Thread: What you will see on certain job applications.

I went to apply for a job in Detroit at a large ad agency. Before being allowed to fill out the job application, I was "stopped" by a simple little fillout form. The new scam that is being run by the race hustlers is the information you are filling out is "voluntary" and will not affect your status as an applicant... And a new wrinkle is that I have to check if I am Hispanic or not. This is a private company.

Voluntary Self-Identification Information
Completion of this information is voluntary and is not a requirement of employment. This information will in no way affect the decision regarding your application for employment. This information will be kept confidential and maintained separate from your application for employment. We hope that you will complete this form to assist us in recording information for statistical reports that we are obliged to file periodically with various government agencies.

Gender [ ]

[ ] I decline to identify my race & ethnicity

Ethnicity [ ] Hispanic or Latino
[ ] Not Hispanic or Latino

Race:

Select one or more values

American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Two or More Races

Veteran Status [ ] Veteran
[ ] Not a Veteran

I think that is illegal. I would check with a human resources person, but I know that you can not discriminate in regards to race, religion, sex, etc. and so why would you track that type of information?
I would check it out and see what the legal implications are.

Yea, that is illegal.

Discrimination hased on race and the only reason to ask that question is if you are going to discriminate.

Dixie

Originally Posted by Dixie

Yea, that is illegal.

Discrimination hased on race and the only reason to ask that question is if you are going to discriminate.

Dixie

Right! I have filled out a couple of these before but then I realized that when they mean 'voluntary' they mean that it is mandatory. It is right out of George Orwell. I once filled out an application for a job at Michigan State University. The State of Michigan has passed a law that race statistic data can't be used for hiring purposes so HR gets around this by asking you to volunteer the information. Of course, if you don't "volunteer" this information, they won't "volunteer" to hire you...

I have often thought of what would happen if I filled out one of these forms and claimed that I was both Hispanic and a native American. I am pretty sure I would be called in to more interviews. It would be an interesting experiment,

Should I try this? Maybe bring a miniature video camera and record what happens?

Originally Posted by millere

Originally Posted by Dixie

Yea, that is illegal.

Discrimination hased on race and the only reason to ask that question is if you are going to discriminate.

Dixie

Right! I have filled out a couple of these before but then I realized that when they mean 'voluntary' they mean that it is mandatory. It is right out of George Orwell. I once filled out an application for a job at Michigan State University. The State of Michigan has passed a law that race statistics data can't be used for hiring purposes so HR gets around this by asking you to volunteer the information. Of course, if you don't "volunteer" this information, they won't "volunteer" to hire you... One time I called MSU to see what had happened to my application. I had made the mistake of 'volunteering' the information that I was white; they told me over the phone that my application had "been thrown in the garbage".

I have often thought of what would happen if I filled out one of these forms and claimed that I was both Hispanic and a native American. I am pretty sure I would be called in to more interviews. It would be an interesting experiment,

Should I try this? Maybe bring a miniature video camera and record what happens?

Originally Posted by cjbl2929

I think that is illegal. I would check with a human resources person, but I know that you can not discriminate in regards to race, religion, sex, etc. and so why would you track that type of information?
I would check it out and see what the legal implications are.

Michigan State University asks the same questions and they get around the issue by claiming that you do not have to answer the question, it is only "voluntary".

I also had the same thing happen to me at a large chain grocery store in the Detroit area. I filled out a job application, and when I got to the race categories such as 'check for white, black, asian-pacific' it was preceeded by the phrase "optional" so I did not fill it out. During my job interview I was approached by a Human Resources employee who said I could not get hired until I checked the box for race. She said I had to check the box because it was optional. She did not seem very bright, so it is possible she confused the word "optional" with "mandatory", but upon thinking about that I think it was more likely that corporate HR knew that the average person applying to this store was so desperate for a job that they would be bullied into checking this box because it was, ahem, "optional". Rough corporate politics. And they know a starving grocery worker cannot afford legal aid to fight this and will be too eager to get to work to haggle over the legal definition of the word "optional" (almost like a line from the Godfather: "Hey, this is "optional" and you will "optionalize' if you know what's good for you).

Cities and Counties in Florida have been giving those forms with job applications for several years know. I think that is why it is almost impossible to get a job with some police departments if you are non Hispanic or non Haitian. My daughter was going through for a dispathcer for Miami Dade County and 1800 people applied they picked 100 to do the test and 30 went on to interviews. My daughter was the only white non Hispanic that made the interview stage and even then the Hispanic woman tried to get rid of her by giving her a rough time in the interview. The only reason my daughter got that far was because she had an officer who taught the police explorer class and an officer from that district that was now working at the 911 call center fight for her. I know people who have no law enforcement background in neighboring counties that will tell you don't waste your time applying for a job in the City of Miami if you are non Hispanic or non Haitian.
I am going to prove this discrimination exists as I know someone with a criminal justice degree who applied for several positions in one department. This person had years of experince and background needed for several positions and never even got an interview but when they applied in a neighboring county they got interviewed and were being considered for the job. I told this person next time they apply for that department to put 2 applications in using different computers and addresses. They will use their real name and address in one and a latino name and another address in the other but keep the rest of the info the same. They do not ask for a SSN on the application and I am not sure if they ask for a driver's license number. If the job doesn't require driving then they claim they do not have a drivers license. It will be interesting to see the results. I already asked a lawyer and he told me it was not illegal as long as you don't use someone else's real ID and don't go through the entire process.

"Voluntary Self-Identification Information" has been the norm in California for years. Although, generally, they have a choice labeled White- not Hispanic. I would bet my house they use that information as hiring criteria. Why else would they ask the question!

Now, the choice seems to be your either hispanc or not!

Years ago I applied for a part time retail job and the manager handed me a form, which I had never seen before. Apparently, employers get a "tax break" for hiring minorities. Hispanic had just been added as a minority at that time.

Well, Obama, in effect, told you to learn Spanish remember? What do you expect? Especially if he gets elected!