Now you got me thinking. Does the current season of American Horror Story potentially qualify? I guess I don't know if it gets supernatural at any point as it's only two episodes in, the seasons certainly do involve the supernatural, so far it's just really effed. If you do not like clowns you will not like this…

Fair enough. I know I don't want this guy and a few others in the film showing up on my porch on Halloween. This movie has incredible tension, great jumpy moments, considerable gore, deranged cannibals, casual disregard for the law (from both the bad cats and the good cats), the standard Korean revenge movie scene…

In the "serial killer" theme, I recommend "I Saw The Devil." Korean revenge flick with two really polished actors...Choi Min-Sik, and Lee Byung-hun..in a really disturbing (and thought-provoking) movie. Still available on Amazon Prime, not sure about Netflix.

I just have to disagree with you (without being confrontational). Again, if you truly are screened by the validity of an actual SSN, you probably don't want to work for that place. I guess you could also just enter a number incorrectly and blame fat-fingering, but sheesh...I just cannot imagine wanting to work for a…

All the white flags indicating surrender should have been a good tip-off as to where this match would be headed.

Totally agree. At best, I'd reflect back what they are saying in the context of explicit options. You're only going to get people defensive if you just critique. This is why artists hate critics. Ideas people offer are representative of their thought: it's genuinely difficult to get them to step back.

Oh, they often will check up on employment dates. That's information easily accessible: most any HR department will provide them on past employees to any HR group calling for them. They (should) not provide reason for departure, salary, etc.

Ultimately here's what I suggest on the SSN issue which is what I consider to be above the line and entirely acceptable...unless you truly are dealing with people for whom you'd want no association. I still struggle with companies asking for this, regardless. Anyways:

Is this what's become of dwarf tossing? That's awful.

Hah. Some of those meat bags used to work for me. ;-) And remember, when you are filling out post-hire info you've already filled out before...the meat bag is you. :-)

...which makes it expensive and somewhat silly to go after when you could just pay someone minimum wage when your company is under several thousand people.

No, you can tie different systems together. Full disclosure: I led a customization org for a HR/payroll product provider. I was part of the problem/part of the solution.

they can pretty much always talk to each other. It's a function of expense to do so. HR is generally not at the top of end of the budget pie.

In most situations like you're describing, that second set of data entry means they are trying to hook you up on to an accounting and GL system (for payroll) that's probably 400 years older than their talent acquisition system. Or it's 400 years newer, but that results in the same duplication.

It was a joke about Richard Nixon's SSN! I agree with you on that, probably shouldn't have been so dry about it.

Which hiring portals have an SSN request? Taleo, SuccessFactors, etc...this is not a field that I've ever seen.

3M command strips aren't horrid. They're handy. What's made you think they are "horrid?" If nothing else, they're an outstanding way to test placements prior to making holes. Not sure why a painter would hate these: they do not leave any residue.

The trick for hanging from plaster, for me, is always, always drilling a pilot hole. Even when driving a nail.

Edward Norton has a final solution for that Brown.

Based on the silhouette of his hat bill, we can tell his dick is probably facing North. Drink up: It's 4pm somewhere.