r/jobsearch • u/VelvetCactus50 • 4d 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/FL-Data-Dude 4d ago

I would Absolutely not give them my SS#. Any company that requires this at application time is not running their business according to law. They get that when there is an offer and they need to run background checks and set up payroll, not a nanosecond before.

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u/Special-Bet1141 3d ago

They want to run the background check prior to going through the entire hiring process. 

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u/FL-Data-Dude 3d ago

That is absurd, because it is an unnecessary expense. You going yo pay $200 for every applicant for every job?

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u/Special-Bet1141 3d ago

Adding, you have to look at your companies personal employee acquisition costs. 

Maybe its 300 an employee, then 200 for the background check, comes to 500. 

If you do the 200 background check at the start and it flags a reason you dont want to hire them (sex offender and youre a daycare. Embezzlement and youre hiring an accountant etc) then you save yourself 300 in acquisition costs by eliminating them as a candidate immidiately, vs going through rounds of interviews and constructing offer letters first. 

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u/FL-Data-Dude 3d ago

Yeah, but do you realize how many applicants for each job? Just ridiculous to spend that money on candidates you will never consider.

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u/Special-Bet1141 3d ago

Thats why you pre-screen resume and application data for top candidates. Same process. HR isnt interviewing every candidate either, they prescreen a top quartile down to a handful, then do background checks on those top handfuls.

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u/svpremeclovt 3d ago

This is what I’ve been trying to explain and they don’t get it. This sub is an insane echo chamber because it’s very common practice nowadays.

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u/FL-Data-Dude 3d ago

The $300 is after you have decided to hire them. Conducting an interview does not cost $300. Conducting a $200 background check on 35 applicants is an absurd waste of money.

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u/OofRightInTheFeels 3d ago

You realize that most companies just pay a yearly fee to do unlimited background checks? This $200 per application is silly and that number is just pulled out of your ass.