

I was turned down for a job at a tech startup because I'm male - StigmaPseudonym
https://medium.com/@stigmapseudonym/c1ea6dc87733

======
token78
For all the hyperbolae of the headline, this article reeks of sour grapes and
conjecture, if not outright paranoia.

In complete ignorance of exactly what qualities the company was selecting for
in finding the best fit, he simply assumes that his claim to superior
qualifications means some manner of reverse sexism was at play. He can claim
all the liberal credentials he wants, but it's difficult not to read this as a
minor tantrum... Even assuming his claim to superior qualifications (and
that's quite the claim to make without access to another individuals resume
and academic results, etc) this whole article reads like the misdirected
frustrations of a wounded ego.

For one thing it's a dumbass approach to human resources to favour only those
candidates who possess superior qualifications, and its one that I'm pretty
sure has generally lost its currency. Any enterprise with a vacancy is not
only looking for a puzzle piece who's competent to perform the designated
tasks of a role, but someone who fits in the culture of the company, and there
are always candidates who's work history and experience shines for reasons
besides formal qualifications.

I just find this whole article objectionable. That a company has made a public
commitment to diversity doesn't mean that the author and his friend failed to
be interviewed because of their penises. Clearly they both have high opinions
of themselves, but claiming discrimination just because a woman got the job
and some vague notion that the hiring company "endorsed" a youtube video
(really what?), well it smacks of pettiness and a complete ignorance of the
thinking that goes into hiring decisions.

No matter the heights of the authors disbelief or his wounded pride in not
even being interviewed, hiring the right person can be a dark art and just
because it escapes this writers comprehension that a particular woman was
favoured over him, is no kind of argument that discrimination was at play.

Besides, it was probably nepotism.

~~~
StigmaPseudonym
This kind of backlash is exactly why I decided it had to be posted
anonymously.

The last thing I need right now is my real world identity being tied to a
perspective strongly associated with the bigoted political right, especially
in a field dominated by strong views in the opposite direction.

I understand your skepticism of my account. You only have my word to go on.

But let me ask you this. Assume for the moment I relayed the details
accurately. If that happened to you, wouldn't you feel frustrated?

~~~
DanBC
> But let me ask you this. Assume for the moment I relayed the details
> accurately. If that happened to you, wouldn't you feel frustrated?

I am always frustrated if I don't get a job I apply for.

I don't go on to assume that there are sexist reasons why I didn't get the
job.

Look at all the other jobs you haven't got, and the people who did get them.
How many of those people are "not particularly impressive", or have "less
education" or "work history was less impressive. Fewer accomplishments at less
notable companies."?

~~~
StigmaPseudonym
I've had a long career and have been turned down for jobs many times before.
It happens. But I've never felt discriminated against until now.

~~~
DanBC
I had to walk away from my keyboard because your comment made me so angry.

You claim to want to help women, and yet the _first_ time you think you might
have been discriminated against your reaction is to write a blog post urging
companies to avoid employing women so that better-qualified, better-
experienced, you could get that job?

~~~
StigmaPseudonym
I'm urging companies to avoid overcompensating for one form of discrimination
by engaging in another.

------
kamau
1\. How does the author know that his resume and accomplishments are superior?

2\. No company interviews everyone that ever sends a resume in. If they did,
they'd never get any work done. Remember, the goal of a company is not to
interview people, but to produce a product or service. Continuing to interview
once they've identified candidates to their liking is a waste of time.

3\. The entitlement in this article is just...ridiculous. He assumes that
because he has a good resume he's owed an interview. Again the world doesn't
work like that.

4\. He says her accomplishments aren't as impressive, but that's largely
subjective.

5\. He then goes on to say this: >Don’t discriminate against qualified male
candidates just to boost your female numbers.

Do what I do instead.

Teach your daughter to love computers. When she grows up and can program
circles around me, I’m sure the market will reward her.<

Why does she need to program circles around him to be rewarded by the market?
Up-article he basically admits to not being the best programmer himself, but
expects future women to be super programmers just to get a spot at some
startup. Why can't women have the freedom to be average like so many men are
given? I mean, aren't we the industry that's constantly lamenting the number
of bad programmers, most of whom are male?

6\. I've interviewed and recommended for hiring tons of engineers for my
company over that last 5 years. And one thing I can tell you is that the
relative superiority of one's resume does not guarantee that a good employee.
I've interviewed people with Masters degrees, CS and Eng degrees, no degrees,
you name it. And the one thing that I see is that the truth is in the
interview; I'm not impressed by where someone went to school, how many degrees
they have, or which prestigious company they worked for in the past.

This guys needs to just suck it up and realize that as men we have huge
advantages in the tech marketplace wrt to employment, and also accept the fact
that he has no idea whether or not the woman that was hired was truly a better
candidate than he. Sheesh...next he'll be complaining that he can't get hired
at Hooters....

~~~
StigmaPseudonym
I can't even count how many times I've been insulted or been accused of being
an entitled white guy in the last 24 hours for telling this story. I think the
reason why I anonymized it should be self-evident by now...

Rather than try to refute all those points which I've attempted to address
elsewhere, I'll just ask you one thing.

You asserted that because my race and gender has enjoyed special privilege on
the job market for so many years, that we should come to expect the kind of
discrimination I experienced in order to fix the underrepresentation of women
and minorities.

I understand that logic. I don't agree with it of course, but I'll concede it
now for the sake of argument. Given that, can you tell me, when does the
discrimination against my overprivileged group start to become wrong? What
metrics can we use to declare victory in the struggle for equality of the
races and sexes?

------
richmarr
Is there more information that you haven't published?

There are plenty of reasons to choose a less qualified candidate that don't
involve gender discrimination. Price. Nepotism. Change in spec.

You're obviously upset about this, so I know this won't be music to your ears,
but without more evidence this seems like conjecture.

Considering how much discrimination and harassment women have faced in the
tech industry over the years I think there should be a reasonably high bar
before we start letting conjecture put a brake on progress.

~~~
StigmaPseudonym
I am certain that nepotism played no role. One of the ways this company is
proud of its diversity is in the diverse backgrounds of its staff. They have
publicly stated that they avoid hiring within their social circle.

There is only so much detail I can provide without compromising the anonymity
of all involved. I want nobody involved to be caught up in any kind of drama
associated with this. I just want to tell my story anonymously and move on.

------
bovermyer
My question is, perhaps, a less obvious one.

Why does it matter if you were discriminated against for being male?

If you were, that's an extremely rare occurrence. White cisgendered males in
the tech world do not lack for job opportunities.

~~~
zaccus
It matters because discriminating on the basis of gender is illegal. Period.

Not saying that's what happened (highly doubt it). But a pissing contest about
who is discriminated against the most is not going to move the conversation
forward or improve anything. There are, in fact, white cisgendered males who
lack for job opportunities. Such people exist, and their problems matter to
them, whether they do to you or not.

