Prompt: 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 that this information may be relevant and useful. Others disagree. Ċ Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Finding a suitable employee could be a difficult task. These days employers resort to asking people for personal information that may provide details outside of the applicant's past experience and education. This essay will discuss few reasons behind whether it's a good practice or not and offer a personal opinion. Ċ Why does an employer ask personal questions? To begin with, now a days, when many qualified candidates apply for a single open position, then employers want to differentiate relevancy of each candidate beyond qualification which includes evaluating cultural fit. Research shows the employees are more productive and happy when they work with people they like and relate to. Knowledge about one's interests and hobbies could help provide a complete view of their profile and allow hiring managers to make the best decision based on how she will fit into the company's culture. Ċ On the other hand, asking for marital status could lead to bias in decision making. Hiring committees at many big companies have banned personal questions such as “Single” or “Married” from application forms to avoid any discrimination. Findings from internal research have shown, personal questions and their answers provide very little, if any, help in assessing candidate's future prospect. Clearly, hiring only based on qualification relevant to duties produces better results and performance down the line. Ċ In conclusion, this essay, thus far, has shown both views why employers lean towards or against asking for personal data. In my opinion, hiring manager needs only objective facts that relate to the job requirement to make optimal decisions without any bias. Offering job only on person's qualification is not only best of both parties, but also fair and creates higher standards in the workplace.