One thing we can be grateful for in this job market... (job application, credit report)
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... is that job applications don't have health questions like they used to in the 1980's or 70's.
I never filled out an application with all those personal questions, but I used to have a job reading old HR files, and it was kinda funny reading some of the questions, like:
Are you married?
Do you plan to have children?
Height
Weight
describe current health condition:
please enclose copy of company doctor's report
etc.
That crap doesn't exist any more for the few jobs that are available today!
The race and gender are collected seperately for government reporting to make sure they aren't discriminating.
I recently came across an old resume of my dad's, circa 1972 or so. It included his photo, height and weight, marital status and number of kids, religion, and the statement "in good health."
I can remember being asked if I was pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.
BUT, things really haven't changed. Now they don't ask you these questions to your face. They just do a back round investigation and get all this info anyway. Only you don't get to respond and add your own spin on things. Just the information they can get on the net is more invasive for most of us that the face to face questions ever were.
I can remember being asked if I was pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.
BUT, things really haven't changed. Now they don't ask you these questions to your face. They just do a back round investigation and get all this info anyway. Only you don't get to respond and add your own spin on things. Just the information they can get on the net is more invasive for most of us that the face to face questions ever were.
I disagree. It is almost impossible, not to mention illegal (violation of HIPPA), for a potential employer to get your blood pressure.
Very few employers are going to spend a lot of time or money trying to get answers to personal questions. How could they possibly know if you were planning to become pregnant without asking you directly or you simply stating it on your job application? Facebook? lol
I disagree. It is almost impossible, not to mention illegal (violation of HIPPA), for a potential employer to get your blood pressure.
Very few employers are going to spend a lot of time or money trying to get answers to personal questions. How could they possibly know if you were planning to become pregnant without asking you directly or you simply stating it on your job application? Facebook? lol
I didn't say they could get your blood pressure. At least I don't think I did.
It's amazing what they can get easily. Lots of health info is on your credit report. If you or someone in your family has experienced a major illness, chances are all the bills weren't paid on time. And there they are for all the world to see, on your credit report. If you or a dependent has a serious illness, you won't get the job because of insurance issues. That credit report actually gives a prospective employer a lot of insight into your private life. Medical chargeoffs or lates are a huge clue. If one of those lates is from a fertility clinic, I guess they would assume I am trying to get PG and their insurance would be paying for the child.
Next, they can check google maps and get a picture of your house. Is it well maintained and kept up to neighborhood standards. Is your yard work done? Zillow will tell them how much you paid for the house and when you bought it. If you live with your mom and think it's none of their business, think again. Then you can check tax records too. Oh, and your mortgage info is probably on that credit check. And it's no problem at all to get all the info on your neighbors. It's not hard to check on police activity in your area. Made any calls to 911 or complained about a neighbor with a loud party? It's all there on a database.
Many years ago, in the dark ages before the internet, I worked as a skip tracer. My job was to find people who ducked out on bills and I was good at it. They used to call me 'Bird Dog'. I have also been a police officer and worked in an investigative capacity. I dug up a lot of dirt before the internet and it's only gotten easier. What I know is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't do this type of work anymore so my skills are old. I can only imagine what all is available now would be a bonanza gold.
None of this takes a lot of time or money to find out. You have to remember what they do with this data is all subjective. All they are looking for is a reason not to hire you. And you will never know why you didn't get the job. All of us have things we would prefer a prospective employer not know.
What if I was paying for my sister to have that fertility treatment? What if it was her child that was sick and ran up bills? What if I live with my elderly mom to take care of her? I think I liked it better when they had to just ask. Today, the computer gives them all the answers and they get to make up the questions.
That's paranoia. No one does all that stuff except for something like the FBI or CIA. I'm talking about job applications for factory worker, floor supervisor, sales, etc.
I do google the names & email address of people I'm seriously interested in hiring, and I also look to see if they've got a Facebook or Myspace site. I've had a couple of times where I found photos of the applicant smoking weed or bent over a toilet after a bender, I immediately decided that I wasn't going to hire them. They obviously lack good judgement for putting photos like that online, and I don't want to hire someone with no common sense.
I don't care if someone has photos of them with a beer in their hand, that's totally different than being passed out drunk with your "friends" writing all over your face with a Sharpie.
So if a white person is standing next to a black friend on a Facebook pic and the hiring person hates blacks, they can refuse to hire the white applicant because of something on Facebook. Nice..
Welcome to the New World Order. I don't have a "Facebook" or "Myspace". My privacy is my business and so are my photos, etc.
On many applications for trucking jobs, they have questions about height and weight in regards to sleep-apnea.
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