A few weeks ago, my cell phone rings and I answer. It's the recruitment agency. The following conversation takes place:
Recruiter: I finally found the perfect job for you
And she proceeds to tell me the job specifications and offer, which I really like.
Me: Great! So, when can I go for an interview?
Recruiter: I just have one question for you first.....
Me: Sure.........
Recruiter: Are you veiled?
Me: Ummm, no.......
Recruiter: Oh good.....
Me: Sorry??
Recruiter: Oh, it's just that this company has a policy of not hiring veiled women.
Me: I see....
Recruiter: So, when should I schedule the interview for you?
Me: No, thanks......
Recruiters: What?
Me: Thank you, I'm not interested anymore.
A few days ago....sitting at a coffee shop with some friends. So, we're discussing work problems and job offers, and a girl, who is not my friend, but a friend of a friend says to me:
Her: Oh, your qualifications would be perfect for the job opening we just had at our company...
Me: Really....tell me more....
Her: But there's actually one problem
Me: What problem?
Her: We have a policy of not hiring un-veiled girls. You have to be veiled to get hired......
Me: Oh well, thanks anyway.
Twice, I was judged based on my appearance, albeit differently. How could such policies exist?? I mean, isn't this just plain discrimination!!
Whatever...................
8 comments:
i'm not surprised. nowadays it's very rare that you find someone being hired simply because they're the most qualified for the job..its either they've got the most relations (wasta), they follow a certain religion, or their appearance is normal. ("normal" can mean either veiled or unveiled, depending how the firm sees it)
all three cases being equally unfair, but at the end of the day its the firm that's losing the more qualified person.
i respect you very much for not continuing in the application process for either company and i wish everyone acts the same way in these situations.
AWFUL!
Nora,
The fact is that today in the business world, image is everything. The image that employees project is part of the image of the company.
For example, if you're running an Islamic bank or Hajj and Umra office, then you can't be expected to hire unveiled girls. The first objective of any business is to please/attract their clients and if they are serving a religious clientele then it makes business sense for them to hire employees who project a religious image.
And if you're running a club, you can't have veiled waitresses. Your clients won't like it. People don't want to be reminded of religion when they go out clubbing. They'll start going somewhere else and you'll lose money.
It is unfair to the employees maybe but then the market is unfair to companies - in the sense that it is the company with the better image that does well even if it doesn't have the better product/service.
At my firm we have a very strict dress code. Anyone arriving at an interview not properly dressed is hardly ever considered - regardless of qualification. You receive a dressing allowance as part of your salary once a year. If you have to work late, you're expected to go home and change. You can't meet clients looking sweaty or with your clothes crumpled.
We don't have a policy on hijab yet because there aren't that many women in the firm. But I know that for example, some Asian employees were not allowed to wear their traditional clothes to work. They were asked to wear suits like the rest of us.
Occasionally I get emails from HR complaining about the way someone in my team is dressed and asking that I talk to him. I hate doing it but it's company policy. They spend a lot of money in decorating the offices, holding PR events, press releases etc...to project a certain image. I can't ask them to throw all that money down the drain because one employee doesn't htink appearance is important.
The company has a right to have the policy that best helps it to market itself. And the employee has the right to choose the company whose policy - and clientele - suits him/her. However, if you do choose to work for a particular company - you have to adhere to its policies during work hours.
Greyscale,
Welcome to my blog.
Carmen,
It is...very much so.
Loulou,
I understand your reasoning about how important image is in the workplace and agree with it, but why is being veiled or not, a determinant to whether I will project a positive image for the firm or not??. Note that in both cases, the appearance was a pre-requisite, even before the interviewing stage.
We have a dress code where I work too, and I must adhere to it. Most businesses in Egypt have a dress code, and it's known and accepted. You can dress well and project a positive image whether you're veiled or not. So, why is the veil an issue? In the cases you mentioned, Hajj office, or a club, it makes sense - I don't think they'd even need to state a policy, it'll just be assumed by anyone who wants to work in these places how they should dress. But in a firm?? A normal businees firm that doesn't deal with a certain "type" of people.
I don't see these two cases as selecting people who will promote a presentable image of the firm or attract more clients, I see it as plain discrimination that should not be tolerated. A firm should hire me to do a good job and to present a good image to the public - they should not hire me based on my religion, or how I choose to practise my religion.
I applied for a job recently, which I ended up rejecting because it wasn't what I was looking for.
They were so disappointed because they were "looking for someone like me, someone who's not veiled."
I felt really insulted because here I am submitting this CV full of experience that they can benefit from, but all they can think of is "someone who's not veiled"? ... Very shallow.
I agree with loulou..
Some places do not hire relatives.. some people do not allow people to come in with shorts.. The problem with the veil is that it's such a symbolic attire that any dislike to it seems to be a religious attack..
See Farouk Hosny for not liking this attire...
I mean what about formalities.. I hate wearing ties and a suit, but if a place enforces them.. I can't wear my galabeya.. but the problem with the veil is that it's very permanent..
The whole veil and niqab issue is on the table everywhere these days.
“Beware so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance”
that's Stupidity , plain stupidity but that's how it is in Egypt, am being judged on my apperance the whole time, by people in the street, shops assistants and especially doctors at colg., last year i was going to lose my oral exam. marks coz my hair was a lil bit long and i had a goatie beard ,The doctor's actual first word " What's with the hair and why do u have the goatie
?" , and about the veil thing we live in a society that connects religion and closeness to God to apperance if u r an un veiled gurl then u dun know anything about religion and vice versa and what's ironic is that great percentage of veiled gurls are veiled because of community and peer pressure or their parents made them do it and even some do it just to not be judged by people , for me as a guy am not growing my beard,long curly hair and i get into alot of discussions with guys in colg. with beards am no considered as a "shitan" and that was their actual word .well, it's really bad being judged by the way u look or on ur apperance but i am what i am and i like it this way and am not gonna change , if they dun like it that's their problem
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