.

[Matt Ransom]

.

[kontrabass]

Not a lawyer, but your questionnaire raises some red flags for me...I would be careful about what you ask or you may risk exposing yourself to discrimination claims.

http://www.hrworld.com/features/30-inte ... ns-111507/" target="_blank

[Matt Ransom]

If you would take the time to check the names involved, I have no connection to the group other than knowing one of the trumpet players in the group. I posted this here for those who might have missed it on MusicalChairs.info.
If you take issue with the posting, email THEM. Don't post it here.

[kontrabass]

my bad.
(chill out)

[olaness]

Come on, they are looking for someone not only to play with, but seemingly (looking at their schedule) to spend an awful lot of time with. The questionnaire seems very odd, yes, but most of the questions are understandable from that point of view. Also, I may be wrong here, but I have never heard of a brass quintet who hire HR personell to take care of such issues - i.e. in terms of legalities regarding hiring and firing it would be fair to assume that these guys are amateurs. They are working musicians after all.

Give them a break.

[skeath]

in terms of legalities regarding hiring and firing it would be fair to assume that these guys are amateurs. They are working musicians after all.

No doubt true, but regardless, it is a tough world out there. There is at least one question on that list that is illegal to ask, and they are exposing themselves to possible legal action. They will have to get that information indirectly, like everyone else.

[kontrabass]

No doubt true, but regardless, it is a tough world out there. There is at least one question on that list that is illegal to ask, and they are exposing themselves to possible legal action. They will have to get that information indirectly, like everyone else.

My point exactly. I'm not saying that I expect them to hire old guys for some kind of age-based affirmative action, of course this is the kind of job that needs a young guy.

I'm just saying it's ILLEGAL to ask someone's age during the hiring process. If an old guy applies and doesn't get the job, he has written proof that his age played a factor in the decision, and that could expose the Synergy guys to a discrimination lawsuit.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I'm just saying it's ILLEGAL to ask someone's age during the hiring process.

I'm saying Bull Butter. Please post the relevant law. In any state.

The law makes discrimination illegal. The question is perfectly valid.

EDIT: I disproved my own argument. Look at this tidbit from the Ohio Revised Code (ORC 4112.02 E1):
It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice, except where based on a bona fide occupational qualification certified in advance by the commission, for any employer, employment agency, personnel placement service, or labor organization, prior to employment or admission to membership, to elicit or attempt to elicit any information concerning the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of an applicant for employment or membership.

Never mind, I suppose. In Ohio the question is clearly illegal. I wonder how many other states make it ILLEGAL for employers to even ask the age of people who apply to work for them. I also wonder how difficult it is to convince the "commission" in Ohio of bona fide occupational qualifications. While I agree with Bloke that the group would prefer someone young and energetic, I wonder how they would fare trying to prove that as necessary to a government entity. My guess is they wouldn't be very successful.

[kontrabass]

You're right, that was a careless use of words. Of course it's legal to ask the question, not to discriminate.

The reason I started this discussion is because some of the questions on that list made me bristle. But I'm not applying so maybe I should have kept my mouth shut.

EDIT: oh, who knew.

Anyway now that we've both backtracked, let's just get on with our lives...

[olaness]

I live in the UK so maybe things are different here, but for every job I've applied for there have been questions about name, address, d.o.b and qualifications. It would be fair to assume that someone intelligent enough to have a desk job would be intelligent enough to deduce a person's age from his date of birth. I have also seen questions like 'how much do you earn in your current job' which pretty much translates as 'what do we need to beat to get you'. And these have come from companies both big and small.

And I would think that the easiest and fairest way of organising a group like this would be for the members to be self-employed and get paid per gig. In which case the group is not employing anyone, legally speaking, and therefore many employment laws will not count.

[KevinMadden]

There is at least one question on that list that is illegal to ask

#19 FTW!

As a disinterested observer, #23 also strikes me as odd.....

Ask for too much - Possibly not hired
Ask what the others make - Possibly not hired
Low-ball an amount - Possibly hired and boned at the same time?

RC
(who is glad he doesn't have to worry about any of this sort of thing for a living)

The expected salary question is found on a great many simple applications for hourly type jobs, I always write in "negotiable". In the case of the synergy questionnaire your best bet would be to probably write something along the lines of, "I don't intend to get rich, but i do intend to make a decent living"

[tuba114]

any word on a winner?

[MileMarkerZero]

So I guess another queestion would be: what's Jesse Chavez going to be doing now? That guy is a helluva player.

[BAtlas]

Now I don't want to speak for him, but he told me his plan was to go back and finish his master's degree.

[cjk]

Interested applicants should send the following e-materials to
...
-a current resume (including phone number)
...
-A completed questionnaire, which can be found at
http://www.synergybrass.com/questions.pdf" target="_blank
Selected applicants will receive a phone interview. After the phone interview, some applicants will be invited to audition in person at a time and location to be determined.
....

IMHO, regardless of the legality of the age question, it's redundant information.

One should be able to guesstimate applicants' approximate ages based on the resumes and double check those educated guesses via following up with references. IE, if the resume lists teachers and undergraduate educational institutions attended, one can verify that information, specifically the years an applicant attended the institution. Some of the other questions will also provide age clues as well.