I'm sorry this question had been asked before...I just don't browse past the first page a lot. I was just wondering how hard it was to get a job as an FtM? My mother is set on believing that if I transition [I plan to transition during college] that once I graduate I will not be able to find a job and will end up homeless living in a cardboard box. I shouldn't really be concerned about that since I'm positive I will be able to land at least some job after college but still the idea bothers me. Do people judge you harshly if you don't pass and have to 'explain'? Or do they even ask for an explanation? I plan on going into a more 'artsy' line of work just so you know but I'm curious about what it was like for other jobs too...

It all depends on where you are, where you apply, and even how far along you are unfortunately.

That being said, I transitioned right after I graduated college and I didn't have trouble finding a job because I'm trans. I got my name changed, went on T and moved away and it seemed to work out well. No one knows and I never have to explain myself or deal with bathroom issues.

That being said, not everyone goes on T, so if that isn't your plan even if you have your name change and have a solid resume there shouldn't be a reason to out yourself.

I remember holding off on my transition thinking that it would be better to wait until I moved out with a job after college but my step dad made a good point saying it is better to start off looking  while being who you are instead of pretending still and struggling with a new job.

I would say it depends on the person. I had a job interview a while ago and I told her I was trans and she was totally cool about it. I didn't get the job, but I feel it wasn't b/c I was trans, and at my other job some people had questions,(not everyone knew) but they were all accepting, except for my one friend who's religious, she's excepting, but thinks I should not transition. So really imo, it depends on the person.

Eh, I lost my job I had for 3 years due to my trans identity. But it was also a business owned entirely by Christians, so I knew what I was getting into and I'm ready to move on now that I'm in the process of coming out. It wasn't a career or anything, though. I was a shipping/warehouse manager in a small business making butt kiss.

You can also always scout for localities with anti-discrimination laws, if it becomes an issue in your chosen field. But really, I think your mom is projecting her own transphobia onto employers. Not everyone is a bigot, especially if you're good at what you do. Hell, my boss kept me on board for 3 years because I did a damn good job, and he is a total bigot.

I've got two jobs at the moment, both of which I went to dressed as male and not appologetic because of it. They think I'm female, and I haven't gotten around to telling either of my bosses, but I think that they'd be fine with it, if they don't already know. I'm not on T so my voice gives me away asap, but I scored both of these jobs wearing mens clothes, with a half shaved head and a lip piercing that is a spikey black twisted ring.

Personally, I think how you act and the way you present yourself (I don't mean gender) goes a long way in getting you a job. Employers want someone they can rely on, and who they think will do a good job, if you can show them you can do that then what you look like is a lot less important.

It also pays to check up what companies have anti-descrimination clauses in their policies that cover you. After getting one of my jobs and reading through all of the paperwork, I found a paragraph devoted solely to trans people, saying they could not be abused, dismissed, descriminated against etc etc because of trans status. Basically I'm completely covered, they can't fire me because of it, and if anyone gives me ->-bleeped-<- about it I can have them fired or brought up on charges.

I guess I'm wondering what your transition plan is. If you are only planning a social transition, then you might run into some hefty roadblocks, depending on how you come across to other people. If your plan includes T, top surgery, and changing your major documents to "M," then you should be okay.

Point blank: anti discrimination laws will rarely protect you. If you have to explain, chances are you'll be met with hostility and stuff, and possibly be denied the job for any reason they feel like giving. I'm stealth and work in a male only workforce...but I didn't start there til everything was changed and I was on T. YMMV

Here's some info I found a few years back.  These companies usually state that they hire people of diversity.
Employers that provide insurance coverage for transgender-related treatments, including surgical procedures, for employees and their covered dependents:
    * 3M Co.
    * Aetna Inc.
    * Alcatel-Lucent
    * American Express Co.
    * Ameriprise Financial Inc.
    * AT&T Inc.
    * Avaya Inc.
    * Bank of America Corp.
    * Barclays Capital
    * Bingham McCutchen LLP
    * Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
    * Campbell Soup Co.
    * Cardinal Health Inc.
    * Chrysler LLC
    * Cisco Systems Inc.
    * Clifford Chance US LLP
    * Coca-Cola Co., The
    * Covington & Burling LLP
    * Cummins Inc.
    * Deloitte LLP
    * Deutsche Bank
    * Diageo North America
    * DLA Piper
    * E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DuPont)
    * Eastman Kodak Co.
    * Ernst & Young LLP
    * Exelon Corp.
    * Faegre & Benson LLP
    * Food Lion LLC
    * Ford Motor Co.
    * Fried, Frank, Haris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
    * Genentech Inc.
    * General Motors Corp.
    * Goldman Sachs Group Inc., The
    * Google Inc.
    * Herman Miller Inc.
    * International Business Machines Corp. (IBM)
    * J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
    * Johnson & Johnson
    * Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
    * Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc.
    * Kirkland & Ellis LLP
    * KPMG LLP
    * Kraft Foods Inc.
    * Latham & Watkins LLP
    * Littler Mendelson PC
    * Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc.
    * McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., The
    * Microsoft Corp.
    * Morgan Stanley
    * Morrison & Foerster LLP
    * Nike Inc.
    * Northern Trust Corp.
    * PG&E Corp.
    * Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
    * Replacements Ltd.
    * Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
    * Shearman & Sterling LLP
    * Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal LLP
    * State Farm Group
    * Sun Microsystems Inc.
    * Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
    * Walt Disney Co.
    * Wells Fargo & Co.
    * White & Case LLP
    * Yahoo! Inc.



________________________________

Damn, that's a helluva list. Thanks so much for posting that though, that's invaluable to know.

I've got a question on this, actually. I've been looking for jobs for over three years now, and I've only gotten 2 interviews, both before I was out about my transness. What I planned on doing, if I ever get another damn interview, was explaining it to them right then and there.

Would that be incredibly stupid, or would that probably make life easier? I'm thinking it'd make it easier, no awkward moment a year or so later, I wouldn't have to explain a breakdown when someone called me my full name or something like that...? Anyone have experience with this?

Quote from: N.Chaos on May 25, 2011, 01:53:03 PM
I've got a question on this, actually. I've been looking for jobs for over three years now, and I've only gotten 2 interviews, both before I was out about my transness. What I planned on doing, if I ever get another damn interview, was explaining it to them right then and there.

Would that be incredibly stupid, or would that probably make life easier? I'm thinking it'd make it easier, no awkward moment a year or so later, I wouldn't have to explain a breakdown when someone called me my full name or something like that...? Anyone have experience with this?

I think that's a good idea. That way only the HR manager knows and you don't have to out yourself to a bunch of people. My roommate applied for jobs with his new name before it got changed and at the interview explain that it was an alias and told them his legal name for bank stuff and paper work. But even if you apply with your birth name, state at the interview your preferred name without going into detail or saying your 'trans'. I find that people will figure it out and be okay with it but if you say trans-anything it kind of freaks them out I think.

Years ago right when I came out I got hired at a new place and immediately told them to change my nametag to just 'Jay' but didn't say that I wanted to go by he, so some people called me she or he depending on what they thought since it was a big place. But that was through my androgynous stage. Once I went on T it was harder to deal with especially when new people got hired other people would out me to them. Even then some people knew my birth name and even called me that, which was really frustrating. So I would come out so that way only one person working there has to know instead of explaining yourself all the time to douchebags.

I wish I had something more to say on the matter. I didn't get a job until after my name change. I was on T at the time, but had been only on it for a few months so there weren't that many changes. My voice had started to drop so I was questioning as much. Actually, I was never questioned. I get picked on for resembling Harry Potter, thus gaining the nickname "Potter" since I started working there, some call me by my changed name. No one actually knows my birth name.

I take that back. I actually got a job through a mormon company that hires people. You have to jump through loops, talking to bishops, the works. My best friend is a mormon and it was a job at the time, which I really needed. I applied, got all the paperwork, and did everything in my male name. The problem was that the paperwork hadn't been completed for the name change yet. It was already in the works but my state requires printing the name change in the paper and the judge wouldn't sign the order without seeing me in court first. Just a particularly quirk of the Judge. But I went in for orientation, and they freaked out when I still only had my birth name social security card and ID. They told me they redo the paperwork, and I'd have to go by my birth name even after I insisted that it was in the process of being approve in court. It would only take a few more weeks. But they refused, told me to see the bishop again. Which I did, as well as my friend family. And then... they just never called me with my schedule, not even to say you're fired, nothing. So I just said ^*&( it. And kept looking for a real job.

I think it's easier after the name change. Not necessarily T, or transition, because people tend to not question too much. I look young, but no one thinks anything of it. I've worked with seasonal staff, one gay guy I worked with directly, would always point out that I had a "swish" in my walk. And gay men think that I am gay, a lot of the time. I'm not sure what it is, but the walking thing is really hard to change when I'm not even sure what I'm doing wrong, haha.

It's been an interesting journey, but I haven't had any real trouble. I suppose I'm pretty lucky that way.

Quote from: N.Chaos on May 25, 2011, 01:53:03 PM
Damn, that's a helluva list. Thanks so much for posting that though, that's invaluable to know.

I've got a question on this, actually. I've been looking for jobs for over three years now, and I've only gotten 2 interviews, both before I was out about my transness. What I planned on doing, if I ever get another damn interview, was explaining it to them right then and there.

Would that be incredibly stupid, or would that probably make life easier? I'm thinking it'd make it easier, no awkward moment a year or so later, I wouldn't have to explain a breakdown when someone called me my full name or something like that...? Anyone have experience with this?

It's a tough question and I don't think there's a simple answer. It depends a lot on where you are and the company/business you're applying to work for. I just got a part-time position doing administrative work for a small law practice, told them briefly in the interview -- I'm trans, male-identified, go by male pronouns. They were completely fine with it but also appreciated that I had brought it up. I'm passing the vast majority of the time now so I think that helped too. Before they hired me for the position they asked me if I was going to need to take time off for surgery, I explained that it was still a ways down the road for me. And that was it, no other questions about it. So, yeah, I got lucky but I think it's for the best to bring it up early on without making a huge deal of it. It's good to know how they feel about and gives you a better idea if it's the kind of environment you can see yourself working in.

Woah, thanks a ton for the information guys. Thank you mowdan6 for the company list, that'll certainly come in handy. And @Arch I do plan on making a full transition upon my exit of college [meaning I hope to be started on T and have plans for top surgery and my official name change - not all at once of course]. I plan on getting a job this summer before I start college, but I won't be able to pass as a guy since I look so much like a girl. But it's a minor job so I'm not too worried about it.

If you do get well into T and have a name change before you graduate, that should make things much easier.

Try not to worry about not passing. T does wonders. I've only met one guy who was still androgynous after he'd been on T for a while, and I know that he wasn't consistent with it--he was on for a few months, then off, then...who knows? I never got the full story. Plus, his whole demeanor left something to be desired; I think that at a certain point, your body language can make all the difference in the world.

Does your college cover any transition expenses? Some will fully or partly finance top surgery.

Depending on your location it *may* be more difficult if you do not physically transition or change your name.  If you physically transition and change your name, nobody really thinks twice.  If you are young you don't have a long paper trail.

I have 3 jobs and hasn't been an issue.

Just to appease your mom, you can tell her that there are trans people in all walks of life, from doctors (Marci Bowers, Christine McGinn), to lawyers (Shannon Minter) to ministers (David Weekley) to those working at McDonalds (in management), the trades, etc.

Jay

lexical and monkey, thanks a lot. I thought it'd be a better idea, to be outright with it, but my mom thought I shouldn't. She never came flat out and said "You CANT do that" (Because she's hella supportive, and has never really 'forced' me to do anything) but she thought it was one of those "Keep your personal life out of business" kind of things. I tried explaining how bad being called a girl affects me, but I ended up just saying screw it and changing the topic to something less stressful.

At this point, I'll take any job that isn't fast food. I just know I couldn't do it. I'd lose my mind, kill someone, end up in jail and be stuck as a 'girl' forever. But when/if I finally get another interview, I'm being outright with it. I'm not on t (and don't plan to be) but I've passed pretty damn well since I started trying. I think I'd be okay. And if the they had an issue with it, I'd know right the hell away. I feel like I'm re-iterating things I already said, sorry X_X My computer is being a pain and not loading the forum right so I can't find my last post(s).

Wow, thanks for posting that list! That's very good information to know! And I would suppose you could add Apple Computers to the list, since they did make one of those "It Gets Better" videos with some of their GLBT employees.

You know though, I never thought of applying to a major company before. I always used to assume I'd not be considered for even a nanosecond, because I'm just a nobody from a small town in a state everyone makes fun of for being full of inbred hillbillies. (ha ha) But I'll definitely look into the major companies in the future. I still think I'd need to lose a lot of weight, fully transition, and move to the west coast to be accepted. Because it's just my experience when you apply for jobs as a woman, it's nothing but a beauty contest.

Speaking of jobs.... just came across this link on twitter - http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2011/06/02/234952/most-americans-think-lgbt-people-already-have-employment-protections-%E2%80%94-they-dont/

Quote from: Arch on May 25, 2011, 12:34:41 AMIf you are only planning a social transition, then you might run into some hefty roadblocks, depending on how you come across to other people. If your plan includes T, top surgery, and changing your major documents to "M," then you should be okay.

I have to agree with this. If you don't pass or hardly do then you'll have more problems. If you pass, are on T, have had your documents changed and are stealth then you'll have a better chance. Alot also depends on the company and where you live. Some states & cities have anti-discrimination laws for trans people. However, that law's easier for you after you already have the job. When hiring if they're not cool with you being trans they won't hire you (good luck proving that's why you didn't get the job). But, I also think do you really want to work for someone like that?

It's possible to get a new job and stay employed. If you're not stealth then you just may have to work harder to find one. You might need to move to increase your chances. It's just never known, but it possible.

Quote from: Radar on June 05, 2011, 01:45:31 PM
When hiring if they're not cool with you being trans they won't hire you (good luck proving that's why you didn't get the job). But, I also think do you really want to work for someone like that?

In a bad economy, and when I have bills to pay, yes, I would put up with a less-than-ideal work situation until I found something better. So would a lot of people. But long term, definitely not.