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Obama Applicants Go Under Microscope

Seven-page, 63-question form required of job applicants

By Gabriel Winant, Newser User

Posted Nov 13, 2008 9:16 AM CST

(Newser) – If you want a job in the Obama administration, be ready to tell all. High-level job applicants must complete a seven-page form that asks for everything from online aliases to traffic tickets that carried a fine of $50 or more, reports the New York Times. The questionnaire appears to reflect a desire to head off resume-related trouble that's submarined nominations in the past. "Every transition is cumulative," says a veteran Democratic operative.

Questions ask explicitly for copious info about the applicant, his or her spouse and family, and even their domestic help. If that's not thorough enough, the 63rd and last question reads: "Please provide any other information, including information about other members of your family, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the president-elect."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

President-elect Obama talks on his cell phone after boarding his plane at Washington's Reagan National Airport after meeting with President Bush at the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President-elect Obama during a news conference, Nov. 7, 2008. From left are, Joe Biden, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

White House Chief of Staff-designate Rahm Emanuel listens during a news conference by President-elect Obama in Chicago, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Briefly describe the most controversial matters you have been involved with during the course of your career. - Form Question 8

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Obama Applicants Go Under Microscope