Originally posted by Aggie Man
I believe that, in part, application questions like these are to assist in weeding out applicants before the interview process. I mean, if you don't have the sense to keep stuff like that personal and you actually admit to it, then it could be an indicator of how you would handle business situations. A good rule of thumb is to put yourself into the shoes of the hiring entity and then answer the questions in a manner that is consistent with what they would be looking for. Worst case scenario is you still don't get the job; however, providing an affirmative response to those questions is going to guarantee you don't get the job.
Surely those asking the questions know that. No one in their right mind would answer in the affirmitive. I suspect the reason thge questions are there is because if uou answer "No" and they do a background check and discover you actually have been a member of said groups, they've just nailed you for lying on your application, which is grounds for termination.
I once had a job that had required a Secret level clearance and answered questions like this. My "problem" was that I had been separated from the military for smoking pot years ago. I told them that up front. They said, in effect, "Oh! Well, just say right here that you promise to never do it again." I did, and I got the clearance. The point here, I think, is that though some of the questions may seem like no-brainer "Nos" to answer, what they are really looking for is honesty. If you knew that your cousin Joe, whom you haven't seen in 20 years, was a member of SDS in his youth, I doubt if they would hold it against you. But if your grandmother lives in Russia, you'll never get a clearance.
