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There's this really aggressive recruiter trying to get me for a job that sounds pretty good, is local, pays about right... and has sent me two voicemails and an email in the last 24 hours. Okay, whatever, he's trying to do his job. So, I go to fill in the stuff he wants, and...

... they're asking for my SSN right on their 'initial applicants' form. I don't care if it's a 'secure' form, it's still a required field to fill out, and it's setting off all my red flags.

I'm half tempted to approach the hiring company myself -- the guy already told me who it is, anyway -- just to make a point about how disturbed I am by this, but I'm secretly wondering if the job even exists right now. This is the first recruiter I've come across that wants this information AT ALL -- not even before first response, not on the phone, not in an in-person interview!

Is this legit, or should I let my instincts lead me as far away from this guy as possible?

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Legal immigrants have SSNs too, by the way. – Monica Cellio Jan 23 at 15:36
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I would contract the recruiter and explain you will only provide your SSN directly to their client and only after your there for an actual interview. If they cannot accept that then then they can find somebody else for the postion. This is the point where i would contact their client apply for the job directly, and if given the chance, explain you had to contact them directly to avoid giving out PII to their recruting firm. – Ramhound Jan 24 at 17:07
"really aggressive recruiter" put me off them immediately. I'd follow Ramhound's comment tbh. – BunjiquoBianco Jan 25 at 14:41

2 Answers

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According to the Social Security Administration's Legal requirements to provide your Social Security number, the following situations require it:

Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans; Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes; Employers enrolled in E-Verify; States for the school lunch program; Banks for monetary transactions; Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number; Department of Labor for workers’ compensation; Department of Education for Student Loans; States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle or drivers license law within its jurisdiction; States for child support enforcement; States for commercial drivers’ licenses; States for Food Stamps; States for Medicaid; States for Unemployment Compensation; States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families; or U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds

None of those situations are "to apply for a position", which is the situation you are in. You may refuse to give it, and I personally would until I was actually signing a contract/offer letter/payroll papers for a specific company.

You might ask why your Social Security number is needed, how your number will be used, and what law they think requires you to give your number, if they push you on it, and determine you final answer from there.

As to your specific questions, I don't know how common it is -- I've not seen a request for a social security number in this context in a long, long time, but that is just me. It's quite possible that you are working with a dumb recruiter who thinks he or she needs/is entitled to this information; similarly, you could be working with a scammer.

As for your response being warranted, it's perfectly reasonable to ask to confirm if the position exists and if Recruiter X is handling it, and that's the extent to which I would discuss it with them.

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The E-Verify that employers use comes to mind as a possibility where it is required but it could be seen as nice to have. – JB King Jan 23 at 16:43
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I would no more give my SSN to a recruiter than I would give it to a used car salesman. I wouldn't give it to a potential employer until I had at least an initial interview. – Jim In Texas Jan 23 at 16:48
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There are even fewer cases where you're required by law to give someone your phone number or e-mail address. I don't think the issue is whether the OP is required to give his SSN, but whether it's a good idea to do so. IMHO, the answer is a resounding no. Leave that space on the form blank. If it's a web form that you can't submit without filling it in, talk to the recruiter and/or see if the form will accept 000-00-0000 or some other obviously fake number (I wouldn't use something random and real-looking). – Keith Thompson Jan 23 at 18:04
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@KeithThompson - It's one thing to give an SSN directly to an employer who has a legitimate need for it. For example government related jobs that have security requirements. Recruiters are just salesmen. There is NO reason that a recruiter might need a candidate's SSN. – Jim In Texas Jan 23 at 20:10
Oregon requires a SSN for a fishing license, and they say it's for child support enforcement. It's nice to see the quoted part above. – thursdaysgeek Jan 23 at 23:53
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up vote -3 down vote

I was approached by a recruiter for a great job with 3M (a local company here in Minnesota). I gave all of my info except my SSN. The recruiter assured me that 3M would not consider any applicant without an SSN. I refused to provide it. I explained to the recruiter that requiring an SSN makes them look shady.

There is no legitimate reason to require an SSN before an interview. It is not acceptable to expect people to give up their SSN to anyone who asks for it, especially solely over the phone.

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So is there a moral to this story? – Rachel Keslensky Jan 23 at 18:17
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I answered the question: "There is no legitimate reason to require an SSN before an interview. It is not acceptable to expect people to give up their SSN to anyone who asks for it, especially solely over the phone." – Evik James Jan 23 at 18:18
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Hi Evik, we liked that answers here explain the "why" - our FAQ has a good explanation as to the types of answers we look to see here. – enderland Jan 23 at 18:53
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Did you get invited in for an interview? – Carson63000 Jan 23 at 22:14

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