OK so I am prejudiced, I don't want to hire right wingers!

[Mountainman]

Here is part of a resume someone sent to me. They are applying for a position that we have open.


Communication Specialist
„X Fund raising money for various companies
„X National right to life
„X Bush/Cheny 2004 election campaign
„X Republican national communities
„X And many other companies


So maybe this person's politics isn't right wing. Maybe they just worked for a company that collects for right wing causes. Would a good Dem work for a company raising money for right wing causes.


Another person put on their resume that they belonged to the Young Republicans and was active in their fundie church.

I just don't want to work with these folks.

I guess I'm breaking the law or something if I use that for a reason not to interview them or hire them.

What a low and disgusting person I have become!

[SoCalDem]

1. If they are qualified, HIRE them

In their employment packet, just make sure that there is a clause/rule that PROHIBITS ANY politics at the office.. Check their computer logs, and if they visit a repube site, you can let them go.. They would have signed the agreement in advance of getting the job..

If they are good employees, just don't talk politics with them :)

[EstimatedProphet]

16. Off topic, but

what is your sigfile a picture of?

[SoCalDem]

17. WTC wreckage

:(

[mhr]

2. If They Volunteered The Information On Their Resume

It can be used against them in the consideration process.

You as the employer are limited to certain questions.

If the applicant is too forthcoming, that's their problem.

[NMDemDist2]

3. it's a free country, and the RWer wouldn't be comfortable in your

office. Better no hire, than getting sued for a "hostile work environment" suit later :smoke:

[Nikia]

4. Are there other qualified candidates?

You can be sure at many companies, especially those with many applicants, screen out candidates for a variety of personal predjudices. If there are several other qualified candidates, feel free not to hire them.
If there aren't other qualified candidates or there are only 1 or 2 others, you should at least interview them. You need to fullfill the position and the other qualified candidate or two might turn out to have some bad traits as well.

[Mountainman]

6. I have many other qualified candidates.

I was amazed at the amount of resumes that came in and they are still coming in.

[Nikia]

7. No reason to feel bad about it then

It would be a waste of time to interview everyone. You can narrow down the field in anyway you so choose. These people might be happier working for someone who shares their political philosophy anyway. As I said before, companies eliminate people from their candidate pool for much more trivial reasons.

[goondogger]

5. I find myself with similar dilemmas

There's no way I'd discriminate against somebody because of their religious conviction, but I have made the mistake of hiring a couple of folks who are obnoxious right-wing asses, and won't do that again.

We are an apolitical children's publisher and these two nutjobs I hired make it a point to engage anybody and everybody with the Hannity/Limbaugh/RNC talking point of the day. Even me (the boss)!

For a couple of months I just ignored it and brushed it off, figuring if nobody fuels the fire it'd peter out. Then, about 3 weeks ago, as I was deplaning on a business trip with one of these employees, an older frail gentleman with a big John Kerry button asked for help with getting his bag out of the overhead. I happily obliged. My employee caught up with me and scoffed "If he's voting for Kerry he needs help."

I stopped right in the middle of the jetway, steeled my gaze at him, and said "Not only do I support John Kerry, but I'm a card-carrying member of the ACLU, give to Planned Parenthood, and subscribe to The Nation. Would you like it if I brought my politics to the office, especially given that you report to me? Would you be comfortable with that?" He managed to stammer out a weak "No." "Very well then, I'd expect you take your own advice and do the same--keep it outside the office."

They've both been quiet since (although I do catch Faux News.com on their screens every now and then--maybe I'll have my I.T. director blacklist the site). :)

[bearfan454]

20. Good idea.

They haven't caught me on DU here at work yet, well, that I know of. I think everything stays on the server for 30 days.

[jdonaldball]

8. Those bastards have no sense of fairness toward others

so give them a taste of their own medicine.
Just call it the free market.
And yes it's legal for you to consider any info they volunteer to give.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

9. Similar situation

Someone was telling me how many resumes were going into her company. She was looking for things to weed them out and one of them was people who had written Republican causes on their resumes. We talked about it, but we came to the conclusion that being a Republican says something about the candidate in question.
Being a republican generally means that the person is either naiive or a pompous ass who doesn't care about anyone but themselves. Currently being a Republican, a Bush supporter, also means that one is unwilling to accept criticism of something they believe in.

[chaska]

10. Above all else the new hire has to get along in the given environment...

He will do fine in a reich wing organization. Does this describe your organization?

He's a bad fit. Not qualified. Next!

[amazona]

11. I wouldn't hire them

I don't think there is any law saying you have to hire Chimp/Cheney buttwhipes. People who wear their wingnut politics on a sleeve make too much trouble on the job. You'll find someone better, keep looking.

[Courtesy Flush]

12. Absolutely, do not hire him

Just be careful how you throw the word "hypocrite" around in the future.

[0007]

13. That's your right as an American

'Ya don't think the right wingers don't do the same?

[bushwakker]

14. You think he'd hire you if the situation was reversed?

circular file baby. what kind of an idiot puts his political beliefs on a resume - he should be dumped for being stupid too.

[fishnfla]

15. Wing nuts looking for work? Welcome to shrub's economy!

We hired one gal, she had a car full of RW bumper stickers. She was so frickin' incompetent, it was a no-brainer to shit-can her after her probationary period was up. Nothing to do with her politics, but i'm glad that car is out of our parking lot

[Heddi]

18. By Law, you don't have to

hire them. THey volunteered the information on their resume. You didn't ask their political affiliation. You didn't ask what organizations or fraternal groups they supported.

Every job application I've ever filled out has a section that allows you to describe any civic or volunteer organizations you belong to. However, there's always a caveat that says you're not obligated to disclose any organizations that would identify your political, religious, or cultural leanings.

Equally, most sites that accept resumes online also put that disclaimer in as well.

You can't bring the guy into an interview (pretending he didn't put this info in there) and say "So, what's your view on abortion? You look like a liberal pro-choicer to me!"

You can't ask what policital party they vote for.

Of course, you already knew that :)

However, if *THEY* bring it up, you have the right to decide whether or not that person would make a cohesive partner in your group of employees.

I mean, firstly I would never do such a thing, but imagine I applied for a job with the National Right To Life foundation. They coudln't bar me from employment because of my gender, or race, or religion. But should I come to the interview and mention how I'm a volunteer and financial donor to Planned Parenthood, and list on my resume that I escort women to and from OB/GYN clinics, they could certainly bar me because of that.

Or if I wore a Kerry pin on my bag.

They can't ask, because that's illegal. However, if I tell them, they can use that against me.

My view is---this guy offered the information for a REASON. He could have just as easily mentioned something vague about 'funraised money for various national organizations" and left it at that. If you asked him the name of some of the companies (which you have a right to do), he could easily say "Well, I'd rather not say because I don't want my political leanings to be held against me" which is very much in his right.

But you know your employees. You know what kind of person would mesh well. If you're manager of a bunch of raging liberals, more than likely this guy wouldn't fit in. By not fitting in, and feeling isolated, his job performance would be below par. He may even quit after a few days/months.

Fuck 'em. He put that shit in his resume for a REASON. He just assumed most likely that everyone in positions to hire thinks the same way he does, or holds the same political beliefs he does.

HE WAS WRONG>

He took the chance of 'impressing' someone by putting that in there, and you took his bluff and by not hiring him, you're sending the message "DO NOT ASSUME POLITICAL AFFILIATION OR BELIEF"

[ChoralScholar]

19. Hey ... you don't HAVE to interview anyone

You could actually not interview someone because you didn't like the color of their hair. It is when you make those preferences known that it becomes illegal.

>>I guess I'm breaking the law or something if I use that for a reason not to interview them or hire them.

You're breaking the law because you had a thought, and decided not to interview someone because of that thought? Is this East Germany? That's not against the law.... Yet.... There's no law telling us we HAVE to interview anyone.

Now.. if you go around publicizing that you aren't going to interview woman, or a black man, a southern baptist, or a republican, that's when it becomes against the law.

But I do say this, keep an open mind. Not all Republicans are nutjobs with Bush-Cheney Stickers wallpapering their Cadillac Escalade. I'm sure some of them are perfectly hard workers and can keep their politics out of the workplace. I would ask the same from a Democrat.

[LynneSin]

21. First rule I was taught about creating a resume: No Politics/Religion

Because you don't want someone making a decision about a job based on either of these aspects: ie - I'm a progressive and my potential boss is a fruitcake nutjob neo-con (or vice versa).

My suggestion to use is simple. If they are qualified, invite them in for an interview but put a giant size Kerry/Edwards sign in your office/cubicle. If they are total professionals they won't comment about their activities or your sign, if they're nut job they'll go ape shit.

Personally, I don't think you're breaking any laws. I'm sure there are plenty of other folks who applied to the job that are both qualified and non-commitive about their ties to either politics or religion. The fact that these 2 folks made a point to put it on their resume despite the fact that every book about creating a resume says 'don't do that' means they'll have a desk with pictures of George Bush and Aborted fetus on the walls. Why deal with the hassle?