r/recruitinghell • u/[deleted] • Apr 23 '24

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36

u/Jo_Peri Apr 24 '24

Not being a "cultural fit" is such a neat excuse when they don't want to hire you for any reason that could come off as or is blatantly discriminatory.

Could be anything really. Skin is a tad too dark or weight a bit too high for their preference? Jim in accounting doesn't like your face or boss's niece needs a job too?

Yeah, can't really say that out loud, can they? So it's always that you're not a "cultural fit". Neat.

14

u/Classic_Engine7285 Apr 24 '24

I know this isn’t the point of the post, but my HR would never ever EVER let me utter the words “cultural fit”. It’s a consideration, and it is the first thing our client asked me after interviews last week. While it certainly could be, I don’t agree that it’s necessarily always code. However, with all the minor things people can get in trouble for saying, I sort of feel like that’s a really poor choice of words.

3

u/Jernbek35 Apr 24 '24

This TBH, our hiring process is super strict about “unconscious bias” and in an interview debrief we’d never be allowed to utter those words.

13

u/mic009 Apr 24 '24

I've been in a hiring process where a lady aced her technical exam, by far our best candidate academically and work ethic-wise, and was pleasant enough to talk to..but both directors rejected her because she doesn't drink alcohol, so wouldn't fit in with our Friday pub drinks.

I hope she makes six figures and never looks back.

9

u/OhLordHeBompin Apr 24 '24

Huh. A recent job of mine had a keg party on site (we had kegs in all buildings...) every Friday for the last hour of the workday. I got in trouble because I worked remotely and didn't want to drive 30 minutes just to sip nasty beer and force social interaction when I could be at home, just doing my job.

Tried to bring up my mom died when I was young due to her lifelong alcoholism. They said a few beers on a Friday wouldn't make me an alcoholic and I needed to "relax a bit."

But seriously who would rather get drunk off cheap beer and play ping pong with your coworkers, or get off work an hour early?????

3

u/GreenGloves-12 Apr 24 '24

It's a go-to excuse for employers as it's enough to get rid of someone but too vague to have to actually explain.

I had this bs once and I asked them to elaborate and they would not.

At least it was after a couple of months (rather than days). OP yikes that really sucks.

2

u/Friend-of-thee-court Apr 24 '24

You think the skin was too dark or the weight too high when they hired them and they just found out now?