How Room Rater Exposes Classism in Job Interviews
I think my fabulous background may have cost me a job
Let me start by saying — Room Rater is a fun concept and a guilty pleasure. Covid has given us a literal window into people’s lives and I was all for the Zoom-fueled voyeurism until the spotlight was on me.
Last year, I moved my desk at least 3 times to hide my life from the rest of the world, but I’m somewhat lucky. I’m home alone for most of the workweek. My partner works outside the home, our kids are grown and they primarily visit during the holidays. Our condo is under renovation and a work in progress, but it’s relatively quiet and peaceful. The only background noise you might hear are our pets, a fire alarm chirp, or an occasional noisy neighbor.
Lately, I’ve been interviewing for jobs to supplement my income. All my interviews have been on Zoom. My latest interview opened with, “Wow, we’re doing Room Rater and you have the nicest house thus far.” I was too embarrassed to say, “Umm, this is a computer-generated background.”
I remember scouring the free, Zoom backgrounds on Pexels and finally settled on this picture because of the high-end layout.
