Would you bring up being gay, race or ethnicity during an interview?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How appropriate, I'm watching the latest episode of Veep, where Selena says - "what? I can't identify myself as a woman. Men hate that and women who hate women hate that". And there you have it.

Not the same thing at all.

Actually, it is. Men don't have to remind anyone that they're men because they are, by default, the ones with the majority of power.

Frankly, the military has a HUGE female problem right now and they are looking to fix that. Ride the wave and take advantage of that, OP. Most people working in the private sector don't get this, as all sorts of dirty shit is allowed to happen there because the burden of proof is so high and HR is happy to sweep you aside. The good thing about government is that there actually are meaningful systems in place to investigate claims.

I wouldn't come right out and say "I'm a woman - hire me!" But you can use buzzwords to allow the interviewer to connect the dots. You should definitely talk about how you look forward to mentoring and being a role model to younger soldiers. Also about how you bring a unique viewpoint and experience to the position - one that no other candidate can bring to the table. I think it's ok to talk around the gender issue in subtle ways, without specifically stating that they need to hire you simply because you're a woman. Your gender should be icing on the cake.

Anonymous wrote:How appropriate, I'm watching the latest episode of Veep, where Selena says - "what? I can't identify myself as a woman. Men hate that and women who hate women hate that". And there you have it.

Not the same thing at all.

How appropriate, I'm watching the latest episode of Veep, where Selena says - "what? I can't identify myself as a woman. Men hate that and women who hate women hate that". And there you have it.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Appreciate the feedback -- I can see how I can be viewed as a liability. Point well taken. I have good intentions and just really want this opportunity. I'm thinking too much about it -- they either want me or they don't.

Please don't use the word "empower". It's pretentious.

OP here. Appreciate the feedback -- I can see how I can be viewed as a liability. Point well taken. I have good intentions and just really want this opportunity. I'm thinking too much about it -- they either want me or they don't.

Anonymous wrote:As a woman and a hiring manager, I would be TOTALLY turned off by your approach to this OP. It is a huge mistake.

Agree. I'm actually a little surprised that OP doesn't seem to understand that.

As a woman and a hiring manager, I would be TOTALLY turned off by your approach to this OP. It is a huge mistake.

Anonymous wrote:We have yet to have a woman for a president. What's the reason for it? How is that different? OP seems to be dealing with a male dominated environment and is looking to break the pattern.

There is nothing wrong with that. But I would probably think twice about a candidate (and for arguments sake let's say two candidates have almost the exact same views since that is more like OP's scenario) who adds in "well a woman hasn't been President before so that's why you should vote for me!"

It is even worse in a working environment because employer's have to tread carefully with potential lawsuits and a candidate who comes out swinging the gender and "breaking apart the male dominated field" is going to be seen as a potential liability. They have no idea that if in 2 months they have to fire OP for poor performance that she's not going to go to a lawyer crying gender discrimination.