a random question

[magicicada]

many, many years ago when i was trying to get a summer job, i applied for a job as a courier. the office was in a nice converted home, and it appeared in all ways to be a legitimate job. however, i felt a bit odd when i discovered one of the questions on the job application was a request for my blood type. i mentioned something to the man who had given me the application, half in jest, and half truly curious. he seemed to think there was something gauche about my not understanding the question, and i figured i was being naive. needless to say, i did not get the job. i decided from his reaction that this is one of those things that would make sense in time. well... i've applied for a lot of jobs since then, and i have never seen this on a job application and still cannot think of a good reason for this question. now, the job would involve a lot of driving. however, in the case of an auto accident, the information would need to be with me instead of in a file somewhere and there is no need to collect it from every applicant. is this a completely bizarre question to put on a job app or is there a perfectly reasonable explanation that my career path has not shown me?

Comments

[sylvar.livejournal.com]

That's utterly bizarre. The only reference I've found in a few minutes of searching is that interviewers may not ask about your race because (I'm paraphrasing) "it is as unrelated to job abilities as blood type would be". So blood type seems to be an example of something totally ridiculous.

I know that blood type is regarded in Japan in much the way your horoscope sign is here -- i.e., some people believe that your personality has something to do with it. By any chance, might this interviewer have been Japanese?

[datan0de.livejournal.com]

That occurred to me as well. I can't think of any other reason, unless the company was run by vampires. Even then they must've been new vampires, 'cuz everyone knows that blood type doesn't affect the flavor at all. ;-)

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

i considered this. he wasn't very tan, but it was daylight and the place had nice windows.

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

Nope, and they didn't seem new-agey or alternative in any way. He was a man with very little sense of humor.

[penguinicity.livejournal.com]

I've never seen that pop up on a job application.

One idea. I've heard that in Japanese culture, blood type is taken quite seriously. For example, see this article (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20010916a3.htm). Was the employer Japanese, or someone who had spent some time in Japan?

[oldgrue.livejournal.com]

I'd bet it was for emergency information, A stickler for detail might discard an application for not being filled completely, but could not legally deny you employ for blood type.

Short and sweet:
No Relevance.

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

oh, i know it had no relevance, but neither does my shoe size and i've never had anybody ask me that.

[ericmarin.livejournal.com]

The employer sounds like a weirdo, Jenn. I'm glad you didn't get the job.

[dkolodji.livejournal.com]

That's one of the strangest things I've heard. You could come up with some sort of strange conspiracy theory about it. The guy in the house was really a front guy for a group of extraterrestrials who needed a courier to send on an intergalactic journey, but unfortunately they only had a supply of one human blood type in their blood banks and wanted to be cautious...

AB Positive
an universal recipient
carries earth data

[tealfroglette.livejournal.com]

i'm thinking the japanese as commented above or some weirdo who really was into 'eat right for your bloodtype' health who wanted to know if you a, knew what it was, and would care to be healthy, or if you knew because you had to have surgery, were a blood donator, or some really freaky person who wanted to harvest body parts.