Internship interview question; place of birth??

[PsyDWannabe]

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I have an interview for an internship at an organization and one of the required questions to answer is 'place of birth'. Is that a little strange or am I just being extra sensitive? Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[Ollie123]

Depends on the environment.
This may be one that requires a background check. We do, and I'm fairly certain we have this question on our RA applications for that reason. HR handles that so I can't give you the exact details of what its used for beyond that, but I know we need it to run background checks.

 

[KillerDiller]

Are you applying at an organization run by the government? If so, they need to verify that you are an American citizen. For example, you cannot work at a VA hospital without being a citizen.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Thank you all! This is starting to seem a little less unsettling. But I was not born in the US so does that mean I can't help out? Wow, who turns down free help?

 

[KillerDiller]

Thank you all! This is starting to seem a little less unsettling. But I was not born in the US so does that mean I can't help out? Wow, who turns down free help?

Well, if you are applying at a VA I'm afraid that is likely what it means. It's nothing personal, the government is just extra guarded against anyone who could even remotely possibly be a spy for another country. 🙁

If you're applying outside of the government organizations, it's not likely to be a big deal at all.