Loading... Why are employers asking such stupid questions in there Job Applications and generally requiring volumes of information for a $8 an hour job?

because the employees don't know the difference between there and their.

One thing the irritates me more than the questions, is the impersonal online applications with the 20 page questionaire with the exact same question asked 20 different times mixing up the words. Do they think people are stupid?

I was applying at a department store. (starts with a W) And, I was having a problem getting their on-site application computer to function. So, they sent me the lady who was in charge of hiring to attempt to get the computer to work.

She unplugged it, and rebooted it, and told me to start over, so I did. The computer crashed again. They called her back. And, I asked her. Couldn't we just avoid all this, by letting me fill out a paper application, and, since you are in charge of the hiring, couldn't I get an interview now? Or, arrange to have one?

No, you have to fill out the online application. I said forget it, and i got up and walked out. The sad thing is, if I could not speak english, or read english, I would have had someone there right beside me helping me fill it out, and more than likely,

even though I can't speak english, I probably would have been more likely to get hired, than being hired because I can.

One of the reasons why you see so many foreigners working in the major department stores is because the management knows that people won't be so eager to ask them questions.

Like, why does your sign say your product is on sale in the ad and it is not on sale on the shelf? Eh?....no english. Nevermind.

I would like to know why these people are hired, and how they get around these detailed applications?

Affirmative action strikes again!

We are working in an employer's market and almost all employers can afford to be very choosy.

Financial discrimination is a real potential in requiring job candidates to undergo credit checks for employment in some cases. In addition, another tactic is to state "The unemployed need not apply", meaning minorities and people with poorer credit histories. keep reading →

Several of the US States have passed legislation to outlaw pre-employment credit checks for jobs that do not require cash handling. Is your state one of them? keep reading →

Well, considering that my first job was as a Nurse's Aide in a Home Health setting, which paid US $8.50 an hour, it was to make sure we had been been properly trained and weren't going to steal from or abuse clients. My second job was US $9.00 an hour as a Nurse's Aide in an old folks' home and the questions were even stupider..the lady asked me about 6 times if I was 18 or older (I was exactly 18 and told her as much every time, she had copies of my driver's license and social security card in front of her...)

They are trying to weed out the people who are not interested in the job really....you have to be willing to go the extra mile to apply.

I feel the same way. I think that they know we need jobs they try to make it as hard as possible to filter out certain people. I think they don't even consider our responses to these dumb questions.

The original Request addressed by this Hub was placed via the Hub Pages Q & A feature and asked 1) why jobs applications contain stupid questions or why employment interviewers ask stupid questions and 2) how they are justified in doing so when the... keep reading →

It introduces barriers to entry for the position. If the position only pays $8/hr I'm going to assume it is fairly unskilled. Therefore, nearly anyone or everyone is able to do the job. The employer needs some way to filter applicants with what may seem to be trivial questions, otherwise they would be inundated with applicants (and they probably do not have the resources to filter 2000 applications by looking at each one).

So the questions act as a barrier to entry in this market (the market being the interviewed candidates or qualified applicants).

Best of luck in your job search!

Such as, where I went to High School 20 years ago, and what courses I studied..............

HELLO, it's high school, I took the mandatory classes..........

What was my GPA............heck, if I remember, I passed, I graduated!

my guess is that the employers have so many applicants applying for the job, that they are trying to make it easier for them to choose who they will hire. So they ask certain questions to get an idea of what type of employee you will be.

They treat an 8 dollar an hour job like its your life goal and want to make sure you're really ready to take on the responsibility!!! HAH! i wish they would just treat it like it is... a stepping stone filler job till you get on your feet. The sad part is, they are probably screening out their most reliable and long term employees because they aren't "motivated enough" to succeed in life. SUPRISE!!! that's who end up working 8 dollar an hour jobs their whole life!

My real beef is with no long being able to drop off resume's to the manager directly anymore. almost every business I've been to requests that you file an application online or email a resume... They're taking away charismatic people's ability to put their foot in the door and focusing on people that can fabricate the best resume. what a world....

The employment system seems an adversarial process, like playing Russian Roulette Chess with explosive chessmen, or Spy vs. Spy with deadly weapons but no cartoon resurrection. To the unemployed and the older job seeker, each new job application... keep reading →

To weed out the drug addicts, the bad attitudes, the constant 'emergency' folks, the ones with poor work habits, the ones that can't follow directions and the ones that are not literate.

In most cases, they are looking for an employee that will give them the least amount of problems, work the hardest and stay around long enough that they don't have to train someone else.

They restate the questions to check your honesty and your critical thinking skills.

The online applications...the computer sorts out the 'no's' from the 'maybes'. Then a person interviews the maybes. They won't let you skip that because they are required to let the computer do the first part.

:)

I was once asked on one of these stupid questioners, "Do hugged your family members at family gatherings".

Really!

The fact that the economy is tanking and everyone is looking for jobs has created an "employers market." Employers can afford to be choosy.

I'm becoming very suspicious of these jobs that are posted online. I wonder if they are really jobs the employer intends to fill or are they merely "fishing" to find out who is out there and how low a salary they will be willing to work for. I am becoming more and more convinced that these are not real positions that the employer intends to fill; the employers are merely posting these fake jobs so they can then go to the government and say, "See? We created some jobs - now give us our tax break!" I wouldn't put it past our corporations to pull that kind of scam. I think all these employers get sick thrill out of watching all of us desperate people. Age discrimination is being perpetrated on older workers, big-time. And the government knows it, but does nothing. So long as the rich are well taken care of, that's all the government cares about and the government will continue to give tax breaks to corporations as rewards for sending jobs to China and India!

I hope this fits or commiserates with EagleKiwi's sentiment. I too have been highly disgusted at the use of Kronos-Unicru personality tests given by major retailers to job applicants before they even get a chance to be interviewed. I think the media needs to get a jump on investigating the possibility that Unicru and employers who use it are exacerbating the continuing unemployment problems.

It is a case of demand and supply. When supply is more in the sense the number of job seeker is more the demand decreases. The employer scrutinizes to find the best one.

because everybody wants to get more than what they want to give. :)) if you know what i mean.

These days it seems that employers are asking a lot of questions and asking for a lot of information on their job applications. Most of the jobs these days are just for minimum wage too. So, why is this... keep reading →

Jobs are in such high demand that employers can ask volumes of information in order to find the right candidate. I recently placed a job opening for a company I consult for on craigslist.org and recieved 300 applications in less than 24 hours. The position was for a graphic/web designer and was paying minimally.

Some of the applicants had 10-15 years in experience. I was shocked.

Becasue they CAN whenever the economy sucks especially . . .they can! When it's a buyer's market we just have to put up with it!

I see what you're saying but people will say whatever they have to in order to get any job -even if it's not true.  It's a just a way to see if people are lying. Depending on the employer (such as a sole... keep reading →

Excuses because they can, knowing the job market is tough and their money is your necessity. Controlling, you have to answer the stupid question or you wouldnt've applied. Invasive, because they have the key and you have no choice, unfortunately job market doesn't like it and its spiraling out of control losing its true purpose!

I ask the same question. If you also notice, on the bottom of most applications they say they may do a credit check as well. I don't agree with credit checks for a job. They claim that if you have bad credit it means you may be a bad employee. I don't agree. What if you got sick and have a whole bunch of unpaid medical bills- or what if you lost your job and couldn't pay your bills? It is a bunch of crap if you ask me.

I believed to weed out the weak and gear their attention to the younger generation that can work for $8 an hour.

In a sellers market a company can do what it wishes to get get what they want.

Because they can. And, if you need the job, you will answer them and they know that. Life is seldom fair...or logical. Good luck in your job search.

Employers are very leery of accepting anyone for employment without a full background check. Look at this issue from their viewpoint. Here's a stranger they're wanting to get to know enough to trust them inside their business. How would you do it?

Attorneys and the Media promote fear within us all.

I keep delivering the same old message: quite thinking like an employee. Learn to think like an employer and you will get the job. Answer their needs, and you're in.

 EagleKiwi asked why do prospective employers ask such crazy questions on their application forms? Well, I've found that there are a couple of answers. 1.  They want to make sure that you can read and... keep reading →

Because when you 'apply' for anything you are begging, so by default you are admitting that you wish to be made their slave. They know this, so they subjugate you to endless humiliating questions from the start so that you realise what you are letting yourself in for.

Get smart, just go work for yourself and tell 'em where they can stick their stinking application forms!! OUCH!

that is because they need to know who exactly they are hiring. Why would employer wants to hire someone that is not useful for their organization?

Secondly, it is useful for a record keeping purpose.

Pooch, I would have to disagree with you on a credit check in the application process - and it not representing the information they're looking for. What information? Credit reports tell a lot about a person, whether you realize it or not..if they didn't...they're wouldn't be a billion dollar industry created as a part of the screening process...

We do credit reports all the time on our employee's whether they handle $$ or not? Why?

Plain and simple. How can one or anyone concentrate on their job when they're SKY high in debt!!?

or Do I need to worry about a KEY employee getting to work, when I see he/she is 3 month's PAST due on their car payment? by the same token..

if I did hire someone who's car was about to be "repo'd"...do I need to worry that my new $5,000 copier is going to end up at the pawn shop, while I'm at lunch? - (I know that's extreme, but Im sure you get the point.), so he/she can pay her bills?

Credit report's might not provide EVERY piece of information an employer is looking for...like you said....personality, etc...but it damn sure gives you an insight into a person's past and how they may or may not perform on the job.

It's the same reason co's do drug-tests..which I might add is the industry I'm in..the drug-screening biz...an employee on drug's is 80% more likely to steal....miss over 20 days of work a year....force company group health insurance policies to triple in 3 years...etc...

Our moto for drug screening? eliminate 95% of the problems before they hit the door...and thus, is the same reason we do credit checks. We want someone with a clear mind coming to work..not worrying about how they're going make the next 10 $25 ccard payments that are due.

Take care,

Tony

Because there's a lot less job available maybe and employers are looking for the best employees... even at an 8$ per hour paying job.

I'll tell you why: These knucklehead employers don't want to pay experienced people what they're really worth these days.

Maximum quality for minimum pay. That is so wrong on so many levels.

Because they are nosy and dangle that $8 an hour job like a carrot in your face because they know unemployment is high so they can play games

I think now employers are just trying to be nosy. they going to make you work hard on the interview for that $8 an hour.

The questions that you believe are stupid are a part of a personality test. The employers want to see the type of person you are with the questions. For example, are you honest and trustworthy. Will you be dependable working for us and dedicated to the work assignment that you are provided. The questions seem to be unfair, but it is a process of elimination on what type of people the employer is looking to hire. I believe that the credit process in a background check is misunderstood. The information that they may be looking at does not represent the individual in a lot of cases. The employer will not know if they have lost their job, divorced, or were disabled briefly and now trying to get back on their feet. Most of us do not understand that all applications are now done online. This is a purpose of screening applications and running credit and giving you automated responses as "If your qualifications meet our needs, then you will be contact by the hiring manager." How many people have been contacted? Everything with the stupid questions and background checks for jobs are a complete screening process that is hindering a lot of Americans from being able to survive.

First, I would like to say that I agree with the question. I get very irritated with these stupid questions. I try my best to answer to the best of my ability, but it makes the job hunting process very tiresome. MomInTheMiddle asks for an example of a stupid question. Let's see .... Do people do many things that annoy you? Uh, do you get more annoyed or more angry? Have you ever had a cash shortage? (Not placed in context-I am having a shortage of cash right now, but they probably mean for a cash register operator. I would understand the question if I was applying for a cash register position only.) What I really can't stand is when I am given only yes or no check boxes for questions that are obviously too broad. Will my answer be held against me in a court of law?

If people, who have experienced months of fruitless job hunting, started asking the same questions when they require services or products from the stores or businesses, it may stop.

For example, at the store, ask a manager if an item is the best product available, then ask again three more times in the next five minutes. Ask about the return policy two or three times, ask about animal treatment and suppliers' past criminal background. Ask the manager for his criminal history, including misdemeanors, and driving record. Tie up all their time and then don't buy anything . If they say thank you, come back, stop look them them in the eye and say absolutely nothing.

After all, your dollars they need. There are plenty of other places to shop. I rarely go into stores and buy anything anymore. I am too busy filling out endless stupid questions.

Really, because they can is not an excuse. I will remember the trouble I am having finding a job from these people. And when I spend my dollars, they won't see them frequently. I think it's a joke.

What's worse is when I owe tens of thousands of dollars for the last 5 years of college and the stiff employment computer screening filters me out because I haven't paid for and taken a "Work Keys" or similar test. ( I finally did do that, by the way . Has it paid off? I am not qualified to answer that, probably, because I don't have a degree in cow manure.) Good Luck.

P.S. I think the drug and Background check are sufficient. The credit check I would fail because I acquired some debt years ago working from sunup till sundown. I acquired some considerable good reputation doing excellent contractor work for a couple of companies getting contracts from HUD. The first lost the contract with HUD and declared bankruptcy. HUD said they didn't do what they were supposed to. The second company said I was thier best employee, but they were going to cut pay for my services. Ahh-hmm. right. I quit. (NewsFLASH- a couple of years later the local paper announced that HUD "loses" 59 billion dollars! So nowadays I have poor credit. big deal. I had excellent credit before that. I tried to work it out with credit card companies. They were thick as a brick on any help. So, "Do many people do things that annoy me?" Well, I wish a law would be enacted prohibiting stupid questions which do not allow at least a page for explanations. Credit check, hah! Look around, there isn't much of that. either way.

That's a complicated question. First they want to watch you crack under the pressure. Then they take your answers and use them against you. Worse, they ask you the very same questions, just to make sure you give the very same answer. Never let them see you sweat. They as well as you know within the first few moments if you will get called back or not. Relax and don't take it personally, they look at 50-100+ people to fill just one position and they mean well. And they also want you to be sure you want to work for such a nosey employer...

It does seem ridiculous that employers are going to such lengths to have employees fill out 60+ multiple choice questionnaire. I understand that they are trying to 'weed' out lots of people for different reason or types of people, but there are a few questions that beg to be reviewed and laughed at.

Recent questions i answered for a target application for an 8 dollar job for part time while I go to college.

The percentage of politicians that I think are honest is:

multiple choice answer

second question

I believe that the percentage of the U.S. population that cheats when they fill out their federal tax return is:

multiple choice answer

Seriously, what does this have to do with an 8 dollar an hour job, and isn't this a personal question of ones own trust of the government and how does that really pretain to target and its assoicates. I guesstimate that it has something to do wtih the trust in higher ups of the company and their decision making, other than that it is a political question and every american has their own idea and opinion about what they think is going on with the government and are entitled to it. Unfortunately answering the question 'wrong' could potentially ruin my chance of a job!, ROFL. Its pathitic that this is even part of the questionnaire for a job. I understand that employeers may have a ton of applications but lets try and keep the questions a little more down to earth and to the job.

My suggestion to everyone having to go through with this process is to lie and answer the questions as if your not your true self and to look the best by anwsering what they are looking for, if everyone started doing this than the test questions would be worthless and they, I imagine, would find another way to ostracize potential employees ROFL!

What is more entertaining is that someone got paided to not only put the questions on the application process but also got paided to come up with the questions in the first place, ROFL. I wonder how much someone got paid to come up with the physcology to ask a loaded question and how much ridiclous amount of money that they 'earned' for it, did they really earn it ROFL. I wonder if I could apply for that job cause I could come up with a few loaded question like these and Im positive that most any job seeker could too.

It is not easy to get money. Employers are always right.They are free to dictate what they want. However, it is better to work for sucess rather than achieving sucess on a plater of gold.

maybe employers want to waste your time? just kidding...but it is true that paper work has been a headache for most people be it online or personal.

Check out my article Unemployed and Aggravated. A humorous twist to other job applicants experiences.