Social Security Number

I was talking on the phone with my cousin today. She has worked as a substitute teacher in several schools. She is between jobs. One of the things she mentioned was that they require her to furnish her SSN on job applications. Since the wrong person could do some serious damage with your SSN, I really think it is a bad idea to have to furnish them for a job application.

I went online tonight to put a hold on a book at the library. The library is using the first 4 numbers of my SSN in their "primary identification" field.

That seems like a violation of security to me.

Reply to
Metspitzer
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There are lots of privacy issues. Some have argued that federal law prohibits using the SSN for other purposes. But it's a very convenient unique identifier that separates you from that other John Smith. Do you really want his arrest record coming up when they check you out?

Reply to
mike

How is a prospective employer supposed to do any kind of background checks without even a SS #? It's typically asked for when applying for a loan, credit card, apartment rental, hospital visit, etc. So, I don't see the issue as being unique or unreasonable in regard to employment.

It seems kind of odd and dumb to me too. But I don't think anyone is gonna get far with 4 digits..

Reply to
trader4

They want it to run a credit-check on her - get her credit score.

Either that, or a criminal background check.

Here is what I found on-line:

------------ It might cost you the employment opportunity, but I would write "SSN available upon job offer" in that space. They will need the SSN if they do background checks, so you will need to provide it for the background checks if they make an offer. I would prefer to keep that number safe until hired, but it is not always possible.

------------

Seeing as this is probably for a teaching job, the SSN is probably needed for a criminal background check.

Other times, probably for credit check - no employer wants to hire someone who's a financial basket-case.

By the way, I fixed your subject line.

Reply to
Home Guy

Employers? OK, libraries, they are not getting my real SSN.

People who have no valid need for my SSN get my phone number with the

2 digit year I graduated from high school in the middle. Easy to remember but innocuous.
Reply to
gfretwell

How is a prospective employer supposed to do any kind of background checks without even a SS #? It's typically asked for when applying for a loan, credit card, apartment rental, hospital visit, etc. So, I don't see the issue as being unique or unreasonable in regard to employment.

Financial institutes, leasing agencies, medical facilities, etc. all require financial payment for services and/or goods. They require the need to check credit history to ensure they deal with a financially responsible person so they can get paid. An employer does not and simply pays the employee to do a job. If anything, the applicant should check the history of the employer to ensure they've never had problems with payroll. There is no need for an employer to seek SSN....period.

Reply to
Meanie

Application, vs. new hire paperwork. It really shouldn't be required until you are in the process of being hired, not just applying. That said, in this age of background checks and whatnot, it may be to your benefit to provide it if you have a name that is shared by others in the country to help avoid being confused with that person on such background checks. Legally they are required to inform you if something bad comes up on a background check and give you an opportunity to contest it, but a great many employers violate that law.

Reply to
Pete C.

May be, but it's the law.

"U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization ... E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States."

In other words, U.S. law says that only certain people can legally work in the U.S. and the approved way to ascertain that is to check the proffered SSN with the government.

Reply to
HeyBub

They need the SSN to run the E verify and fill out the I-9

Reply to
gfretwell

No need for the PROSPECTIVE employer to have your SSN - but once you are hired he needs it for with-holding taxes etc. A hotel, car rental, library, credit card company, bank, or anyone NOT directly involved in my "social security" does NOT get my number - and is told in no uncertain terms that asking for it is treading on thin ice.

Reply to
clare

Many would disagree with you. Bad credit shows sloppiness, at least. I wouldn't hire anyone with crappy credit for a position where any trust was needed. BTW, you don't think a SSN is needed for tax reasons?

Reply to
krw

I am retired now but one of the first things that we did when someone applied for employment was to run their SS# against the ones that were already on file for current employees. You might find it surprising but several times that SS# was already being used by one of our employees. We then had to find out if the current employee was the actual owner of that SS# or if the applicant was or neither of them was.

Reply to
IGot2P

Right, but they don't need that until a job offer is made and accepted.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

OK, but if you have 1000 applicants and one finalist to make an offer, you only need that one number, not all the others that will be sitting in a file drawer for a long time.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Metspitzer wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

We type in the library card # and last name. What kind of library do yopu have?

.
Reply to
frag

Why would you bother to offer a job to someone until you found out they were employable.

Reply to
gfretwell

Nobody is going to get to the application phase for 1000 prospective employees to fill one job. You would not even look at that many resumes. Usually they seldom even consider more than a few, enough to call them back.

Reply to
gfretwell

I assume every applicant is employable. I may ask a couple of questions first, check age if they look young. It takes very little time to verify.

We lose 25% of applicants when we say we will do a drug test. Many just turn around and walk out the door. There is no need for me to keep a file full of potential identity theft for no good reason.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

My point is though, you don't need the SS# on the application. Does not matter if it is 2, 10, 100 or 10,000. Until you have a viable candidate for the job, you have no need for the SS.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

...and yet, you're not naming any of them.

Reply to
Meanie

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