The Table: interview coaching for the hiring chair
Prepare to interview people returning from incarceration, in recovery, leaving the military or living with a disability: what you may and may not ask, the mistake most employers make, practice from both chairs, and a structured interview you can print.
Built from The legal rails for each group as of October 2026 (ADA, EEOC arrest and conviction guidance, Indiana Code 35-38-9-10 on expunged records), structured-interview evidence (Sackett et al., 2022; Kuncel et al., 2013) and if-then commitments (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006)
Five population briefs, seven hiring-chair modules, every scenario the candidates practice, and a four-step interview builder that prints a scored guide. Everything you build stays on your device; nothing is sent to Invest Hamilton County.
You are on Free. 1 of 4 tools in Find and recruit are open to you. See what the other 3 add.
Preparing to interview
Someone with a disability
Preparing for someone else? Someone with a criminal record · Someone in recovery from substance use · A veteran or military spouse · A mixed pool, or I'm not sure yet
The rails What you may not ask
- Do you have a disability? Not before a conditional offer, in any phrasing.
- What is your diagnosis, prognosis, or medication? Accommodations run on function, never on medical detail.
- Have you ever filed a workers' compensation claim, or how many sick days did you take at your last job?
The rails What you may ask
- Can you perform the essential functions of this job, with or without a reasonable accommodation? This is the ADA's own approved question and it works for every candidate.
- How would you perform a specific job task, asked of every candidate for the role.
- Attendance and schedule requirements stated as requirements of the job.
General information for interview preparation as of October 2026, not legal advice. Your employment counsel owns your policies.
Avoid this The mistake most employers make
Treating an accommodation request as a negotiation instead of a process. It has a legal name, the interactive process, and it starts the moment they ask. Requesting full medical documentation as an opening move for two low-cost adjustments converts cooperation into gatekeeping and teaches your newest employee that asking costs them. Most accommodations cost little or nothing.
Instead What actually predicts performance
Work samples and structured questions, with the accommodation in place so you are measuring ability rather than the barrier. An interview format that blocks someone's best performance is measuring your format, not their capability.
Worth knowing The evidence
Ability-first framing is not politeness, it is the legal frame: essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation. Every question you build from that frame is defensible by construction.
What is actually available to you
- Job Accommodation Network (askjan.org): free, expert, confidential guidance for employers, with typical costs.
- Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation can coach, place, and sometimes fund accommodations.
- EARN (askearn.org), DOL ODEP funded, publishes evidence-informed inclusive-interviewing practice.
Both chairs Practice the moment
Reading the other chair is the fastest empathy training there is, and it is free.
Before you move on: one if-then
When a candidate or new hire tells me what they need to do their best work,
I will… pick one or write your own
Stays on this device. Never sent to us. See all your commitments
Naming a specific if-then plan improves follow-through by a medium-to-large margin over holding the same goal without one (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, Implementation Intentions and Goal Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Effects and Processes, 2006; update Sheeran, Listrom and Gollwitzer, 2024).
The Table in Alex for Business · alexhamiltoncounty.com · General information as of October 2026, not legal advice.
The Table gives general information and coaching support. It is not legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship. It never screens, assesses or treats anything. For your own situation, including expungement, licensing or what you must disclose in a regulated field, talk to a licensed attorney. Free and low-cost help: Indiana Legal Services, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, and your local public defender's reentry program. In danger now: 988, 911, or the Indiana Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. Facts current as of October 2026.
Programs that fit this work
Add roles to your set and these rank to your own hiring. Eligibility is set by each program, not by us.
-
Wagner-Peyser Employment Services DWD Federal
Free job matching, career services, and labor market resources for job seekers through WorkOne centers. Helps employers find workers and job seekers find jobs.
Who qualifies: Universal access, ALL job seekers and employers, no requirements. Free.
-
On-the-Job Training (OJT) · WorkOne WorkOne Federal
WorkOne reimburses employers up to 50% of a new employee's wage during a contracted training period. Minimum wage: $13.50/hr for adults, $11/hr for youth. WorkOne pre-screens and refers qualified candidates.
Who qualifies: Participant must be WIOA Adult/Dislocated Worker eligible. Employer: public, nonprofit, or private sector. Must not show pattern of failing to retain OJT worker…
-
Youth Work Experience (WEX) · WorkOne WorkOne Federal
Places youth ages 16-24 in employer worksites at ZERO cost to the employer. WorkOne pays all wages and workers' compensation. Youth attend weekly career workshops. Hamilton County contact: Dorothee Cooke.
Who qualifies: Youth meeting WIOA Youth eligibility. In-School: 14-21. Out-of-School: 16-24. Must be low-income (ISY) or face barriers (OSY).
-
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) DWD/IRS Federal
Federal tax credit for hiring people from certain groups, such as veterans, SNAP recipients and people with a conviction. It applies only to people who began work on or before December 31, 2025. Congress has not renewed it for later hires as of September 2026.
Who qualifies: Employer hires from targeted groups. Ten target groups under 26 USC 51(d) (veterans are split into five sub-groups with different wage caps), including: TANF re…
-
Federal Bonding Program USDOL/DWD Federal
Free fidelity bonds ($5,000-$25,000) for employers hiring individuals with barriers: ex-offenders, individuals in recovery, poor credit history, or dishonorable discharge. Covers first 6 months of employment.
Who qualifies: At-risk individuals: ex-offenders, poor credit/bankruptcy, recovering substance abusers, dishonorable discharge, lacking work history, TANF recipients.
Analyst Coach
Ask about the local labor market in plain language, on top of your dashboards. Answers carry their sources and point to the tools for the math. It is an AI coach, your chats are private, and they are never used to train anything.
In crisis? Call or text 988, free, 24/7.
Built by Alex, the Hamilton County Data Hub, from BLS wage records, Census commuting and business patterns, O*NET skill profiles, and licensed Lightcast postings. Wages are set by employers. Ranges, never promises.