I just received an email from somewhere I once applied for a job. Sure, it was, admittedly, a crappy job, but it would have been a job anyway, and those aren’t very plentiful, certainly not in a depressed city like the one in which I live.
When last I talked to this company, they asked me to come in to fill out an application…or interview…or check out the operation…I forget exactly, but something caused me to mention that I would need an accommodation. This led to mentioning that I could happily provide my own, negating the need for the “you’re too expensive” argument. I got put on hold. When the agent came back, I think her name was Jessica, she unsurprisingly told me that, due to the sensitive nature of their data, any software such as that which i would require would pose a “security risk”, and so, unfortunately, she was sorry, but they couldn’t help me.
This stance didn’t stop them from sending me this email:
Dear Clyde,
I have good news! DialAmerica is growing, especially in our Erie office, and we’d like to invite you to apply again.
We have both full and part time positions available and offer:
A variety of daytime, evening and weekend schedules to help balance your work/life needs
Rapid advancement opportunities – we promote from within
Guaranteed salary plus incentives
Paid on-the-job training and weekly pay checks with direct deposit
A great family atmosphere, committed to your success
If you are conversational, articulate, engaging and have a positive attitude, please give us a call. And students, now is the perfect time to lock in your summer job.
Please click on the link below to apply online or call our recruiting team for more information.
Apply Here: http://dial.am/ROM5
Regards,
DialAmerica Recruiting Team
DialCareersErie@dialamerica.com
814-835-8194
DialAmerica – Where YOU Make the Difference!
Click here to unsubscribe from future emails.
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE:
This e-mail message may contain confidential information that is intended only for the named recipient(s) above. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail or its attachments is strictly prohibited. If you received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by replying to this e-mail and deleting the message and any attachments from your system.
I didn’t unsubscribe from their email list, and maybe I should. I only just now noticed the confidentiality notice at the bottom, which, as we all know, is a ludicrous thing to put on any email anyway.
I’m pretty sure that the following will end up in a black hole and no one will actually see it, but what I replied back to them, below, is a classic example of how not to handle this kind of situation. I knew this when I sent it. In my defense, I somehow can’t manage to care about what this company thinks of me, and it seems likely there’s no actual bridge for me to burn. And anyway, I’m pretty sure that you wish you could, or would, or had, written something like this yourself. Right?
Huh. I’m not even sure why you’re emailing me, considering last time I called to enquire, your recruiting person actually told me that you couldn’t accommodate my disability. Specifically, and in my opinion incorrectly, that any screen reading software I would need to perform my job functions would pose “a security risk”. Considering that places like the Social Security Administration, Verizon, Internet service providers, the VA, and others who handle lots of sensitive data, use such software daily and widely, this sounds like a discriminatory and illegal stance to me. Kind of a shame I didn’t ask for this verdict in writing. Care to reconsider?
I’m sure you know exactly why this is the worst way to respond.
I still kinda feel better.