[lit-ideas] Re: amazing employment application questions
- From: Carol Kirschenbaum <carolkir@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:30:30 -0700
Julie wrote:
>The question (and I wrote it down verbatim so I would not forget the exact
>wording) was as follows:
"Will you be able to perform the essential job functions for the position you
are applying for with or without reasonable >accommodations?"
ck: I think you jumped the gun in anticipation of nefarious questioning.
There's nothing wrong with this question! It just asks whether this is a job
that suits your abilities. It does *not* ask a person to self-identify as
having a disability, and it does *not* ask if a person needs any
accommodations. It looks so innocuous, I wonder why they bother with it. Maybe
just to show they're in compliance with ADA...
The other one, asking whether you're willing to work overtime, is odd to see on
an application, but it's not as bad as the requirement that one put one's SSN
right on the app. (That's common in public employment here.) Suggested
response: Give them what they want on the app. Then ask other employees about
these things quietly, once you have an offer. As you indicate, the world of
employment is far from fair. But I don't think it's illegal to ask about
willingness to go overtime, without pay. Might be interesting, as a researcher,
to see whether anyone who writes "no" has been hired. I'm sure you can hear the
employer countering with "reasonable demands in business" and all. This
request, though, strikes me as possibly a violation of ADA, since many
disabilities affect stamina--and, on another track, some people must use public
transportation (stops at a certain time) or rely on a carpool. Admin assts.,
though, are expected to be on call more flexibly than MDs these days.
Which is better: Not getting the job because of grumpy app behavior but making
your point; getting the job but hating some occasional requirements; getting
the job and being such a fabulous employee that they gladly make exceptions for
you. Of course, you can always get the job, resent the hell out of the extra
hours, and be such a lousy employee that you shoot yourself in the foot when it
comes to references for the next job.
(Ask me about the last one, my personal specialty.)
Carol
----- Original Message -----
From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 6:05 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] amazing employment application questions
I filled out an application for employment today -- the position was for
Administrative Assistant.
On the application was a yes/no question which I have never in my 25 years of
employment and employment seeking experience encountered. It was the last in a
series of yes/no questions along the lines of "would you be willing to work
overtime?", etc.
The question (and I wrote it down verbatim so I would not forget the exact
wording) was as follows:
"Will you be able to perform the essential job functions for the position you
are applying for with or without reasonable accommodations?"
Julie Krueger
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