Discrimination against non-LDS in hiring? (fit in, apartment, renting)

[manyroads]

I had two job interviews recently (one was a phone screening) that have left me scratching my head and wondering if perhaps the interviewers were indirectly trying to find out if I was a member of the LDS church.

During the in-person interview, I was told that there was a certain culture in Utah county where the business was located, and the interviewers wanted to make sure I'd fit in. They told me that they had previously hired and later fired someone from the northeastern US (where I'm originally from) because he wasn't a good fit with the culture there.

In the phone screening, the woman who I spoke with asked me if she had seen me the day before at the LDS Employment job fair, because she thought my name seemed familiar. This is very strange, because I do not have a common surname. If you met someone with my last name, you would remember it. Again, I'm wondering if she asked that question to find out if I am a member of the LDS church.

It's really disappointing to think that in the 21st century some employers will screen out a potential employee based on his or her not being a member of a particular religion.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I would not want to work in Utah county! Read some of the threads about it. Very insular, unlikely to make many friends, difficult to adjust to so many differences.

[parentologist]

Yes, that is exactly what you were running into. I ran into housing discrimination there - had a bit of trouble renting an apt if the owner was LDS - and I was the PERFECT applicant, could afford it, single, didn't smoke. If I didn't get an apartment, and the owner was LDS, it was because I wasn't LDS.

I don't think that it could have been more obvious, being told that people from the most densely populated region of the country, with about one sixth of the entire population of the US, but the least Mormon area of the US, just don't fit in "culturally", and then specifically being asked whether you had attended a Mormon job fair?????? I mean, come on, what else could it have been?

[Katzpur]

If you're saying this happened in Utah County, I'm not terribly surprised. On the other hand, it would be extremely unlikely for it to happen in Salt Lake County. I know it seems weird, but the two are vastly different.

[manyroads]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

I would not want to work in Utah county! Read some of the threads about it. Very insular, unlikely to make many friends, difficult to adjust to so many differences.

I currently live at the southern end of Salt Lake county. I thought, perhaps naively, that working in Utah county would not really be a problem. As long as I can at least have a civil, working relationship with my co-workers, that's all I really care about. I don't care whether I socialize with my co-workers at the end of the workday; there are other places to look for friends.

Originally Posted by parentologist

Yes, that is exactly what you were running into. I ran into housing discrimination there - had a bit of trouble renting an apt if the owner was LDS - and I was the PERFECT applicant, could afford it, single, didn't smoke. If I didn't get an apartment, and the owner was LDS, it was because I wasn't LDS.

I don't think that it could have been more obvious, being told that people from the most densely populated region of the country, with about one sixth of the entire population of the US, but the least Mormon area of the US, just don't fit in "culturally", and then specifically being asked whether you had attended a Mormon job fair?????? I mean, come on, what else could it have been?

These experiences were with 2 different businesses. The one that questioned whether I'd fit in with the culture was located in Utah county, but the one that asked if I had been at the LDS job fair is located in Salt Lake county.

Originally Posted by Katzpur

If you're saying this happened in Utah County, I'm not terribly surprised. On the other hand, it would be extremely unlikely for it to happen in Salt Lake County. I know it seems weird, but the two are vastly different.

As I mentioned in my reply to parentologist above, one happened in Utah county, but the question about the LDS job fair was for a job located in Salt Lake county, near the University of Utah. Being new to the area, I was not sure if LDS Employment Services strictly provide help for members of the LDS church, or if their job fairs are open to the general public.

I already know that I didn't get the job in Utah county, but from what I'm reading here, I guess I can forget about the other job as well.
It's hard enough trying to overcome the discrimination that exists against people over 50 when looking for work and now on top of that I have to worry about not being hired because I'm not a certain religion?

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by manyroads

I had two job interviews recently (one was a phone screening) that have left me scratching my head and wondering if perhaps the interviewers were indirectly trying to find out if I was a member of the LDS church.

During the in-person interview, I was told that there was a certain culture in Utah county where the business was located, and the interviewers wanted to make sure I'd fit in. They told me that they had previously hired and later fired someone from the northeastern US (where I'm originally from) because he wasn't a good fit with the culture there.

In the phone screening, the woman who I spoke with asked me if she had seen me the day before at the LDS Employment job fair, because she thought my name seemed familiar. This is very strange, because I do not have a common surname. If you met someone with my last name, you would remember it. Again, I'm wondering if she asked that question to find out if I am a member of the LDS church.

It's really disappointing to think that in the 21st century some employers will screen out a potential employee based on his or her not being a member of a particular religion.

You should consider the real possibility that you are magnifying things that are just coincidental. I encounter plenty of people with unusual surnames or given names, and I do not remember them or misremember them. I think small businesses are more likely to engage in unfair hiring practices, and this isn't unique to Utah. Large Utah businesses like Vivint and doTerra are often stereotyped as LDS businesses. However, if you actually engage in business with them you will quickly realize that they are just like any other large business and that most of their employees are not LDS.

[English Ivy]

My guess is you're reading too much into the phone screening question about whether you were at the LDS job fair. Considering how many candidates are screened for a position, she may have just been trying to put a face to your name, or something along those lines.

As far as the company in Utah County, your experience doesn't sound unusual, from what I've heard.

Regardless, don't let those two experiences stop you from trying. Good luck.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by manyroads

It's hard enough trying to overcome the discrimination that exists against people over 50 when looking for work and now on top of that I have to worry about not being hired because I'm not a certain religion?

Stick to Salt Lake County and to medium-size to large companies and you should have no problem at all. Your religion, at least, will be much less of a concern than your age. Discrimination sucks, doesn't it?

[SWFL_Native]

Name the company!

Many of the Utah county places are great to work for: Adobe, Qualtrics, Oracle, Microsoft, etc....

I think what they might be getting at is the sleezy NYC / NJ stereotype doesn’t fit well in Utah County. I have worked for 3 companies in Utah (all Fortune 500) and the multinationals not hqd here don’t have the normal Utah culture stigmas. The companies founded and hqd here will likely have some of the mo curtain.

If you can give specific examples and questions they asked it may be helpful.

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

Name the company!

Many of the Utah county places are great to work for: Adobe, Qualtrics, Oracle, Microsoft, etc....

I think what they might be getting at is the sleezy NYC / NJ stereotype doesn’t fit well in Utah County. I have worked for 3 companies in Utah (all Fortune 500) and the multinationals not hqd here don’t have the normal Utah culture stigmas. The companies founded and hqd here will likely have some of the mo curtain.

If you can give specific examples and questions they asked it may be helpful.

The accent(s) associated with that stereotype would be a dead giveaway. It tends not to fit in much of anywhere outside the NY/NJ region and maybe LA.