The Extracurricular Being

 
 
Equal employment opportunity is often defined as the protection from being discriminated or denied of employment opportunities on the basis of race, disability, religion, age, gender amnd other immutable traits.  In the United States, various laws prohibit these forms of employment discrimination, and the said law is being strictly enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

That means it is clearly a violation of employment opportunity laws when we see a job opening ad in in the format below:

WANTED: Customer Service Representative

Requirements:
Female, not more than 26 years old
Graduate of a reputable university (UP, Ateneo, La Salle, UST, UA&P)
Pleasing personality


Sad to say, the said format of job ad is very common here in the Philippines.  And if you happen to be either a male OR a 27-year-old female, your chance to get hired just got busted and the sad thing about it is you were never really given the chance to market yourself and your merits before the HR officers.

Here in the Philippines, some equal employment opportunity bills have already been passed in the Philippine SenateSenate Bill No. 49 and Senate Bill No. 354 have been written and passed by our good senators Juan Flavier and Jinggoy Ejercito-Estrada respectively, and the said bills are currently pending in the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.

And while these bills are waiting for these bills to be approved, discriminative job ads continue to plague the job market today, undeniably contributing to the soaring unemployment rate of this country.  Companies continue to post discriminative job ads, capitalizing on the assumption that we Filipinos cannot do anything about it.

Or they just thought so.

It's not that we can't do anything about it.  Of course we can!  Most of us just chose not to act on it!

Not me!  While we may have good solons who are promoting equal opportunity employment, I cannot sit here and wait for the government to fix things for me.  I decided take action

In this blog, I will post here job ads that do not only violate the principle equal employment opportunity but are also disagreeable (for lack of better word).  I used the word disaggreeable because some job ads out there are not only discriminative but are also disagreeable in other aspects like (you wouldn't believe this) grammar and capitalization!  So be sure to check things out in this blog.

We will make the whole online world see how corrupt the Philippine job market is as reflected in its job ads.
mrsjice
3/23/2010 06:09:29 pm

I agree with you on the point that we do not have to wait for the government to help us find a suitable job for ourselves.

However, looking at it from the company’s point of view, I have to say that I understand why the job ads are printed in such a way that people might say that they are “discriminating”. If I own a company, however big or small, I would want to hire people with particular characteristics. And I don’t want to waste my time on reading through resumes when I can cut down the list from the start.

From the point of view of a job hunter, I would be choosing a company who places ads which shows that they hire people based on their skills and training. Nevertheless, a preference to age, gender and educational background will not discourage me from applying for a certain position which I feel that I am competent enough to handle. I also have to point out that before barging in and submitting an unwanted resume, I will make it a point to know all about the company where I am applying for and the position which I desire. I need to understand why they prefer a certain age group, gender and educational experience. If I feel that their “discrimination” is grounded, I would concede and will not apply for the position anymore. But if I find no reason why I shouldn’t apply for the job because of certain characteristics, I will go ahead and apply. I will cite my reason for defying their process of segregation and I will convince them that I am suited for the job in spite of my gender, age and educational experience.

Job hunting is not easy, but I feel that it is part of building our character. Worthwhile companies are not just looking for an impressive resume but also for people who are pro-actively taking in control of their lives - particularly their career path. Someone who knows what they want, what they are capable of doing, what they are willing to learn and go out and get it amidst all obstacles without waiting for the government or anyone else to hold their hand, is someone who has a great potential of being an excellent worker and an asset to any company.

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3/24/2010 08:12:41 am

I understand some "reservations" on the part of the employer.

Yup, age group is the better term, not just age. Of course, I wouldn't hire someone in his or her 60's as a capoeira instructor, or hire a yummy papa (imagine Derek Ramsay) as a promodiser for lip stick and eye shadow.

And oh, about "defiance". I remember an instance when I applied for an editor position in a research firm. They were looking for someone got a college diploma, not more than 30 years old, and... uhm, female. I still applied. I am such a stubborn cookie, you know.

When I gave my resume to the pretty female receptionist, she said, "Sorry sir, female po hinahanap namin."

I firmly replied, "I got experience, I got editing skills, and I can do the job. Hindi ko kailangan maging babae para matutong mag-edit."

So they still gave me the exam, the initial interviews. I passed. And take note, as a male of the human species. I even made it to the final interview, but unfortunately I didn't get the job. It may have been my lack of college diploma that ended the lovely job huinting song, but definitely it was not the gender issue anymore.

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mrsjice
3/24/2010 05:32:20 pm

They may have a good reason why they want a female editor and if your lack of college diploma was the reason why you didn't get the job, i would say that it's their loss.

Reply
10/19/2010 02:05:09 pm

Faith is peaceful and comforting, as a result of it comes from inside exactly where nobody can invade your personal dreams.

Reply
10/20/2010 06:07:44 pm

Wonderful! I can't agree with you more. I benefit a lot from your blog. Very thanks! Have a good day.

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    About the Author

    Rai Cortez is a freelance musician, musicologist and writer from Cavite, Philippines.  He used to study in University of the Philippines Los Baños, but was forced to quit college due to financial constraints.  But despite his lack of a college degree, he was able to find opportunities in the Philippine corporate world.  He is currently working with a leading multi-national company as a data analyst.

    Despite his counter-academic beliefs, he never really abandoned his aspiration to continue his formal education.  In fact, he is planning to continue his college education via distance learning.

    His insterests are music, outdoor camping, comparative religion, and kung fu.

    He is happily married and has two yellow Labrador Retrievers as animal companions.

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