I just wanted to open this up to the board, because it kinda pissed me off and wanted to see what people thought. I have been trying to land a professor gig for almost a year, now and even moved out one area to another, because of the amount of colleges. Before moving, I made some inquries about teaching postions. I got an e-mail stating that I would be interviewed as soon as I came down. So, as soon as I came down, I left messages saying where I was staying, what my number was and looking forward to meeting them. After three weeks of this, I finally got a hold of the dean of the department, I kid you not a woman named Dr.McCoy. I stated who I was and I got the e-mail and was ready to be interviewed whenever they were. She stated, I lost the job and I should have gotten a letter in the mail about it.
My question is this, since the school is apperantly and Equal Oppurtinity Employeer and I was promised an interview, but never recieved one, did that violate the law? I doubt if I'd really sue them, but I am wondering if something could be done.
I don't think so. Equal Opporutnity employer basically boils down to that the employer cannot discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability etc. Unless you can prove that you did not get the job because you are (fill in the blank) and you had better qualifications than the individual who got the job and they are (fill in the blank) you don't have much to go on.
What's disturbing about Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 is that both are classic propaganda. Events are shown out of order, suggesting conspiracy by confusing audiences about the sequence of events; events are shown out of context, edited to create an appearance differing from actual events; scenes of horror are intermixed with scenes of normalcy, suggesting all is horror; viewers are given no way of knowing what is fact, what is opinion, and what is made up. - Noted Warmonger Greg Easterbrook
The Lovely Mrs. Tracker was searching for a teaching job about ten years ago. She would arrive for interviews after driving hours, only to realize after a few seconds that the three-minute interview was a simply a procedure to obey the law.
Myself, I lost a college job interview when I called to confirm the appointment just hours beforehand. I was told not to come in because a college higher-up decided to fill the position, circumventing the interviews lined up by the human resources department.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
I am not a member of any bar association, so this is NOT legal advice from an attorney, and should not be relied upon as such...
In order to sue for an equal opportunity violation, you have to receive a "right to sue" letter from the EEOC. You get this letter after filing a claim with the Commission, and they will then review your claim.
The school could set forth a bunch of reasons for not hiring you: someone better came along, your references failed, you flunked a background check, etc. Not to say any of these are true.
I think the real question you should ask: Would I really want to work for a school who treats applicants so poorly?
First, I want to make it very clear that I am not an attorney. Second, I want to make it very clear that I am not an attorney. Others have already addressed the issue as to whether or not the school may have violated eeoc guidelines, so I won't cover that ground again. The point I wish to address is the following:
Originally posted by A FanI got an e-mail stating that I would be interviewed as soon as I came down.
If you truly wish to pursue this, I would suggest you consult with a qualified legal advisor, show him/her the e-mail, and ask if the verbiage of the e-mail represents a viable contract, whereby the school made a binding agreement to interview you regarding a teaching position, and then reneged on their agreement. While it almost definitely won't get you a job, it is possible that the school may have to reimburse you for any monetary losses you may have incurred by pursuing their offer (i.e., lost wages if you had to take time away from your current job to contact the school, long-distance or cell phone charges in having to repeatedly call the school, moving fees if you re-located in anticipation of being offered a position, etc.). More to the point, if your legal advisor should determine that the language of the e-mail was inconsistent with the subsequent treatment that you received from the school, pursuing this action will make it much more difficult for the school to shit on future job applicants the way they shit on you.
Let me see if I get this right. You move. To another town. Because there MIGHT be a job there, since there are a lot of colleges. And, you move BEFORE being interviewed. You move BEFORE being offered a job. You move BEFORE you sign a contract for the job. Once you get there, they already filled the position that you were never SCHEDULED an interview for. A position that you were never OFFERED. A position that you were never given a contract for.
And you want to sue the school because they didnt hire you? And, you want to use the Equal Opportunity Laws as a basis?
How do you know the job wasnt filled with a minority. Or a woman? Or, better yet, a MINORITY WOMAN?
Or, somebody who met all thier requirements and would accept a low ball financial offer?
My advice? Dont cry about a job that apparently you did little to actaully attempt to get, other than relocating.
I wouldn't say I did nothing to try to get the job. I filled out the requirements, e-mailed them, got notified of the interview before I moved down, so I did move down in order to get the job. I also called them at least twice a week and kept getting answering machines and leaving messages. I don't what else you are supposed to do to get a job that doesn't involve a weapon and a clocktower.
I appericate all the advise, so I may consult an attorney to see what we can do. I doubt anything will come of it, but it just pisses me off people say one thing and do another.
You are probably right about it being a waiste. I may just let it go and warn any other teachers I see to be hesitant when dealing with them. I may go to the dean and ask why I wasn't chosen to see if it was a valid reason. Anyway, I just wanted to see what I could do and I appericate everyone giving me their advise about the situation.
They said they were interested in interviewing you. Most interviews do not result in an employment offer, much less a done deal. Any time I've ever been on the hiring side of the equation, the ratio is generally about 5-10 applicants interviewed per position filled. Often worse. So basically, your complaint is that they didn't waste your (& their) time interviewing you for a job that they'd already filled.
Yeah. From any time I've been on the other side of the equation (as the applicant) ... This sucks, the hiring process isn't fair, yeah the whole thing's unpleasant... There's a huge amount of crapshoot involved in the whole process. And as callous as it sounds, & as much as I hate to have to say it: Suck it up, send your shit 20 more places, network your ass off, & generally move on.
(I do get that you're not a happy camper, & can definitely sympathize with that. However, rhetorically, I'm unclear exactly what you'd want from them as the result of a legal action. An interview? Best of my understanding, that sounds like what you feel they reneiged on. Compensation for your move? A guaranteed job of some duration? From the description, neither of those sounds even vaguely implied. Much less, anything that's going to be useful to you long term.)
Originally posted by A FanYou are probably right about it being a waiste. I may just let it go and warn any other teachers I see to be hesitant when dealing with them. I may go to the dean and ask why I wasn't chosen to see if it was a valid reason. Anyway, I just wanted to see what I could do and I appericate everyone giving me their advise about the situation.
Just out of curiosity, what would you have been teaching? What is your field?
I have a Masters of Education in Politcal Science with an B.A. in Mass Communications and minors in Poli Sci and Philosophy. I also spent six months teaching troubled high school students who got kicked out of their schools. I have the experience teaching in a classroom. I did teach a few classes while being a G.A. for the department. I really enjoy teaching, I may sub in the fall, but after working with the worst of high school students, I'm drain on it.
I enjoy teaching at the college level there is more freedom. I like running classes with a ton of interaction with the students, I could lecture forever, but even I get bored by that.
Ok, stalker is a bit going overboard, besides I am happily married. I was wondering if I could sue, first off. Second, I think you are the one taking this a bit far.
My friend bought the real Cancun on DVD (black market) we watched like 3 minuets of it (not that it really interested me anyway) and turned it off just a bunch of fucking kids talking. Worst movie ever.