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Equal Opportunities in Recruitment

13:15 / 24.05.02

As far as equal opportunities in employment go, this is stage one - getting through the front door.

I am a gay, working class Scot, over forty. I have never felt I didn't get a job because of those things. I have met people who believe they didn't get a job in Scotland because they were English. Somebody once told me they seriously believed they had not got a job because they had red hair.

Any of you Lithers ever thought you had been the subject of unfair discrimination when applying for a job?

Was it just a feeling or did you take it further?

13:21 / 24.05.02

When I was a temp secretary, I was turned down for a job because I was a man. The company (according to my agent) said straight out that they didn't want a man as a secretary. But it was only a short-term thing, and I got another job, so what would have been the point in making a fuss?

the agency said they took that company off their books, as it's obviously completely illegal to do that, but then they would say that

13:30 / 24.05.02

I was fairly lucky getting my job down here as a friend had already moved down here and put a good word in for me, I've never heard of anyone not getting a job down here for being Scottish actually at one point our team of 7 had 4 jocks.

BTW over 40, I thought you were in your 20's

13:52 / 24.05.02

Any of you Lithers ever thought you had been the subject of unfair discrimination when applying for a job? – ZoCher

I remember working in TriBeCa back in the mid 90's as office manager in a photography studio. Things were getting tight for them money-wise and I was looking around to see what else was out there. So I sent out my resume and got a slew of interviews from studios and galleries in SoHo.

For each and every interview a Polaroid snapshot was taken, and this was something I had never encountered on job interviews before. Nor were any photos taken of me during job interviews I went to at that time in other parts of Manhattan – just SoHo.

After three or four interviews, I finally asked, "Is there any reason why my picture is being taken?"

"Um...well, so-and-so has to know what you look like before s/he hires you – s/he has to approve your looks."

"Is that legal? If I have the skills to do the job what do my looks have to do with anything?"

"Legal? Is it legal? Um...we'll call you darling, thanks for coming. NEXT!..."