Costco Australia under fire over 'intrusive' hiring questions

The creator of the questions defended them as a 'psychometric tool'

BY Dexter Tilo 10 Jun 2022

Costco Australia's hiring process has been brought to the spotlight after an applicant complained online about the job application questions they received. The applicant, who was applying as a front-end cashier, described on Facebook the questions as "confronting" and "intrusive" after they were asked to answer whether they agree with some statements, 7News reported.

The said statements included:

"I often look at people I know very well, like family, and forget who they are."
"I feel some happiness seeing famous people being humiliated."
"When I read a millionaire has lost their money, I feel slightly happy."
"Often, I cannot swallow."
"When I watch surgery shows, I get strange feelings in my body."
"For me, I would dislike having long hair."
"I am smarter than people who win Nobel prizes."
"I like hot spicy food."
"I often forget my own name."
"Talking is better than taking pills."
"I turn to alcohol or food to calm me down."
"I deserve free money."
"I have wet, sweaty hands."
"I someone mentions lice, I start scratching my head."
"I often eat too much."

These questions were confirmed by 7News to be included in the job application process, as part of an pre-employment assessment questionnaire created by Superemploy.

According to the report, the questionnaire also included more questions about the applicant's mental health, as well as their exact weight in kilograms.

A Superemploy representative defended the questionnaire to 7News and said it was a "psychometric tool" that seeks to "improve the mental function for workers."

The representative added that despite being strange, it was based on "cutting-edge science and has been independently verified as one of the most reliable in the world."

But for the applicant, they said they were confused over what the questions' purpose were and what benefits can be taken from them.