Job Discussion Forums

[periodista-masajista]

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fi-mexhiring23oct23,1,456814.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage

This article from the Oct 23 LA Times describes discriminatory hiring practices in Mexico. There's a discussion of US companies doing business in Mexico who have non-discriminatory practices written into company policy...but of course that's kind of hard to implement when the local culture has other standards.

Let the old, fat, dark and fertile beware!

[Polly0607]

I know several people who work for American companies, especially in human resources. These companies in no way force their human resources staff to follow U.S. law or hiring practices.

Some of the international companies in my city are: Proctor and Gamble, Chrysler, Mattel, Nestle and General Motors.

I think the article is right when it says that these companies don't follow the law from their own countries because they don't have to. They do it because they can get away with it.

Pretty much all employers here ask for your picture on the resume, your age, your religion, where you live, who you live with, the names of several family members, whether you have a family member already working at the company, whether you have any children and their ages, your parents occupations, your debts, your medical history etc. etc.

American companies are no exception. Should they begin to set an example? What would push them to do such a thing?

[Guy Courchesne]

They only need to follow Mexican law. The problem in Mexico is enforcement. Anti-discrimination laws are on the books and while not the same as in the US or Canada, they either aren't enforced or I imagine bribery makes any problems go away.

[Samantha]

Right on....there isn't many secrets in this country. I found that awkward at first. People come right out and ask what they want to know. Teachers from north of the border have to lose that "they can't ask me that" notion. The newspaper is full of ads specifying how young and beautiful you should be!

[Ben Round de Bloc]

As a potential job applicant, I prefer to know ahead of time that I won't be hired because of my age, gender, religion, or shoe size instead of being led to believe that an employer doesn't discriminate in his hiring practices, going through the whole process of applying for a job, and then not getting hired because of one of the reasons mentioned above. Discriminatory hiring practices or not, at my age and with my experience and qualifications, I'm far more employable as a teacher in Mexico than in the USA.

[MikeySaid]

[Guy Courchesne]

In my experience, only religious schools will ask of your faith. Nobody else does. I think what Polly writes is bang on for Mexicans in other jobs, but not for schools.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Samantha]

Yes, that happens here too. One of the largest and most prestigious private schools is Catholic. They hire a bilingual foreigner now and again, and that person best be Catholic.

[hlamb]

I was askd by a language school what my religious views were. I'm not Catholic or anything else, but consider myself to be tolerant towards all religions. I was surprised by the question, because I had just arrived in Mexico but answered honestly. I didn't get the job, but they also wanted someone with more experience (they told me that before the religious question came up).

[Polly0607]

Yes, I can confirm that this is a question on any standard job application as well as many questions you may be uncomfortable with.

I was asked all the questions that I posted above. I�m sure I missed some, I was trying to remember my job application when I got here three years ago.

This was from what some say is the most prestigious school in Mexico.

[FreddyM]

[M@tt]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[saraswati]