My CHRISTIAN Applicant

[mondo joe]

I'm recruiting for a position at work and one appliant's email included his sig line about Jesus.

I don't care about the religion of people I hire - in fact I assume most are Christian.

There is a PR component to the job and this email told me this applicant was pretty clueless about communications.

I just wonder when the "persecuted" Christians decided their religion was no longer a personal matter but materiial for every exchange.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Religious signatures are not appropriate business etiquette

anyone involved in outward-facing jobs like sales or communications should know this.

[Deja Q]

11. I've seen a LOT more religious symbols on corporate trucks. Especially

the damn fish, if not the usual shoveling of "Jesus this" and "Christian that". It's "ALL malarkey" and "ALL about taking your money".

Dog eat dog should devour its own fucking self and leave the lambs to live.

[Protagoras]

15. My car has a Fish on it...but the fish has legs

Best of both worlds?

[davidinalameda]

2. so can you cut this person for other reasons

if not, he has a juicy little lawsuit on his hands if you don't hire him

[mondo joe]

4. We've got dozens of applicants. Does every one I don't hire

have a juicy lawsuit?

[The White Tree]

5. I wouldn't think so

It would seem that the lack of understanding that - sig line - are not proper in the buisness world demonstrates that this candidate does not have the proper attention to detail to be considered for the job.

It's not what the sig line says, rather that it is included at all in a buisness e-mail. You wouldn't expect the applicant to include personal quotations on his written correspondance. This is no differant.

[mondo joe]

12. Indeed. I wouldn't hire anyone with a political, religious or otherwise

divisive sig line for a communications/pr job -- even if it was a sentiment I agreed with.

I am scrupulous in not including such personal statements in my work communications and I'd expect anyone working on my team to do the same.

It's just a sign of not considering your audience to include it in this application.

[Bill McBlueState]

3. persecution

It's interesting that he's so terribly persecuted, he doesn't think an open acknowledgment of his religion will adversely affect his application. I wonder how many interviews an applicant would get if he included an obvious Wiccan, Muslim, or atheist statement in his e-mail.

[rock]

9. Well put!

[MindPilot]

6. The person probably assumed everyone is christian

or they just know that being a Christian makes a person better and therefore most qualified.

[arwalden]

7. Kinda Like Putting Jesus-Fish In Yellow Pages Ads...

... they are trying to convince us that they are trustworthy and an honorable business.

[mondo joe]

13. Those fish are a way to make more $ by saying "we're in the same club...

...so buy from me!"

[arwalden]

20. Last Week, A "JesuS SAVES" Bumper Sticker On The Door Of The Barbershop...

... made me turn around and walk back to my car. Apparently advertising for Jesus is more important than having my business.

If anyone inside the barbershop saw me turn around ad leave, they probably thought that I had forgotten my wallet. my I suppose I could have (should have?) said something... after all I was within A FOOT of reaching for the door handle. But I decided to be "nice" and non-confrontational and simply walk away.

[mondo joe]

21. I understand the "sign" to others when you're in the minority, but in

the US advertising that you're "in the club" just seems like bullying to me.

[BOSSHOG]

8. Actually if one flaunted his christianity

and I were the potential employer, I would consider the person consumed with irrationality; one who would allow his beliefs to override black and white facts, therefore not a potential asset to my business. I wouldn't hire him. That would be one helluva a lawsuit.

[madrchsod]

10. i would say they are clueless

the applicant assumes that you are a christian therefor he has better chance in getting the job. i wonder if he thought you maybe jewish,moslem,or an eastern religion? who ever this is isn`t worth considering as an employee.

[gmoney]

14. He's hoping for a positive reaction maybe?

Hoping that there are fundie HR people out there who might allow this resume to ascend to the top of the stack because he can cut and paste a freakin' Bible quote.

I mean isn't it a little like listing your fraternity on your resume? "Beta Theta Pi? Why didn't you say so, bra?"

Don't hire him... he'll be happier elsewhere. Like the Air Force Academy.

[Kathleen04]

16. Is that their personal e-mail?

They might just not have thought to turn it off, which is a mistake, but I'd weigh the other aspects of their application above that..

[mondo joe]

17. It's their personal email - in many regards they are not well qualified

but a mistake like this - even if an accident - is not a good sign.

Similarly people who demonstrate poor grammar, or have typos in their cover letter, do not make it to interviwe with me.

When your job is communications, communications accidents count.

[Kathleen04]

18. Attention to detail is important

Especially if there are other similarly or better qualified candidates for this same position. And, I agree with you about special considerations due to the nature of this particular job (in communications). It sounds like you know what to look for when hiring. :thumbsup:

[Modem Butterfly]

19. One of the first things I look for on a resume

Misspellings, poor grammar, inconsistencies, and inappropriate e-mail addresses. Doesn't matter if it's jesusfreak777 or big14u (both real, on my mother's name), just don't use them on your resume. It makes you look like a careless idiot.

[jswordy]

22. I agree with everything said here about how religion...

...is not proper business etiquette. Furthermore, mondo joe, I would not worry any about passing him over, as a fundie will see the Christian tagline at some other job he applies for and both offer it to him and raise the base salary, as well.

After all, the line that would be divisive in a PR/sales/communication position has the dual purpose of alerting fellow fundies that this one of them, biasing their own selection process. And I am sure it is for that reason it was included. To better his chances.

As a side comment, I have now hired 3 different contractors who wore their Christianity on their sleeves in my life, and I have been shafted by all 3. I will NEVER do business with someone displaying a fish or telling me openly that they are Christian during our business discussion ever again. To me, the open display or expression of that in a business setting is now a red flag.

That doesn't mean I will never deal with Christians again. I just have had three consistently bad expereinces with the ones who wear it on their sleeves, at a cost to me of thousands of dollars.

I include this as my way of saying your instincts about its inappropriateness in a business setting are correct. You would instantly lose my business if he emailed me with that tagline in his sig. Yet on the other hand, if he did not proselytize but still had those beliefs, unexpressed as part of our business discourse, then everything would be fine and our business would likely be conducted.