11 Things Hiring Managers Won’t Tell You

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  • BMJ

    Good advice–never thought about removing my wedding band. I disagree with the point about not applying online. Many, many places do not give you the option. It’s fine if you know someone there and forward your information–but you still need to jump through the hoops. This has been my experience anyway. 

    • mizaru169

      That’s true – for almost every job I’ve tried for it’s been “Sorry, you’ll have to apply online.”  Even e-mailing individuals inside the company yields the same results!

    • Sheila

      I agree.  I always thought this just applied to big companies, but recently the small company I work for had a position open and a coworker had a friend that wanted to apply and was told to go through the placement agency.  

  • D2N

    I actually put on a fake wedding ring when I go on interviews (just a band, not a flashy engagement ring because I do agree with the point above). I look (and am) young. And I’m interviewing for jobs that require a few more years of experience than I have. It makes me seem older and more responsible and not like some 20-something-year-old that’s going to roll into work late still hungover from the night before.

    • Sheila

      I did the same thing.  Apparently it was believable because one of my friends and my part time job at the time thought I had gotten engaged and didn’t tell her.  LOL

  • edie212

    The bit about kids and wedding bands is incredibly depressing. I give 10-1 odds that they don’t check the ring fingers of male candidates. Maybe instead of just advocating playing along (which you have to to get the job) LV can promote how to push for change to horribly sexist hiring cultures?

    • Sheila

      I’d bet your right.  Plus a lot of men don’t wear rings.  Although my dad did tell me once that they had a position open in his department and the interviewers did look for wedding rings.  Although for completely different reasons.

      • Ms. L

        I agree. This is actually the third time I’ve seen this article – other sites have posted their interpretation of the HR survey, too. But I’ve seen proposed solutions exactly zero times. I fear that sexism will never end if we’re continually encouraged to fight the status quo. As it is, I don’t wear a wedding band and chose to keep my maiden name, all for my “career,” which I may never return to anyway if the economy keeps up like this.

        • Ms. L

          “Fight” should be “keep.” No more internet for me today!

  • Stephanie

    I wouldn’t want to work for a company that tries to dupe me into sharing information about my kids, doesn’t want to hire me because I might start a family, and creates a false profile to friend me on Facebook. Shame on LearnVest for encouraging women to succumb to these practices rather than encouraging women and hiring managers to change this dishonest and discriminatory practices rather than succumb to them!

    • Shill Straesser

      Exactly. Why would I want to work for a company that won’t support my having my career and family life? If you ask me, those companies are missing out on mature, diligent workers. My experience with working mothers is that they are highly productive. They get into work, stick to the business of working and get out. No wasting time on company time. I have heard of highering managers who prefer parents because of this fact.

      • andrew

        That’s where both of you are wrong, IT doesn’t matter how smart or diligent you are and only cares about how much time will you spend at work. More time at office = more productivity. If you’re so preoccupied with family after you wasted the company’s money on maternity leave then go look for another job because employees are desperate now, not the companies.

  • CarrieSloan

    Dear Stephanie and Edie, 
    Thanks for your comments. I just want to reassure you that LearnVest does not in any way condone these hiring (or not hiring) practices. We were as surprised to hear about them as you are. And certainly most companies would not purport to to support these practices either, which is why we felt the need to point out that they’re happening.

    We’re hoping that in bringing them to light, we’ll make it less easy for companies to get away with it. Please know, our mission at LearnVest is to empower women in every way, and especially when it comes to their finances, which is why we encourage you to fight trends like pay disparity between men and women and negotiate the salary you deserve. 

    It’s also why we chose to publish this story on Equal Pay Day—we believe firmly in equality on all fronts in the workplace.

    • Dominico32

      “Thanks for your comments”? liar

  • Vanessa241

    While I agree that we should be challenging these sexist hiring practices, you’d be naive to think this isn’t happening. 

    Thank you LearnVest for uncovering these nasty secrets!

    • Ms. L

      What saddens me most is when I see younger women rush to deny/defend sexism by announcing, “It’s never happened to me!” They don’t understand that they don’t need to experience a phenomenon for it to be true, or even widespread. In many cases, these women are very, very green in their field, and have not yet accrued enough years in the workforce, or gotten to a level on the ladder where the discrimination would be evident. When I was 25, I thought sexism was “over,” too. Boy, did I have a lot of learning to do…

  • NPA

    It’s no wonder that a large majority of applicants loathe the hiring process when there are articles like this that tell you what hiring managers really think. As a corporate recruiter, I cringed after reading every slide. The “hiring managers” interviewed  for this article are incredibly unprofessional, knowingly discriminate candidates (which, last time I checked is still illegal), give recruiting a bad name and do their respective companies a major disservice by practicing a very dangerous form of interviews.
     
    I work for a large and well known company where I recruit for positions in the STEM fields. I recruit new grads up to PhD level candidates, and at no point have I nor would I, conduct interviews like this.

    For applicants that come into situations like this, just remember that you’re also interviewing the company – do you really want to be part of a team that has practices like that in place?

    @e877894d394f3aababfbda0d6f17eedc:disqus Companies are required to track applicant data (otherwise we get in trouble with the Gov’t!) and the fastest and most streamlined way to capture this information is by having applicants apply online — even if you already interviewed or forwarded your resume directly to the hiring team.

    • pamorama

      You’ve given me hope! Thank you for being human and understanding the idiosyncracies and qualifications of an applicant based on more valid criteria. And thank you, as well, for acknowledging that a good fit is mutual. Being false or modifying your presentation to force a fit is not beneficial to any parties.

  • Happy Camper

    Gosh, that’s all pretty depressing! However, just the existence of sites like LearnVest has been giving me some vicarious confidence lately. Last month I pursued a job I’d found on LinkedIn. I suspected I was somewhat less experienced than the ideal candidate for the position, so I went the route of “just get them to like you and let them know you’re motivated and smart.” It worked. I got an interview and they offered me the position. 

    Then salary negotiations began. I probably made an error by disclosing my recent salaries. However, for the first time ever, I dug my heels in and tried to actually negotiate for myself!

    The first offer was $5,000 higher than my highest recent salary. The old me would’ve said, “okay, great” and then felt undervalued. This time, I just said “no, it’s too low.” Totally empowering moment, ladies. You gotta try it! 

    They immediately upped it by another $10,000. I said I appreciated the increase but that it frankly wasn’t enough to offset a just-average benefits package. This went on for a couple of phone calls and by the end of that day I accepted an offer over $25,000 higher than my last job. Maybe it could have gone even higher if I hadn’t disclosed my recent earnings, but it still felt terrific to negotiate for myself successfully.

    Thanks, LearnVest, for being part of giving me the wherewithal to pull it off!

  • Brwanous

    I find it difficult to embrace the concept of taking of my wedding band before an interview to increase my chances of success.  I don’t feel like I should hide who I am, or playing into the unfair system either.  Perhaps that increases my chances of landing the job, but that sounds like an awful place to work, if that is how they treat their prospective employees.

    Anyway, thanks for the great article – very enlightening as always!!

  • Heather

    Wow. This article is depressing. Especially as someone who was laid off last October. I have been seriously looking since early January. I have been volunteering my time with two separate organizations. This article made me want to do something other than find another job with corporate America. In fact, I would not want to work for any organization these “hiring managers” work for. Insidious at best!

    • pamorama

      Heather, I have the same response. Laws were put in place to protect us from this sort of hiring discrimination, and corporate America has found ways to “trick” people into divulging information, including friend requesting your friends to find out information about you–this is insane.

      Two and a half years ago I made a major move to a Southern CA exurb. For a few months I got my home in order and volunteered. Then I started my own freelance business which has limped along. I am actively looking for part-time work to supplement my business income, and it pains me to hear things like “no married folk” or “ageism.” Assuming someone with a wedding ring on won’t be serious about a full or part-time job is just wrong. Life circumstances are many and vast, and hiring managers who make assumptions like this lack creativity and might certainly be less than inspiring to the people they DO hire. BTW, as someone who formerly screened and hired people, I found that young, unmarried hires are far more likely to move around restlessly as they look for the next best thing. They are often less grounded.
      But let’s be honest, a good hiring manager should come to a conclusion on best fit based on varied and job-specific criteria, not stereotypes and bogus notions.

      • andrew

        laws mean nothing if a hiring manager speaks in a nice and approachable tone but then shreds your resume after you leave. The only way to figure out if the manager actually fired you based upon discrimination is to find out what they think of you at that moment they closed the book on your paper. Not all hiring managers are less insiring but some perfer personalities more so than others so its time to suck it up and please them or else you mind as well open your own small business.

  • CarrieSloan

    Heather, it sounds like you’re doing everything right to find a new job (impressive that you’re volunteering in two places!). Just wanted to wish you luck. Hope your perfect new job is right around the corner. And, if you haven’t taken it yet, I highly recommend our Build Your Career bootcamp, too!

  • Collinsm227

    Heather, I’m in the exact boat you are. My contract job ended in November & I’ve been job searching & volunteering since January. I agree that this article really gets my spirits down, knowing that I coul be a VERY valuable asset at a company if I wasn’t discriminated before I even got an interview. However, I’ll take this information & use it to the best I can & I guess I’ll be knocking on some doors with my resume in hand. Keep it up girl, we will land the right job at the right time!

  • Sheila

    I have to disagree with several of these.  Although there are some good points in this article, some of them aren’t accurate.  I’ve actually read several articles that employers tend to prefer married candidates because they view them as more stable.  Also, many times companies don’t want you contacting their employees directly about positions.  Most prefer that you go through their hoops to complete the application process.  I always viewed it as a test to see if you could follow directions.  For example, anyone ever tried applying with the government?

    • http://profiles.google.com/brandy.n.oliver Brandy Oliver

      I work for the government, and in my experience, the majority of LearnVest career articles just don’t apply to my type of career. General stories about being a better communicator and those sorts of topics sometimes relate in a generic way. However, I’ve just accepted that I’m not LearnVest’s targeted audience.

  • M.D.

    I’m a HR Director for a prominent Marketing firm and this article even made me depressed!  While the majority of things listed are NOT tactics that I would ever use or even consider, there is truth to a lot of it.  1) Resumes. Make it as straight-forward and aesthetically pleasing as possible (i.e. clean lines, just a touch of color, and most aligned qualities for the position made to be the most prominent on the page).  2) Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, whatever it may be. . .if you put it on the internet, we can find it.  It’s not my favorite activity to stalk potential candidates but even if I do not, you better believe that the hiring manager, potential team members and even the executives will “research” you.  Use your highest discretion when posting anything online!!  3) We are required to bring in great talent in/at budget (and pressured often for under budget).  It’s unfair and makes most of us feel crummy.  But  it’s part of the job.  Salary negotiation is a HIGHLY tricky game.  Go too high and you take yourself out of the game.  Go too low and you will be under paid.  My guideline is to remain within $5k – $10k of what you are willing to accept.  Period.

    I hope this helps!  I have two amazing parents who have been looking for work for over 2 years.  It is heart-breaking to hear how they are treated and defeated they can feel especially since I’m on the other side.  But to all those out there, KEEP YOUR CHIN UP!  And the last slide is true also.  Many hiring managers do not know what they are doing.  So, although this is tough to do time and time again, try not to take it personally.

    I wish you ALL much luck!

  • http://hotfemmeinthecity.wordpress.com/ natasiarose

    Once I was on a job interview and the interviewer expressed concern that I wouldn’t have time to do the job because I spend so much time on my charity work. I was like…really? Are you going to be upset over the charity work that I do in my free time? I would never want to work for that company. It’s sad that this goes on.

    • andrew

      That guy was being reasonable. If you do charity work instead of overtime when a project is past due or something big happens then your not a “loyal” employee then..

  • Liz

    Thank you for this very enlightening article! As someone who is currently looking for a job, it is very helpful to know how to stand out in the right way. 

  • Unruhka

    I thank God I work for a company that is contractually obligated to pay men and women the same and has since 1948.  I would never work for a dishonest company.  Why would you want to lie about who you are to work for a company that lies to you or withholds pertinant information?  It’s a lose/lose situation.

    • pianogal

      I agree, but how do you find out ahead of time which companies do this?  I doubt they publish that anywhere.  (I mean this as a serious question.  I’d really like to know.)

  • Milaservi825

    Hi,

    I think the practices mentioned by hiring managers are enraging and disgusting! They are aware of the idiocy because the article mentioned some managers did not want to be named! They decided to hide!

    I imagined them to be private college snobs who probably have no idea about hard-work and have an sensitivity to suffering. Or losers who were bullied all their life and decided to find pleasure choosing and rejecting people in HR. 

    It has to because its 80% of job hunters get a job through a contact. It’s endless people-pleaseing-ass-kissing game.

    If your not trying trying to woo the recruiter, your trying to woo your contacts. But really maybe straining that contact because all really want is a job. 

    I think those managers should loose their jobs, be investigated, ostracized and the company should fined several million $$$$$$$ for those practices. 

    By discriminating against these candidates. You are keep welfare, unemployment and at an all time high. They make it difficult for parents to put food on the table. These people make it difficult for people to try to meet basic human needs the right way.

    I agree with some of these commenters these people are absolute vultures! I am seriously considering becoming self-employed. I don’t want anyone to be in control of my ability to provide for my basic needs or that of my family.

    • guest

      I put myself through private college, my dad was a single father, coal miner.  Try again with your stereotype of private college.  I cannot think of any people at my college who would have been considered a snob (even those with rich parents who paid for everything).

    • Deedit

       You come across here as angry and immature. I bet if you worked on your people skills you’d find more satisfaction in your career, and life in general.

      • Milaservi825

        Get a life, bud. Your obvious so much more mature than me because your unbelievable talent to judge some one’s “people skills” from a comment on internet. I’m actually already employed. I’ve actually heard first-hand in-person accounts from a hiring manager of silly hiring practices.

      • Ms. L

        We have every right to be angry when we’ve spent decades of our life working toward careers, only to have everything snatched from us because so many Americans decided they didn’t donate ENOUGH of their income to the crony capitalist billionaires during the Reagan years, and rushed to vote twice in a row in the 2000s to transfer more. 

        I laugh in my head at all the Americans who shriek at me to get an attitude adjustment and take personal responsibility. Those very people, who believed that members of the corporo-theocratic elite should not merely earn their wealth, but steal it from me by paying lower taxes and hiding their wealth in offshore accounts, are the ones who need an adjustment – and it is those people who are to blame for the state of the country.

        Disadvantaged people – women, blacks, the poor, the mentally ill, and the unemployed – are always told to be quiet and work on their attitudes. That’s because they call the fraud like they see it, and many Americans, who’ve deluded themselves into happiness at the status quo, don’t like what we have to say. 

  • Kimupchurch2005

    I am an interview coach and teach a interview workshop. My workshop is focused on encouraging applicants about the process and letting them know that there is a perfect job for them.  I have participated in 100′s of interviews as an HR professional and I would agree the process is not easy especially in this economy but getting a job is possible.  The one thing that I always tell people is that many times your not getting the interview has nothing to do with you but you can prepare and present your best foot forward so that when your job does become available you are ready for the interview. I am a woman of faith and that makes a difference as well.  So my advise to applicants, network and let everyone you know that you are looking for a job.  Be willing to accept the not “perfect” job in your pursuit of the perfect job and don’t give up.

  • Irlandesa2011
  • ravencomeslaughing

    So, you spoke to hiring managers that admitting to using illegal hiring practices to discriminate?  And you didn’t turn them in…  Nice.  Nice way to avoid responsibility in order to write an article.  

    • Deedit

      I’m curious, in your fantasyland, when a blogger picks up the phone and calls the Mounties and says, “I just interviewed someone for my blog and they said they discriminate against applicants,” do the Mounties say, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, drop everything, let’s get down to that office and make some arrests!” And then does the judge later say, “Well, based on the evidence of this blogger saying they were told about a discriminatory practice, we’re going to put you in jail and step in there and make sure nobody else does this sort of thing either. We’ll be watching you!” Because that would be pretty fantastic. In the real world, such evidence is called “hearsay,” and the authorities have, much, much better things to do than entertain such trifling matters. The person to bring a complaint is, of course, the person who has been discriminated against. At that point, without substantial evidence there is no case and it will go nowhere, but nobody would even give the time of day to a blogger who tattled on an interviewee for admitting to this sort of thing. It’s not even evidence. Which is just a long-winded way of pointing out that you’re a little bit silly for trying to call out this blogger for doing his or her job.

  • http://twitter.com/Maulmoviemoos Maul

    The reason for #3, is #2. Women get pregnant, that is why they earn less for the same job. Its not sexist, its investment. Men are lower risk investments. 

    • pamorama

      “Women get pregnant” — Where does one even GO with a statement like this. Not ALL women can or choose to get pregnant. Period, end of discussion. Pregnancy is not CLOSE to being the only reason people leave jobs and I’ve seen a good number of women who had babies return to their jobs. Suggesting that [otential preganancy is the one and determinant to a “lower risk investment” is short-sighted and quite simply flawed logic. What qualities make one candidate better than another in the same job and therefore justify higher pay? How about excellent communication skills, or less stress and shouting? How about the individual intelligence and competence of a candidate. A lazy, unhappy, poor communicating, angry or ruthless man who stayed forever in the same job would be far more detrimental to a company than a happy, skilled, committed, inspiring woman who worked for a time and then left to have a child. Have some vision! 

      Your comment IS sexist, performing a job well has far less to do with a potential future pregancy than what an individual offers in performance today.

      • Thecoyote23

        Doesn’t change that fact that women get pregnant. All because you or other women don’t get pregnant doesn’t matter.

        • pianogal

          Check out FMLA more carefully.  Men have to be allowed up to 12 weeks for maternity leave, so the pregnancy rational for lower salaries is bogus.  I also know several men who decided to be the one to stay home to take care of their kids, so, again, potential pregnancy is not a legitimate excuse for different wages based on gender.

          • Flashdraco

            more women stay home and zero men get pregnant. Its incredibly old-fashioned and sexist to say women are paid less b/c of having a baby and missing work. Men can miss up to 12wks too but don’t often (jokes on us i guess, i would take every day i could). 
            Why its like this i dont know, My uncle lived in the jim crow south and i grew up in the 90′s in a place where being mixed race was so strange i was shunned from both groups… im sorry women are still not equally paid but i know a couple girl welders that can outwork me in everything lol.

        • pamorama

          Doesn’t change the fact that women getting pregnant a) are protected by law against job discrimination, and most can work through their pregnancies, and b) there are various aspects of being that impact work performance more than this. And why would you make an assumption about whether I personally can get pregnant from my comments? ASS-ume much?

        • Guest

          Ya I guess all women should just stay home because they may or may not have the ability to produce children and men NEVER have any medical conditions that could keep them out of the office. Have fun with all the lawsuits d-bag.

          • deadofnight

            Reverting to opposite side of the argument spectrum doesn’t really prove any point. Well, it did show you were bothered by his statement. I think he was referring to the general “unfairness” all people may encounter at some time when job hunting. A factor is still a factor no matter how small or large.

        • Ms. L

          It does matter. I’m not pouting because I didn’t get to attain my childhood dream of being a cowboy or a rock star or an astronaut. I’m angry because I put nearly two decades of work into obtaining and working my way up in what I was told was a “good” career in a STEM field, and I’m now at an age where doors are being closed on me in perpetuity because everyone assumes I’m not committed to work. I’m being denied a chance to provide for myself and my husband, save for retirement, and if I’m out of work much longer, provide for basic necessities. It IS a big deal. 

    • bonniesituation

      Infertile women really adore being discriminated against because “they’ll just get pregnant.” And as soon as you’re old enough to look like you’re childfree by choice, the age discrimination starts.

  • bonniesituation

    Obviously you don’t have to hire a permanent employee to cover a temporary FMLA leave. 

  • bonniesituation

    WRT Social – This is a dirty, dirty practice on the part of hiring managers but I have little sympathy for anyone thoughtless enough to friend a person they don’t know while they’re job hunting. 

  • http://kenny.lindberg.myopenid.com/ Kenny

    I think I’ll wear a picture t-shirt of my kids and no pants to my next interview. If they want people so dumb they don’t value their time enough … they deserve them. 

  • Gene

     ’“If you’ve been unemployed for a long stretch of time, it makes me wonder what’s wrong with you,” one hiring manager says.’

    People like you are!

    • KatyD

      This.

    • You Idiots

      Hmm… If you have not been employed for quite some time, it is a possibilty that something happened that they were not able to. Obviously they are still looking.

  • Brodie Krause

    ”
    This one is an easy fix: Leave your wedding ring at home. ”

    Fat chance.  Let’s say after 9 years of marriage I could actually get the ring off.  I have a permanent tan line and impression of my ring on my finger, so it would be even more obvious that a ring was there, which would make the hiring manager think, “uh oh, there was a ring but now there’s not, this guy reeks of family drama and divorce distraction.”

    If a manager is petty enough to use jewelry to eliminate me from a job, he’s actually doing me a favor.

    • KatyD

      I agree, the opposite can be true for males. When my significant other was coming out of grad school a few years ago, he attended a “how to get a job” seminar where the presenter advised the girls to remove their engagement/wedding rings for interviews (for reasons already noted) while the guys were encouraged to leave theirs on, and if they were single to buy a cheap, fake wedding ring to wear in interviews. Apparently while being married is a liability for women, it is an asset for men. Hiring managers view married men as more stable and settled, more willing to work hard and put in the extra hours because they have a wife and maybe kids to support, and less likely to show up late and hungover on Monday mornings after partying all weekend with the boys (’cause we all know the little wifey wouldn’t allow that!)

      In other words, the double standard is alive and well, folks. Wonder if these same petty, shallow, narrow-minded hiring managers are the same ones pissing and moaning all the time about how they can’t find good help anymore….

      • Paula

        I recently read two interesting articles that discuss this very phenomenon.  It’s been known for a while that one of the largest wage gaps (after the gap between women and men of course) is between married men and single men.  Some argue that married men have a boost in “productivity” for various reasons.  This article discusses some of the latest social research.  It’s called “For Love or Money: Why Married Men Make More” and you can find it here: http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/articles/?id=443.  

        The same institute also wrote an interesting article on whether married women also experience a wage boost.  The research found that marriage actually makes very little difference, but the decision to start a family is critical.  It’s called “Marriage, Motherhood and Money: How Do Women’s Life Decisions Influence Their Wages” and you can read it here: http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/articles/?id=417

        While these articles don’t provide any answer, they do a good job of investigating some of the complexity of these economic differences between demographics.  It’s hard to know whether married men do better because they *are* more responsible or because they are *perceived* as more responsible.  And the same is true for women who start a family.  While there are a lot of career-oriented mothers, it is true that having children typically results in a shift in priorities for women, which will effect their career.  Unfortunately as it stands in our society, women will always have to make some kind of value choice between money/career and family – something that men just have to do.  Unless you move to Sweden: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/world/europe/10iht-sweden.html?pagewanted=all.  

        • http://profile.yahoo.com/6RUBVUABGDQZZ75HKAMEOTA4FU Titanium Raven

          I’ve seen favoritism of married men versus single men and married men & women over those who fall into the “never married” category – especially if the married (or divorced) ones have kids. Supervisors and managers were all married themselves, and they related more to their subordinates who, like them, had a spouse and kids. So they looked out more for those employees, encoraged them and helped them develop their careers, while leaving the others to rot. I’ve consistently seen the single people overlooked in terms of recognition, ignored for special projects, and kept in a holding pattern for promotions.

          Although I have to admit some bias: I was one of these singles. I , too, had a less-experienced coworker get promoted before me. He was a not a team player and routinely went around the supervisor (married) to the manager (married) with his perceived problems. But he was married and had kids, and he did a lot better in his career than any of the singles (all of whom eventually left this company unless they got married) or the marrieds without kids. It was also a place that prided itself on being “like family”. I guess so, provided you have a family or get one within a year or two of working there.

          My guess is that you’ll do better in your job, whatever it is, if your life looks like your supervisor’s. Although for younger women and the entry level job thing stated in the article — yeah, I think the advice here is correct and being married with kids may be a disadvantage.

    • The Inkling

      These tactics aren’t keeping men from good jobs, they’re keeping women from good jobs. Women are bad investments statistically for companies. They go on maternity leave, they take sick days to watch their children, they are *expected* to have lower responsibility jobs vs their husbands, which means they’re *expected* to be the ones who have to take more responsibility raising kids.

      It’s sterotyping, but it’s also statistically supported. That’s why there are legal requirements that jobs have to have evidance that they don’t gender descrminate. The “life’s not fair” coin has two sides. But if keeping them guessing makes them focus more on my resume, hell I’ll do it.

      • Ms. L

        In the same vein, I am seeing way more women than men out of work in my field, and in all STEM fields generally in my area. The media has done its part to convince majority male bosses that middle-class men are the most discriminated-against beings in America, and those in charge of hiring have responded to these falsehoods accordingly. The recovery disproportionately favors men while women sit on the sidelines. In my case, there is no reason why me, an award-winning, highly competent and respected female manager in a STEM field should be out of work for eight months while my two male peers who’ve serially been fired from many jobs for fraud and blatant sexual harassment, respectively, have never gone a month without work. 

        Tellingly as well, every job I’ve applied to or interviewed for, with the exception of a position that was more marketing-oriented (and thus “stereotypically female”) went to a man. The woman who got the marketing position was in her 40s and had a master’s degree, while many of these men are about 5-6 years younger than me and have associate’s degrees. 

        I know that because of my age, I am considered to be a pregnancy and thus flight risk, but my husband and I do not want kids, now or ever. Unfortunately, there is no tactful way to state this in a cover letter or introductory phone call. Further, as a woman in a STEM field, I am inundated constantly by mainstream media hinting at the idea that there aren’t many like me in my line of work because women just don’t have the aptitude for math or logical thinking. In the comments sections of these articles, men rush to agree. Nevermind that at 15, I and a couple of my classmates, all female, were doing calculus, and the boys in our grade struggled to make it past Algebra I/II. 

        I’m tired of my bank account and our future paying the price because so many people can’t let go of their stereotypes. Maybe the government should just go ahead and make it official that women are not allowed to work going forward. In my small, backward town, that’s the prevailing mindset, so why not just legitimize it and set us free?

  • FamilyMan

     #1 and 2 give me more reason to boast about my family. Yes I have kids and a wonderful wife, yet I am still occasionally willing to work long hours when needed. If the job requires long hours as the norm, or is not suitable for someone with kids, then it’s not the job for me. Some may see these techniques as shallow, but I see them as saving me from wasting my time in a position I will hate.

  • http://www.eduberry.com/eduberryher_overview/ College Management Solution

      If given a document to read, is it important to write or type my own
    notes? I could just as easily copy and paste the information into a new
    note. Is there something in reading and note taking to help you learn?

  • Annie O

    Does this really surprise anyone? anyone past 18, i would hope knows that life isn’t fair. Companies discriminate all the time, the card you get in the mail isn’t going to say, we didn’t hire you’re because white, or female. Unless it’s a public, or political appointment it’s pointless fighting, and more pointless trying to prove it. They can always find a reason not to hire you, and it doesn’t have to be the real one.

  • Melody G.

    They also go by your name. If you’re a person of color with a non white name, it doesn’t matter if you were a manager at your last job, you won’t get hired. 

    • Justaskamelie

      False statement. According to Dodd-Frank Act 2010, firms are required to hire more “color” folks… at least in financial services. Ethnic name with good credentials can definitely help- A “color” folk 

  • Doesmurf

    When it comes to applying online, there is a certain question and you should never give out that information unless they decide to hire you or need it for a background check.  However if you skip that question, either the system does not allow you to move forward  and if it does, your application will just be tossed out.  Also, depending where you live if your caucasian–forget about getting hired.

    • CurleyAdmin

      You can forget about getting hired not because “you’re” caucasian but because you don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re”.

  • Ms. L

    This makes me angry. I’m a married woman in my early 30s and a manager in a STEM field, which, I am told, is “in high demand,” but my job search results show otherwise. I’ve been looking since the holidays last year, ever since I left my company of many years for a new position that seemed to be a step up in title and pay, but which went bust soon after I signed the contract because of the economy.

    For the first two months of my search, it was slow going, but my husband, family, and friends all assured me it was just because of the time of year. “No one hires so close to the holidays,” etc., they said. But even by spring, the job market did not pick up to anywhere near the level it’d need to in order for me to find work. I’ve been on just five interviews since losing my job, none of which resulted in offers. I get called in to interview, on average, about every 7 to 8 weeks. I’ve also had a number of talks with executives and hiring managers who seem to be super-eager to hire me at first, and then I never hear from them again. In a couple cases, they’ll reach out months down the line to tell me the job has been put on indefinite hiatus.

    For the past eight months, I’ve been beating myself up over leaving my secure management job to chase a title and a higher paycheck. I called myself a selfish brat, and felt foolish for doing what I thought was best for myself and my family. Then, just a few weeks ago, I learned that the company I left to take the ill-fated new job is also in trouble. All the other senior people (except for this one guy, who’s the CEO’s “pet”) have been laid off, and there is no one older than 27 or salaried there. I would’ve been laid off regardless had I stuck around – it was just a matter of when. 

  • Jay

    The art of writing is you can skew the information however you please.  I believe you’re doing that.  The fact of the matter is you’re writing about one conversation about one hiring manager.  lame.

  • Trevorrwhite

    That bit about men being paid more is bogus, in fact, men are losing out on jobs because companies are hiring more women now than ever!

  • workingmum

    If I have to “hide” that I have children or that I am married to get a job or even worry that someone in the company will “friend a friend” on a social networking page to get information about me, then I wouldn’t want to work for that company anyway.  If they are that “sneaky” about the hiring practices, then I would have to question their work ethic in every aspect.   Because  I want that work/ life balance , I am OK with taking a lower salary than my male co-worker who lives and breathes his job.  In my opinion, I have the much better pay off in the end.

  • Isa

    I went to an interview where the lady was very inappropriate, she asked me what I do on the weekends so I said movies, then she asked what kind of movies and that’s how she made tell her that I had a kid. No wonder they did not call me back.  

  • MindFire

    Wow this is sad…even more sad is how this article blatantly ignored the racial aspect of hiring. As a very highly educated African American male who has been looking for work for over 4 months, I now have more barriers to employment to add to my “black list.” Very discouraging.

  • Lilmslmt17

    I completely disagree! I’m a the hiring manager for the business I work for and having children nor being married is ever anything I’ve looked at before moving forward in the hiring process!
    What matters is if the applicant will be able to meet the schedule im presenting to them at the time and if they can agree to work holidays and what not. Any company playing games like that from the get go in the interview process should be ashamed and well honestly why would anyone want to work for a company like that any how?

  • Frus-RN

    I am finding that it is much harder finding a Registered Nurse position now that we are in the age of “everyone must apply online”.  Meeting a Nurse Manager face-to-face was a huge advantage as they could talk to you, see your personality and how well you would work with others, among other things.  Looking only at credentials is a poor way to find a good fit for a department.

  • Kathyhg1

    Let’s say you are the only woman in a sales team of
    8. You have also been on the team the longest. Management
    says they need to pay a lot more to get people
    in now. Is that fair?

  • trendcetera

    I’m single and still I think it’s quite sad that the suggestion is to leave your ring at home. Might there be a way to avoid perpetuating the cycle – any suggestions of how to address at the end of the inteview that you’d be committed to the job regardless of the possibility of contributing to creating the next generation??

  • mdeborah827

    Millions of us haven’t been able to surpass the “unemployed need not apply” part. Nice try but you get no cigars. This is going to create a revolution in ways never imagined. After it finally hits many that the jobs, the previous lives aren’t going to return and this is the new normal, they’ll start to realize they don’t have to economically support the people who worked diligently to undermine them.
    We once threw tea into the harbor and refused to pay bus fare to companies that treated us like garbage. Many Americans will start to look at things differently once poverty really sets in and they realize there’s plenty they can live without.

  • medicontheedge

    In other words. leave your pride and standards at the door when you go for a job interview, as hiring managers are douche bags.

  • Jack

    All this made me realize is that it really isn’t me that is causing the prolonged job search. It’s the unfairness and judgmental attitudes of people with higher power.