Hmmmm, do you think this is discrimination?

[Angela2105]

Pardon me for using such a dirty word in the opener, but I am fuming!!! I was recently offered an interview at a well established college in my town (the interview is Friday) but asked yesterday morning if I could reschedule as my daughter has had a sick bug since Saturday, (I.e no time to prepare 10 min presentation due to being up to my elbows in vomit, no sleep, no nursery, no work, no fun!). They have finally got back to advise me that no, due to schedules it is not possible, and thank you for my interest. Gobsmacked!!!! Literally!!!! Gobsmacked!!!!! Is it just me taking this personally?? Can't help but feel if I'd given a "manly" reason, they would have been a bit more ready to oblige. Any thoughts?

How is this discrimination, how stupid!

"Can't help but feel if I'd given a "manly" reason, they would have been a bit more ready to oblige."

Genuinely curious, what makes you think that?

It's the breaks. It takes a lot of organising to arrange interviews. I think that unless a candidate is stand-out exceptional from their application, then any employer would take the view that you can either make it or you can't.

It's not discrimination, no. Public sector interviews are often highly structured and hard to reorganise. Thems the breaks.

Personally I would call them and ask whether it still possible to come in tomorrow. Do you have a partner or relative who could look after your daughter whilst you prep tonight?

It doesn't look good if you ask to reschedule the interview, especially for a non-business related issue, whether you're male or female. If someone asked me to do that, I'd be thinking that they would be the type of employee that would be off a lot or unreliable. Sorry.

It's not discrimination. A man could just as easily have been 'up to his elbows in vomit'. Plus, if DD gets a sickness bug while you're working you'd still need to do your job wouldn't you? Why would the interview be different?

Are you kidding? You basically asked to reschedule because you didn't have time to prepare the presentation and you are not just surprised, but outraged, that they couldn't accommodate? Did it occur to you at all that it may have nothing to do with "discrimination" but trying to reconvene an interview panel on another date because one candidate wanted to change dates - because her daughter is sick?

How on earth is it discrimination?!

If you really want the job, vomit or not, you make time.

I've interviewed without one of the candidates when he got stuck on a business trip in the States. As it wasn't difficult to reconvene the panel I would have done, had we not been convinced by the end of the day we already had the right person for the job. HR made it quite clear we had no obligation to find another day that this first guy could attend before we made our decision - them's the breaks, I'm afraid.

No way is it 'discrimination'!
You need to convene an interview panel and make time to interview candidates. If they can't attend, that's unfortunate, but not my problem.
They are under no obligation to re-schedule.

No, it is not
They invited you to attend, you declined - your choice

Interview is tomorrow right? Still plenty of time to prepare a presentation.

Thanks Lisaro for that.

Angela, is there stil a chance? How about geting off MN and writing your presentation - if you want the job?

I've been on interview panels in HE. The selection of the interview panel takes place even before the advert goes public. Then advert. Then shortlisting takes another meeting. Then interviews. The interview dates are set when you agree to be on the panel. These are pretty much set way in advance. So I don't think it's discrimination. It takes a lot to convene the panel. And set up Skype etc for overseas candidates etc.

It is a nightmare setting up interview panels; making sure all the panel are free etc. I am a woman and if you had been attending an interview with me I still would not have rescheduled.