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‘Unemployed’ is a scary word, and ‘unemployed in a recession’ is a scarier phrase.

So when you finally do get a job interview everyone knows you should dress smart, smile lots and don’t do anything that might stack the odds against you… like reveal that you’re gay. Right? Wrong wrong wrong, writes Rosie Kirk.

Coming out

Imagine this scenario: it’s the end of the job interview. It’s gone well, and the boss is just wrapping up with some final chit chat. She asks you how you got to the office. “My partner gave me a lift,” you say. “That was good of him,” she says.

Except it wasn’t good of ‘him’, it was good of ‘her’. What do you do? Should you come out in a job interview? Yes. And here are 9 reasons why.

1. It shows you’re brave

Coming out is not easy. Homophobia is rife, and you never know how people are going to react. To come out to a stranger who wields power over you is therefore a brave decision. A smart employer will see that, and see the benefit of hiring someone who has guts and will stand up for themselves.

2. It shows you’re honest

The unfair truth is that by not correcting an assumption of heterosexuality you’re being dishonest. After all, you can smile and nod when someone asks if you have a boyfriend, but what happens when they ask his name? Make up one lie and you’ll find yourself telling more and more lies until you’ve fabricated an entire life.

3. It’s flattering to the company

Most companies like to think that they are welcoming, forward-thinking places that would never dream of discriminating against LGBT people. By coming out in an interview you flatter them by showing that you believe the hype. After all it might even be true.

4. It ticks boxes

Positive discrimination: the bane of every privileged, white, male Daily Mail reader. It’s true that many companies are trying to recruit more diverse workforces, but sorry your sexuality won’t win you the job. After all if it were that easy everyone wouldn’t claim to be a wheelchair-using non-Caucasian LGBT person…?

5. It normalises it

For an increasing number of people – and this potentially includes your new boss – sexuality just isn’t a big deal. Drop it into conversation and they won’t bat an eyelid, and you’ll wonder what all the fuss was ever about.

6. You’ve got nothing to lose

In the UK it’s actually illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone because of their sexuality. So if you’re sure that coming out lost you the place then you have grounds to take them to court. Of course the big problem is proving that your sexuality was the reason you didn’t get the job. But if you think you have a case, especially if you have any evidence, get legal advice.

7. It cuts down on gay jokes

It’s depressing and a sign of weakness, but sometimes managers turn a blind eye to jokes made against gays/immigrants/insert other minority here. After all, the jokes are ‘harmless’ – ie there’s no one around of that minority to get upset. But, magically, having a real-life minority in the room suddenly makes the jokes a whole lot unfunnier, and the jokes stop.

8. It saves time
Come out in the interview and hopefully the rumour mill will do some of the work for you before you start. People might pretend they haven’t heard that you’re gay, but chances are they probably will know – and that means they’ll not make some stupid faux pas that embarrasses you both on your first day.

9. It weeds out the homophobes

Of course you want a job, but in six months’ time do you really want to be stuck in an office of homophobes for 40 hours a week? Heaven knows you’ll be miserable then.

Coming out as a ‘lifestyle choice’

Coming out is a life-long process. You might be 100% out, but every time you meet someone new, whether they’re an acquaintance, a neighbour or a work colleague, you have to come out all over again.

Remember it’s not about ‘flaunting’ your sexuality or ‘pushing it in people’s faces’ – it’s just redressing the assumption, mostly made by heterosexuals, and made by heterosexuals most of the time, that everyone else is heteroseuxal too.

And that assumption applies to you too – when worrying about whether or not to come out, consider this: what makes you so certain that your boss is heterosexual?

Posted in: Exclusives |