Hiring Discrimination and the Awkward Questions
30 August 2010
Read by 1697 persons
Despite its existence, the subject remains taboo.
Social origin, place of residence, and diploma.
What neighborhood do you live in? What does your father do? ... The recruiters' checklist contains many incongruous questions that perplex candidates. At first glance, they may seem banal, even uninteresting. But in reality, they reveal the (negative or positive) discrimination faced by job seekers. Because "in some companies, social class has a big impact on the chances of getting the job," says an HR expert.
Recruiters, however, defend themselves with their hand on their heart. They swear that the selection criteria are purely objective. "It is the competence that is highlighted. The candidate's origin has no influence. But for the rest, I don't see the point of such a question," defends the manager of a recruitment firm.
In reality, social class helps recruiters better negotiate hiring conditions, including salary. Thus, for the same position, two candidates from different social classes would not necessarily have the same pay. "These practices are, unfortunately, common in companies," confirms an HR consultant.
For large companies, another reason underlies the question of social class. "Recruiters attach great importance to the social environment of their employees. Being of "lower rank" can be an obstacle to integration," says our source.
In short, in addition to skills, it is therefore preferable to be from a "good family," to perhaps move up the organizational chart. The practice would be more present in the financial sector, banks and insurance companies in particular.
In some cases, senior management resembles a clan. Advancement in such an environment does not always depend on competence or experience. Employees know this very well: "To be recruited or promoted to management positions, you must necessarily have contacts within the company," says a bank executive.
Recruitment specialists attribute this segregation to networks. "It is undeniable that networking plays an important role. But still, there must be competence behind it," explains Halima Benasser, manager at Manpower.
When it's not affinities, discrimination is done by diplomas. Very often, the leaders of large companies, particularly public ones, tend to surround themselves with graduates from the schools they attended. "If the manager is a graduate of Ponts et Chaussées for example, he will have a greater preference for graduates of this institution," says the HR director of a large company.
Advertisements that are not legal!
The factors of discrimination in hiring are so common that they have been integrated. Just browse the recruitment ads in newspapers to realize this. These ads sometimes contain rather surprising conditions. Thus, a diploma from a prestigious school is made a sine qua non condition for applying.
Graduates from universities are de facto excluded. Recruiters do not deny that, in order of ranking, public engineering or business schools come first. Followed by (good) private institutions and, unsurprisingly, public universities.
Another aberration, recruiters specify the age of candidates, generally set between 25 and 27 years old. The age condition has caused a lot of ink to flow in Europe to the point of being the subject of legislation. In Morocco, it continues to be a barrier for "old" candidates. "This may be valid for manual labor positions that require a certain physical condition. But for other functions, age is of no importance," says the HR director of a food company.
Posted on August 30, 2010
entreprendre.ma
Social origin, place of residence, and diploma.
What neighborhood do you live in? What does your father do? ... The recruiters' checklist contains many incongruous questions that perplex candidates. At first glance, they may seem banal, even uninteresting. But in reality, they reveal the (negative or positive) discrimination faced by job seekers. Because "in some companies, social class has a big impact on the chances of getting the job," says an HR expert.
Recruiters, however, defend themselves with their hand on their heart. They swear that the selection criteria are purely objective. "It is the competence that is highlighted. The candidate's origin has no influence. But for the rest, I don't see the point of such a question," defends the manager of a recruitment firm.
In reality, social class helps recruiters better negotiate hiring conditions, including salary. Thus, for the same position, two candidates from different social classes would not necessarily have the same pay. "These practices are, unfortunately, common in companies," confirms an HR consultant.
For large companies, another reason underlies the question of social class. "Recruiters attach great importance to the social environment of their employees. Being of "lower rank" can be an obstacle to integration," says our source.
In short, in addition to skills, it is therefore preferable to be from a "good family," to perhaps move up the organizational chart. The practice would be more present in the financial sector, banks and insurance companies in particular.
In some cases, senior management resembles a clan. Advancement in such an environment does not always depend on competence or experience. Employees know this very well: "To be recruited or promoted to management positions, you must necessarily have contacts within the company," says a bank executive.
Recruitment specialists attribute this segregation to networks. "It is undeniable that networking plays an important role. But still, there must be competence behind it," explains Halima Benasser, manager at Manpower.
When it's not affinities, discrimination is done by diplomas. Very often, the leaders of large companies, particularly public ones, tend to surround themselves with graduates from the schools they attended. "If the manager is a graduate of Ponts et Chaussées for example, he will have a greater preference for graduates of this institution," says the HR director of a large company.
Advertisements that are not legal!
The factors of discrimination in hiring are so common that they have been integrated. Just browse the recruitment ads in newspapers to realize this. These ads sometimes contain rather surprising conditions. Thus, a diploma from a prestigious school is made a sine qua non condition for applying.
Graduates from universities are de facto excluded. Recruiters do not deny that, in order of ranking, public engineering or business schools come first. Followed by (good) private institutions and, unsurprisingly, public universities.
Another aberration, recruiters specify the age of candidates, generally set between 25 and 27 years old. The age condition has caused a lot of ink to flow in Europe to the point of being the subject of legislation. In Morocco, it continues to be a barrier for "old" candidates. "This may be valid for manual labor positions that require a certain physical condition. But for other functions, age is of no importance," says the HR director of a food company.
Posted on August 30, 2010
entreprendre.ma
