance carrier for their injuries. If you believe you have a workers' compensation claim, you should try to gain a basic understanding of laws dealing with workers' compensation in Illinois.
  • How Disabled Do You Have to Be to Get Social Security Disability Benefits?
    You do not have to be "totally disabled" or an invalid! For many claimants, you only have to be disabled from your former type of work. The Social Security Administration will take into consideration your age, education and past work experience in deciding if you are disabled under their rules. Every case is unique.