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Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

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Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#21
post #2

I'm sorry, but what does her being female have to do with this? The company clearly has a dress code, she did not meet it during the interview.

According to her, men in the office wear tshirts and jeans. Her attire is appropriate for that environment.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#23
post #3

"If I had been a man would it have mattered what I was wearing?" Pretty obviously yes. One may think it's stupid but this company has a dress code and wants its employees to look put together period. Also, based on her post I would say the company was pretty good at reading her personality. I have rarely seen someone who is yet to graduate but already has such deep feeling of entitlement. I guess her parents have tol…

If the other programmers indeed do wear tshirts and jeans, as she reported, then I don't think it's accurate to say that the company has a dress code. Her attire is appropriate for a tshirt and jeans culture.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#24
post #12
post #2

I'm sorry, but what does her being female have to do with this? The company clearly has a dress code, she did not meet it during the interview.

Business casual is defined constructively for males and existentially for females. Examples of how to dress business casual for men and women clearly show this.[1] Scrolling through the results of an image search for "women's business casual" vs "men's business casual" also highlight a stark difference. This leads to unconscious bias against women. It isn't that we don't want to hire you, it's that we felt like you m…

Yes, women have a lot more choice in what they wear for business attire, whereas men have it pretty easy. Overall it doesn't really make sense to reject her for this reason when the dress code is casual for the position she was applying for. Perhaps if she was going for an executive position it might make a difference. It might be a problem is she dressed as a hooker, but that definitely doesn't seem to be the case.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#26
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An FB rant posted as visible-to-friends-only.

Perhaps it started that way, but it's visible to the world now.

So what? You don't have any co-workers that rant? Most programmers get respect for their skills. I've worked with all kinds. How? Professionalism. They want to wear funny hats, or a tutu, whatever. Some of them even make catty remarks about other employees clothing choices. That's pretty low, but I put up with it.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#27

Judging a candidate by looks alone may seem like a shallow thing. But the profane FB rant demonstrates a definite lack of professional composure. The company dodged a problematic hire. I'm afraid this poor decision will haunt her.

I think it's reasonable to get a bit upset and unleash a few swearwords after something like this.

Privately yes. To your partner. Yes. To your close friends over drinks. Yes.

To a semi-private social media account that will probably become public? No. That speaks of entitlement and narcissism.

And the fact that most millennials think it is "reasonable" to whine and cry publicly when they don't get their way is the problem.

If she were professional, she would have taken the opportunity to learn from it, change her interview/work-casual appearance a bit for the next job prospect, and try again.

The fact that she ranted at all about a commonality such as dress code in business shows how unprofessional she is, and I have to agree with other comments that this probably showed through in the interview.

My general rule of thumb for my staff is do your work well, and I don't care if you wear jeans and a polo, cut out fifteen minutes early/take a few extra minutes on lunch/show up a bit late every once in a while. As long as our users are happy, work is done, and quality is high that is what matters and I will cover for you and have your back if anyone questions it.

But, I would expect a possible job applicant to show up on time, in a suit or button down/slacks. And not act like an entitled, special snow flake regardless of obvious talent and skill.

It is unfortunate she didn't get the job, but making a bullshit stink about how unfair it is publicly is just awful. Grow up.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#29
post #23
post #3

"If I had been a man would it have mattered what I was wearing?" Pretty obviously yes. One may think it's stupid but this company has a dress code and wants its employees to look put together period. Also, based on her post I would say the company was pretty good at reading her personality. I have rarely seen someone who is yet to graduate but already has such deep feeling of entitlement. I guess her parents have tol…

If the other programmers indeed do wear tshirts and jeans, as she reported, then I don't think it's accurate to say that the company has a dress code. Her attire is appropriate for a tshirt and jeans culture.

Perhaps. Playing devil's advocate, though: I've worked plenty of places where some individuals can get away with t-shirt and jeans but the overall business tends toward business casual, and there is still an expectation that you get dressed up for a job interview.

Personally I think that's entirely acceptable. It's not a double standard, it's simply a policy that acknowledges that there are different social contexts. A job interview might fall into a different context from your day-to-day experience. Another case in point: My colleagues and I curse quite a bit at work, but that doesn't mean any of us would consider it appropriate to curse at a job interview.

Not saying this is exactly how it played out in reality, and there's always the question of unequal enforcement of equal standards.

Re: Female programmer denied job because of her 'unprofessional' attire

#30
post #23
post #3

"If I had been a man would it have mattered what I was wearing?" Pretty obviously yes. One may think it's stupid but this company has a dress code and wants its employees to look put together period. Also, based on her post I would say the company was pretty good at reading her personality. I have rarely seen someone who is yet to graduate but already has such deep feeling of entitlement. I guess her parents have tol…

If the other programmers indeed do wear tshirts and jeans, as she reported, then I don't think it's accurate to say that the company has a dress code. Her attire is appropriate for a tshirt and jeans culture.

Casual wear is a dress code. It is common practice to ask the HR people scheduling the interview what kind of dress code is applied at the company.

Companies will pass on someone for wearing a suit if their are expected to be dressed casually. It happens all the time at startups. Being overdressed is a non starter sometimes.

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