‘Harassment before she even has the job is insane’: Interviewer asks woman if she’s single during phone interview
Excuse me, HR? This job candidate needs to file a complaint immediately.
In a viral video that has more than 650,000 views, an interviewer is heard hitting on the person they're interviewing. It was deeply uncomfortable and, if it was a job interview, literally illegal (we'll get into that last part in a bit).
In the video, actor Paula Placido (@ppplacido)—who you may know from the TV shows Hacks, Sugar, or Apples Never Fall—was filming her girlfriend who was on the phone interview.
"Not this man hitting on my GF via a phone interview," the text overlay on the video reads.
Right at the start of the 30-second clip, a man is heard over the phone asking, "Are you single?"
Placido's girlfriend looks immediately annoyed as she replies, "Nope," and stares into the camera.
But the interviewer doesn't stop there. He had the gall to then ask, "Are you happy with that decision?" seemingly trying to see if there was a way in, even though she just stated she was in a relationship.
Even after the woman says she's happy in her relationship, the interviewer kept going.
"I don't know if you want me to elaborate," he says. "Definitely single, definitely been searching for Mrs. Right for a while now."
He then added that the woman's colleague found him on a dating app—which implies that the apparent relationship between interviewer and interviewee is a bit more complicated. It's unclear whether or not their conversation is a job interview, though many commenters speculated that it was.
Regardless, here's some information you should know about discrimination and uncomfortable questions in the hiring process.
There is a whole set of questions that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission forbids employers from asking during the job interview process to prevent unfair discrimination during the hiring process.
The topics they can't ask about include:
- Age
- Race or ethnicity
- Religion
- Marital status, family, or pregnancy
- Birthplace, country of origin, or citizenship
- Disability
- Gender, sex, or sexual orientation
If an employer violates your rights by asking about any of the above, you can politely decline to answer. We know it might be awkward, but you're well within your rights to do so.
If you end up in a situation like Placido's girlfriend, you can say something like: "I'm not sure how [protected characteristic] is relevant to the job requirements," or "Thank you for the question, but I don't feel comfortable talking about [protected characteristic] in relation to this position."
If an interviewer asks discriminatory questions or shows discriminatory behavior during the interview process, you can file a complaint with the EEOC. This could lead to an investigation that may result in a settlement (not necessarily money; it could be an apology or interview policy change) or even a "right to sue" letter that allows you to pursue the matter in court.
Alternatively, you could reach out to the company's HR department, even if you don't work there.
@ppplacido This man has no idea what she looks like.. ???????? #wlw ♬ original sound - Paula Placido
There are currently hundreds of comments under the video. Some people were flabbergasted while others shared their own similar stories.
"WHATTTTT HR HELLOOOO," the top comment read.
"It's happened to me. When I told him I had a boyfriend and we were going away for Valentine's Day I suddenly went from 'were making you an offer' to they never messaged me back," a person shared.
"This happened to me in 3 interviews it’s crazy fr how common this is," another wrote.
Placido has yet to post an update. The Daily Dot reached out to them for comment via Instagram direct message.
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