Is a potential employee entitled to an answer of why they were not hired?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is a potential employee entitled to an answer of why they were not hired?
My wife applied for a job as a nurse for a federal prison. She completed all the paperwork and even took a drug screen. The subcontractor made a phone call to Washington DC. and was told to not hire her. She has called the subcontractor to find out what the determination was and cannot get anyone who can or is willing to tell her why. All she wants, is too find out what the reasoning was. Is it wrong to expect an answer for not being hired.
Asked on March 9, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, West Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
Morally, you may be right--it doesn't seem too much to ask, to be told the reason you were not hired. Unfortunately, legally, you are incorrect: employment is employment at will, and one consequence of that is that an employer may freely choose whom to hire--and whom to not hire--and is not required to explain its decision to anyone, including a rejected applicant. The potential employer does not have to provide an answer to this question.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.