So yesterday I applied to a job I thought looked amazing (related to forestry). Today I got a call and had the weirdest and most concerning pre-screening interview of my life. This is how it went down:
Hiring Manager (HM): Hi is this the applicant?
Me: yes
HM: Ok…. I looked you up and saw you posted “Eid Mubarak”. Is this true?
*At this point I'm thinking maybe he's had issues with islamophobes and wants to confirm I'm not going to be against him.*
Me: I don't remember doing so but a lot of my friends are Muslim so I wouldn't be surprised if I did.
HM: So you support the oppression of women?
Me: No I don't. But a lot of religions have a history of oppressing women
HM: That's not true. Think of Muslim countries. So what do you say about the women being forced to wear the hijab?
Me: I don't support that. Also, a lot of my friends who are Muslim don't wear the hijab and the ones who do, wear it because they want to.
HM: Alright. What are your salary expectations?
After the call, I did some digging and every single review says the HM (who is the owner) is crazy and working there is horrible. I also feel this is a thin line of religious discrimination for hiring. I was wondering if it was possible to report this guy? This is very summarized but based off what other people are saying, this is normal for him. Any advice is appreciated! I'm in Canada/Ontario. I know the laws vary!
I also had a look at all my social media and I NEVER posted anything about Eid. So either he looked at the wrong person (I highly doubt it since I have a uncommon last name) OR he asks this as an interview question to weed out the people like me who don't see anything wrong with Freedom of Religion. I have also blocked his number because I never want to hear back from him.