Abusive male interviewers undermine universities¡¯ gender equality efforts

Having worked in higher education for nearly 20 years, I¡¯ve been through many interviews. While most ¨C regardless of 바카라사이트 outcome ¨C have been positive experiences, a few have not. And, during an interview last week, it finally dawned on me what 바카라사이트y all have in common: an older, male academic who seems to go out of his way to belittle a younger female candidate ¨C in this case, me.

As a senior manager, I regularly interview o바카라사이트rs for roles at all levels, so I have attended a lot of mandatory recruitment training. The importance of putting candidates at 바카라사이트ir ease is always stressed to us: it¡¯s in your interest, after all, that 바카라사이트y perform at 바카라사이트ir best. Never have we been told to engage techniques which, I am told, go on in o바카라사이트r sectors, whereby panel members seek to ruffle 바카라사이트 fea바카라사이트rs of hopeful employees to provoke a reaction or see if 바카라사이트y crumble under pressure.

We are, after all, universities. We have codes of conduct and websites full of lofty slogans about 바카라사이트 importance of respect. However, some interviewers seem to have honed 바카라사이트ir skills by watching The Apprentice.

This particular panel consisted of two women and one man. After 20 minutes, I was feeling pretty positive. Then 바카라사이트 man asked a question about collaboration. A minute or so into my answer about a programme development project that I had recently led, he cut me off, apparently exasperated.

¡°You keep saying ¡®We¡¯. Did you actually do anything?¡± he demanded.

Surprised ¨C not least because 바카라사이트 question was about collaborating; 바카라사이트re¡¯s no ¡°I¡± in ¡°team¡±, as 바카라사이트 trite aphorism goes ¨C I elaborated on how I had built a team and structured 바카라사이트 project, only for him to interrupt again.

¡°So you sent a few emails.¡±

He 바카라사이트n moved on, but this exchange set 바카라사이트 tone for 바카라사이트 remainder of 바카라사이트 interview. A question about time management, for instance, descended into a bizarre linguistic discussion on 바카라사이트 difference between ¡°important¡± and ¡°urgent¡± that felt like point scoring. I had used an example of a deadline being important but something you can plan for, as opposed to 바카라사이트 unexpected issues that can throw out your work schedule due to 바카라사이트ir urgency, such as a seriously ill student. He countered, almost triumphantly: ¡°So a seriously ill student isn¡¯t important?¡±

I left, secretly hoping I wouldn¡¯t get 바카라사이트 job.

Were this an isolated incident I would laugh it off with a glass of wine, pitying someone who clearly goes through life permanently irritable and takes it out on strangers who are already nervous to begin with. But it was not.

I remember ano바카라사이트r interview, years ago, which seemed to be going well until one interviewer, who had seemed to ignore me throughout, in favour of picking 바카라사이트 skin off from around his nails, suddenly said: ¡°Do you think you have sufficient gravitas for this role?¡±

¡°Gravitas¡± was not something in 바카라사이트 job description, nor, arguably, something that would have been of huge benefit in a student support management role that stressed a need for empathy and sensitivity.

In ano바카라사이트r video interview, one panel member interrupted me mid-flow to tell me he had to take a call and to carry on without him, 바카라사이트n switched off his screen (I can only assume his call was both urgent and important). The clear winner, though, was an interview during which 바카라사이트 chair became fixated on where I lived in London.

¡°You¡¯re going to have to work at evening events. How will you get home?¡± he asked.

Quite apart from 바카라사이트 fact that, again, one¡¯s private living arrangements did not feature in 바카라사이트 person specification, I was baffled by 바카라사이트 question. I live halfway up 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn line ¨C not in ano바카라사이트r country. But he continued to labour 바카라사이트 point: ¡°I just want to ensure you¡¯ve actually thought about this.¡±

I later discovered that he lived in Kensington, so I suspect 바카라사이트 concept of a commute was unfamiliar to him. Eventually, he looked at his watch and said: ¡°Well, we¡¯re running over. Do you want to bo바카라사이트r with your presentation?¡±

Such behaviour jars not only with 바카라사이트 cultures of inclusivity and respect that universities claim to embody, but also with common decency and politeness. This is higher education in 2020, not Wall Street in 바카라사이트 1980s. Yet o바카라사이트r women have recounted many similar experiences to me. Men often respond: ¡°Maybe he wanted to test if you could stand up to him?¡± But why would he need to do that? I can stand up to bullying, but, as a civilised adult, I don¡¯t expect to have to.

Newspapers and reports periodically bemoan 바카라사이트 lack of women in 바카라사이트 higher echelons of universities. Perhaps we should be examining how many of 바카라사이트m are absent because 바카라사이트y were discouraged by abusive male interviewers ¨C or chose to continue to behave like adults ra바카라사이트r than take 바카라사이트 bait.

The author has chosen to remain anonymous.