Could an Employer Detect Your Political Leanings from Your Resumé?
<img src=”https://www.abajournal.com/images/main_images/NewClipboard.jpg” alt=”image” width=”107” height=”140”
This week, a New York Times ethicist weighed in on a hiring lawyer’s query about whether it was ethical to favor job applicants who were not members of the Federalist Society over those who were.
The Times’ Randy Cohen came down against taking political views into consideration. However, he checked back with the lawyer and learned he decided against hiring any candidates who were Federalist Society members.
Ethics aside, those who are active in social causes either see these involvements as something future employers should know about—or don’t, and will either decide to or decide against putting them on their resumés.
So what we want to know is: Could an employer detect your political leanings, or causes near and dear to your heart, from looking at your resumé? What is the reasoning behind your decision? Bonus if you have an anecdote about being subjected to a political litmus test while job hunting.
Answer in the comments below.
Read answers to last week’s question: “Is Your Office Supporting Any Charities This Holiday Season?”
Featured answer:
Posted by MH: “We each give a gift to a foster child to open at a DSS holiday party in early December. I always enjoy it, but it was even more fun than usual this year because of an interesting coincidence. My assistant makes lovely cards and handmade gifts and shares them with us all at the office on a regular basis. She was excited to be assigned to give a gift to a teenager with similar interests and bought a lovely gift for the young girl, including a handmade card. Yesterday, our former receptionist stopped by with a teenage girl that none of us had met. The girl with her was her foster daughter, and the DSS party had been the night before. Apparently, the girl had been waxing eloquent about the gift and excitedly showed her that she had also received a lovely handmade card. As soon as her foster mom saw the card, she thought the style looked familiar. Once she opened it, she saw the handwriting and knew. Of all the people who participate in the program, my assistant had been randomly assigned to give to the foster child of a friend and former co-worker. It was wonderful to see how thrilled this young girl was with her gift. She said it was the best gift she’d gotten in her entire life, and I think she meant it. Usually we send the gifts off and never know how they are received, so it was quite enjoyable to see what a positive experience it created for one young lady.”
