Wednesday, March 31, 1999
Job interview questions backed
Candidates asked about arrests, drugs
BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FOREST PARK — Despite Pia Young's claims that she was asked illegal questions during her bid to join this city's fire department, a spokesman for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) says the city's questions were not illegal and did not violate state civil service laws.
One of 21 applicants considered earlier this year for six full-time city firefighting positions, Ms. Young thinks officials had no right to ask whether she had ever been arrested or if she had ever used illegal drugs.
However, Ronn Kolbash, a spokesman for the OCRC, which enforces the state's anti-discrimination laws regarding employment, said: “The questions in and of themselves do not appear to violate our laws.”
Only minority
Nevertheless, the 29-year-old Springfield Township woman said Tuesday she still feels the questions were improper — particularly the arrest question — because statistically, minorities have a higher percentage of arrests than nonminorities and such questions have historically been used to remove minorities from job contention.
Ms. Young, who is African-American, was the only minority among the 21 eligible applicants. She said she has never been arrested or used illegal drugs and is going ahead with her protest.
She said she has filed a complaint against Forest Park with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). An EEOC spokeswoman would not confirm whether such a complaint has been filed, citing confidentiality reasons.
Forest Park Human Resources Director Tye Smith said Tuesday he had not received notification from the EEOC that a complaint had been filed.
Mr. Smith, who is also Afri can-American, oversaw the city's hiring process and participated in Ms. Young's interview. He denied her contention that the questions were used to single anyone out.
A review by The Cincinnati Enquirer of the interview questions determined that all 21 applicants were asked about previous arrests or illegal drug use.
Passed over
A firefighter-emergency medical technician who works part time with departments in Woodlawn and Springfield Township, Ms. Young brought her concerns to City Council in February after learning she was not hired despite ranking 12th out of 21 eligible candidates on written, oral and agil ity exams.
She initially wanted council to investigate the city's minority recruiting practices and interviewing procedures because she was passed over in favor of two white males who ranked 14th and 19th after the same battery of pre-employment tests.
She has also accused the city of using against her the answers to “informal” interview questions that probed what she did not like about firefighting and past supervisors.
City officials defended their decision not to hire Ms. Young. They said the two who ranked below her had at least five years' more experience and performed better in face-to-face interviews than she did.
“There was no wrongdoing in this process,” Mr. Smith said. “The process that was outlined by the (city's) Civil Service Commission is the exact process that the city followed in filling those positions.”
Discussions go on
The Forest Park commission is examining this issue and has opted to discuss hiring and recruitment in segments so commissioners can get a thorough understanding of what happened.
The commission will continue its discussions at its next meeting, April 14.
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