Slashdot Mirror
Is There Still Racism in IT Hiring Practices?
noahz asks: "Today [now three days ago] in the United States marks Martin Luther King Day, remembering the birthday - and legacy - of the great civil rights leader. It's been over 40 years since his march on Washington, back when IT was still in its infancy and was exclusively a white, male field. But, how much progress has been made in the IT world? I recently had a recruiter tell me that I would have no problem finding a job in the current economy - not because I am enthusastic, well-educated and have good experience - but because I am caucasian - 'white'. This particular recruiter insisted that his years experience has led him to this conclusion - but I wonder: what the collective experience of the Slashdot readership has found?"
Your claim is that the Equal Opportunity Act requires employers to hire less qualified workers if they are minorities, and that this explains why you weren't hired.
These claims are false. Please check for yourself.
Protect your liberties. Donate to the ACLU
It happens. When doing a round of layoffs, I was once instructed (2002) by HR to select only middle-aged white males, because "they can't sue." Back in 1998, when doing a lot of hiring, I was instructed to "prefer" minorities when evaluating candidates to increase our diversity. If you think discrimination against non-minorities does not ever happen, you should get out more.
That reverse discimination card is overplayed
There is no "reverse discrimination." Discrimination is discrimination. Period.
Sarcasm and hyperbole are the final refuges for weak minds
Well sir, it's illegal here too. But that doesn't stop them. Several times now, I've been passed over for operator/typing at a medium sized company, where I've been the only person out of the entire hiring group to pass the grammar test(which meant you didn't get to take the other tests) then got a decent 70wpm typing and passed the customer relation test barely. I know people who work there , suddenly a large group of black people are "new" and they never even got tested, they can't type(required 30 wpm) or spell. I was sent a letter stating "your skills are not what ************* is looking for." I knew typing and spelling were skills, but did not know being black was, guess I'll have to train.
I have nothing against black people, no reason to. I do have something against companies screwing over qualified people cause they honestly filled out the race portion of the forms.
Umm, childhood IQ tests can't test above 180, furthermore if your IQ is 190 you might want to get hold of Mensa and the Guinness Book of Records because that would make you the brightest man in the world.