MAN CLAIMS HE HAS BEEN TURNED DOWN FOR JOBS DUE TO HIS LOOKS
AWELSH man has said he is unable to get a job and feels “overlooked” because of a facial disfigurement. Jay Short from Newport said he has been turned down for numerous jobs in recent months despite plenty of applications and years of experience in the sectors he’s applying to.
Jay, 39, has a facial disfigurement and said he has had to overcome numerous barriers because of his appearance.
He has been unsuccessful in about 30 job applications in the past few months and has had to apply for Universal Credit.
He recently had an interview for a role at a company he had applied to previously and said the hiring managers were “impressed” with his CV and experience and that his initial interview had gone well. However, he claims that when he was put forward for a video interview, things turned sour.
“I got myself ready, got onto the call and literally while I was turning my sound on, they disconnected the call,” he said.
Jay claims he later got a text message saying the company wouldn’t be taking his application further.
“I asked why and they replied saying they had interviewed me for a role before,” he said.
He added: “I used to be a manager and I’ve re-interviewed people 10 times for roles in the past and that’s never been a thing. Every company that has not fobbed me off has said feel free to apply for any position in the future.”
Jay said the incident had left him upset and that he had experienced numerous situations over the years where he felt he had been overlooked due to his appearance.
He said it has been especially hurtful as he has almost 20 years of experience in hospitality including running teams, events and functions. Despite this, even companies with roles below his level of experience are turning him down.
“Last summer I went to an interview where they said, ‘We love your CV’ and asked me to come in. I walked through the door and they were looking around, not coming out, talking to someone else in there. They eventually came out to me and said, ‘I’ve just given the job away.’ I just didn’t believe them as I’d spoken to them half an hour ago.
“They had spent the previous few days ringing me and making sure I was still coming. And then when I turned up they wouldn’t give me more than 30 seconds.”
Jay said he has had to overcome a lot of confidence issues over the years.
“It [my disfigurement] has never affected my ability to work anywhere. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom, from glass collecting to management roles, through all the obstacles, and then you’ve got some companies not giving people with disabilities a chance.
“I broke a lot of barriers and pushed myself to get out there. For years I had no confidence, I wouldn’t leave my house. It was when I started working that I built my confidence up, and that was going really well until Covid.”
He added: “I know people are struggling but places are crying out for people, and then there’s some companies that won’t even give you a chance because you don’t visually fit in with what they want. I go for inferior roles, like bar roles, and get told, ‘You’re not what we’re looking for’ over and over again. It’s quite heartbreaking and I can’t keep doing it.”
Jay said he often gets complimented in the early stages of applications before people meet him and “shut down”.
He said: “I’m struggling and I’m on Universal Credit, which doesn’t cover anything any more. It makes life extremely hard. There was one time last year that I had to choose between paying my rent and eating. My partner is fantastic and helps me out when she can, but I have always worked and I never wanted to be that person.”
Jay said he feels that many companies, despite being part of the Welsh Government Disability Confident scheme, are not playing their part.
He added: “I wanted to talk about it because I’m not going to be treated like that. One other person might see it and realise it’s the same thing that has happened to them.”