People looking for jobs often need to send tens or even hundreds of applications. Often, the company hiring won’t even tell them it’s a no; they’ll just not bother to reply. So, it can be tremendously exciting when someone finally invites you for an interview.
Unfortunately, some interviewers won’t give you a fair chance to compete for the post. They’ll discriminate against you based on one of your protected characteristics, such as race, religion, gender or disability. This is illegal, but that does not mean it won’t happen.
Here are some of the signs that could suggest discrimination is at play:
Age discrimination
Interviewers are not allowed to ask anything they want. They need to avoid questions that could be discriminatory. So, they should not be asking your age or date of birth, as it usually has no relevance to your ability to do the job. The exception is if they need to check that you are within the legally permitted age range for certain jobs, such as serving alcohol or being a firefighter.
Religious discrimination
An interviewer should not ask you which religion you follow. It’s irrelevant, except for a few specific posts, such as being a pastor of a church. If they are concerned that you might not be able to work weekends due to religious obligations, they should just ask if you can work weekends without mentioning religion.
Gender discrimination
The interviewer cannot ask you if you are considering having children. While some employers prefer not to hire women who are likely to get pregnant and need time off work, they cannot act on that preference – it’s illegal.
Those are just a few of the many ways an interview can be discriminatory. Those who experience discrimination may want to explore their legal options.