I recently filled out a job application

[violas]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida. I filled out a job application recently and was shocked at all of the "nosy questions". They want to know if anyone in my home is collecting welfare, they want to know every bit of my medical history. etc etc etc. Non-stop nosy questions. Are people now required to "spill their guts" in order to get a new job these days? I don't have anyone in my family collecting welfare. No, I have never filled out a worker's compensation claim in the past. But even if I did, it's none of their business right? It's unbelievable. I want a job but I don't want everyone knowing all of my personal business. Are all of these nosy questions legal now? I know in the past that they were not suppose to ask those kind of questions. Perhaps now with so many people out of work they just ask whatever they want and it's legal?

 

[Proserpina]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida. I filled out a job application recently and was shocked at all of the "nosy questions". They want to know if anyone in my home is collecting welfare, they want to know every bit of my medical history. etc etc etc. Non-stop nosy questions. Are people now required to "spill their guts" in order to get a new job these days? I don't have anyone in my family collecting welfare. No, I have never filled out a worker's compensation claim in the past. But even if I did, it's none of their business right? It's unbelievable. I want a job but I don't want everyone knowing all of my personal business. Are all of these nosy questions legal now? I know in the past that they were not suppose to ask those kind of questions. Perhaps now with so many people out of work they just ask whatever they want and it's legal?

(post history notwithstanding )


So. Exactly what are they asking wrt your medical history?

And what exactly is this job?

 

[cbg]

There are very few questions that are actually illegal. There is illegal use of the answers, which is why a smart employer will not ask them unless there's a real reason for them. But few that the law prohibits them from asking.

That said, well, what Pro said.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

It seems they are attempting to hire employees they can get Federal targeted jobs credits back on. The gov't will basically pay them to hire you.

 

[violas]

They want to know everything about me

Have I ever had cancer in the past? Have I ever had depression in the past? Etc etc etc. It's none of their business in my opinion. So I guess every little bit of my personal business has to be reported? And what if a person did injure their back in the past and collected workman's compensation in the past? Does that mean they are a horrible person and should never get another job? What about someone who had cancer or depression in the past? Should they not be able to get work too? I do not want to state here what kind of job I am looking for at this time. All I want to know is if all of these nosy questions are legal or not? It seems in the past, that I use to hear people say "Oh no, they are not suppose to ask those kind of questions"

 

[Just Blue]

Have I ever had cancer in the past? Have I ever had depression in the past? Etc etc etc. It's none of their business in my opinion. So I guess every little bit of my personal business has to be reported? And what if a person did injure their back in the past and collected workman's compensation in the past? Does that mean they are a horrible person and should never get another job? What about someone who had cancer or depression in the past? Should they not be able to get work too? I do not want to state here what kind of job I am looking for at this time. All I want to know is if all of these nosy questions are legal or not? It seems in the past, that I use to hear people say "Oh no, they are not suppose to ask those kind of questions"

So do not answer the question. They are free to ask and you are free to not answer.

 

[cbg]

Based SOLELY on the information we have available, the questions might be legal or they might not. Since you have not responded to the questions asked of you, that's the best we can do.

 

[Just Blue]

Based SOLELY on the information we have available, the questions might be legal or they might not. Since you have not responded to the questions asked of you, that's the best we can do.

Agreed. I based my response on the total lack of info from OP. S/he seemed to want "general advice".

 

[anearthw]

Have I ever had cancer in the past? Have I ever had depression in the past? Etc etc etc. It's none of their business in my opinion. So I guess every little bit of my personal business has to be reported? And what if a person did injure their back in the past and collected workman's compensation in the past? Does that mean they are a horrible person and should never get another job? What about someone who had cancer or depression in the past? Should they not be able to get work too? I do not want to state here what kind of job I am looking for at this time. All I want to know is if all of these nosy questions are legal or not? It seems in the past, that I use to hear people say "Oh no, they are not suppose to ask those kind of questions"

If you refuse to state the job then nobody can give you an answer.

There are many occupations where those questions may be relevant, particularly for the health and safety of the people the person may come in contact with. For example, "Have you ever had depression in the past?" - is it relevant for a grocery store clerk? No. Is it relevant for a police officer who is given a firearm and put in an authority position? Yes.

Anyways, even if IRRELEVANT, it does not mean they are illegal.

 

[swalsh411]

There is also no law which states you must truthfully answer them.

 

[cbg]

While swalsh is technically correct, if you answer the questions falsely and the employer, now or ever, discovers that, that is grounds for immediate termination/placement in the permanent do not hire pile.

Just food for thought.

 

[commentator]

Have I ever had cancer in the past? Have I ever had depression in the past? Etc etc etc. It's none of their business in my opinion. So I guess every little bit of my personal business has to be reported? And what if a person did injure their back in the past and collected workman's compensation in the past? Does that mean they are a horrible person and should never get another job? What about someone who had cancer or depression in the past? Should they not be able to get work too? I do not want to state here what kind of job I am looking for at this time. All I want to know is if all of these nosy questions are legal or not? It seems in the past, that I use to hear people say "Oh no, they are not suppose to ask those kind of questions"

I would avoid a place that asked questions like this like the plague. No one says you have to fill out this application, and no one says you are going to have trouble ever getting another job because this one place asks you questons you don't wish to answer, legal or not.

In my experience, questions about past worker's comp claims are rather common. Wonder what would happen if you answer the questions dishonestly, and then go in and do your job quietly and they never find out you didn't tell them? But then as cbg says, they'd have lots of ground to terminate you for falsifying the application. Not many of the questions are exactly illegal, though they do sound very suspect. A lot would depend on the type of work and circumstances.

In one situation I was involved with, a company was strongly discouraged by an EEOC representative to include the question "Are you pregnant?" on an application. But they were allowed to require a physical examination pre-selection.

For the employer to get a federal tax credit, you must fall into a category that may qualify. Very few employers try to include screening for this program in their application process. Being low income /and/or a targeted group such as someone with veteran's status or a vocational rehab referral might be criteria that could qualify one, but to try to include this screening on an application sounds extremely clumsy, if nothing else. Usually those things are done after the hiring process is completed, and there is a screening done as part of the pre-enrollment paperwork.

This sounds more like a sort of incompetent HR situation, depending of course on the actual nature of the position applied for.

 

[BigMouthWino]

Have I ever had cancer in the past? Have I ever had depression in the past? Etc etc etc. It's none of their business in my opinion.

If you believe it isn't any of their business you are free to take your labor elsewhere. When you choose to sell your labor for wages the buyer can ask whatever they want before they decide whether or not to buy.

So I guess every little bit of my personal business has to be reported? And what if a person did injure their back in the past and collected workman's compensation in the past? Does that mean they are a horrible person and should never get another job? What about someone who had cancer or depression in the past? Should they not be able to get work too? I do not want to state here what kind of job I am looking for at this time. All I want to know is if all of these nosy questions are legal or not? It seems in the past, that I use to hear people say "Oh no, they are not suppose to ask those kind of questions"

Yes, the questions are legal. If I was hiring for a large warehouse I wouldn't want to hire people that were accident prone and had prior back injuries. Some people are clumsier than others, that's a fact. If you find a way to screen out the clumsy ones you bring your costs down and profits up.

 

[violas]

Thanks to all for your comments

I got the job! I did not answer all the questions on the application truthfully. However, I am a very good worker and they are lucky to have me. If they find out that I didn't answer all the questions truthfully and want to get rid of me then that is their loss. I'll be damned if I am going to "spill my guts" in order to get a job.

 

[Just Blue]

I got the job! I did not answer all the questions on the application truthfully. However, I am a very good worker and they are lucky to have me. If they find out that I didn't answer all the questions truthfully and want to get rid of me then that is their loss. I'll be damned if I am going to "spill my guts" in order to get a job.

Just...Wow.

Q4P.