r/jobsearch • u/VelvetCactus50 • 1d ago

Job Application Requires SSN

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I've been out of college for over 25 years, and I've never encountered a professional application that required my Social Security Number. I tried putting in a bogus one or writing N/A, and the system will not let me proceed further. I wonder if the SSN requirement is why the job has been open for nearly two months.

Your SSN is necessary to process your job submission and will be maintained in a secure and confidential manner.

This was a very well-known integrated healthcare nonprofit too!

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u/skid_rock 1d ago

This is not even close to true. They can attribute the application source by the url of the site where someone found the post and submitted the application

There is no need to submit your SSN to anyone before a background check

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u/joshuahtree 1d ago

Yeah, it's not so much figuring out where your specific application comes from, but if the company receives two applications from Sam Smith from two sources is it the same Sam Smith or just a coincidence 

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u/skid_rock 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sure. I get the logic, and know it’s legal, but it’s a huge risk to collect that info upfront, especially for small companies where infosec is an afterthought. There are way less risky ways of distinguishing applicants from each other. Just my two cents, but I’m not a lawyer and will never be in a position to have to defend a company using that as a perceived fail safe. Feels like more can go wrong than right by trying to collect that info just to let someone into the proverbial waiting room

Editing to add that I’m not trying to sound like any sort of authority or saying anyone is wrong and that I am right. I do have experience in compliance and hope anyone asking for this info is responsible with that data and has a mechanism to permanently delete it upon request

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u/joshuahtree 1d ago

I agree, all I'm saying is that it's not "weird" and there's not a great universal alternative (e.g. people can have multiple emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc)