If you don’t have an id, is it still possible to get a job?
Short answer, no. It’s not possible to get a job, at least not at a reputable company. And certainly, it’s impossible to get a job that is a legal job.
This website and the information that I’m covering is going to be geared towards people who are looking for jobs in corporate America.
I have limited experience with manual labor staffing or the restaurant industry. Those are the two areas where you will find a lot of unregulated, illegal, and all around sketchy work places and employers.
But the fact is, when you’re working for a real company that pays taxes, you will need an id. And not only that, you need a certain kind of id. You can’t just use your membership card to the gym.
I’ll cover exactly what sort of ID you need later on. But first, let’s look at why you need an ID and if you can even interview for a job without one.
Why Do Employers Ask for your ID
The number one reason, and the most important one for legal reasons, is to determine if you are legally eligible to work.
Employers have to make sure that they are employing someone who is legally eligible to work. That’s why they have their employees fill out an I9 page.
When you are hired for a job, you will need to provide ID sufficient to prove you are legally able to work. Those forms of ID could your drivers license, a non drivers state issued ID card, a passport or a social security card when combined with a photo id produced by the government.
If an employer doesn’t know who you are, they can’t prove to the government –the IRS and other agencies— that they are legally hiring people.
Not only that, but when you work for a company, they are responsible for paying payroll taxes. This is all tied into your social security number.
That’s a reason why you will have to provide your social security card or at least the number when you’re dealing with a new job.
In the event that the company is audited, it is important that they have done their legal responsibility and have filled out I9s on all of their employees.
Some industries such as manual labor and restaurants are notorious for hiring people “off the books”. This is a situation where you are not paying tax and neither is the employer. It’s an illegal practice, but much of the labor market and restaurant business.
However, if you’re looking to get a job in the corporate world, then it’s important that you understand that you will need an ID. And you’ll need to provide that to your employer upon hiring. This is normally handled during a new employee orientation.
Do You Need an ID For a Job Interview?
No. Unless you need a basic photo id in order to gain entrance into a building, you don’t need an ID.
In fact, there is no reason to hand over your ID and specifically your social security card until you’ve actually be hired.
A job interview is not a guarantee that you will be hired. In many cases, dozens of people are going to be interviewed for a role. They don’t need the IDs and social security cards for dozens of people?
Even if you speak to some ill-informed HR person, keep in mind that they don’t need any of your government documents such as a social security card or your drivers license until you have been offered a job and will work there.
A job interview is just that, an interview. Sometimes temp agencies and larger companies who hire tons of people for short term work do want IDs provided at the interview. This is more of a convenience for them. It’s not required.
They do this because they want to have those IDs on hand and in their computer system for when they do eventually hire the person. In many cases, especially with temp staffing agencies, you will be asked to send them sensitive information without even the promise of a job.
They do this solely because they are lazy and are not interested in having to secure those documents after a person is hired.
Legally they do not need to see Ids or other documents until after you are offered a position. At that point, yes, you will have to provide both a photo ID and another form of identification such as a social security card.
What Type of ID Can You Use?
Once you’ve been hired by the company you should speak to their HR department. The HR department will instruct you on what types of ID you can use.
It’s not rocket science, though. As long as you have the common forms of ID, then you’re fine. Those are:
- Drivers License
- Passport
- Social Security Card
If you look at an I9, then you’ll see exactly what those forms of ID are. You can’t go in their with a library card or a gym membership card, though. It’s not a legal form of ID.
You can see an exact list online at the governments website. Make sure to read up on the legality of this, and don’t simply hand your ids over to anyone unless you are going to be working at the company.
Most people don’t walk around with their passport or social security id card in their pocketbook or wallet. And that’s totally reasonable. You don’t want to lose those forms of ID.
No ID, No Legitimate Job
If you don’t have an id, then unfortunately you won’t be able to secure a real job. Most legitimate businesses won’t employ someone who does not have the ability to prove that they are legally allowed to work.
It’s too big of a risk for the employers. Large corporations that deal in manual labor sometimes hire the people away through cutouts. But they do not hire people directly that do not have proper ID.
And it’s certainly the case that if you are looking to work in a corporate environment, then you’re need to have the professional credentials, one of which is a ID card that proves you are legally allowed to work.
If you don’t have an id, is it still possible to get a job?
Short answer, no. It’s not possible to get a job, at least not at a reputable company. And certainly, it’s impossible to get a job that is a legal job.
This website and the information that I’m covering is going to be geared towards people who are looking for jobs in corporate America.
I have limited experience with manual labor staffing or the restaurant industry. Those are the two areas where you will find a lot of unregulated, illegal, and all around sketchy work places and employers.
But the fact is, when you’re working for a real company that pays taxes, you will need an id. And not only that, you need a certain kind of id. You can’t just use your membership card to the gym.
I’ll cover exactly what sort of ID you need later on. But first, let’s look at why you need an ID and if you can even interview for a job without one.
Why Do Employers Ask for your ID
The number one reason, and the most important one for legal reasons, is to determine if you are legally eligible to work.
Employers have to make sure that they are employing someone who is legally eligible to work. That’s why they have their employees fill out an I9 page.
When you are hired for a job, you will need to provide ID sufficient to prove you are legally able to work. Those forms of ID could your drivers license, a non drivers state issued ID card, a passport or a social security card when combined with a photo id produced by the government.
If an employer doesn’t know who you are, they can’t prove to the government –the IRS and other agencies— that they are legally hiring people.
Not only that, but when you work for a company, they are responsible for paying payroll taxes. This is all tied into your social security number.
That’s a reason why you will have to provide your social security card or at least the number when you’re dealing with a new job.
In the event that the company is audited, it is important that they have done their legal responsibility and have filled out I9s on all of their employees.
Some industries such as manual labor and restaurants are notorious for hiring people “off the books”. This is a situation where you are not paying tax and neither is the employer. It’s an illegal practice, but much of the labor market and restaurant business.
However, if you’re looking to get a job in the corporate world, then it’s important that you understand that you will need an ID. And you’ll need to provide that to your employer upon hiring. This is normally handled during a new employee orientation.
Do You Need an ID For a Job Interview?
No. Unless you need a basic photo id in order to gain entrance into a building, you don’t need an ID.
In fact, there is no reason to hand over your ID and specifically your social security card until you’ve actually be hired.
A job interview is not a guarantee that you will be hired. In many cases, dozens of people are going to be interviewed for a role. They don’t need the IDs and social security cards for dozens of people?
Even if you speak to some ill-informed HR person, keep in mind that they don’t need any of your government documents such as a social security card or your drivers license until you have been offered a job and will work there.
A job interview is just that, an interview. Sometimes temp agencies and larger companies who hire tons of people for short term work do want IDs provided at the interview. This is more of a convenience for them. It’s not required.
They do this because they want to have those IDs on hand and in their computer system for when they do eventually hire the person. In many cases, especially with temp staffing agencies, you will be asked to send them sensitive information without even the promise of a job.
They do this solely because they are lazy and are not interested in having to secure those documents after a person is hired.
Legally they do not need to see Ids or other documents until after you are offered a position. At that point, yes, you will have to provide both a photo ID and another form of identification such as a social security card.
There are often other things that come along with the hiring process such as drug testing and background checks. It might seem invasive, but it’s legal in most circumstances as long as you give your consent.
What Type of ID Can You Use?
Once you’ve been hired by the company you should speak to their HR department. The HR department will instruct you on what types of ID you can use.
It’s not rocket science, though. As long as you have the common forms of ID, then you’re fine. Those are:
- Drivers License
- Passport
- Social Security Card
If you look at an I9, then you’ll see exactly what those forms of ID are. You can’t go in their with a library card or a gym membership card, though. It’s not a legal form of ID.
Most people don’t walk around with their passport or social security id card in their pocketbook or wallet. And that’s totally reasonable. You don’t want to lose those forms of ID.
No ID, No Legitimate Job
If you don’t have an id, then unfortunately you won’t be able to secure a real job. Most legitimate businesses won’t employ someone who does not have the ability to prove that they are legally allowed to work.
It’s too big of a risk for the employers. Large corporations that deal in manual labor sometimes hire the people away through cutouts. But they do not hire people directly that do not have proper ID.
And it’s certainly the case that if you are looking to work in a corporate environment, then you’re need to have the professional credentials, one of which is a ID card that proves you are legally allowed to work.
It’s simple. If you cannot produce an ID, then you are not someone an employer will want to have work for them.
In the Non-Profit industry, there are tens of thousands of people who work as case managers. Many of them have a single role as a case manger…to obtain documents for people who are otherwise unable to. Those who are unable to are often homeless, MICA (mental illness, chemical addicted users), mentally unwell, lower cognitive functioning, or immigrants who are obtaining documents for work.
Those case managers are either employed by the state or city and funded by tax dollars, or they work for non-profits who recieve their revenu from tax dollars in the form of grant money and subsidies.
Professional organizaitions do not have to have case managers who will do work for you because they do not reiveve government funding.
A profgessional who is not in those circumstanes should have enough werewithall to handle the problem on their own without assistance.
If you’re looking to work at a major company, you need to be able to provide your own ID. A major company will not have case mangers handling things that are your responsibllity.
Hey I’m Chris . 20+ years in the industry. I’ve worked every role from Executive recrutier to Agency founder and consultant. If you want to learn more or reach me,vist the about page or use my contact form.