Ask yourself, do employers have the right to ask for sensitive or confidential information? Certain requirements made by companies in job ads might be contentious, leaving job seekers perplexed. However, they are well aware of when they do not meet the requirements. As a result, they will not be asked to participate in the hiring process. When a job candidate lacks to follow the guidelines for applying for jobs, the employer has dismissed the application.
Suppose you have a credential or are looking for one. You’re probably used to handing up personal information to the internet. But you’re probably also concerned about your safety. Candidates frequently inquire about why recruiters require their SSN (social security number) to verify the security clearance. And also, how to confirm that such inquiries are legitimate.
What is SSN?
Social Security Number is known as SSN. It is numerical identification given to the United States residents to trace their pay and calculate benefits. The SSN was established in 1935 to give retirement plus disability payments to the elderly and disabled. However, the original function was to monitor wages and give benefits. Still, nowadays, it is used for various purposes, including identifying people for taxation purposes, tracking their credit history, and approving credit applications.
Why are recruiters asking for SSN?
Recruiters must be certain that the info asked on an application form is work-related before asking it. For example, recruiters must not ask for an SSN on a job application since the SSN is unrelated to the ability of the applicant to do a particular job. Plus, applications are frequently read by people who don’t require to know these details.
Employers must avoid asking the unnecessary details. Sharing it accidentally with recruiting supervisors or someone else should be prohibited due to identity theft and basic privacy concerns. Employers must only interrogate for an SSN from an application if it is considered necessary. An employer, for example, might collect the SSN on a different basis authorization form. Instead of the application form when conducting a background investigation before making a job offer.
Employers will require employee SSN for payroll plus benefit purposes after they have employed someone. As a result, employers must adopt processes for the secure disposal of SSNs, including safeguards to maintain SSNs’ secrets. It’s also crucial to be aware of state legislation. Several states, for instance, have particular rules for sending SSNs via the web or writing SSNs on mail-in data.
What is the significance of requesting the SSN?
Throughout the portal, there is just one Security/Unique ID option that we must fill out. Your birthday, Characters of the name, and the last four digits of the SSN are used to produce the Security ID. The pattern is “MM/DD-AA-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. MM/DD represents the birthdate. The AA represents the characters from your first plus second names, and XXXX represents the final four digits of the SSN.
Be your one-of-a-kind identifier number that could be used to trace the progress of the application. For instance, whether your interview will occur, if you are already being interviewed, or if the subsequent round of interviews is set. As well as your department, job location, and other information.
Conclusion
It’s not a good idea. A recruiter’s request for SSN before a job offer is quite rare, and that needs a background check. The only justification for this demand may be that a firm has had bad and late-stage background check failures. So preserve your SSN with these firms. Only disclose it once you’ve received a formal employment offer. If you have any doubts, contact the firm for which the interviewer regularly works. The Hr manager can confirm the strange policy, plus he will elaborate it to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When can you reveal your SSN?
Your SSN is not required by everyone who asks for it. Generally, whenever an organization submits data to IRS at that time, you will be advised to provide your SSN. Employers, banking institutions, the US Treasury for government securities, and county unemployment benefits. Plus, workers’ compensation agencies are also examples of this.
- Are employer practices the subject of heated debate?
SSN is used on form, salary criteria while filing an application form, and pay history or evidence of salary. At a certain stage throughout the assessment session are all hotly debated topics. If the candidate does not follow the guidelines within job advertising, the company has all right to dismiss their application. For a job application to be valid, the job seeker must comply with all employers’ demands.
- What to do if I have been scammed?
Submit a Request for a Review of your SSN Benefits. In rare cases, one person or more might accidentally have used the same SSN. For example, due to a typo or a lapse in memory while filling out forms. This can sometimes occur on purpose, such as when someone takes your phone number to apply for a job. To seek a review of your wages, email Social Security.
- How to protect SSN?
For getting your SSN secured, try these few steps:
- Begin by limiting who knows your SSN. The fewer people where it is available, the better.
- If somebody asks for your phone number, please don’t give it out.
- Before handing it up, inquire about why they require it or how they intend to safeguard it.
- In case you think your SSN has been hacked, contact the main branch for assistance.
- First, is it legal to demand the applicant’s SSN?
The practice of companies requesting from all applicants, regardless of whether or not they would be given further consideration. It seems to be the most contentious. In most jurisdictions, it is permissible to ask for SSN on a job application. But it is still an incredibly poor practice. Therefore, new rules regarding the protection of employees as well as application information are announced. According to this, it is not advisable to ask for SSN till the individual has been hired.
