I decided that I am going to try and go back into the world of IT. I had two interviews this week, both went amazing in the phone portion of the interviews, but when it came time to meet in person in the office, things changed quickly. During both in person interviews, I answered all thier questions perfectly. I have the experience and training to back it up. I've been in the field for close to 14 years. The only reason that I can think of that I got turned down is because I am trans. I presented myself very professional during the interviews. I pulled my hair back, wore a nice button up shirt and a pair if dress pants(woman's). I didn't wear much makeup, just some bb cream and eyebrow filler. I went by my legal name, because it haven't changed it yet and it's on all my ID and work history.
Any advice on how to handle finding new work? Luckily in my state gender identity is protected by law from discrimination, but it still happens.
Well first off when you did the phone interviews they must of assumed you were male, since you said you are still going by your legal name (unless its a gender variant name). I would think at some time during the interview a pronoun would of been used.
If male was what they were expecting then I'm sure they were a bit baffled as to why you appeared as a female. I'm not saying this is wrong or that they are not accepting but if you had not told them of your transition (I assume) they are seeing either a women trying to portray a man or a man portraying a women....it may seem a bit dishonest...or at the least a bit strange....not a first impression one would want to make at an interview.
I think in your case its best to be upfront at the time of the phone interview or at least at the beginning of the face to face.....or get a legal name change...but you will still have to account for who you were in your past jobs :(
I know I have the same thing to go through...but I have updated some of my past work history to my new name and gender, and my current work is with my new name and gender....so I may get lucky if background checks don't catch my prior name.
My employer's headquarters is in Hopkinton, Mass. (near you by the sounds of it). We are focused on IT products and services (big data, backup and archive, storage, cloud, security, etc.) They have a non-discrimination policy that includes gender identity. Also many transitioning related expenses are covered by insurance (therapy, HRT, labwork, GRS, trach shave, breast augmentation). I'll send you a PM to our career website. If you find anything you are interested in just send me your resume and I'll put in a referral for you.
Just sent you a message Alaia!
Whilst laws against discrimination are all well & good on paper they are next to useless in real life. If you are transitioning then it's easy for a prospective employer to decide that one of the other candidates is better suited for the job, proving that you were turned down for a job due to transitioning is virtually impossible.
I wish you all the best in your hunt for a new job
So I have the pleasure of hiring people before and I've made some bad hires in my time. One of the things you recognize after a few bad hires is to trust your gut. I'd guess that the interviewer's gut didn't know how to process things. Think about it as coming out to a guy who's flirting with you. You need to come out before you put yourself in a compromising (potentially life threatening) position. If he has no idea, he's going to feel a bit betrayed and some people don't know how to react it that. Even if nothing bad happens, that still impacts their ability to trust you.
On your next phone interview you could always end the call with something like, "One more thing, in full disclosure I've transition (or am transitioning) to become a female, I don't want to shock you in my face-to-face interview." This will set their expectations and give them time to comprehend the idea. If you feel particularly sassy you could go for extra credit with a " Thanks again and I look forward to our next interview."
At the end of the day having a job is important, but if it's that hard for you to get "in the door" then what do you do in that environment once you're inside? Keep it up, at the end of the day you might think about hooking up with a Web Designer and start a company or do some free lance work.
Just a thought ^_^
I finally got a job!!!!! Just got my offer yesterday! It was a six week interview process but in the end it's awesome. I'm going to be working at a major hospital here in Boston, they have an anti discrimination policy for trans and a lgbt employee group/club type thing. The pay is very good as well.
Quote from: michelle666 on July 09, 2014, 08:19:19 AM
I finally got a job!!!!! Just got my offer yesterday! It was a six week interview process but in the end it's awesome. I'm going to be working at a major hospital here in Boston, they have an anti discrimination policy for trans and a lgbt employee group/club type thing. The pay is very good as well.
I just read this whole thread. What a great ending to this story. :D
Good for you Michelle!
Quote from: Lara the Lover and the Fighter on July 09, 2014, 08:33:30 AM
I just read this whole thread. What a great ending to this story. :D
Good for you Michelle!
It's been a long, hard and broke road to this. Luckily I had my ex to help me out during it all. I owe her the world at this point.
That's awesome Michelle! Glad to hear you found something ^_^