After helping bootcamp grads and junior software engineers get their first jobs and launch coding careers for almost a decade, you see certain timeless questions again and again.
This one comes up all the time - up about once or twice a month, and it can be a real show stopper.
Imagine, someone's been on the job search for months and they're finally faced with the opportunity they've been preparing and sacrificing for.
They make it through a phone screen and a couple of grueling interviews. It's in reach! They got this.
They still have an interview or two left to go, and they reach out to the recruiter, who's been super cool and helpful every step of the way so far - just innocently asking a question about next steps.
The recruiter messages them back, maybe a little too quickly, and they see the words "before we can proceed."
Those dreaded words are followed by them asking for a bunch of - what would legally be defined as - Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
What would you do?
Many people have told me they've given out their social security number before it felt right. They ask, "Did I have to do that?" 😱
The answer is almost always, "No."
You don't have to give anyone your social security number during a job search. While it may be legal for them to ask, you can politely decline until accepting an offer.
Whether they want you to sign a PDF contract or fill out a secure online form, it doesn't matter. You don't have to give out your social security number "before we proceed." You should only provide it once they're done with the hiring process, you are the chosen one, you've accepted the job offer, and basically all other details and negotiations have been ironed out.
If they insist on getting your SSN before all of that you should consider it a major red flag, for the recruiter and the company they're representing.
If they won't back down or continue to bring it up throughout the process, feel free to end all communication with them.
If you do accidentally give out your social security number to someone who might be a scammer, or a company that may be mishandling your PII, you can file an official report to get ahead of any headaches they may try to cause you.
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