You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
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 this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

MODEL ANSWER>>>

Many job seekers are often asked to give personal information such as hobbies, interests and relationship status, when applying for jobs. While some argue that this is crucial in the process, others hardly agree. It is difficult to frame a logical conclusion without having a critical assessment on this topic.

On the one hand, those who have the first opinion believe that it is vital for the better screening of employment seekers. They think when this is done; job-seekers can be grouped under specific categories, which would help the employers to select the most suitable candidates. For example, a job which requires a lot a travel best fits to those candidates who are single. If the employer’s selection goes wrong here, just because he does not have this crucial information, it would affect the company adversely. Similarly, a basic understanding of the job-aspirant’s hobbies and interests would help the employer to place him in the right position, and this would enhance the work-efficiency of that employee.

On the other hand, the cardinal reason why some oppose this data collection is because of privacy concerns. They argue that each and every individual has their own right to keep their personal details unrevealed. Unless an employment-seeker agrees to share his personal information like relationship status, which might demote his dignity, the employer has no right to make an inquiry on it. They also argue that there exist the vulnerability of leaking this personal information to wrong persons, as most of these data would be found in the company’s digital space. Therefore, this type of data collection would cause potential dangers to both the employee and the employer.

After analysing both views in detail, though a basic understanding is needed about the candidate’s personal interests and relations, I feel the employer should not make the information gathering mandatory.