I’m not American (any more) and live in Scandinavia so my perspective may differ.
I applied for an American employers and got asked to submit my high school transcript before they interview me. I find it super weird and frankly disrespectful because 1) the job requires a master’s degree and I already provided my transcript for that, and 2) I have never been asked for my transcript since after my 1st job out of grad school. So I wrote back and basically said thx but no thx either take my master’s transcript or stop wasting my time (I paraphrased; was more diplomatic in the email).
I shared that story on some relevant subreddits and got downvoted to shits by Americans who for some strange reasons, got really worked up by this. And their reasons basically boil down to:
- How dare you deny a potential employer’s request? They dodged a bullet with you cuz you can’t follow orders.
- Yes it’s a strange request but pointing it out proves you are rude and not deserving of the job.
- Do you know how many people want these jobs and will do whatever it takes to get it?
- Your time fulfilling their request is not as valuable as their time evaluating your qualifications.
- Employers have a right to know about every aspect of your history.
- You say “pls” and “thx” in emails?! You don’t deserve to be hired! (Like, seriously, what is this, a middle school essay?)
Like goddamn talk about bending over backwards to please these corporations. They asked for something invasive, makes no sense, and potentially violates EU data privacy laws. I’m well within my right to point out they are wasting my time. Why would I even want to work for a company that treats me like this?
I know most Americans have their 401k and healthcare tied to their (ununioned) employment. But like, seriously, imagine thinking that it’s okay to treat workers like this when you are yourself, you know, workers.
Anyway end of rant. I have a FT job and several interviews with companies that actually respect my time to prepare for. Toolooloo!