Ok guys. So I'm going to an open interview at Abercrombie & Fitch (Group interview as well) and well I'm kinda not sure if I should tell them up front my preferred pronouns ??? and what I'd like to be called during the interview or if I should wait until i get hired. Legally I am still female and my birth name and I'm alright with using them for legal purposes..(For now)
But it would be helpful to know your experiences with coming out at a job specifically an interview
If you have. ;D
(excuse any spelling/grammar errors I'm using a phone)
I would urge you to not mention anything such an early stage in an interview process.
Even with companies that have diversity policies, individual recruiters can (and do) use any excuse to discard candidates that they think won't be a good fit for their team, or who they suspect might be troublesome in some way.
The smartest move is to wait until a later stage, preferably when you have a job offer in writing. At that point, you can contact Human Resources and explain your situation, and get all your records changed (and any uniform sorted) before you start your job. This is sensible because if you have a job offer in writing and a company then revokes it when you come out to them, you have grounds to sue for discrimination... but if you come out at a very early stage and they decide not to take you forward to the next stage, you have no way of proving why they made that decision.
Good luck with your interview! :)
So, When I applied for a retail job a few months ago, I was scheduled for an open interview also. I went to the interview, it went well and when it was over I got ahold of my boss and said "So I know you wanted me to bring my social security, etc and I wanted to let you know my name is ____ on those because I'm transgender." she was fine with it and I use preferred name at work. I'm stealth with all of my other coworkers because I used the name Jake during the interview. Good luck!
I would use whatever name you go by, and present as male. I'm of the opinion (and have been successfully hired this way) that you should only disclose once you get to the point that you're bringing in IDs and your social security card to fill out tax paperwork.
Quote from: FTMax on February 08, 2016, 11:03:27 AM
I would use whatever name you go by, and present as male. I'm of the opinion (and have been successfully hired this way) that you should only disclose once you get to the point that you're bringing in IDs and your social security card to fill out tax paperwork.
this is what i did. i got an interview under my preferred (now legal) name. i used male pronouns, etc. i was on t though, so it helped. however, i had a phone interview first and had to ask about what name to put on my apron. i obviously used my preferred name, but she knew ahead of time and me going forward. i didn't talk to that woman since though, and the only other people know is one manager because i had to ask him about what name to put on the paper work and my HR manager because i had to go to her to see if my hormones were covered under my benefits, and because i also needed time off for surgery and she needed to know what surgery, how long, etc. honestly, my work has been so cool about it and keeping me stealth because they just used initials on schedules or the punch in clock, so no one knew anything.
my advice though is you should go into an interview presenting how you want others to perceive you.
I wouldn't mention it until you got the job. Pretty sure I missed out on a few despite being well qualified because they "figured me out" in the interview.
Update.
I ended up not telling him. I decided too take the don't ask won't tell until needed approach.
But i have a vibe he may know or at least thinks i am, being that he referred
to me either by my birth name or "Them"...
And he probably heard one of the girls who worked there already referring to me as
"Him".
He seemed really opened minded but i think I'm just gonna wait till he hires before i tell him.
If you have a preferred name I would suggest writing that on your application unless it says something about you giving permission for them to do a background check.
In the case that there isn't a "you're consenting to a background check" thing, write what you want to be called. Only mention being trans after they've selected you and said they want to hire you.
Why do this: if the place you live in has trans anti discrimination laws in place there would be enough of a case against the company. Your qualifications were enough for them to hire you without knowing you were trans.
If there is something on the application about consenting to a background check, use your legal name and come out as trans after they accept and want to hire you.
TL;DR come out after you've gotten the job.
If you're even remotely concerned about not getting hired, come out after they hire you.
Before you're hired they can come up with all sorts of reasons you weren't hired, but if you get hired then come out, they can't fire you without it becoming an HR issue. I applied to a job before changing everything over legally, and came out exactly one day after being hired-- it was no issue (in Texas of all places).