Why Do They Need That?!

on Dec 13, 2010 in Blog

A recent topic of discussion around the office, here at Matrix, has been the increasing demand from potential employers to receive a job candidate’s social security number and date of birth with the initial resume submittal.  Giving out this kind of information, before even being submitted to a job, has made some candidates understandably uncomfortable.  Even in our increasingly information saturated society, items like these, especially one’s social security number, are often held sacrosanct.  While recruiter security methods, and those of any employer asking for sensitive information, are well established and thorough, we understand the reluctance on the part of candidates and we would like to offer a couple, hopefully helpful, thoughts on the subject.

First and foremost, if there is ever an aspect of a job application process that you, as a job seeker, don’t feel comfortable with, don’t do it.  While the economic climate might not allow for an overabundance of choice, it is important to have peace of mind regarding your personal information, and it is also possible that if you enter into a process you don’t feel comfortable with, that feeling may come across in an interview situation, to your detriment.  On the other hand, if you are on the fence about whether or not to give out your social, or your DOB, take a moment to think about where it is going.  Both recruiters, and the employers we represent, are in a business that requires handling a great deal of sensitive employee information on a daily basis.  Both have safeguards that have been in place for years, and are updated regularly, set up specifically to protect all of the employee, and candidate, information that we handle.  This is not to say that human fallibility doesn’t exist, but it is an inherent risk that you take every time you sign up for a credit card, or apply for a loan.

As always, we encourage questions and all useful discourse, whether it be in the course of a recruitment by someone interested in our procedures, or via Twitter, Facebook, or comments here on the blog.  Let us know what you think!