Most job application questions fall into five groups: how to reach you, whether you can legally work and when, your work and school history, short screening or essay questions, and optional extras such as voluntary EEO self identification and a federal tax credit questionnaire.
The ones that worry people most are the request for a Social Security number, the tax credit survey that appears out of nowhere, and the question of what happens if an answer is not quite true. Each gets its own section below, with sample wording for the questions you type answers to.
Quick answers
SSN on the form
Usually not needed before an interview; a verified employer may ask later for a background check or the tax credit form.Tax credit questionnaire
IRS Form 8850, for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit; it is filled in on or before the day of the job offer.EEO questions
Voluntary, kept apart from the hiring file; declining cannot count against you.Lying on a private job form
Not usually a crime, but grounds for rejection or dismissal later.Federal job forms
Knowingly false statements can be prosecuted as a federal crime.
Common job application questions and what each one checks
| Question | What the employer is checking | Your answer |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have the right to work in this country? | Whether hiring you is lawful | Yes or no, truthfully |
| Are you at least 18? | Limits on duties or hours for minors | Yes or no; you do not owe a birth date at this stage |
| When can you start? | Fit with the hiring date | A real date, or a set number of days after an offer |
| What hours can you work? | Schedule fit | Exact days and times |
| Desired salary | Budget fit | A researched range or negotiable; see desired salary |
| Reason for leaving | Patterns and red flags | A short neutral reason |
| Have you worked here before? | Rehire records | Yes with dates, or no |
| Where did you learn about this opening? | Where applicants come from | The source, or the employee who referred you |
Should I put my SSN on a job application
In most cases, no, not on the first form. A Social Security number is a key that opens credit and tax records, so give it only to an employer you have verified, and only when it has a real use. A legitimate employer needs it at three points: for the background check after a conditional offer, for the tax credit questionnaire described below, and for payroll tax forms once you are hired.
Do: leave the box blank or write Will provide after an offer if the form allows it.
Do: enter it when a known employer asks through its own secure portal for a background check you have agreed to.
Don't: send your SSN by email or text to someone you have only met through a chat app.
Don't: give it to a posting that also asks for a bank account up front.
If an online portal will not let you continue without it, check that the site belongs to the employer before typing it. The FTC's job scams page explains how fake recruiters collect personal information.
The tax credit questionnaire on a job application
Many applications include a short survey asking whether you are a veteran, have received SNAP or other public assistance, have been unemployed for a long stretch, or have a felony conviction. It is not a trick. It is the pre screening step for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal credit employers can claim for hiring people from certain groups who often face barriers to work.
- The form behind it is IRS Form 8850. The IRS says the employer and applicant must complete it on or before the day the job offer is made.
- The employer then has 28 calendar days from your start date to send it to the state workforce agency.
- Groups include certain veterans, SNAP and SSI recipients, people referred by vocational rehabilitation, qualified ex felons and people unemployed for 27 weeks or more.
Both the IRS and the Department of Labor run the program. The credit has an end date set by Congress, which it has extended several times, so check those pages for its current status.
Many employers say answering is optional. If the screen does not say, you can ask HR. In many companies the answers go to a payroll or tax team rather than the person who interviews you.
Is it illegal to lie on a job application
For a private employer, a lie on the form is rarely a crime by itself. It is, however, the signed promise you broke: the certification at the bottom says false answers can lead to rejection or firing, and employers act on that even years after hire, often when a background check or reference turns up the truth.
Government jobs are different. On federal hiring forms, a knowingly false statement can be prosecuted under federal law, and some state forms carry similar warnings. Some states also have laws against using a fake degree or license.
When the honest answer is awkward, such as a firing or a gap, keep it short and factual. Position ended, [Month Year] is better than a story that falls apart at a reference call.
What makes you unique: answering short essay prompts
Some forms ask What makes you unique?, Why do you want to work here? or Describe a time you helped a customer. Keep each to three or four sentences: one strength, one example, one link to the job.
What makes you unique?
I stay calm when a line is long. At my last job I ran the only register on Saturday mornings, served about 200 customers a shift and kept my drawer exact for six months. I would bring that same steady pace to your front counter.
Why do you want to work here?
I have shopped at your store for years and like that staff know the products. I want to build on my customer service experience and grow into a key holder role.
Job application survey and assessment questions
Large employers often add a questionnaire with statements such as I prefer to finish one task before starting another on an agree to disagree scale, or short scenarios asking what you would do with an upset customer. There is no trick wording. Answer as you really work, keep your answers consistent, since similar statements appear more than once, and avoid choosing the extreme on every item. Read our online application guide for how portals score these.
Questions employers usually should not ask
Federal law bars covered employers from making hiring decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age 40 or over, disability or genetic information. Questions on those topics outside the voluntary self identification page are a warning sign. The EEOC's pregnancy discrimination page is one example of how the agency explains these protections.
- Voluntary EEO, veteran and disability questions are allowed, kept separate, and you may decline; see disability and veteran questions.
- Many states and cities push criminal history questions later in the process, past the interview or the offer stage, and a federal fair chance law sets that rule for most agencies and their contractors; OPM handles the federal rules.
Treat this section as a plain summary rather than legal advice. When a question feels out of line, start with the agency pages above; for your own facts, book a consult with an employment attorney or a nearby legal aid group.
Where these questions fit in the full form
The questions above sit inside a larger form that also covers history, education and references. Our field by field walk through covers those boxes, and the blank practice form lets you draft answers before a real one opens.
Questions people ask
Why would a job application ask for my SSN?
Usually for a background check, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit form or payroll setup. Those needs come after a conditional offer or hiring, so a request on the very first form deserves a closer look.
Should I put my Social Security number on a job application?
Only for an employer you have verified, through its own secure portal, and ideally after an offer. If a box allows it, write that you will provide it after an offer.
What is the tax credit questionnaire on a job application?
This is the screening step for the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit, based on IRS Form 8850. It asks whether you belong to groups such as veterans or SNAP recipients so the employer can claim a credit.
Do I have to fill out the work opportunity tax credit questionnaire?
Many employers present it as optional. The answers are for the employer's tax claim, not for judging your skills. Ask HR if the form does not say whether it is optional.
Is it illegal to lie on a job application?
With a private employer a false answer rarely leads to charges, though it gives the employer reason to pull an offer or let you go later. Federal hiring forms carry real legal risk, since knowingly untrue statements there can be prosecuted.
What are the most common job application questions?
Work authorization, age 18 or older, start date, availability, desired salary, past jobs with reasons for leaving, references and whether you have worked there before.