Is this acceptable behaviour from an interviewer in a job interview?

cm00

I applied for a job some time ago, with a big company. When they did the interviews it was all done on the same day, with numerous applicants going in for a group session and then seperate interviews.


When we were called to our seperate interviews, a certain guy had requested me. As soon as the interview started, he went straight for a particular subject. He enquired about my last name, Morgan. He said, isn't that a Welsh last name? I said yes. He said but you've written that you're English.


He wanted to know why I had said on my CV that I was English, when I had a Welsh last name. I explained it was because my father is Welsh, but I was born and raised in England to an English mother and had never lived in Wales. He told me that he is Welsh. He didn't accept my explanation. I felt uncomfortable. I had the feeling that was his intent. I was made to feel like I was this bad person who had something against Welsh people, and had wronged him and his Welsh heritage.



I realise I could have avoided all of this by simply not putting my nationality, or stating that it was British. Lesson learned.


I spent the rest of the interview feeling uncomfortable. I did so much preperation and research for that interview. They had many positions open, so my odds seeemed decent at least. They rejected me for the job.


There was that thing about Trump in the news recently. He told 3 non white women that they should "go back and sort their own country out". They were born in America.


Let's say I was black, and my father was African. But I was born in the UK, to a British mother. That would make me British, not Africian. Would an interviewer get away with the same thing in this same scenario?


Was I a victim of discrimination? Again, I realise there was an easy way to avoid this. Won't be writing that I'm English on a CV again.

ElefantEd

It's not discrimination because being Welsh (or English) is not a protected characteristic.


On the other hand, it is very poor behaviour from the interviewer. Your nationality (so long as you are legally allowed to work in the UK) has nothing to do with the job or your suitability for it.


Perhaps he was just trying to make small talk and it came over wrong - interviewing is quite tiring. If he'd just said "Oh, that's interesting" in response you would have thought no more of it, in the same way that someone may start an interview by saying "I see you keep rabbits", or "Ah, you go hill walking, does that keep you fit?" just to relax you a bit. Or maybe he has a nationalist chip on his shoulder.


All you can do, if you are inclined to take this further, is to contact the HR department, and state what happened - try and keep it unemotional, just lay out what he and you said, explain that it made you feel uncomfortable and that you feel it was inappropriate, and let them deal with it.

elsien

cm00 wrote: »

I applied for a job some time ago, with a big company. When they did the interviews it was all done on the same day, with numerous applicants going in for a group session and then seperate interviews.


When we were called to our seperate interviews, a certain guy had requested me. As soon as the interview started, he went straight for a particular subject. He enquired about my last name, Morgan. He said, isn't that a Welsh last name? I said yes. He said but you've written that you're English.


He wanted to know why I had said on my CV that I was English, when I had a Welsh last name. I explained it was because my father is Welsh, but I was born and raised in England to an English mother and had never lived in Wales. He told me that he is Welsh. He didn't accept my explanation. I felt uncomfortable. I had the feeling that was his intent I was made to feel like I was this bad person who had something against Welsh people, and had wronged him and his Welsh heritage.



I realise I could have avoided all of this by simply not putting my nationality, or stating that it was British. Lesson learned.


I spent the rest of the interview feeling uncomfortable. I did so much preperation and research for that interview. They had many positions open, so my odds seeemed decent at least. They rejected me for the job.


There was that thing about Trump in the news recently. He told 3 non white women that they should "go back and sort their own country out". They were born in America.


Let's say I was black, and my father was African. But I was born in the UK, to a British mother. That would make me British, not Africian. Would an interviewer get away with the same thing in this same scenario?


Was I a victim of discrimination? Again, I realise there was an easy way to avoid this. Won't be writing that I'm English on a CV again.

How do you know that this particular person had requested to see you, or the reason why?
And what do you mean by "he didn't accept your explanation?" What exactly did he say?

Are you sure you're not just overthinking this because you didn't get the job?

duchy

I’d have raised this formally with HR.
Let’s say your name was clearly African but you’d stated you were British and you interviewer challenged you saying you are African not British , it would be very odd. This isn’t really different ......however to describe yourself on an application as British rather than English or Welsh is more usual so perhaps that is what triggered him.......although many people have surnames that originate from previous generations. My maiden name was Lithuanian , my father was born in Britain as was I , I certainly don’t identify as Lithuanian but as British/Irish as the daughter of a Londoner married to an Irish woman . I’d have found it totally inappropriate if challenged at a job interview why I hadn’t said I was Lithuanian on my application based purely on my name.

Blatchford

ElefantEd wrote: »

It's not discrimination because being Welsh (or English) is not a protected characteristic.
.

I'm not even going to get into the original post, which seems odd to say the least, but actually, you are quite wrong. "Being Welsh" or "being English" are, in fact, protected characteristics. The Equality Act lays down that race discrimination is unlawful, race being a protected characteristic. "Race" includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins.

coffeehound

Could it have been a deliberate ploy by the interviewer to test interviewees' response to discomfort and conflict?

Brynsam

cm00 wrote: »

When we were called to our seperate interviews, a certain guy had requested me. As soon as the interview started, he went straight for a particular subject. He enquired about my last name, Morgan. He said, isn't that a Welsh last name? I said yes. He said but you've written that you're English.


He wanted to know why I had said on my CV that I was English, when I had a Welsh last name. I explained it was because my father is Welsh, but I was born and raised in England to an English mother and had never lived in Wales. He told me that he is Welsh. He didn't accept my explanation. I felt uncomfortable. I had the feeling that was his intent. I was made to feel like I was this bad person who had something against Welsh people, and had wronged him and his Welsh heritage.


I realise I could have avoided all of this by simply not putting my nationality, or stating that it was British. Lesson learned.

You're massively overreacting to what seemed to have been nothing more than an attempt to get you chatting.

Tigsteroonie

coffeehound wrote: »

Could it have been a deliberate ploy by the interviewer to test interviewees' response to discomfort and conflict?

This ^^ It reminded me of the interviews on The Apprentice where they ask very direct questions about very small details on the CVs and business plans.

74jax

My dad is Irish and my mam English. On forms I class myself as English as I was born here. However I was once asked about my last name and I explained I class myself as half Irish. The other person was Irish and we had a discussion over the whys and what fors of being half English half Irish. I didn't think anything of it and we just chatted about it.

shortcrust

Brynsam wrote: »

You're massively overreacting to what seemed to have been nothing more than an attempt to get you chatting.

I agree. It’s probably nicer to think you weren’t selected because he was an idiot rather than because there were candidates better than you, but I don’t think it’s what’s happened.

Is it really so different to a black candidate being quizzed about their heritage? It’s very very different and I suggest those who would claim to disagree with that are probably being disingenuous.

cm00

duchy wrote: »

I’d have raised this formally with HR.
Let’s say your name was clearly African but you’d stated you were British and you interviewer challenged you saying you are African not British , it would be very odd. This isn’t really different ......however to describe yourself on an application as British rather than English or Welsh is more usual so perhaps that is what triggered him.......although many people have surnames that originate from previous generations. My maiden name was Lithuanian , my father was born in Britain as was I , I certainly don’t identify as Lithuanian but as British/Irish as the daughter of a Londoner married to an Irish woman . I’d have found it totally inappropriate if challenged at a job interview why I hadn’t said I was Lithuanian on my application based purely on my name.

I think this is correct. He did seem to be triggerered. Could have avoided this if I had just put British.