Questionable biodata and interview practices in the Philippines

[pinkmoon]

Hi all,
First off, I live in Canada. Here (and in the US) by law, a prospective employer cannot ask a job applicant personal questions pertaining to his or her religion, marital status, etc. Yet in the Philippines these fields are commonly found on "biodata" forms and the most personal of questions are asked during interviews. For example, I know someone, a young lady, who applied for a managerial position at one of SM's malls. She was asked by her interviewer if she had a boyfriend, and when she replied no, she was asked why. The interviewer was serious when she asked these questions and did not throw them in to "liven up things". Even if she did, I still find them completely inappropriate and inconsequential to the position. In the end, they only served to make my friend feel awkward for the rest of the interview.

Why do these practices persist? What are the justifications behind them? I am of course, pertaining to jobs where personal factors such as religion are not involved (for example, applying as a Religion teacher at a Catholic school doesn't count).

Add to that this hypothetical situation: what would the consequences be if I were to leave these fields blank on my biodata form or if I politely refuse to answer them in an interview (obviously tatarayan na ako at that point, but humour me nalang)?

[tr|n|ty]

this sounds familiar..there's this email thing going around about federal homes owned by the Tys and they would ask UP grads "are you konyo?" if you say yes, they'll give you an offer and if you say no, they'll give you some lousy excuse..i'm trying to look for the damn email but i think it's on my work email address. So anyways, to answer your question, lala :p Quite frankly, i'll give the interviewer a really lame-a$$ answer be obviously sarcastic. well that's me, of course i get into lots of trouble because i'm very opinionated. If i am asked "are you konyo or tibak"..i'll say "I'm not konyo, i'm sosyal.(BWAHAHAHA remember this famous quote :p) " who wants to be called female genitalia in the first place?"

[pinkmoon]

Hi tr|n|ty!
I did not know about that email being circulated. That sounds kind of strange.

Anyway I was basing my questions on actual biodata forms I have filled in or seen in the past. And interview questions my friends have been asked.

But yeah I guess we'd both basically do the same thing when asked a personal question that's completely irrelevant to the job, except that to avoid confrontation I would most likely just point out politely how their question has no bearing on the interview and that I would chose not to answer it. I have a feeling kasi they're not even aware that they shouldn't be asking these questions, but then I don't think there is a law in the Philippines protecting people from these kinds of unfair practices.

Just wanted to solicit opinions from any of the legal "beagles" out there or anyone Philippine job-market savvy. Thanks!

[workaholic]

Hi, Pinkmoon

Wow! That is a completely different perspective. Sometimes we get so used to these things we have to hear another view from someone looking from the outside.

You did raise interesting points, and I'm gonna look into that. In the meantime, any HR people here who'd like to answer it?

[indigogurl]

hey Lala!!! :D

hmmm... i have been working for two years already but until now, i still do not have any experience in jobhunting! actually, i really don't look forward to looking for another job because i'm sooo scared of the whole interview process.. the exams, i think i can handle it, but the interview... i just dunno...

well, talking about questionable biodata process... i have seen first hand that there are some executives (not HR) who throws the resumes directly into the garbage can kung hindi nila type yung picture! akala ko, kwento kwento lang, yun pala totoo! nilalait pa yung picture! tama ba yon! :bop: the executive told me also that it doesnt really help if u put in your grad pics on ur resumes, kasi alam daw naman nila na retokado e! :lol:

[pinkmoon]

Hey Ellyn!
Ayun, isa pa yun, yung pagsama ng I.D. picture. Dito illegal rin humingi ng picture unless the job you are applying for specifically' requires that you use your face or body, such as in acting, etc.

That's what I mean. It's wrong enough to ask for a photo of the candidate for a position that has nothing to do with modelling, it gets even more shady when recruiters throw out resumes without even reading them based on the photo that accompanies it! What's the use of even going to school and earning your credentials when your resume's going to end up in the garbage anyway?

[BadGiRL]

Yeah nga e. According to my Industrial Psychology teacher, ideally, those things aren't allowed. But dito sa Pinas, hr practitioners can still get away with a lot of those irrelevant stuff. :D

[payaSo]

Without a picture, how do you know that the person you are interviewing is actually the person in the resume?

[pinkmoon]

You can ask to see some ID when you interview them. Plus you'll need their SSS number as well right? There's lots of standard ways to confirm someone's identity without having to require them to submit a photo before you interview them.

[Miche1le Reyes]

I recall scanning a bunch of application forms for my dad's company for me to interview. I must admit, the pictures did play a huge role in selecting the people called back for interviews. The better looking ones had a better chance of getting the job. If it came down to a close call between 2 seemingly equal candidates; the pretier/handsomer one would win out.

[kerb]

kawawa naman dad mo :)

[iSKOph]

Common practice din sa Pinas to specify sa job ads ang age and gender....

eg. female, 25 yo or younger, must be single....

in other countries, experience is valued.... kahit matanda ka na, or married, or whatever, basta kaya mo trabaho ok lang...

unfortunately, kahit wala sa ads abroad ang race eh it still plays a big part.... di nga lang halata

[PS]

Yup andaming ilegal dito sa Pilipinas eh...kaya lang with companies lie Accenture, P&G.etc. doing these things its really not going away soon.

Dapat nga idemanda yung mga ganyan eh....anyway, sa PeopleSupport (call center sa Pilipinas), medyo ok ang hiring practice. :D They'd give you a test first then evaluate you if you are qualified...hindi yung titingnan lang yung mukha mo sa resume tapos talsik ka kaagad. May legitimate chance ka.

Pinkmoon, it seems di ka na nakikipag-away kay cong dito ah...hehehe *okay*

[tina11]

PS: actually P&G doesn't ask for pictures, they don't even ask for resumes. they have a standard questionnaire (the managemement application form, which is also used in the US, so walang "box" where you paste your pic since it's against the law there to ask for a pic), and it's your option if you wanna include your resume (i.e. if you want to highlight some of your achievements, trainings attended, or other qualifications that might add to your "value") and most people automatically attach a picture to their resume even if it's not needed. i don't know about accenture though :hmm:

i think the public needs to be informed about their rights as job-hunters. i saw a bunch of application forms for the position of sales rep at my aunt's office, and most of the applicants had word-processed resumes, but they automatically put their religion, marital status, height, weight, and even vital stats (i'm not kidding!)... maybe they were copying the format from a blank bio-data form they bought from national bookstore :shrug:

[bepanthene]

Yung girl na-meet ko dito galing Philippines and nag hahanap ng trabaho so gumawa ng resume. Pinabasa nya sa akin para i-check for mistakes tapos nagulat ako nong nakita ko na nilagay niya na single sha, tapos catholic sha, yung height, weight, hobbies ("reading pocket books, singing, cooking"), age--totally irrelevant info. sabi ko nga sa kanya, para shang nag pi place nang personals ad! naku, buti na lang at pinabasa niya muna sa akin bago sinend sa company.

talagang unfair naman dyan na ginagawa nila..marami naman na panget na matatalino and magagaling! (bill gates, donald trump)

:imu:

[wiz_gandalf]

I think these practices are also unfair. On the other hand, I think these are prerogratives of the employers. You can't fault them because they'll be the one paying and working with them and it is also their right to get someone which they think fit their company most (how crooked or unreasonable their criteria might be). Let's say you didn't put your picture in your resume, you can still be rejected based on your looks during the interview if the employer really wish so :mad:

But I think you can politely decline answering those question if you are not comfortable with it. If the interviewer take it against you, then that would be their lost. You wouldn't also want to be part of a company that put premium on looks or marital status or religion rather than skills and capability of a person. :D

btw, is there really a law in the Philippines banning these type of practices ? Hay, even if there are laws, with the very high unemployement rate, there are lots of people willing to answer all types of personal questions just to get a job :(

[Drood]

I found out most recently from my american boss some shocking practices we habitually do in the phils, which they dont even dream of doing in their homelands on a professional level that is.

When I first joined this multinational org., I had the privilege of introducing myself in front of my officemates on a stage. From out of nowhere, a question was shouted "may girlfriend ka na ba?!" This drew some cheers and jeers from the crowd. At first, I thought it was nothing so I gamely answered "no, not yet".

It was only later on I knew why my boss was swaying his head.
I guess its a cultural problem.