Advice needed - discrimination in job application?

Oooi

I am asking this on behalf of a friend. She is in her 40s and currently looking for a job as she has been out of work for nearly a year. She has a cv and has been round all local shops and businesses to enquire about vacancies and hand out cvs. Although she has not found a job yet, most places take the cv to apply for any vacancy they have, some say they keep them on file and will call if anything comes up.

She had a problem with one particular chain restaurant however. The manager told her he did not accept paper cvs and that she must go to a special website and fill out an online application. My friend is not very internet savvy and is wary of giving personal information over the internet. She also has all the information the company needs on her cv so it seems pointless filling out a form with the same information!

Are they really allowed to do this though is my question? To me it seems as though this discriminates against someone who is not internet savvy, perhaps the company only wants young staff? It also does't seem right that you can be forced to give all your personal details to a company on a website that might not be secure, you also don't know who is going to be able to see your data.

It doesn't seem right to me at all and other friends agree. Does anyone here have any advice?

WestonDave

Discrimination is perfectly legal provided its not on a protected ground (age, sex, disability, sexual orientation), so for this policy to be a problem you'd need to show that making it internet only was disproportionately likely to disable one of those protected groups from applying. In reality you aren't going to achieve that!


Incidentally if you can't "discriminate" how is the employer supposed to "discriminate" between the two applicants for the job and give it to one of them.

powerful_Rogue

Oooi wrote: »

I am asking this on behalf of a friend. She is in her 40s and currently looking for a job as she has been out of work for nearly a year. She has a cv and has been round all local shops and businesses to enquire about vacancies and hand out cvs. Although she has not found a job yet, most places take the cv to apply for any vacancy they have, some say they keep them on file and will call if anything comes up.

She had a problem with one particular chain restaurant however. The manager told her he did not accept paper cvs and that she must go to a special website and fill out an online application. My friend is not very internet savvy and is wary of giving personal information over the internet. She also has all the information the company needs on her cv so it seems pointless filling out a form with the same information!

Are they really allowed to do this though is my question? To me it seems as though this discriminates against someone who is not internet savvy, perhaps the company only wants young staff? It also does't seem right that you can be forced to give all your personal details to a company on a website that might not be secure, you also don't know who is going to be able to see your data.

It doesn't seem right to me at all and other friends agree. Does anyone here have any advice?

Of course they can, and many many companies do this - even government organisations.

Plenty of free courses available to people to help them get upto speed on computers, or they can ask friends and family to assist.

If she's that concerned about what a company might do with the information provided when applying, maybe its a good idea she dosent apply for a job with that company.

JReacher1

I can sort of see why your friend has been out of work for a year.

Hermia

I can't remember the last time I used a CV/paper application. Companies like online applications partly because it shows the candidate does have some basic computer skills. I wonder how many of the places your friend gave her CV to just put it in the bin.

I agree with powerful_Rogue re: looking for some free computer courses. Many jobs require some computer/internet use, especially as even small shops will often have a website and social media account. I would have some sympathy for a technophobic elderly person, but would be quite surprised to receive an application from someone in their 40s with poor internet skills.

lincroft1710

Oooi wrote: »

To me it seems as though this discriminates against someone who is not internet savvy, perhaps the company only wants young staff?

Plenty of people in their 60s (myself included) who are internet savvy, even more in their 40s and 50s, so I don't think they're targetting the young.

powerful_Rogue

Hermia wrote: »

I wonder how many of the places your friend gave her CV to just put it in the bin.

Many many moons ago when I worked in a well known high street retailer, if we wasn't recruiting, they would throw all cv's into the bin.

gik

I'd consider posting in the more relevant board...here:-
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=141

LilElvis

I'm 47 and my school took delivery of it's first computers in my final year. I never got to touch them, let alone learn how to use them! I've managed to work it out for myself. My Dad's 77 and is probably more proficient at photo-editing than most professionals - also 100% self taught. My 4 year old has been able to work out how to use a tablet without even being able to read! As others have suggested your friend needs to take some classes, and I am sure that there are many available for free to jobseekers.

browneyedbazzi

Neither lack of computer savviness or online application form paranoia are protected characteristics so it is perfectly legal to discriminate on those grounds.

If your friend wants to learn how to use a computer (which would probably help in her job hunt) many local libraries offer some assistance.

Sooler

Oooi wrote: »

Does anyone here have any advice?

Move with the times.