Bad Interview Questions: What Not To Ask When Hiring

Working in the mobile food industry is much like any other restaurant industry job which means there can be a lot of turnover. Whether you are new to the industry or just need to fill a recently vacated position, you need to know what bad interview questions cannot be asked when you are involved in the hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, as well as federal and state laws, prohibit asking certain questions of a job applicant, either on the application form or during the interview.

13 Bad Interview Questions Or Topics To Avoid

So what are some bad interview questions that you should you stay away from? Basically, you can not ask about anything not directly related to the job.

Asking age or date of birth (if interviewing a teenager, you can ask if he or she is 16 years old)
Sex, race, creed, color, religion or national origin
Disabilities of any kind
Date and type of military discharge
Marital status
Maiden name (for female applicants)
If a person is a citizen; however, you can ask if he or she has the legal right to work in the United States

Other questions you should avoid include:

Have you ever been treated by a psychologist or psychiatrist?
Have you ever been treated for drug addiction or alcoholism?
How many children do you have? How old are they? Who will care for them while you are at work?
Have you ever been arrested? (You may ask if the person has been convicted if it is accompanied by a statement saying that a conviction will not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.)
How many days were you sick last year?
Have you ever filed for worker’s compensation? Have you ever been injured on the job?

The Bottom Line

We hope this list helps keep you from getting in trouble for asking bad interview questions to applicants who are interested in working for your food truck business.

Do you have any additional tips or suggestion? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].