Applying for jobs asking for full work history

[Bluenoodles]

As above. I’m a 51 year old female looking for part time care / support work. Is it common, or even legal to ask for a full work history going back to secondary school like I am being asked.
It just seems a way of determining your age when they obviously can’t directly ask it.
I understand if you’re working with vulnerable groups there’s a need to get peoples backgrounds, but my secondary school doesn’t exists anymore, neither do some of the companies I worked for either. I doubt they’d keep HR records going back 20/ 30 odd years anyway.
In one interview I had already supplied my work history going back 25 years, because I’d worked for the same company for 20 of them, only to be put on the spot and asked to supply all work history going back to school during the interview, unsurprisingly I didn’t get that job.
I’ve got another interview and they’ve sent over a job application, again asking me to complete a full work history going back to school years, as far as I am aware it’s a different company, just wondering if this is some crank hr department being over zealous, or if this is a requirement now if you’re working with the vulnerable people.

I know of one charity that did this for people who'd be working with children. It was because they asked for references from all previous employers where you'd worked with children before. Caused chaos for older applicants when, like you, these places don't exist anymore. I think they scaled it down a bit now.

They basically want to know if you have any employment gaps-they will not contact them all for a reference. It’s part of safer recruiting and not that unusual. Your school may not exist but there will be a record.

It's a Safer Recruitment requirement so any job that requires a DBS or involves working with vulnerable people will ask for this.

It's a way of filtering out people who might have had suspensions, dismissals or even prison time in the past because of behaviour that poses a risk to vulnerable people. You will need to account for any gaps in your work history too. It's standard practice.

Of course people can lie and probably wouldn't be found out at least initially, but it means if there are suspicions or concerns about an employee in future there is a history to hold them to - obviously if they are found to have lied it's easier for the employer to dismiss them.

NHS ask for this.
You have to explain any employment gaps.
Is it a job that needs DBS checks?

I understand why they’re asking, but surely common sense should prevail. I am very boring with a solid work history from leaving school/ college. Never had any warnings or been fired, suspended.
It feels pointless and potentially discriminatory from an age perspective and also if someone had been going through a difficult patch, mental health issues, relationship breakdown etc 15 / 20 years ago, why should you need to dredge it up to a stranger in a job interview.

I only ever supply the last 10 years as it would take absolutely ages and lots of CV space to list everything!

How could they know any of that without checking?

If you want it go into a regulated (DBS) profession, you'll need to cooperate with the process or find an alternative profession.

It's not discriminatory to assess someone's suitability to work in care.

Well they're not going to be any the wiser after checking are they, if my school has closed and my employer from nearly 30 years ago no longer exists which I imagine is fairly common for older workers, but then again I could just be making that bit up and I was sat in my arse for most of my twenties indulging in drugs and alcohol. It serves no purpose to ask beyond a certain time period, other than to ascertain someone's age or highlight a difficult time in someone's life where they might not have been able to work.
Obviously I need to work, so gotta get with the intrusive and unnecessary questionning if I want a job though.

I supplied last 24 years, but mostly because I worked for same employer for 20 of them. Which you would think is plenty, but HR obviously likes to create work for themselves with this ridiculous policy.
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This is standard with school application forms (I've worked for 5 schools and applied to many more over the years). I wrote a word document with all my work history once and just added to the forms, you can usually write "see additional page" on the form. It's not worth asking why they do it, they just do.

I understand now that it’s common practice. I can still say it’s pointless and stupid though can’t I ?

This is normal if you're working with young people etc, you need to show your work history so that any gaps can be explained. I.e. you weren't abroad or in prison.

They'll take your world for it all though, so if you explain a gap by saying eg "caring responsibilities" they'll be no no further questions, so it's all a bit of an exercise for show.

You certainly can! But it won't make any difference 😁

I think it is still potentially a way to discriminate against older people, who do not have to state their age, but are being forced to give details which makes discovery of their age very easy.

Keep it succinct and don’t go too far back. I have done this and never been questioned about it

Most of my recent applications have been like this. it seems daft to ask me about a part time job I had in 1988! I was asked once what I had done between A levels and working full time (retakes!) this was 30 years later.
I have also been asked about every qualification I ever studied for, even if I failed.
For someone who was effectively orphaned and homeless at 18, it's a time I had hoped I had moved past.

They want to know your full employment history, with any gaps going back to your secondary school, because of ‘safer recruitment’. You’re not meant to filter it out or only go back so far. I was unaware of this and was made to feel older than methuselah when I was asked to provide my full employment history going back to school during an interview.

My DH has to supply his school certificates that were 45 years old for security purposes

My understanding was that they want to know where you've been.... Prison, for example?
However with all due respect isn't there a massive shortage of carers? They can hardly afford to be picky rejecting you on the basis of age.

One thing's for sure, under 2 years you have no protection. They will see your face when you turn up to work anyway. If they don't like it they'll find a way to get rid so.. no difference in the end.

Surely the dbs is going to pick up any jail time.

I was asked why I had listed my qualifications as GCEs surely I meant GCSEs at an interview. Not sure the interview board (of three twenty somethings) believed me when I explained what they were.

After two similar interviews aged 56 after being made redundant during Covid I decided my working days were over.

It’s completely unnecessary and cruel in some instances if someone’s had a difficult past they’d rather forget about.Why on earth do they need to know what qualifications you’ve studied for and failed.
Theres no way for them to verify it beyond a certain point and I doubt schools colleges would release the info because of data protections laws anyway.

It’s really off putting, my last experience with woman asking me to supply full work history going back to the last century made me and the other people on the interview panel feel uncomfortable, but were expected to work until we’re 67 so have potentially another 16 years of it.

But lots of things tell them your age range. I.e. if your examinations include O levels or CSEs, that means you were at school in the early 80's before they were replaced by GCSEs.

Without checking, they've no way of knowing whether you're telling the truth about your history. "You" may know you're being honest, but how do they know that?

If you think what you're asked to do is bad, I'm a self employed accountant. The law requires me to undertake a DBS check of myself to tell myself that I don't have a criminal record. Yes, it's crazy, but it's the law. No exemptions. What's even more stupid is that no one else, neither clients, nor HMRC, or anyone else really has any legal right to inspect my DBS certificate to satisfy themselves that I don't have a criminal record. My accountancy professional/regulatory body doesn't have right to see the certificate, but they have the right to check that I've actually got the certificate, i.e. application reference number to prove I've got it. Utter stupidity.

But, at the end of the day, you have to do what you have to do. Pointless wasting time, energy and headspace whinging about things you can do nothing about!