• 06
  • March
    2011

When we are applying for new positions, we are often warned about illegal interview questions. Questions that seek to gain information about a person's age, religion or whether they're hoping to take maternity leave soon. During an interview, these questions may seem obvious, and they're easier to avoid.

However, many larger companies now require that information long before a person lands an interview. Many employment experts say that online applications "walk the line when it comes to privacy and age discrimination." Some of the largest companies in the nation require applicants to provide their age, Social Security number and birth date just to fill out an application.

For example, you cannot even search for jobs at Home Depot unless you create an account, which requires submitting your Social Security number. At Target, you can look for jobs without an account, but in order to apply for a position, you are required to provide a variety of personal information, including your name, birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number and your mother's maiden name.

Some companies do not intend to use the information illegally. Rather, they have so many applicants that the additional information helps organize the individuals. Even so, that can be dangerous for the people applying for jobs. The president of the California Job Journal says that providing that much information online lends itself to identity theft. She stated that "many of these companies have had their systems breached - particularly in a retail environment where they're selling stuff online and they're prone to more hackers."

If you are applying for a position, it is important to know that you do not need to provide every field of an application. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) only requires applicants to provide proof of citizenship.

Source: News 10, "Job seekers warned about providing sensitive information," Natalie Sentz, 3 March 2011