Fighting job interview discrimination?

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Konverio

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Hello guys.
I've been working in my trade for more than 15 years already and been always doing my job with ease, but job interviews have always been a massive pain in the back. It looks to me that these interviews are intentionally designed to put candidates in the abnormal situation and to be as stressful as possible and thus to drive away people with any mental disabilities. (for instance - TLE, anxiety disorder and overt thought disorder, in my case)
I wonder if there are other people who have same feeling? And if yes, I wonder if anyone ever tried to file a lawsuit against the employer for discrimination based on mental disability (assuming that it doesn't prevent the worker from doing their job, but does prevent them from passing the job interview as easily as healthy people)?
 
Hi Konnverio,

I've learned that you have to speak up and have a backbone. There have been many jobs that I've applied for over the yrs. and
I was turned down because of my epilepsy but the employer would beat around the bush and give me other excuses. I finally
got a good job working in public school and when I filled out the job application I made sure that I put down I had epilepsy
that way if I was hired they couldn't come back on me and either lay me off or fire me because of my seizures.
A few yrs. ago I had a seizure at work but all the staff and students I work with knew about my seizures. Three teachers
and my supervisor along with the principal gave me a hard time and told me maybe I should go home and find another
job with less stress. I stayed at work but later I called my local epilepsy support group and the next day a lawyer was at
the school 2 teachers were fired, one had to transfer to another school and the principal had to also transfer to another school.
This is what you need to do let the supervisor and administrators know you will report them and get a lawyer after them
and take my word things will change for the better. Since that time nobody has given me a hard time at my job. Also
point out to them the ADA (American Disability Act) or report them to the state insurance agency and see things change for
the better for you. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!
Hi, thanks for advice. Unfortunately, my problem at the moment is - how to get a decent job. When I come to a job interview, they just make me jump through all the standard hoops and some time later they send me a letter that says "we found a better candidate, blah-blah-blah". :mad:
 
Hey K, I think proving discrimination at the interview stage is pretty hard to do. You'd have to find clear evidence of intent -- a stated company policy or incriminating email -- or even a sustained pattern of behavior.

What trade do you work in? Is it something where there's a trade group that could offer advice, support and advocacy?
 
Hey K, I think proving discrimination at the interview stage is pretty hard to do. You'd have to find clear evidence of intent -- a stated company policy or incriminating email -- or even a sustained pattern of behavior.
Hi. That's what I thought, but it seems that some groups of people do manage to win discrimination lawsuits somehow?

What trade do you work in? Is it something where there's a trade group that could offer advice, support and advocacy?
Programming. None that I know of.
 
Hi there, I know exactly what you mean. In the last two years i've applied for around 2-300 jobs and had maybe 30-50 interviews. Interviews are my downfall, 100%. I could never say what i wanted to during the interviews and found it hard to "sell myself". Couple that with being socially awkward (i was diagnosed with aspergers early this year which explains a lot) and i did not do well. All i can say is hang in there. I never told people on application forms here there is a tick box to say if you have a disability, but they don't ask for specifics. It's a double edged thing. Sometimes being classed as disabled gets you an automatic interview, especially for government or council jobs. I never mention my issues at interview.

I start a new job today finally and i am ridiculously nervous, but glad to finally have one! Actually, COVID made this interview a lot easier. There was none of the awkward hand shaking, and i didn't have to worry about smiling and such as we were all wearing masks haha.

Best of luck to you, the struggle is real.
 
I never mention my issues at interview.
I tried it couple times so far.
#1 - they totally ignored anything what I wrote about the limitations that I have, just an absolutely standard interview. However, one (of two) interviewers was really hostile.
#2 - they added 15 minutes to the interview time (normal time being 1:30), but totally ignored anything what I wrote about my limitations again, and the interviewer was very hostile again.
Never happened to me before, so I don't think that it was just a coincidence.

Best of luck to you, the struggle is real.

Thanks! :)
 
This, right here...


“Once they heard that word that’s it. Sometimes I think it’s worse than telling them you’ve been in jail. Once you mention that their face changes and their body language changes and you know you won’t get the job”.

The most common types of discrimination included having their illness treated dismissively or being shown a lack of understanding about how mental health problems affect behaviour and work performance.

“The HR manager doesn’t view it as an illness, views it as an attitude problem…”

“ They put me down and laugh at it, they don’t believe in it.”
 
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