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John 35 Alabama
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03 Aug 2016, 8:46 am

Sorry this is off topic. But I'm starting to feel much safer posting things in the Haven. I'll make it simple:

In the US, what sort of sensitive questions will employers ask when they call my references?



Fnord
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03 Aug 2016, 8:59 am

They are not allowed to ask "sensitive" questions.

The only questions the law seems to allow are "Did this person work for you?", "How long did this person work for you?", "What was this person's job title", and "Would you re-hire this person?".

Questions can NOT be asked legally if they address Age and Date of Birth; Gender, Race, Religion and National Origin; Physical Traits and Disabilities; Education Information (only if a job does not require a particular level of education); Arrests and Criminal Convictions (unless the employer can show that the conviction is in some way related to the position being applied for); Credit History and Garnishment; Union Membership; Religious or Political Affiliation; and Citizenship Questions (which should be addressed through a legal background check).

Source: Free Legal Advice: "What questions are illegal in a job application?"

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John 35 Alabama
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03 Aug 2016, 9:02 am

Yeah, it's that third question that is gonna get me. Most of my past jobs will say "No, I would not rehire him." So.. it means omitting most of my job history from any resume? I'm not sure what to do.
I never knew I was autistic during all those bad job experiences. So, when I think back, those terminations were totally due to my lack of social grace.



kraftiekortie
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03 Aug 2016, 9:09 am

If you had a job for more than a year--and especially if you weren't fired from it, then I would not omit the job from your resume.

Even if you were fired from it, some HR people might give you the opportunity to provide an explanation for the firing. If they do that, you could state what happened, and that you will have learned from the experience, and that whatever got you fired will never happen again.

Fnord is involved in the hiring process for his job, I believe, so he probably knows what he is talking about.

NEVER disclose any sort of disability before you are hired. I don't care what the law is---there will be discrimination based on disability, and they WON'T hire you (unless there some sort of "affirmative action" situation where they are actively hiring disabled people).



John 35 Alabama
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03 Aug 2016, 9:58 am

Thank you both. Very good to know.

I'm definitely playing hard ball from now on. My dad owns an office and has been sending me paychecks for many years now, so he's saying to just put him as my only reference and say that I worked with him part-time while in school the past several years. And to say that the only reason school didn't work out was because it was nursing school, and the bar is set very high.



kraftiekortie
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03 Aug 2016, 10:10 am

I think that will solve your problem. I like your dad.

It would be even better if he had a different last name LOL



John 35 Alabama
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03 Aug 2016, 10:44 am

I've considered a name change to make that happen.



kraftiekortie
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03 Aug 2016, 1:36 pm

Would your dad mind it if you did that?

Employers don't look askance at people who work for family.