Ask the Experts: Provide Your Personal Information to a Prospective Employer

Question:

I recently applied to work for a company. Before they would interview me, they told me that I would need to provide to them a lot of personal information, including my social security, driver license number and other personal data. They said that they needed it to perform a character check. Is this legal? Can I refuse, especially when this is at a very early stage in the hiring process?

First Answer:

When a pharmaceutical company asks you to fill out a job application it does contain all of those questions you mentioned. This is legal, just as long they ask all applicants the same questions at the same time in the screening process.

Getting an application from your interviewer used to indicate that the company was strongly considering you for employment – as it is expensive to run these checks. These days many companies run checks as a part of their initial screening. But before you comply, get as much information as possible about the actual job.

Do you know if this company is reputable? Is there an actual job? When does it start? When will interviews be held if your information passes their criteria? Only proceed if they tell you who runs the background check and the findings will be confidential.

In my book, PharmRepSelect® -Your Complete Guide to Getting a Job in Pharmaceutical Sales, chapter seven is all about equal opportunity guidelines. I outline questions you should and should not answer during your interview.

Having recruited for fifteen years for major pharmaceutical companies, I am not familiar with any companies that run checks before meeting with you. Of course you can refuse to answer these questions this early in the process and you will be risking that the interview process ends. But ask yourself, “do I really want to go to work for a company that treats it’s applicants like this?”

— Lisa Alexander, former Medical Sales Representative and hiring manager of pharmaceutical sales representatives and author of PharmRepSelect®, a comprehensive guide to getting a job in the pharmaceutical sales industry

Second Answer:

Unless this information was part of a formal, printed employment application, this sort of information is not
required in order to be considered for the job. Furthermore, a
character check is only done when the company is about to
extend an offer of employment. To do a background check before
that time is an invasion of privacy and is definitely illegal.

I would suggest that you pass on this situation and continue your search. One way to handle it would be to politely explain
that you have decided that this situation is not a good match
and you have decided to continue your search. Another way of
handling it is to say you have reconsidered the opportunity and
decided to not pursue it any further.

In either case, say thank you for their having allowed you the opportunity to meet and learn about them. They have, indeed,
provided you with some good experience.

— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Originally posted by alwin