Preliminary Discriminatory Interview

(I am 20 and have just moved cities. I am interviewing for a job at a fast food restaurant, trying to find anything I can just to get started and pay bills. My resume lists my school experience and work experience. I homeschooled K-12 and am attending online college. However, I have worked since I was 16, at a bookstore (for a little over three years), a restaurant (a few months until finding a full-time job), and an office. My duties and experiences at each job are listed on my resume, and they include a vast number of things. The bookstore was a Christian company and had the word ‘Christian’ in its name; the office job was the same. Additionally, one of my other experiences listed on my resume was Vacation Bible School ‘counselor.’)

Manager: *looks over resume and application* “Hmm. I see here that you’ve primarily worked with Christian companies… Will you be able to handle working with others who don’t share your beliefs? Some of my other employees might say things that you won’t be comfortable with.”

(Before I can correct him that, one: how does he know what I am or am not comfortable with, and two: that I’d worked with people who didn’t share my beliefs and that never caused a problem, he continues:)

Manager: “Also, I see you’ve homeschooled your whole life. Are you going to be okay when there are a lot of people in the shop? We get really busy on holidays and you’ll have to interact with a lot of customers.”

(I bite back the urge to tell him in no uncertain terms that I lasted over three years in a bookstore where part of my job was to work the sales floor during Black Friday and help customers, as well as plan and run kids’ events, but apparently my fear of people is what gave me such excellent references to recommend me. Instead, I politely told him I’d be fine. He ended the interview by saying he thought I’d do well and would call me in the next few days after doing some other interviews.)

Manager: “And if I don’t call you by Friday, I want you to call and ask for me, okay? I work Mondays through Fridays here.”

(When I don’t hear back by that Friday, I call the next Monday.)

Employee: “Oh [Manager] isn’t in right now. Call this afternoon.”

(I do.)

Employee: “Oh, [Manager] isn’t in right now. Call tomorrow. He’ll be here then.”

(The next day…)

Employee: “Oh, [Manager] isn’t in right now. Call tomorrow. He’ll be here then.”

(Finally, I gave up on the job. Thankfully I found another one soon after; where the interviewer didn’t insult me with discriminatory questions!)