Lisp Propulsion Laboratory log

Paolo Amoroso's weblog. Main interests: Lisp, astronomy (Moon), space exploration (Apollo and early manned programs)

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Don't ask a candidate's age at a job interview

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Last week, in the context of a rant on the way people answer -- or not -- email, I gave some tips for evaluating a job candidate, and suggested to ask a question one is reasonably sure the candidate can answer. As an example I provided: "How old are you?".

Some readers reported (thanks) that this question is illegal at least in USA, and possibly also other countries, because it may discriminate based on a candidate's age, unless this would prevent him/her from legally doing the job. So, don't ask it. As a replacement, here is a more politically correct and hopefully less controversial question: "What's your name?".