Today is a landmark post on Interracial Love Magazine. We have been fortunate to have a Senior Recruiting Manager for a nationally-known staffing agency discuss some obstacles that black women have in entering the workforce.
The Recruiter has asked that his name and his corporation's name be withheld, and we are willing to be gracious in honoring that request.
Since Interracial Love Magazine's audience may be predominantly made up of Black and to a lesser degree, Hispanic women, this article is directed mainly for your benefit; although these characteristics definitely exist amongst many other races and ethnicities.
From our interview, these are some of the highlights that were shared.
Why Black Women Do Not Get The Job
1) Late For the Interview
Typically, most requests for interviews will be handled at least 72 hours prior to the event. You would be surprised to the number of women who arrive late or do not arrive at all.
What to do: If you are going to arrive late: Call (Common Courtesy)
If you can not make the scheduled appointment: Call to reschedule
You will not always be guaranteed an opportunity to reschedule, but your chances are vastly improved as opposed to failing to do so.
2) Inappropriately Dressed
Most staffing organizations are very concerned regarding the quality of candidate that may need to be interviewed directly before a client. You must be dressed in professional attire.
This Recruiter can recall many occurrences of (black) women arriving for a position in clothes that did not fit (too low-cut, too much gut, length was too short, littered with baby milk or pet hair, etc.)
What to do: Invest in 2 good sets of business suits for women. Protect your garments in sealed containers. Professionally dry clean them when applicable.
Many agencies have funding to assist you in acquiring the right outfit for an interview. Take advantage of it.
3) The Interview
Even the most outgoing and outspoken black woman falls victim to the dreaded interview! Her confidence level mysteriously disappears and this makes for a bad impression.
Eye contact is non-existent, answers are too short, there is a lot of fidgeting and nervousness, and we can tell how uncomfortable you are in a formal business setting.
On occasion, bad grammar is present.
What to do: Overcome your lack of confidence. You must believe in yourself! You must convince yourself that you deserve to be there and you deserve this position. If you do not believe this, the interviewer won't either.
Look your interviewer in the eye. Sit straight. It's OK to laugh and smile during your interview. Win him/her over with your dazzling personality. If you are interviewing directly with the client of a staffing agency, you may be working directly under the person interviewing you for many years to come. Make it a positive experience.
And if you are concerned about your responses, there are many resources online that can help coach you to help develop the best responses. No answer is perfect, but being prepared will make you appear to respond naturally.
Oh, and please TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!
4) The Interview, Part II
During many interviews, this Recruiter can recall several instances of very personal information being disclosed.
Everything from being on welfare, being homeless, to smoking marijuana many years ago, to having a boyfriend/husband in jail, to having a history of sexual harassment, to having many children at a young age, to dropping out of college, to making mistakes, etc.
What to do: Do not ever share these personal aspects of your life during an interview. The interviewer is determining whether you are someone of strong moral character and integrity, that your personal life can support a full-time commitment to this position, and that you do not pose a threat to the business.
It is either illegal or unnecessary to respond to questions that inquire about your age, how many children you have, and what your "significant other" does for a living. The questions you respond to should have a direct relevance to the position you are applying for.
The business world takes claims of sexual harassment very serious. Being a victim of sexual harassment is not your fault. Although having a history of submitting sexual harassment claims causes a great deal of uneasiness and concern. It also sheds insight in your interaction between your male counterparts.
5) Sex and Booty
It is not uncommon during an interview for a candidate to divulge that she was an exotic dancer (stripper) or in some form or fashion, associated with the sex industry.
How much can I discover about you from YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook?
Remember that booty-shakin' video you did 2 years ago, with almost a million views?
Remember those tweets between friends...what were you really saying? You know, about staying out until the club closed and finding some excuse not to go into work the next morning.
And your Facebook account, what groups are you apart of? Why do you have all these pics of you in short skirts and booty shorts? Not to mention the list of men making comments - of which you responded: "So, you like what you see, huh?"
Is the image you want to express to a Recruiter? Yeah, we didn't think so.
In closing, it's not the fact you were Black that did not get you the job. Quite the opposite, in fact. Organizations are desperately trying to "diversify" their staff.
To be considered a professional, you must act accordingly. No one said you can't have your fun, but do this apart from the nosy, prying eyes of the HR department.
I hope this helps. See you at an interview soon.
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