Tag Archives: interview

How Navigate the Job Market: A Brief Guide for Transgender People

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For my first blog post as a CP&R blogger, I wrote about what it’s like to be a transgender person trying to get dressed for a job interview, and shared some of my own experiences and anxieties about the process. Since then, I’ve talked to some of my transgender friends, and they’ve shared some tips on how to navigate the job market as a college-age trans person. Here are some of the questions I asked, and how my friends answered them!

(Note that all of these people will be kept anonymous.)

  • If you want to be out to a potential employer, should you disclose that you’re trans at your interview? The people I asked agreed that no, probably not, because it can get awkward if you come out face-to-face. However, one of them shared with me that it can be a good idea to put your preferred name and pronouns in a cover letter, even if a cover letter isn’t required for the application. “It’s easier to deal with an interview if you’ve already put your cards on the table in a cover letter,” they said. I’d add that this is probably a good strategy if you know the company is LGBT-friendly and also if you are nonbinary/genderqueer or you are frequently perceived as the wrong gender.
  • How do you structure a cover letter in which you come out to your employer? Do you lead with the information or save it for the end? My friend advised me to save it for the end of the letter. “You don’t want to shock them right off the bat or anything,” they said, and laughed. I agree with this strategy; however, if you’re really concerned that you might shock your potential employer with your gender, you might want to investigate other companies or evaluate whether or not you want to come out to them. Always be safe.
  • How do you handle it if your name isn’t changed legally? “You don’t actually need to use your legal name in your cover letter, app, or resume,” another of my friends shared with me. “Your legal name is really only needed for a background check once you’re hired. You don’t have to lead with it if you don’t want to.” I think this is a good idea if you don’t have your name and/or gender marker changed legally, but you are read as your correct gender.
  • What are some tips for staying under the radar if you really want a job but you also really don’t want to come out as trans to that potential employer? Before I get into what my friends said, I’d like to add that that’s totally fine. It’s always your choice. You aren’t a “bad trans person” or  a “coward” if you don’t want to be out. But to share what my friends said: they advised to be careful about what you’re putting on your resume. If you’ve done work in the LGBT community, like with LGBT nonprofits and school organizations, consider whether you want to put that on your resume–if you’re really concerned about an employer being “suspicious.” Or make sure to frame it by sharing that you’re an “ally” rather than a member of the LGBT community.
  • Do you have any other wisdom to share about being trans in the job market? “Keep track of what laws are changing now,” one of my friends said, “always know your rights.” Especially now that we have a new president, you should always know the ins and outs of gender discrimination laws. In my opinion, you should always play it safe: if it feels better to be stealth, be stealth. If you feel safer dressing as your assigned gender and going by your legal name, do that. Do what makes you feel comfortable, and keep an eye on your surroundings to make sure that you’re being safe.

4 Tips for Answering That Tough Job Application Question

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My first semester of college was a definite challenge, as it is for many people. On top of the stress of classes, being in a new environment, and making friends, I was trying to figure out what medications I needed to manage my bipolar disorder. Come finals week of that semester, I had figured out the right dosages and was feeling better than I had in years, but the process had been stressful enough that I had to drop down from four classes to three classes and move out of the room I shared with two other students into my own single room. Basically, during my first semester of college I was fighting my own brain, and it was a terrible experience.

What you just read is the raw material for the story that I used on my last job application when asked, “What is a struggle you have overcome?” Now, how can you spin that story so it’s ultimately a tale of overcoming something? Here are a few tips!

  • Make your answer all about how you solved a problem. The moral of the story needs to be how you solved a problem, whether that problem was the faulty wiring in your brain or the heavy workload, or anything else. Just think about how you “fixed” whatever struggle you were facing.
  • Don’t stray too far from the truth. I’m a writer, so I absolutely understand the impulse to make your story seem more intense than it truly was. However, when it comes to these stories, don’t  stray too far from the reality of what happened. Avoid the possibility that you might be caught in a lie. In any case, everyone has overcome something in their lives; I’m sure you can think of some problem you’ve had to solve. My own story about coping with my mental illness certainly doesn’t make me sound particularly heroic, but it doesn’t have to: it just has to be about how I applied a skill to a difficult situation.
  • Rephrase the question. If you’re having a hard time thinking of how to answer the question, try rephrasing it in your head before answering it. A question along the lines of, “What is a struggle you have overcome?” can be rephrased in a few different ways. For example, “How did I make my tough situation less tough for myself?” or “How did I use my skills to solve a problem I faced?”
  • Highlight an important skill you learned or demonstrated. Make sure the reader knows that your story taught you something that is relevant to the job you’re applying for, whether it was how to manage your time, how to prioritize, how to put your trust in a coworker, or basically anything. Alternately, show how the situation gave you the chance to apply a skill you already had.  I “fixed” the problem I faced during my first semester of college by knowing when to ask for help, which was a skill I already had, but was able to apply in that situation.

I hope these tips have been helpful, and can help you write a better answer to the ever-so-popular question along the lines of “Describe how you have solved a problem.”

Gender and the Politics of My Outfit

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In October of 2016, I attended a networking trip to Los Angeles with Scripps CP&R. I was excited for the trip, but full of anxiety about how to dress. I am a transgender man, I had to decide whether to dress comfortably in men’s clothes or dress safely in women’s clothes. Picking a first impression outfit becomes more difficult when I’m not sure how interviewers and potential employers will read me.

Everyone worries about what to wear to an interview, a company visit, or the first day of work. We worry what interviewers and employers will think of us, and whether our appearances will help or hurt us in our attempt to get a job. But some people have to worry more: women have to worry about the high and ever-changing standards placed on their appearances; People of color have to worry about the ways in which their natural skin or hair might be perceived as “unprofessional”; transgender people, too, have to worry about how they present themselves to potential employers, often with the stakes of their safety and their careers.

The decision of “should I dress masculinely or femininely?” also relies on my status as a pre-hormone therapy and pre-surgery transgender person. For any transgender person who isn’t always read as their true gender, deciding whether or not to attempt to “pass” is a constant question. When I get dressed for an interview, I have to decide whether I am going to try to be read as a man, and perhaps fail, or give up and dress in women’s clothes. Wearing men’s clothes means I feel more comfortable in my clothes, but my clothes might influence whether or not I get a job–I might be perceived as a transgender person or as a lesbian, and an employer could, knowingly or subconsciously, decide that someone else is “better-qualified” for the position because they perceive me as a member of the LGBT community.

Dressing in women’s clothes means I will feel uncomfortable in my clothes and definitely uncomfortable in the way I am perceived, but might have a better chance of getting the job or internship I’m trying to get. During the trip in October, after much anxiety, I chose to wear a blouse, a women’s blazer, and trousers, as well as a full face of makeup for the first day of company visits. Wearing these clothes felt outside my range of comfort: I would have much preferred to wear a men’s shirt and maybe a tie.

I was once talking to a transgender friend about how to dress for an interview, and he told me that it was the most important thing to be true to myself: however, I think that sometimes I have to just make the choice that will keep me safe and ensure that minimal drama arises in my life. Sometimes that means being uncomfortable, but, to me, that’s a necessary sacrifice.

If I learned one thing from the networking trip, it was that in the future I would do research on whether the companies I want to employ me are LGBT-friendly. I recommend, for other transgender job searchers, doing your research. Try calling or emailing human resources at your target companies if you can’t find the information online, or reaching out to any connections you might have at those companies. Once you know whether a company will support your identity, you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s worth it to pursue a job at that company.

Sometimes going undercover as your assigned gender might be worth it for a while; sometimes it might be a better option to not pursue positions at companies that don’t support transgender employees. It’s up to you, but having all the information is key and can definitely cut down on anxiety. Ultimately, it’s most important to remain safe, and only take the risks you’re comfortable taking–and make sure you have all the information first.

Further reading: “How to Manage a Job Search as a Transgender Candidate”

Living, breathing, and interviewing fashion

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Because next summer is so far away, I started planning the ways in which I could fill the fast-approaching winter break with ways to get job experience, or money, at the very least. Last winter break was a bleak, depressing stretch of time in which I was desperately bored when I wasn’t celebrating the holidays (a mere four days out of the month, mind you). By the end of it, I had started talking to my dogs, who I was home alone with all day as my mom, dad, and brother returned to work and school. In order to avoid such repetitious fate, I took to the web to see what internships would be available to me in New York City over that period of time.

One of the most helpful things I stumbled upon in this search was the website ed2010.com, which caters directly to people interested in editorial internships. Magazines and websites post there frequently looking for writers. Though I don’t really know what type of writing I want to exactly be involved in, I felt that winter break was a solid amount of time to try out, but not fully commit, to some industry that I was interested in. Looking at the website, it quickly became apparent to me that fashion magazines were the ones seeking interns the most. I knew that a lot of Scripps women had been involved in the fashion journalism industry, and that we had a good reputation within it, so I decided to apply to one internship at a fashion website that had posted a listing just that day. The application didn’t require a cover letter, just a resumé and a short blurb detailing your work availability. I sent it in, and, in what has rarely ever happened to me, I got a personal response thanking me for my application.

I don’t know what Gods had shined down upon me that day, but later that week I was emailed requesting a phone interview. I felt incredible. On top of the world. Even if I didn’t get the job, I could see myself later boasting the accomplishment of getting a phone interview to my friends and family.

In order to prepare for the interview, I did my research on what the website’s brand was all about. I read their articles (even when, honestly, I hadn’t before), decided firmly what my favorite brand of eyeliner was, and started thinking of ways that I could eat, breathe, and sleep fashion. Though the fashion world was something that I’ve always been interested in, I always found myself to be intimidated by it. I had to figure out how to make myself a contender, so I did. I also started thinking deeply about the importance of fashion journalism, and how it was shaping the idea of what modern, progressive women looked like, and how it could be something that I wanted to be a part of.

When the interview came, I faked it til I made it. I spouted off the names of articles that had just been posted on their website, detailing why I liked them and why I saw them as important. The interviewer and I bonded over our love for poetry, and the way that writing about the Kardashians was kind-of stupid, but it got a lot of hits, so it had to be done. I emphasized my hard-working nature; I found myself relating back to my past experience more often than I thought I would, as I mentioned how I constantly had to keep myself busy working in an ice-cream shop and with second graders. I worried that I wasn’t well-versed enough in the industry, but I think that overall, the quality of being a hard-worker with a passionate drive won out: I got the job.

I’m a little nervous for what this job entails, but luckily, I got it at the right time: with Black Friday and Cyber Monday happening, I’m able to shape up my wardrobe and buy a bunch of cute clothes to fit my new “fashion intern” persona. I also plan on expanding my research in the next month, and reading up on magazines like Vogue, Elle, and Instyle to see what the latest trends are. Though I wasn’t sure at first if I even wanted the job, now that I have it, I’m beyond excited to dedicate my time to exploring a new industry that I could really see myself in.

Nerve-wracking Experiences and career faux-pas

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My biggest career faux-pas consisted of me scheduling an interview at 9 am the morning after a red-eye flight that had gotten into EWR at 6 am. I was running on three hours of sleep and an inconsistently large amount of coffee, which has always given me the jitters and made me nauseous. I was sweating like a pig and stuttering like a parrot. I had never been on a real-job interview before, let alone on three hours of sleep, and my sleep-deprived and anxious mental state made the whole experience a blur. When I seriously try and recount it now, this is all that I really remember- not what I learned about the job, or about how to interview.

The timing of the interview was only one aspect of the event that went wrong. Aside from my lack of sleep, I didn’t have a printed resumé like everyone else in the interview had. I was wearing a weird-looking “professional” shirt when everyone else was wearing something chic and “New York.” I probably was focusing too much on what “everyone else” was doing, but it was my first experience even dipping my toe in the professional world. And the professional world got a real impression of me. I guess in a way I was honest- I would be terribly sleep deprived and coffee-addled for a lot of days on the job (which I would later get!) but I wish I had the experience of putting my best foot forward for a job interview, and could actually remember my mistakes well enough to learn from them.

Aside from that one interview, I’ve realized throughout my experience that I have a lot of nervous ticks. These don’t just come out in interviews, but any time that I’m just starting a job and nervous about how I’ll do there. When I feel like I have a lot to lose, I get quiet and anxious, pulling at my hair or picking at my fingers and especially being clumsy. During my first week in the restaurant I used to work at, I broke a glass- not when I was serving customers, but when I was drinking water in the back with my coworkers. At another job, I spilled four separate glasses of water on the owner of the restaurant. That was my first and my last day there- it was a formal restaurant, and the extensive list of rules I had to abide by made me even more nervous than I already was. I’ve found that the best way to combat these nerves it to just try and remain reassured in my experience and myself. I have to really think about not saying “like” or “um,” sometimes, or to twiddle my hair or my hands, but I know if I focus enough, I can accomplish just that.