Someone calls you, says they saw your resume. They offer you a chance at a job in your field with great pay. They want the last 4 of your SS# and/or your date of birth.
Is this reasonable?
My gut says tell them to go jump off a bridge, but jobs do happen. Jobs also fill quickly.
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What other info did they give? Did they give you any more “you-specific” details? I’ve been on the job hunt recently and while it does seem very sketchy, it’s interesting what some companies deem “appropriate to ask” and at what phase of the job-search process.
My spider-sense is tingling on this one, so I’d be very hesitant to give them any information, barring some more signs of legitimacy. Hell, even a Google search of the name of the company or the phone number might help you turn up some information.
If your resume/application doesn’t already have that information on it, of what use is it to confirm it to a legitimate employer?
They called you???
Tell him to screw himself and die. Then hang up, he’s a scammer.
Why would they want that? How does that help them determine you are a good fit?
I would tell them to jump off a bridge. Or at the least get their extension, call the main number of the company they claim to represent, and ask to be connected. To me it sounds like a scam.
[Stephen Fry] The short answer is “No”. The long answer is “BLEEP, no”.[/SF]
I will sometimes ask for that kind of information when I’m running quick background checks on potential employees. We want to be sure the guy with ten DUI’s is the you John Smith and not some other John Smith. Of course, we usually ask for less sensitive information, like verifying where you were born or year of birth. (Admittedly, even that is something people should be careful about giving out unsolicited.)
If I were you, I would be very cautious about giving that information out. If you don’t remember giving a resume to that company, then definitely refuse to answer. If you do plan to answer, it is always smart to call back on a number you already trust for the company in question.
Agreed.
(bolding mine)
Exactly this, get the name of the person asking for this information, call the company and confirm that the person is employed there and ask to be connected.
I concur that it sounds like a scam/phishing attempt.
Maybe.
I know that some firms want that as it’s a virtually unique-to-you # to weed out when multiple headhunters submit you for the same position. This is something that I know BAML (Bank of America/Merrill Lynch does) though I’m not sure if it’s a BoA policy or a legacy ML policy.