Isn't it illegal for an employer to request any other info besides start/end dates for work references?

Question

Been looking for another job. Why do employers ask for supervisor name & number on their applications when all they are required to do by law is ask for my end/start date and my duties? They cannot ask about my personality, pay, if i quit or got fired, or if i was ever a bad employee right?

So why do employers still ask for last rate of pay and want to know my supervisors name and number? I usually give them the 1-800 number to call and get verification.

And why would i tell them my REAL last rate of pay? Wouldnt that prevent me from asking for a higher rate? It has in the past so i'm going to start lying about it and add a couple thousand dollars to my "last rate of pay".

Answer 1

prospective employers usually ask for the pay on your last job and then verify it because 1) they want to know you are telling the truth, 2) they want to know what kind of job you did (leadership or support), 3) because when employers hire you they want to start you out at the same pay or a little bit more (they don't want to undercut your last job's pay because then you won't stay with them).

As I know it, they can and do ask starting and ending dates, your pay, and what your title was. I know there are ways they can get additioinal information, for instance by asking the employer's secretary (who usually runs her mouth) if they can't reach the employer. And it's that secretary who can keep you from getting a higher or better job or better paying job if she didn't like you. I also know from experience that when sitting in a room with the prospective employer (or chatting with them after work hours) they will ask you all sorts of things and since no one else is around they can get away with that. If you balk or get fidgety or start to perspire or even if your situation is down right honest but doesn't sound right to them then you don't get the job.

Answer 2

Employers can ask almost ANYTHING legally outside of religion, politics and things like that. Yes, thay can ask your last rate of pay. However, you are not obligated to answer. For example, my last employer required we sign a confidentiality agreement to protect proprietary information. Pay rate falls under proprietary information. So, on my next interview, I claimed proprietary information and declined to state a number. Yes, they can ask for a supervisor's name and yes if you are using your last job as a reference, then it follows your supervisor is the one they should talk to. Like with the 5th amendment, you can not be compelled to disclose proprietary information from a previous employer. Tell the truth. Never lie. But, you can hide behind confidential information of a previous employer. Just ask them, do they publish their rates of pay? Are their rates of pay considered confidential information? If so, then you would likewise be violating the trust of your previous employer to not reveal their confidential information. Refusing to disclose your last supervisor's name and number to facilitate validating your reference raises a huge red flag. They think, what are you hiding? Even if you give an 800 number to the company, they can track down the information through the HR department of where you worked, so why make them jump through hoops? If I have to jump through hoops to verify things, I would be less inclined to look favorably on you. Think about it from their point of view. Just don't lie about anything, ever. They will find out eventually and will not trust you, which I think you will admit, is a very BAD thing.

Answer 3

Employers can and do ask references whatever they want to ask. Whether it is legal for your references to answer those questions depends on the laws where you live, and also on the policies of the companies where you worked. (A lot of companies these days are afraid of getting sued, so they won't give out much more than name, rank, and serial number!)

Answer 4

It is not illegal but those questionnaires are basically spyware, and they gather a lot of unnecessary information.
They are snooping into competitors and industry standards really.
Like it or hate it, some corporations have all their application form like that. You have a choice of leaving the ones you do not want them to know blank. It is still a free country.
Send them your resume instead.