Employers sometimes ask people applying for jobs for personal information, such as their hobbies and interests, and whether they are married or single. Some people say that this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

These days, people who apply for jobs are asked to provide personal information like hobbies, interests and marital status by their potential employers. According to some, these details are vital for the employers. I agree with

this

process as it the onus of the employers to get the relevant data from candidate before deciding whether he or she is suitable for the position.

Firstly

, there are some concerns in sharing the personal data with employers as it puts the job seekers privacy at risk, especially when the employers are not protecting the personally identifiable information.

However

,

this

threat could be addressed by strictly following the basic guidelines mandated by the law.

For instance

, the General Data Protection Regulation act (GDPR) enforced by the European Union makes it an obligation of a company to protect the personal data of all its employees. Given that there are strict measures to protect data, the applicants could feel safe that their data is protected.

On the other hand

, the personal data shared by the potential employees are essential to match the job requirement against their personalities. Even a small detail may reveal a great deal about a person.

For example

, people who apply for sales job need to be an extrovert as they need to meet people from all walks of like and promote their company's products.

Also

, based on a person's interest employers can easily identify whether a candidate is outspoken or not.

Moreover

, some companies, especially startups, need their employees to work overtime during critical phases of their project life cycle. An employer would be able to judge whether the person would be able to do that based on his or her age, marital status and personal commitments.

For instance

, according to a recent Cambridge University study, people who are young and single are preferred by the startups as they are more flexible in their work timings. To conclude, though there are some concerns with respect to protecting personal data, it is essential for the employers to get to know the individual they are recruiting for the post by collecting relevant information. I concur that employers should collect only the data necessary for the position but nothing else.