Over the past year I have had the opportunity to look at a wide range of employment applications and a fairly common characteristic is that employers have not truly looked at the information that they have generated with their Applicant Tracking Systems. Now with the introduction of the Genetic Identification Non Discrimination Act it become even more critical that we review the information you are gathering. Your key should be is whether the information you are requesting is truly a valid indicator of whether the candidate can perform the duties of the position for which they are applying for.

Let me give you some recent examples I have come across:

A) An employer on the application, right at the top asked for who to contact in case of an emergency and the candidates social security number

B) An employer asked ,with a must answer stipulation, the date the candidate graduated from college

C) A government agency asked for required dates of your education. When questioned about the reasons for asking for the information, stated that the State AG had said it was okay.

With the dramatic increase in the number of discrimination suits and increased enforcement by the EEOC of these issues, it is to the detriment of your organization if you don't ensure that your application is asking questions which are bona-fide occupational qualification questions. Failure to do so can mean that financially you might be in worst shape.
While we are discussing your applications it is also critical that you check the system used by your outsourced applicant tracking system. They maybe asking questions which you are unaware of. The fact that you did not know the question was being asked is no excuse for asking questions that could lead to discriminatory practices in your talent management program.

Tags human resources, recruiting

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