9 Reasons to Come Out in a Job Interview

[Will]

I've adapted this from here.

1. It shows you’re brave

Coming out is not easy. Religion is the norm, 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 being Christian you’re being dishonest. After all, you can smile and nod when someone asks if you go to church, but what happens when they ask which one? 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 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. Companies want to demonstrate that they have a diverse workforce, and an out-atheist would demonstrate real religious diversity.  

5. It normalizes it

For an increasing number of people â€" and this potentially includes your new boss â€"atheism 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 US and UK it’s actually illegal for a company to refuse to hire someone because of their religion (unless the organization is religious). 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 atheism 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 proselytizing

It’s depressing and a sign of weakness, but sometimes managers turn a blind eye to evangelism in the workplace. After all, it's ‘harmless’ â€" 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 evangelism a lot less appropriate, and it stops.

8. It saves time

Come out in the interview and hopefully the rumor mill will do some of the work for you before you start. People might pretend they haven’t heard that you’re an atheist, but chances are they probably will know â€" and that means they’ll not make some stupid faux pas that embarrasses you both on your first day.

9. It weeds out the fundamentalists

Of course you want a job, but in six months’ time do you really want to be stuck in an office of fundamentalists for 40 hours a week? Heaven knows you’ll be miserable then. (get it? heaven? never mind)


It's never supposed to be an easy thing to come out, it's a deeply personal decision that can bring with it serious consequences either way, but don't automatically rule out being honest about your beliefs. Who knows, by coming out you may end up finding an environemnt which is not hostile to you.

[curiosityandthecat]

Should put this on the HFT blog.

[Ninteen45]

Evangelism ain't a big thing in UK, but it seems to be getting steam.

I've had about 2 leaflets, one by the Jahova's witnesses, another by a "Church group for kids" thing... not overtly religious, the most religion there is some leaflets on a wall and a kiddies bible.

Anyway, the topic.

I'm more worried admitting I'm autistic than atheist...

[Whitney]

While I get the point of this....unless the potential employer brings up religion, how would it be appropriate to out yourself at a job interview.

[Will]

I mean this more as a "if they ask, you should consider these things before lying or deflecting" kinda thing.

[LoneMateria]

In the U.S. it's illegal to discriminate based on religious beliefs (as mentioned in the main post).  That being said employers shouldn't ask what religion you are part of.  After all by doing so opens the grounds for lawsuits which will cost them money (in legal fees) and a lot of money if proven.  If a potential employer asked me what my religious beliefs are I would say something along the lines of, "My religious beliefs, or lack there of, are my own and have no bearing on how well or how qualified I am to do this job."  

This topic was mentioned on an episode of The Non-Prophets (link in my siggie).  I'm not sure which one.  But one of the guys has worked for a company (for 6 months, a year something like that) which has a very Christian mission statement.  But the company (I think its Oracle) is the leading company in its field (In this case database management for major corporations) and he got hired at a good pay rate as a supervisor.  This coming out is very situational, in my opinion, because if you need the money or working for the company will give you valuable experience, coming out might not be the best course of action.  For example there are no jobs anywhere near me for computer programming that I am qualified for.  I need to get my foot in the door of a company or get some contract work to gain experience so I can be qualified for the better jobs.  If I were getting an interview at a company thats very Christian i'm not going to give them any reason to not consider me for the position.  I will (try to) bite my tongue if people start spouting off some Christian bullshit and do my damnedest not to participate in their conversations until I build up the experience to get the fuck out of there.  

It all depends on the situation.  If you have a good degree with plenty of experience and are looking for a change then coming out might be a good course of action but you need to weigh the pros and cons of a given situation before making that decision.