Today I had an interview for a job that aligned with my experience very well. Hence, I was feeling very competent going into it but the moment the interview started all of that changed.

The interview panel comprised of 2 women; a manager and a senior administrator. Firstly the manager told me she wasnt very comfortable with my background as I was coming up blur on her screen (I had team blurs filter on), so I removed the filter.

Then she asked me a question about something very specific to the role. Now this isnt something you would usually know if you dont work in that particular area so I told them what I could read up online and just said I had a rudimentary grasp of it. Think someone asking about the specifics of the blood donor register when you apply as a receptionist in the donation centre. And the manager just went “so you dont know about it” in a rather rude tone but i brushed it off.

Throughout the interview they kept mentioning how I would be working with a predominantly female population and if i am okay with that and how I would tailor my communication. This threw me off a little because why would i need to talk to women differently than I do men.

By this point in the interview I had pretty much decided we werent going to gel well and I would most likely withdraw my application after the interview. Also because the hours of the job were different to what they advertised it as and it just wasnt gonna work very well.

But in the end, I asked something I ask in every interview and that is “do you guys have any other questions for me at all”, its more so just out of formality and said just before the exit. I wouldnt normally phrase it that informally but I was a little on edge.

This is when the manager just went off. “It isnt very appropriate to call two women “guys”, thats very sexist. You have to learn to communicate with women in an appropriate manner” to which i mentioned i apologise for being informal but i use guys as a gender neutral term (only way i have ever heard it tbf) to which she responded “yes men often dont realise their micro aggressions towards women.”

I know i had a slip of tongue but I do think accusing me of sexism was a tad much. But I am open to learning if this was indeed inappropriate (I already realise it was informal, I mean more so in terms of sexism).