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Whenever someone asks me what they should do about being discriminated against, whether for legal or illegal reasons, my first thought is "Are you sure you're being discriminated against?"
This may sound like a not very open minded or compassionate response. To frame my perspective, note that I have been in HR for seven (long) years and have heard the word "discrimination" used pretty liberally during that time.
Super HR blogger & a good friend of mine, Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR recieved an email from one of her readers regarding her post Work, Obesity and Common Employment Myths. The reader said,
I'm 51 and have been overweight most of my adult life. I have also experienced prejudice and lack of promotion because of it. I was even told in one annual review that I needed to lose weight, with the implication that this was affecting my ability to be promoted. I have always done superior work for my employers, but for some reason (duh!) was always the first one released in an economic downturn or company "re-organization".
As I get older, I am experiencing increasing difficulty in finding employment, being currently unemployed since my position was "eliminated" in April. Interestingly, I do not have any trouble getting interviews, but seldom get past the first in-person screening. I thought age discrimination might be a factor, but my age should be a giveaway if one looks at employment dates on my resume, yet I still get interviews. I am usually told that I do not have enough experience in the areas they are looking for compared to other candidates, but friends (of "normal" weight) in various job-seeker groups I belong to seem to have no problem landing in new jobs where they have much less job-related experience than those where I have applied. And it is not because I "do not interview well". I am often complimented on my interview skills (well-practiced by necessity) as well as qualifications. One HR Manager (who just happened to be overweight herself, and so not likely to be prejudiced) recently told me that she considered me to be an "A+" in the interview and was shocked (as was my recruiter) that the hiring manager decided to "fill the position internally" after she had conducted a long candidate search, which presumably included considering internal candidates.
So what advice would you give? (And, yes, I am trying to lose weight, but that could take a while). Should I just keep on job-hunting and HOPE to find a non-prejudiced employer, or do something pro-active, like sending a copy of the MSU article which you quoted in your post as a follow-up after the interview, particularly if I do not hear anything from the employer or get a "pass", in which case, presumably, I would have nothing to lose?
Hearing stuff like this makes me hate being in HR & reminds me of all the hiring manager & lobby rat comments I've heard through the years.
You know the lobby rats: the people who don't seem to do any actual work but swing through the company's lobby or reception area at least once an hour, coffee cup in hand, ready to chat up the receptionist? I hate those people. Anyways, I've heard everything from "there's a woman with Some Serious Eyebrows here for you - says she has an interview" to "Emo kid alert: lobby" to somethings I probably shouldn't repeat on this blog. Of course, I have also heard. "There's a hot hottie mchotman in the lobby for you, and I hate you" and similar.
But I digress.
My advice to this gentleman is:
Know who and what you are dealing with before the interview.
Get on LinkedIn and link like crazy. Every time you see a position you want to apply for, check your network to see if you know anyone (or someone that knows someone) that works or worked there. Talk to them. Depending upon your relationship and/or comfort level, ask them:
- How are overweight people treated at the company?
- If and when there are layoffs, who tends to go first? Performance challenged or...?
- What seem to be the biggest employee relations issues (a non-HR-nerd way to ask this is What do employees tend to complain about
