What are examples of unlawful hiring practices I should avoid?

Examples include rejecting candidates based on protected characteristics (like race, gender, or religion), asking for personal medical history, or making hiring decisions based on assumptions about age or family status. All hiring choices must tie back to job requirements.

Why are some interview questions considered biased even if they don’t seem discriminatory?

Great question. Even seemingly harmless questions like “Do you have kids?” or “Where are you from?” can introduce bias. They may not feel discriminatory in the moment, but they open the door to decisions being influenced by personal details unrelated to the job.

How does compliance training help protect hiring managers from risk?

Training gives you clear guidelines on what’s acceptable and what isn’t. It helps you avoid unintentional mistakes that could lead to discrimination claims. It also shows candidates that your company values fairness, which helps build trust in the hiring process.

Hiring Manager Skills & Restrictions Training

Name: Hiring Skills and Restrictions
Availability: InStock

Recruiting Top Talent and Building Diverse Teams

Course Video Preview

A Hiring manager learns to be more inclusive

Hiring managers who lack an understanding of proper interviewing and hiring practices may overlook exceptional candidates, compromising your organization's mission, values, diversity initiatives, and workplace performance. Additionally, such oversight may expose your organization to discrimination claims. In short, the individuals you hire shape the talent and success of your team and organization as a whole.

Course Description

Recruiting, interviewing, evaluating candidates, and onboarding new employees takes skill and practice to do it effectively, inclusively, and respectfully.

Key Concepts

Reasons for developing hiring skills
Writing inclusive job descriptions that don’t limit applicant pools
Generating diverse pools of candidates
How to write respectful, inclusive interview questions
When to apply common evaluation criteria to all candidates
Best practices for onboarding new candidates

Course Features

Access to our Anonymous Ask the Expert tool
Rich video scenarios based on real-world events
Built-in employee sentiment surveys

50+ Machine Translation Options
Optional program timer
Policy acknowledgement tool
Extensive customization options

Lessons

Introduction

Job Descriptions

Recruitment

Behavioral Interviewing

Do's and Don'ts

Evaluating and Onboarding Candidates

Conclusion

Provide Your Feedback

What are Hiring Restrictions?

Making a decision against hiring a candidate due to any biases such as age, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability. Deciding whether or not to hire someone based on anything other than their capability to do the job.

Relevant Courses

Code of Conduct

Custom Mission and Values Training

Course

Ethics

How to Conduct Job Interviews Online Training

Course

Conflicts of Interest

Examples of Risky Conflicts of Interests and Nepotism

Course

Ethics

Complementary Microlessons

Potential Conflicts With Nepotism

Steps to Take When Hiring Friends and Family

Microlesson

Ethics

Inclusive Recruiting and Culture Fit

What Culture Fit Actually Means

Microlesson

Inclusion

Recommended Resources

A Checklist To Lead Better Interviews

This checklist offers a variety of potential questions to ask in order to lead more effective interviews

Checklist

Get Your Checklist

Avoid Unlawful Interview Questions

This Tip Sheet provides guidance on what questions you can and cannot ask to avoid any legal trouble when conducting interviews

Tipsheet

Get Your Tipsheet

From ‘Ask the Expert’

Emtrain’s Ask the Expert feature enables users to ask questions about compliance, bias, harassment, and diversity & inclusion as they come up. It’s all confidential, and answers are sent straight to their inbox. Search the questions below and see the Experts answers.

What questions are hiring managers legally prohibited from asking in interviews?

Thanks for asking. You should avoid questions about age, marital status, religion, medical conditions, disabilities, or plans for children. Even if asked casually, these can be seen as discriminatory and create compliance issues. Stick to job-related questions only.

How can I avoid bias when reviewing resumes?

A good practice is to focus strictly on the skills and experience required for the role. Some companies even use blind resume reviews, removing names or addresses, to help reduce unconscious bias. Taking structured notes also helps keep evaluations consistent.

What’s the best way to document hiring decisions for compliance?

Document the criteria used, interview notes, and the reasons for selecting one candidate over others. Keep records factual and tied to the job description. This way, if questions come up later, you can show the process was fair and consistent.

What restrictions exist around hiring relatives or friends?

Many organizations discourage or restrict it, especially if there’s a direct reporting relationship. The concern is favoritism, real or perceived. If you’re considering hiring someone you know, always disclose it so HR can determine if it’s appropriate.

If a candidate discloses a disability during an interview, how should I respond without violating EEO rules?

The best response is to thank them for sharing and keep the focus on whether they can perform the essential job duties. If accommodations are needed, HR can help guide that process. Avoid probing into medical details — that’s not permitted.

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Versions

What's Covered

Course Experts

Hiring Manager Skills & Restrictions Training

Recruiting Top Talent and Building Diverse Teams

Course Video Preview

Course Features

Lessons

Introduction

Job Descriptions

Recruitment

Behavioral Interviewing

Do's and Don'ts

Evaluating and Onboarding Candidates

Conclusion

Provide Your Feedback

What are Hiring Restrictions?

Relevant Courses

Code of Conduct

Conflicts of Interest

Complementary Microlessons

Potential Conflicts With Nepotism

Inclusive Recruiting and Culture Fit

Recommended Resources

A Checklist To Lead Better Interviews

Avoid Unlawful Interview Questions

From ‘Ask the Expert’

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