Work Advice: Impersonnel management

Q: My 19-year-old son, in his first college summer-job hunt, interviewed with a temp agency that was staffing up for a project that seemed like a perfect fit. The first step was a computer-based pre-screening test (generic questions about drug use, work habits, etc.). Afterward, he was called in and told that the agency could not consider him for a job because one of his answers raised a flag in the program. They could not tell him which answer caused the problem, and, even more, he could not reapply to this agency for two more years because of this result.

I was stunned when he came home and told me this. I even called the agency back to make sure he hadn't misunderstood something. They told me that they are not even given the information about what caused the problem, because they need to be unbiased and "fair" in handling applicants. They also have no discretion to override the computer's result. For all we know, he could have just accidentally clicked a wrong box. It seems to me they could have at least sent him to a supervisor or someone to review the results and talk to him directly.

Do applicants have any right to know why they have been blocked? Has this type of computer pre-screening become normal in hiring? Doesn't reliance on a computer-generated result take the "human" out of human resources? And finally, is there any chance that his being blocked will leave some kind of online trace for other potential employers to see?

A: To you, your son is a person. To this agency, he's personnel. The good news: It's not personal.

Screening with tests is fairly common practice among recruiters and temp agencies to ensure applicants meet a specific minimum skill level or personality type, especially at the entry level. This particular agency's approach suggests that its priority is processing candidates efficiently, like feeding coins into an automated sorter. Even the two-year blacklist, while unusual, is an internal tool of convenience - nothing that would be available to competitors or employers.

But this was just one agency. There are other agencies, and job boards, and networks of friends, neighbors and alumni, and probably a career center at his college. As your son acquires more experience and builds his professional reputation, employers and recruiters will become more interested in him as an individual.

Speaking of reputation: For the love of Peter Pan, you are not your son's agent. If you want him to be seen as an adult, stop intervening on his behalf. One rejection isn't going to ruin his career prospects, but becoming known as That Dude Whose Mom Calls to Demand Explanations will definitely haunt him.

• Miller has written for and edited tax publications for 16 years, most recently for the accounting firm KPMG's Washington National Tax office. You can find her on Twitter, @KarlaAtWork.