Can they REALLY ask me these questions?

[TheMoreItSnows]

Been asked to a first stage interview on Wednesday, the recruitment agency have my CV detailing all the usual info. and have obviously sent it to the company with the job on offer.

I have now been sent an additional 'application form' via the recruitment company, from the interviewing company. I have been asked to fill it in, in includes employment history (again) address (again) etc etc but also for medical history, marital status, number of kids, spouses name, whether I own/rent my home & how long I've lived there, how many days of illness I have had over the last 12 months and even names of personal references etc etc.

I haven't been offered a job yet, I'm just going to meet these people to see if I like them and they like me.....

SURELY they can't ask this?? I feel uncomfortable giving them this info. Should I fill it out, apparently they need to see it before I interview on Wed.....

No, don't fill it in. Those things are none of their business.

www.safeworkers.co.uk/job-interview-questions-should-not-be-asked.html

spouses name and whether you own or rent is very odd. however the rest seem standard.

I'm not sure they can legally ask your marital status and whether you have children either?

Medical history/sickness record/references are appropriate after an interview, but not before imo. You might decide after interview you're not interested in the job at all.

Is it for a bank or something? Are they doing a credit check (quite common for them to I think)?

Sounds like the sort of data they need for a security/financial check. DH has had to provide that sort of thing as in his line of work they need to be sure that you are low risk to commit financial fraud

sounds more like some sort of security clearance, either financial checks or official secrets type thingy?

that said, normally would be done after interview i think...

It isn't a job that needs any kind of security clearance, financial fraud isn't going to be something that could happen within this position, it isn't a bank or a financial institution.... I haven't even been offered a job, it is first stage only...

As far as I can tell from the internet (I'm with you coffeefestival) marital status, medical history, number of children are all totally off limits...

I've been to many interviews in my life and never ever been asked for anything like this - so I can't believe it is standard in my line of work...

They can ask whatever they like. Some questions may leave them vulnerable to challenges of discrimination, depending on circumstances.

I would suggest you ask the recruitment consultant exactly what this information is to be used for before you fill it out so that you can make an informed decision.

Hmmm Flowery I can see where you are coming from..... They can ask but I don't have to answer I guess.

My point is that I just want to chat to them to see if the role is for me, and indeed if I am for them, I don't need them to know how tall I am and what I weigh (they'll see that when I turn up nyway...)

It is not going to look like a great start if I refuse to fill out their 'obligatory' form though is it??!

Come on legal chaps - I need to know - do I really have to fill this thing out - currently I've filled out the bits that I would expect to be asked and left the rest empty....

The recruitment agent has told me that it is a 'formality' requested by the owner of the the business - I'm thinking that the company may be out of touch with what can and can't be asked....

Oh and I forgot to say the medical history bit is asking if I'm on prescribed medicine, if I've ever had heart trouble, bowel trouble, lung disease, severe stress reaction, depression (a total of 20 listed things and an 'other' section) - it's not just 'how many days of sicknes have you had in the last 12 months?'

This is a first interview....

can you fill in the standard stuff, as you've done, and then say you feel it would be more appropriate to fill in the more personal areas if you receive an offer? Presuming your offer would be subject to health clearances then I can't see there being a problem.

Stealth - I reckon that's going to be the way forward....partial compliance....

That's settled then! (Reckon they'll have me down as a trouble maker and no offer will be forthcoming, but hey I can live with that...)

That sounds absolutely barking!

That's Sensitive Personal Data under the Data Protection Act, and thus has to be treated appropriately, which I suspect they are not doing. You could always ask them for a copy of their data protection policy and verification that staff have been given data protection training

Have you spoken to the recruitment consultant again and asked what the information is to be used for? The advantage of being recruited through an agency is that you have a buffer and can push for answers on things that you wouldn't be happy approaching the company itself on.

You don't have to answer anything you don't want to, of course not, sorry I thought that was clear. However unless the recruitment consultant sorts the company out a bit they may end up very shortsightedly not recruiting people who don't give all the information.

It doesn't sound as though it can be justified for the job so if you're not happy with giving the information and on pushing the consultant he/she is unable or unwilling to find out why it's needed and tell you what the information is used for, then refuse to give it. The recruitment consultant wants to find good candidates so they get their commission, so if the company either starts rejecting people for silly reasons or if people start withdrawing altogether because they are unhappy with the process, they should soon start pushing the company to rethink.

Hi Flowery - the recruitment consultant says that it is a 'formality' and that filling it out 'will speed up the process of making an offer'.... OK but I haven't reached that point yet, and most important of all I haven't met these people yet to know that even if they did make an offer would I want to take it?

She's not available until this afternoon, at which point I will speak to her, but I think that it is a company caught in the 'this is how we've always done it...' mentality and maybe no one has challenged it before....

Ahhh maybe I won't fit in at all!! I have filled in all the bits I am comfortable to fill in and we shall see what happens tomorrow..

When I was misguided enough to be applying for proper graduate jobs, I was filling out a form to work with a large banking organisation. When I got to the section where it asked for my weight and height I decided not to apply after all...

Have to confess was tempted to put something comical suggesting extreme short stature coupled with unachievably high weightage....

Guess that might be perceived as taking the p*ss?

I had to fill in a very detailed set of medical questions in order to become a volunteer with an NHS run buggy walk. I was and kept my answer polite but vague. They actually phoned me up for more details. What business of theirs is it if I've had surgery for endometrosis? Or was undergoing IVF? It's not like I wanted a paid position or even to do anything that took more than 1 hour a week (and I wasn't the organiser so not as though I would have been letting down hordes of eager mums in the event of illness).

There do seem to be moves to ask increasingly personal questions in order to cover the organisations backs.

if they ask you about marital status/children and then dont give you the job then you can claim sex discrimination so in practice any employer with any sense doesn't ask these questions!

Do you really want this job? If this is how they are now it doesnt bode well for the future, surely?

Well I've submitted it partially filled in, and will see what tomorrow holds.

The recruitment agent - when I chatted to her - told me that it helps prevent people from claiming discrimination should they not get an interview/job offer....EH?

I will reserve judgment on the company until I meet them tomorrow, maybe they just need someone to come in and 'modernise' a touch??!

Ah, they may have an idea if they ask everyone these questions, it isn't discrimination. Interesting.

A company is entitled to ask about sickness record, but think they have gone a bit overboard asking about specific ailments.

A friend (female) of mine was interviewed for a city law firm and asked how her child care commitments wouldn't be an issue. . She said something along the lines, 'you can't ask me that...' Their response was, 'we don't have to give you a job either...'