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I got an article from Yahoo!. Apparently, a prospective employer can seal your fate before you get to the office. Some people have tried such tricks as watching how you eat, seeing what your car looks like on the inside, seeing how you spend your time waiting for the interview. Apparently, just because you're qualified doesn't mean the employer will give you the job, and would even find stupid oddball reasons. Technically, this is illegal, but at the same time, many people get away with it.Hiring Tricks That Job Seekers Must Know (http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-hiring_tricks_that_job_seekers_must_know-938 - broken link)
Actually none of these reasons are illegal-- (others have already mentioned to this). An employer can choose to NOT hire you for any reason EXCEPT" Age (age meaning over the age of 40), race, ethnicity, gender, religion, national origin, or disability. An employer can choose to not hire you for any other reason.
Anyhoo-- I remember once I worked for a national director of sales. He was hiring a sales manager and he asked me to go get an interviewee while he was finishing up a meeting. I just remember the guy being overwhelmingly rude. When the guy finished his interview, the marketing coordinator who sat just in front of my director's office experienced the same rudeness of this interviewee. Basically he treated us as if we were servants and the lowest of the low.
My director called me into his office after the guy had left. He was really excited about the candidate. I remember telling him that I thought the guy was an arse. I explained how he acted in the office to both the marketing person and myself. He confirmed everything with the marketing coordinator and even asked the security guard in the foyer what the guy's attitude was like.
He ended up passing on the guy (who was great on paper and had been a dream interviewee during the interview). His reasons were that the last thing he needed in a sales manager for a territory with a variety of employees and clients was someone who would come into a strange office with a chip on their shoulder. The guy was shocked when he didn't get the job and asked for feedback as he thought the rapport he had with the director was great. He was speechless when the director provided the same feedback.
Finally, a funny story from a client who was interviewing a candidate of mine while I was a recruiter. Their building was one of those glass looking buildings that from the outside seemed like dark mirror like window. The candidate after he got out of his car used the glass on the side of the mirror to spit on his hand and smooth his hair. He also "adjusted" himself. The guy had no idea that the hiring managers were in the conference room and could see everything he did (their offices were on the first floor). This didn't know him out of the running for the position (he ended up not getting the job for another candidate of mine) but he couldn't understand why they were so stand offish when he came in (i.e. they wouldn't shake his hand) and it was the hiring manager that told me what had happened (he thought it was funny but also made sure to let me know to remind the guy you never know who is watching you).
All in all-- present the best possible demeanor as possible. You NEVER know who is watching you while you are out job hunting.
You don't know that. It's gossip and is very unprofessional. You are innocent until proven guilty. It is not only blacklisting but slander. What type of business do you work for
Quote:
Originally Posted by annerk
Your opinion. We got a call today from our competition warning us that one of their employees had just been fired for doing something that is at the least disturbing and quite probably illegal, the police are investigating as of this afternoon. It was a heads up because he'll probably be coming our way looking for work. Our VP took the call and thanked the person who called. Frankly I don't have a problem with that type of "blacklisting." The guy's obviously a creep, if not a criminal.
You don't have to fall under a protected class. Any question of personal nature which is unrelated to the position could be illegal, if it isn't illegal then it is unprofessional and rude. Call up the regional manager and report and provide feedback about the unprofessionalism is what I say.
"Questions about age, race, religion and sexual orientation are considered illegal. Questions about your family life such as whether you're married, have kids or are in a relationship are also considered illegal. Additionally, questions about political beliefs and affiliations, country of origin and US citizenship are considered illegal. A good rule of thumb is that any question of a personal nature which is unrelated to the position you're interviewing for could be illegal. "
Illegal Job Interview Questions and How to Handle Them : CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Career Counselors Blog (http://www.collegerecruiter.com/career-counselors/2008/07/illegal_job_interview_questions_and_how_to_handle_ them.php - broken link)
Artsyguy--- the reason why asking questions about children or marriage is frowned upon is because it typically is a method to discriminate against gender. Most people would never ask a man if he were married or had children based on the historical tradition of men working and women tending to the home.
Asking someone if they are married is not in effect illegal-- it is ill advised since if it were being asked to a woman and if she were passed by for a position, she could very well claim discrimination if she was asked if she had kids and was married, etc. It may not EVEN be the reason why she was not hired, but it could be used against her. I had a friend who had an older person attempt to sue his employer because the friend had stated during the interview that the position required a lot of energy due to the start up phase environment, he stressed the long hours, the constantly changing requirements, and asked the candidate if he were willing to work in that type of environment. He asked because the guy had come from very solid older companies. In the end my friend chose a guy who had worked for multiple start ups and had proven success with getting start up operations departments into a solid state.
The same applies for political or questions about affiliations as it once again points back typically to religious affiliations, national origin, etc.
Last edited by lovetheduns; 08-12-2009 at 07:45 PM..
Reason: Added clarification
i assume the reason for the post is you want your fellow job hunters to get a job.
yes? as to discrimination if they did it just to you that would be discrimination--- but they dont.
but good information. thanks for the post.
btw. employers dont play by queens rules. they are the queen-- they make the rules. most unfortunate american labor is anti labor. unions could make it better.
americans hate unions.
Artsyguy-- I don't disagree, but legally I can discriminate against you because I don't like your hairstyle, I think you are too skinny, I think you are too fat, I don't like your voice, I don't like the color of your eyes, blah blah blah blah. Do I think it is ridiculous that I could be passed by because I have some extra pounds or because I wear my hair short or because I am outgoing? Certainly, but I am ALSO making those same judgements against the employer. If I don't feel a certain way I choose to no longer pursue the position, etc. I may think the hiring manager is stodgy, I may think the office is too "old-fashioned", etc.
I think the key here is to understand what the laws are and make them useful to YOU.
I.e. you know people are judging you-- try to put your best foot forward EVERYTIME you go for a job.
Are you saying you don't like me because of my mohawk, screeching high-pitched nasal voice, and double chin? j/k
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovetheduns
Artsyguy-- I don't disagree, but legally I can discriminate against you because I don't like your hairstyle, I think you are too skinny, I think you are too fat, I don't like your voice, I don't like the color of your eyes, blah blah blah blah. Do I think it is ridiculous that I could be passed by because I have some extra pounds or because I wear my hair short or because I am outgoing? Certainly, but I am ALSO making those same judgements against the employer. If I don't feel a certain way I choose to no longer pursue the position, etc. I may think the hiring manager is stodgy, I may think the office is too "old-fashioned", etc.
I think the key here is to understand what the laws are and make them useful to YOU.
I.e. you know people are judging you-- try to put your best foot forward EVERYTIME you go for a job.
These things are really minor compared to the REAL discriminatory practices that still being used such as; zipcode searches, ethnic name signaling and accent matching
You don't know that. It's gossip and is very unprofessional. You are innocent until proven guilty. It is not only blacklisting but slander. What type of business do you work for
When an employee walks out without notice when he finds out the cops are on the way to investigate him, it's enough smoke to know there's a fire. And just the fact that he quit without notice is good enough reason to not hire him. None of that is defamatory because it's the truth.
When an employee walks out without notice when he finds out the cops are on the way to investigate him, it's enough smoke to know there's a fire. And just the fact that he quit without notice is good enough reason to not hire him. None of that is defamatory because it's the truth.
Reading this got me thinking about how different it is in the sports world. With atheletes, they can commit crimes, go to prison, whatever...and when they come out, they still have plenty of teams that want to sign them to multi-million dollar contracts.
In the end, I understand the point that the article is making. And I am sure there are plenty of employers out there who dismiss a candidate for whatever reasons. When I first started working, we went to executive presence trainings about how to present ourselves, how to dress, how to act when meeting clients from around the world, and all that. One thing I was amazed at at that time was when one manager from Japan told us that he did not hire a candidate because his shoes were dirty. But through the years, I believe it more and more. I have probably interviewed hundreds of people before and never cared if their shoes were dirty. But I do notice how they present themselves, how they are dressed, even how they wear their clothes because we meet with clients regularly.
But for me, that all relates to the job that I am hiring for. If I am hiring someone I plan on putting in front of a client for new business, then I want someone who is presentable. But if I am hiring an IT person who is in the back office all the time, then I don't really care if wears a Armani suit or not. Most IT people I've interviewed come in with business casual, and it doesn't make me think otherwise about their capabilities.
The fact that the article states that how clean or how messy a person's car is or how someone cuts up their protein can be a representation of what kind of employee they are is ridiculous. Do I believe that some employers do it? Sure. Do I think it's right or a fair judgement? No. People here can have their opinions on the personal hygiene or others, but how many soda cans or wrappers someone has in their car does not tell if they are a good employee or bad employee. Regardless of how messy someone's desk is at work does not mean they are a bad employee.
What surprises me more is that people here actually think this is acceptable. Because it is not illegal, does not mean it is right. In my opinion, not hiring someone because they cut their meat differently is no different than not hiring someone who is older in age, or a female, or disabled. People should be considered based on their abilities to do the job they are interviewing for. Anything that is not job related is irrelevant, especially if used to pre-qualify a candidate before you have even met him/her.
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