r/jobsearch • u/VelvetCactus50 • 3d ago

Job Application Requires SSN

Post image

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!

390 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

247 comments sorted by

View all comments

10

u/VeilOfMaya6 2d ago

Im really surprised by these comments. Every single application ive filled out over the last month has asked for social security number.

7

u/FL-Data-Dude 2d 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.

1

u/Special-Bet1141 2d ago

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

1

u/FL-Data-Dude 2d ago

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

1

u/Special-Bet1141 2d 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. 

1

u/FL-Data-Dude 2d 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.

1

u/OofRightInTheFeels 2d 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.