Human Resources?

Question

I own a small business, in the state of Ohio, and am thinking of hiring some people to fill expanding rolls in my business. I need to know what questions I can legally ask a candidate's previous employer(s) in regards to the their employment/work history with the former company.

I am aware that my choices are limited due to anti-discrimination laws. So, as an employer, what are the questions I CAN ask?

Also, please specify your sources for this information.

Answer 1

You can ask them to fill out a questionnaire :

To Whom It May Concern:

Please take a few moments to provide us some information about Mr./Mrs./Ms. _______________ who has applied at ___________ for the post of ______________, and claims to be working for your Organization as _________________ from _________ to ___________.


1. Has he/she worked at your Organization for the period mentioned?
Yes
No, he/she has worked for us from _______ to _______
Never worked

2.Is the designation mentioned correct?
Yes
No, he/she worked as _______________

3.How was the conduct of the employee?
Very good
Fair
Offensive

4.Was he/she regular & punctual?
Yes
No

5.Please brief us about his salary & benefits
Gross Salary Rs. ____________ / month/ year
Other benefits:
a.______________________
b.______________________
c.______________________
d.______________________

6.Any other comment that could effect our decision to hire him/her? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. If he/she applies at your organization again, will you be re-hiring him/her?
Yes
No, because _______________________________________
_______________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Answer 2

You can legally ask any question.

There are some questions that are very stupid to ask. These are questions that identify someone as a member of a protected class: age, disability, pregnancy, gender, race, religion, etc. If you were to learn that the person is in a protected class, you would have to prove that any negative decisions were not made because you knew of their membership. It is very hard to prove a negative

Most employers give out little information because they are afraid of defamation actions if they give out incorrect info.

What part of Ohio are you in?

Answer 3

Ask the Small Business Administration's SCORE people. They are retired businessmen who help small businesses do things the right way.

You can ask about dates of employment, duties performed, and attendance. One of the best questions to ask previous employers is, "Would you re-hire this person?"

Answer 4

How about asking the Better Business Bureau?

BTW, to answer one of your other questions ... men don't find intelligent women to be intimidating. We find aggressive women intimidating. Your profile pic says it all, and it takes an awful lot to intimidate me. A lot more than women (or should I say PEOPLE) like you.