DEALING WITH DISCRIMINATION IN RECRUITMENT

Discrimination is the act of treating someone (or a group of persons) unfairly or unequally because of their characteristics or anything that makes them different from others. Some people are unfairly treated in many places because they are not as rich as others, not of the same race, religion and other reasons. In fact, reports have shown that people believe taller people are smarter than shorter people and are more likely to ask tall people for directions when lost in a city.

Federal anti-discrimination laws are in place to help prevent these types of issues.

Discrimination is everywhere and expect it to happen to you at some point in your life, but learn what to do when it happens during the recruitment process.

 

Understanding your rights

According to many anti-discrimination laws, if you are the most qualified for a job position, then you have a right to be appointed. There must be no barriers in place to prevent you from fairly obtaining a position of employment. The entire recruitment process must be transparent and fair. Nothing should discourage you from applying or create a sense of unease. If these conditions are not met in an interview or recruitment process, you have a right to ask why.

Advert procedures

All advertisements concerning the job must be open to all and not use discouraging words (words that drive a particular set of people away). The advertisement should be focused on the required skills, professional qualifications and other things directly related to the job. There should be no irrelevant attributes that tend to favor one set of people over another. If you run into bias adverts crafted to favor a certain group of people over another, then you should not apply for it.

Interview Process

The interview questions should not focus on your personal background or pose any personal questions about your life. The interview should be focused on your skills, personality, professional qualifications, achievements and potential to serve as an asset to the company. If the interviewer asks questions about your personal background, he should not use that information as a basis for hiring.

You have a right to be interviewed the same way as others. Your process should not be different and it shouldn’t involve taking you to a different location except one that has something to do with a skill requirement being tested. If all these are not followed, you have a right to ask why.

In all…

You need to be wary about discriminatory interviews and recruitment processes. Focus on locating accommodating companies that practice fair hiring practices and reward staff based on professional assets and achievements. Recognize your value and never settle for less.