awkward work issue

[moreexcitingthanbegonias]

I've just started a new job, and am currently in a handover period with the current postholder.

Without giving too much away for obvious reasons I was shown a document today that the panel who interviewed me used to select candidates for interview. The members of the panel shortlisted separately. The individual who shortlisted me put me down as a no because, in their words, my "english wasn't good".

TBH I was gobsmacked by this. I went over my cover letter and CV again and there were no grammatical or spelling errors at all, no weird clunky sentences, nothing. I have a first class degree in English and an MA. Of all the things that would count against me in a shortlisting process, this isn't even something I would consider.

The only thing I can think of is that I have a foreign name because my parents aren't British. But I was born and raised here. I don't even speak another language: English is my mother tongue.

Anyway maybe I'm being over sensitive but I feel upset about this now - the Director in question is my line manager and I'm worried. He gave me a 2 out of 5 on the form - and yet I was shortlisted, interviewed and given the role?!

I have got zero confidence as it is and it's taken a massive plummet tonight.

Whoever showed you that wants a great hefty hoof up their posterior.

But you got shortlisted. You got the job.

Now go prove that the others were right and his judgement is sadly lacking

Could you ask for feedback on your interview, for your own development?

Also, the first sentence of your first paragraph is rather ambiguous. It needs a comma, the position of which is vital to the meaning of the sentence.

BikeRunSki oh please give me a break, I'm typing on a phone. I'm not writing you a cover letter here.

Whoever showed you that wants a great hefty hoof up their posterior.

yes, I feel that too but that's a whole other story really...

Could you ask for feedback on your interview, for your own development?

It wasn't the interview, I got great feedback for that. It was the application.

Could someone be trying to devalue you? Are they jealous that you have this job and is the form you saw definitely genuine? It could also be a mistake. When I was being interviewed by my boss he had the wrong CV in front of him (same first name). Mistake was realised and I got the job. Anyway, your English is obviously very good, so I think you need to rise above it and move on. You got what you wanted out of the situation. Just do the job well and all will be fine!

God, what a body blow, OP.

That would knock the wind out of anyone's sails.

You should never have been given access to that information. Please have very wide boundaries with whoever gave you it - they are not your friend.

On a practical note; now is the time to work on your inner demons and prove the naysayers wrong.

BikeRunSki
That was unnecessary.

Please have very wide boundaries with whoever gave you it - they are not your friend

Absolutely that.

Also, the first sentence of your first paragraph is rather ambiguous. It needs a comma, the position of which is vital to the meaning of the sentence.

Well, I'm going to take a wild guess that the op didn't use abbreviations like "TBH" in her cover letter either.

Gosh we don't give names/contact info etc to the shortlisting panel - it's done anonymously.

Does the person who gave you a 2 know you've seen the document?

I don't think he got the wrong CV as it hadn't been corrected.

Just feel like I don't even want to carry on in the job now.

@BikeRunSki fun at parties, are you?

Similar happened to me once, I was much younger.

In hindsight it was a huge power play and designed to undermine me from the off. Still pisses me off now that someone was so cruel!

Does the person who gave you a 2 know you've seen the document?

No. They'd be mortified I'm sure.

Why on earth did this individual show it to you. did you say anything?

Basically they made out it was an accident but I don't see how it could have been accidental.

Saw every other candidate as well which surely is a data protection no no.

Had he met you before he gave you that score?

No, he hadn't met me. This was pre interview.

I just feel like maybe he was instinctively biased against me before he even read my letter, because my name makes me sound foreign.

Once when I was much younger, the first thing an interviewer said after we'd been introduced was "I'm pleasantly surprised, I thought you'd have an accent"

I think you have to concentrate on the fact you got the job.
Try and forget what you have seen.

I’m by no means condoning what they wrote. Could it have perhaps have been a concern they had prior to interview? Some people can be very judgemental if your spelling, grammar etc is very good, to the point they assume you haven’t prepared it yourself.

Any chance they meant English wasn’t a good degree, ie not relevant to the job? Seen as too artsy?

Some people can be very judgemental if your spelling, grammar etc is very good, to the point they assume you haven’t prepared it yourself.

I don't think that can have been the case, he specifically wrote "no - english not good enough"

Any chance they meant English wasn’t a good degree, ie not relevant to the job? Seen as too artsy?

I hadn't thought of that but I very much doubt it - it was a long time ago and isn't really relevant to the job one way or the other.