Office of Information Practices

U Memo 25-11
December 9, 2024
Records Relating to an Employment Application

Requester, an applicant for employment with the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD), asked whether DHRD properly denied a request for records relating to its procedures for obtaining employment references and verification information from applicants’ current and former employers under the UIPA.  DHRD disclosed copies of six responsive records to Requester, including its reference check guide and memorandum, employment voucher form, authorization for release of employment information form, policies and procedures for suitability investigations, and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission Guidelines for Pre-Employment Inquiries.   Upon review, Requester noted minor differences in the employment voucher form and the authorization for release of employment information form when compared to the two forms that DHRD previously disclosed to him.  Requester claimed that the minor differences in the two forms amounted to “outstanding issues.”  OIP found that DHRD reasonably explained that its forms may be amended at any time, and reasonably searched for information that would verify which specific forms were used when Requester had applied for a job with the agency.  Therefore, OIP concluded that DHRD’s response to the record request was proper.