Employers asking job seekers for W-2 or tax return
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
In a weak job market, employers have been asking job applicants for a lot of new information about themselves including, in some cases, their social media passwords.
But Kevin T. of San Francisco was shocked when a prospective employer asked him to verify his salary by providing a copy of his W-2 form.
"I recently interviewed for an Amazon position and made it through the three-month interview process and was notified that they wanted to hire me. The first step in the offer process, however, was that I had to submit my previous year's W-2 or federal tax return. Without that information, they would be unable to proceed. After providing them with my W-2, they made an offer that was below the salary range they originally quoted," says Kevin, who doesn't want his last name used because he turned down the offer and doesn't want his current employer to know he's job hunting.
... I checked with recruiters, lawyers, regulators and privacy experts. The consensus: Asking applicants for a W-2 or tax return is not illegal, although they do contain information that could get an employer in hot water depending on how it is used.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/03/BUMN1OBQJ6.DTL
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