Question:
My 17 year old has recently started applying for jobs at various stores in our mall and area. On each application they ask for her social security number. Many times, these applications are then handed in to whomever is working at the counter....which most often is a teen....and not necessarily the manager of the business. My question is this.....in this age of identity theft, is it ok to leave the ss# blank and provide that information if and when she gets the job? Time and again she is handing out paperwork which states her name, address, ss# and school information to complete strangers with no guarantee that the forms will get to the appropriate parties or be handled in a confidential manner. Of course my daughter doesn't agree with me and feels that leaving blank spaces on an application is a poor reflection on her.Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline Editor, Judith Sachs, answers:
You are right to be wary. Employers usually use the SS# as an identifier in their database systems, but it's not necessary, as they can generate a dummy one themselves. As you suspect, the people who are handling your daughter's paperwork now are not necessarily the same ones who'll be handling if she's hired. This is especially true in mall jobs, where turnover is especially high. And most of the records are not kept in locked or secured filing cabinets, so even cleaning staff can access them. They don't need it until they have to put you on the books for a paycheck, so until you are formally hired, your daughter should politely decline to furnish it and simply write, "will provide upon hire" in that space.