Is asking for for the year a person graduated from college illegal age discrimination on a job application?
I can see why many would think it constitutes discrimination. Especially in the case of age discrimination where a candidate would specify having attended a particular college, say, in the 1970s; in these cases, I can see where this question comes from. This information, however, needs to be sought by organisations for legitimate purposes. Organisations would primarily require this information for their verification cycles, as when they approach a college in order to verify that the candidate did attend a session there, the college would require the years of the program attended by the candidate. The same argument could apply to ‘years of experience’, or of service. But such information is key for a recruiting organisation to ensure that the candidates they hire have the basic minimum academic qualifications and relevant experience. And as such, it would not be illegal for an organisation to request this information.
