Is completion mandatory?

No. The form must be voluntary. Applicants should be offered 'Prefer not to answer.' Making it mandatory can violate nondiscrimination norms and chill participation.

Can the form be signed electronically?

Yes. Electronic completion and eSignatures are generally valid under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and record retention requirements are met.

Who can view individual responses?

Access should be limited to designated HR or compliance personnel. Hiring managers and selection committees should not see individual answers to prevent bias and maintain legal separation.

What privacy safeguards should be used?

Use encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, and retention schedules. For healthcare contexts, execute a BAA and follow HIPAA rules (45 CFR §164.530(j)) when PHI is involved.

How do I correct a submitted form?

Provide a documented amendment process allowing applicants to update voluntary entries; maintain both versions with timestamps to preserve auditability and chain of custody.

What if state law differs?

State privacy and employment laws may impose additional requirements. Consult state agency guidance or counsel where California, New York, or other states have stricter data-protection rules.

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Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form

Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form

This template is fully customizable. Edit the text, fill out the fields, and send it for signature. Give it a try!

SELF-IDENTIFICATION FORM

This is an invitation for voluntary inclusion in the affirmative action program at [Name of Company] for individuals with disabilities, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era.

It is the policy of [Name of Company] to recruit, select, and employ qualified individuals with disabilities, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era. The company is a government contractor subject to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 4212 of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974.

In accordance with these laws, [Name of Company] is committed to affirmative action programs that employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities, special disabled veterans, and veterans of the Vietnam era. [Name of Company] will, where appropriate, consider reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

If you are an individual with a disability, a special disabled veteran, or a veteran of the Vietnam era and would like to be considered under our affirmative action programs, please check the applicable portion below. Appropriate definitions of these terms are provided for your convenience.

If you are an individual with a disability or special disabled veteran, you may choose to tell us about (1) any special methods, skills, and procedures that qualify you for positions within the company so that you can be considered for any positions of that kind, and (2) the reasonable accommodations that we could make that would enable you to perform the job properly and safely, including special equipment or other accommodations.

Note: While we invite you to offer this information, it is strictly voluntary. Refusal to provide this information will not subject any individual to negative consequences by the Company. Please also note that if you do not self-identify at this time, you may still volunteer this information at a later date, without subjecting yourself to any adverse treatment.

We will keep your information in strict confidence, except that (a) necessary management and supervisory personnel may be informed to ensure proper placement and to provide reasonable job accommodations, (b) first aid and safety personnel may be informed to the extent appropriate, if the condition might require emergency treatment, and (c) government officials investigating affirmative action program compliance may be informed under the above cited laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

To be included in our affirmative action program, please check the appropriate boxes and provide your name in order to be identified as:

An “individual with a disability” is a person who (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his/her major life activities; (2) has a record of such impairment; or (3) is regarded as having such as impairment.

A "special disabled veteran” is a veteran who is entitled to disability compensation under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs for a disability (1) rated at 30% or more, or (2) rated at 10-20% in the case of a veteran who has been determined under Section 1506 to have a serious employment disability or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-oriented disability.

A "veteran of the Vietnam era” is a person who served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days, any part of which occurred between August 5, 1964 and May 7, 1975 and who (1) was discharged or released therefrom with other than a dishonorable discharge, or (2) was discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability.

Name:

Location:

Department:

Employee No.:

Date:

What the Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form Is

The Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form is a standardized, voluntary questionnaire employers provide to job applicants to collect nonrequired demographic information such as race, ethnicity, disability status, and veteran status. Responses are used in aggregate to support equal employment opportunity reporting, affirmative action planning, and government compliance reviews while protecting individual anonymity. The form is not part of hiring decisions and should be stored separately from application materials to avoid improper influence or discrimination.

Why organizations ask applicants to complete this form

Collecting voluntary self-identification enables compliant EEO/AA reporting, helps quantify workforce diversity, and documents nondiscriminatory hiring practices while maintaining applicant privacy and reducing bias when properly separated from selection records.

Who typically receives and processes these forms

The form is used by hiring managers, HR teams, and compliance officers working across public and private employers.

Recruiters and HR administrators responsible for onboarding and reporting tasks.
Compliance officers preparing EEO-1, OFCCP, or diversity metrics for audits.
Job applicants who choose to provide optional demographic information.

Step-by-step: completing the form

Follow these four steps to finish and submit the Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form correctly.

01

Review Notice: Read the voluntary disclosure and privacy statements before answering.
02

Enter Information: Complete fields exactly as instructed; use MM/DD/YYYY for dates.
03

Consent and Submit: Check the consent box if you agree, or select 'Prefer not to answer.'
04

Retention Confirmation: Confirm you understand how responses will be stored and used.

How the form is distributed and routed

Typical routing shows how the form moves from sender to storage while preserving separation from hiring files.

Employer Sends: HR sends the form by secure link or paper with clear voluntary notice.
Applicant Completes: Applicant completes voluntarily and submits electronically or on paper.
Secure Receipt: Responses are stored separately from selection documents.
Aggregate Reporting: Compliance staff aggregate data for reporting without identifying individuals.

Technical requirements for digital completion and storage

Use secure, access-controlled systems and file formats that preserve audit trails when collecting responses electronically.

File formats: PDF, DOCX supported
Integrations: HRIS and ATS integration
Authentication: Email or MFA options

Recommended digital workflow settings

Configure the form and workflow so responses remain voluntary and segregated from hiring decisions.

Field	Configuration
Visibility	Hidden from hiring managers
Required	Mark optional; do not force answers
Conditional	Use conditional fields for additional clarifying questions
Data retention	Set automated retention per policy

Core elements to include in a professional form

A well-constructed Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form balances clear voluntary consent, minimal required fields, privacy protections, and reusable reporting formats for compliance.

Voluntary Disclosure

A clear statement that completion is voluntary and will not affect hiring decisions, plus alternatives such as 'Prefer not to answer' to preserve applicant choice.

Purpose Statement

A short explanation of how data will be used for EEO reporting, affirmative action, and aggregate analytics, including the party responsible for data aggregation.

Privacy Notice

Explain storage, access controls, retention schedule, and data-sharing limits to reassure applicants and support compliance with state privacy laws.

Simple Options

Use checkboxes and single-choice options for race/ethnicity, disability, and veteran status to simplify analysis and reduce input errors.

Separate Storage

Designate a separate storage location or encrypted field for responses so hiring managers cannot view individual answers during selection.

Reporting Format

Include structured data fields that export consistently to CSV/HRIS for EEO-1 and internal diversity reporting without manual rekeying.

Security and compliance features to implement

Encryption: TLS and AES-256

Access Control: Role-based permissions

Audit Trail: Timestamps and IP logs

HIPAA BAA: Execute BAA if PHI present

Data Minimization: Collect only necessary fields

Retention Policy: Automated deletion schedules

Risks and compliance consequences of mishandled forms

Administrative Risk: Audit findings from OFCCP or EEOC

Privacy Violations: State data law penalties (CCPA, SHIELD)

Discrimination Claims: Improper access may create legal exposure

Data Integrity: Inaccurate aggregation yields misleading reports

Retention Noncompliance: Failure to retain required records

Operational Risk: Loss of applicant trust and reputational harm

Common preparation mistakes to avoid

Failing to label the form as voluntary or conflating it with application questionnaires can create legal risk and chill responses.
Storing responses in the applicant file accessible to hiring managers may lead to claims of bias and should be avoided.
Collecting more personal detail than required for reporting increases privacy exposure and complicates data minimization obligations.
Using ambiguous categories or free-text fields prevents reliable aggregation for EEO reporting and creates inconsistent datasets.

Typical eSignature vendor pricing and compliance features

Platform price and compliance capabilities affect how you collect and store voluntary self-identification data; signNow is listed first for parity with comparative vendor metrics.

	signNow	DocuSign	Adobe Sign	PandaDoc	HelloSign
Starting Price	$8/user/mo	$15/user/mo	$14/user/mo	$19/user/mo	$15/user/mo
Free Trial	7-day free trial	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Bulk Send	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit Trail	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HIPAA Compliant	Yes (BAA required)	Yes (BAA available)	Yes (BAA available)	No	No

Practical tips for accurate and efficient completion

Follow these practices to increase response quality while protecting applicant privacy and maintaining compliance.

Make voluntariness explicit

State clearly that completion is voluntary, does not affect hiring decisions, and offer a clear 'Prefer not to answer' option to avoid coercion and legal risk.

Separate records

Store responses separately from application and interview files with restricted access to avoid improper influence on selectors and to reduce discrimination exposure.

Standardize fields

Use controlled-choice fields for race, ethnicity, disability, and veteran status to enable consistent aggregation and reduce manual data cleaning for reports.

Document policy

Maintain an internal policy explaining collection purpose, retention schedule, who can access data, and how aggregates are reported.

Practical examples of how the form is used

Two short scenarios illustrate typical uses and operational safeguards that preserve voluntariness and privacy.

Small Clinic Example

A community health clinic provides the form at application

The HR coordinator stores responses in an encrypted compliance folder
Aggregated metrics inform outreach efforts while individual answers remain separate from hiring records to protect privacy and avoid bias.

University Hiring Example

A public university includes the form in online application packets

Applicants may decline to answer
Office of Institutional Equity receives anonymized summaries for annual reporting without sharing identifiable responses with hiring committees, preserving fairness.

Frequently asked questions about the Applicant Voluntary Self Identification Form

Answers to common legal, technical, and privacy questions when using voluntary self-identification in hiring processes.

Need help? Contact support

Is completion mandatory?
No. The form must be voluntary. Applicants should be offered 'Prefer not to answer.' Making it mandatory can violate nondiscrimination norms and chill participation.
Can the form be signed electronically?
Yes. Electronic completion and eSignatures are generally valid under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and record retention requirements are met.
Who can view individual responses?
Access should be limited to designated HR or compliance personnel. Hiring managers and selection committees should not see individual answers to prevent bias and maintain legal separation.
What privacy safeguards should be used?
Use encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, and retention schedules. For healthcare contexts, execute a BAA and follow HIPAA rules (45 CFR §164.530(j)) when PHI is involved.
How do I correct a submitted form?
Provide a documented amendment process allowing applicants to update voluntary entries; maintain both versions with timestamps to preserve auditability and chain of custody.
What if state law differs?
State privacy and employment laws may impose additional requirements. Consult state agency guidance or counsel where California, New York, or other states have stricter data-protection rules.

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