As I toil in the hardest job I have ever had... which is ACTUALLY FINDING ONE, I have noticed a couple of things. The first is that as you email your resume to the gaping maw that is the unknown hiring director; you might as well not even bother. I have doubts that any of the hundreds of resumes even get looked at.
The most troubling one of all is that anytime you fill out an online application, there are two mandatory questions. One is to state your race/ethnic background. The second is to state your sex. True, you do have the option of checking the "i refuse to answer this question" box, but no doubt anyone foolish enough to select that choice is immediately eliminated from the employment competition.
I have no idea how recent these questions have become mandatory. It's (yeah right!) illegal to discriminate in hiring practices in the USA; but why ask the questions? Wouldn't total anonymity be a better guarantee? With answers to these questions, wouldn't companies be establishing quotas? Total reverse discrimination.
Leave it to Canada to get things right; again. Our neighbors to the north ban those types of questions.
I am going to start marking the "eskimo" box.
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3 comments:
Hell mend us, Nazz.
I phoned up one prospective employer today. He is still on 'holiday'.
Spot on there Nazz... an interesting point. In the UK we are awash with what is being termed 'positive discrimination' where any minority (be it race, sexuality, disability etc etc) stands a much better chance of getting the post as enployers are shit scared to give it to the middle class white bloke... even if he is the best man for the job. An odd situation to be in isn't it?
I honestly couldn't care less what colour you are, how many limbs you have (or don't have) or what you do in bed... none of my business... what does concern me (and should concern any employer) is if you can do the job or not.
Good post mate.
P
reverse discrimination exists b/c minorities do not get the opportunities to improve their skills or tighten their resumes as white people do. I say this as a past hiring manager. I had trouble hiring minorities for jobs that required little experience and would require adequate training that any white person would need. I came up against white owners who didn't want black faces on the floor (i worked in restaurants) just b/c. All I needed were people willing to learn and I worked for owners who were abject racists and it happened more times than you would think. I am not proud.
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