Is This Discrimination?

[rdm2006]

I applied for a job via an employment agency and got an interview.

The interviewer would have been my supervisor/manager.

 

At the interview it was mentioned that they knew I was of a certain age as I took C.S.E’s at school as they themselves did. Then they stated that they wanted a male in order to change the dynamics of the office as it was mostly female.

 

They then asked why I had not worked for just over 12 months, I explained that whilst working on my last temporary job I was still applying for permanent jobs but (as is the custom nowadays) if you do not get the job you do not get any correspondence at all. I stated that this was getting me down so I decided that to take my company pension early and took a sabbatical and visited relatives on the other side of the world.

 

I also explained that I had also taken a break 10 years ago due to sudden deaths of both sets of our parents and had then suffered depression and anxiety.

The interviewer accepted this and started saying things like “your C.V. stands out above the rest”, “you have all the experience that we are looking for” and “you are the one I would like to choose”.

 

They then went on to say that this would have to be confirmed by their manager and the interview ended.

 

Two weeks later I get an email from the agency saying that they have decided to go with “someone who has more recent experience” this was on a Friday so I ended up spending the whole weekend thinking what the hell went wrong, am I on some sort of blacklist, did I fail the security check, did the agency not do something it should have.

I feel like I have been kicked in the teeth

[unclebulgaria67]

Poor interviewing standards, but what can you do about this ?

 

Based on what you have said, (although not getting a job is always a disappointment) perhaps this was not a company to have enjoyed working for ! The interviewer seems to have been critical of the company he worked for.

 

"Changing the dynamics" suggests a less than positive working environment.

[rdm2006]

13 minutes ago, unclebulgaria67 said:

"Changing the dynamics" suggests a less than positive working environment.

I know what you mean!

 

You wouldnt think it is (or was) part of a british institution would you.

 

Strangely enough I used to work for another organisation which was once part of this institution and therefore had the same union so i have contacted them to see if they can help at all.

 

its like discrimination for being unemployed which is total madness but that appears to be what this country seams to be aiming for nowadays

Edited September 9, 2019 by rdm2006

[Raven1]

I would think the bit about wanting a male for the job constituted discrimination...

 

I don't think I have ever left an interview without thinking I had the job

 

At least you didn't have the experience I had with a well known high street chemist based in Nottingham, they gave me the job and a start date and then on the Friday before I was due to start on the following Monday they phoned me to advise they had had a 'financial rethink' and had decided they were not recruiting anyone at this time.

[rdm2006]

Raven1

[rdm2006]

4 minutes ago, Raven1 said:

I would think the bit about wanting a male for the job constituted discrimination...

 

I don't think I have ever left an interview without thinking I had the job

 

At least you didn't have the experience I had with a well known high street chemist based in Nottingham, they gave me the job and a start date and then on the Friday before I was due to start on the following Monday they phoned me to advise they had had a 'financial rethink' and had decided they were not recruiting anyone at this time.

Oh no they made it very clear it was my job just had to clear it with their manager

[ericsbrother]

Sorry that they gave you false hopes but TBH you are probably better off not getting the job. The interviewer clearly was out of their depth and as they were to be your manager it is likely that their floundering would drown others as well and being the last in you would suffer the most.

Discrimination? no. Poor judgment on the part of the interviewer? yes

[rdm2006]

I cant help thinking that if we had to complete a questionaire that asked if you were "physically able bodied" before you were interviewed then this would be classed as discriminative.

 

Yet you can be asked to explain a gap in employment and that this is not classed as discriminative to people who may have had a mental breakdown.

 

Ok on this occasion I had taken a work break, if thay had asked a bout a break I had taken 10 years earlier then it would have been a different story as I had suffered depression and anxiety at that time.

 

It just seams to me that it puts people who have had a mental health issue at a disadvantage.

 

 

 

[ericsbrother]

there are jobs where it is not possible to perform the duties if you are not physically able but no-one puts that on the application form and a discrimination claim will fail because of the nature of the job.

offering information that wasnt asked for doesnt do you any favours, I would never tell the post office that I recognised one of the mail bags I sewed up in prison for example. If you are not disbarred from the role then why make things harder for yourself? the interviewer should have known to keep away from certain subjects or questions and not make assurances they cant actually guarantee