redfrock Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 (edited) Following on from my earlier thread about the job application form, I have just completed the equal opportunities part of it. I'm used to these as all the housing applicants have to complete one, and have done the usual courses at work. However along with the normal ethnicity and disability questions this one also asks my sexuality! To be honest I think this is none of their darned business and find it an invasion of my privacy. I'm no prude but I do not see that this has anything to do with a job application. I have actually refused to answer it. Edited July 10, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I have actually refused to answer it. Good for you. I would have refused to answer it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 I would have put "undecided" - let them fathom that out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 I would have put "undecided" - let them fathom that out! Now that would have been a good one! Unfortunately it was a drop down box, with five options, including 'prefer not to say' otherwise I would have been rather tempted to use your suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 oh yes, I'm sure we could come up with excellent answers: Not sure Not sure yet It all depends . . . Who's asking? Rampant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 or maybe 'I can feel a migraine coming on' ..... fantastic Ginette! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Good one! What about 'none'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Bilingual is always a good one! Or animal, vegetable, mineral! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 cheek! I didnt think you could be asked that....equal opportunities and all that malarky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 WellI think it's a terrible thing to ask. It's the 21st century & should accept every type of sexuality. Life would be boring if we were all the same & people shouldn't be judged by their sexuality. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clur Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Sheeeesh, shame there wasn't an option to choose "None of your Damn business". Since when has sexuality had anything to do with your ability to do a job?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 It gets worse .... it is a civil service position. They really should know better. I really want the job so I am not going to make any noises until I know one way or the other and then I shall definitely be taking it up. As I have just said to someone else - What do they plan to do? Matchmake? (maybe I should say it depends on the day of the week ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 It has always been my understanding that the monitoring section of the application form is removed before the applications are short-listed. I think it's to do more with monitoring the response they get to adverts... Useful information here http://www.lge.gov.uk/lge/core/page.do?pageId=150221 Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 agree ... it's actually designed to protect people's rights. It doesn't form part of the application (and it should say so quite clearly) but it means they can check that they are receiving applications from a diverse range of candidates and that they're not discriminating. That's my understanding, anyway. If you think about it, the other questions are just as 'discriminatory' - that's why this part does not form part of the actual application. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I hate answering this sort of thing - instead of negative discrimination you end up with the positive! I hope this doesn't offend anyone but it really upset me at the time - I was told to apply for Cambridge uni by my school as one of the only candidates they thought they had for an oxbridge uni, so I went to visit - a trip provided by the school. Anyways we got there and wanting to do law I went to the workshop on that and they proceeded to tell us that if hadn't got 11 A*s at GCSE and predicted 4As (at least) at A level we had no chance of getting in, so I didn't bother (I also couldn;t see myself there) Anyway on results day, my mum spoke to the girl who lives at the end of our culdesack and was told she was going to Cambridge so my mum asked what she got expecting amazing results and she got CDE... I was soo surprised until I went and read over the stuff sent by cambridge that went on about how they like to offer equal opportunities and each year take a minimum number of people of asian origin and from rural backgrounds....This girl filled both and Im sure its not just me that thought her grades were really low for Cambridge. I don;t mean to offend anyone but I don't see this as a good thing - i thought equal opportunities was about giving everyone the same chance NOT giving someone an opportunity as they are in a minority group. Why you should have to answer about your sexuality is beyond me!! xXx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I always thought Oxbridge getting slated for NOT using more positive discrimination.... are you sure your neighbour wasn't going to Cambridge Politechnic ? I agree that the job application form would include the question for monitoring only, but this should be clearly said at the begninning of the section. There's only one profession I can think of where it would be a realevant question - and am not sure you really make formal applications for that particular "career"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 In answer to sexuality, I think I'd ask "who's offering?" Phonix, I didn't get into Cambridge either, much to the disgust of my 6th Form College who did not understand why. However I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 years at a very ordinary university with very ordinary people, and can honestly say I do not feel I was disadvantaged by it. Once you actually start work, no one cares where your degree was from, even in the legal world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Tbh i decided not to apply as having spent 3 days there I hated the place lol I think it was just on principle that it annoyed me! Im at Liverpool uni now and wouldn't trade my place here (although it rapidly falling in any tables) and the people that ive met for anything in the world (recent troubles in another thread have made me Qu my decision of city choice but it can happen anywhere and was my own stupid fault!)! xXx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 Too much is known these days about every body some things have to be sacred I really don't like discrimination of any kind positive or negative people should be judged on their ability to do a particular job rather than having to jump through hoops and give away their innermost secrets. It gets harder and harder for employers to employ people who are good for their organisation or to remove people who are not pulling their weight or are trouble makers. The balance has swung too much in the opposite direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoobie Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 ChrisnRob and Olly are correct - you are allowed to ask, but it shouldnt in any way affect wether you get the job or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treekeeper Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 This makes me laugh because my daughter who is an A+ student all the way just had an interview with the Cambridge selection guy who came to their(Grammar) school and she was told that as she was under privileged(sic) she stood a very good chance of getting in!! And the reason she is under priviliged?? Not because we are poor, both self and wife are in full time highly paid senior management jobs, but.............we didn't go to university!!!! So that makes my poor offspring underpriviliged. Well if having parents that have worked every day of their lives since age 16 (and before if you count shop jobs and paper rounds) living in a large detached house and having just about everything they want on a plate makes you underpriviliged then I don't know what the world's coming to. Underpriviliged in my book is not knowing where your next meals coming from if there will be clean water to drink, and if your neigbours are cominng round with a machete because you are the wrong tribe/sect. What are these people on?? Rant over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 we had a youngster apply for a job with us & instead of the form asking male/female or gender the form said SEX reply yes please Our manager was very he had designed the form Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 & should accept every type of sexuality. Emma.x Not quite sure about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 I would have refused to reply also. Pierre Trudeau (used to be prime minister of Cananda) once famously said "Government has no place in the nation's bedrooms" I always leave questions about my religion blank too. In the last years of my working life I worked for the YMCA who received loads of government grants and they had to comply with staffing regulations e.g. balance of ethnic types etc., they were supposed to employ a certain ratio of staff who were disabled and they never had enough Someone would come round with a clipboard and beg you to think of anything you suffered from which could be seen as a disability I said "well I do have a dicky back" and hey presto I was a disabled member of staff Daft if you ask me. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfrock Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 This same application form states that if you are classed as disabled you are guaranteed an interview. (not trying to offend anybody) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
