The screening with HR was standard. I moved forward to the next round with the hiring manager. The day before my interview I was sent the company’s DEI report and told the manager may “touch” on it. That’s fine and the head’s up appreciated. However, my entire thirty-minute interview with the hiring manager discussed DEI. There was not one single question about my background, experience, or why I felt I was a good fit for this position. While this role is competitive and I understand I may not have been picked as top candidate as plenty of people have my background, I never had the opportunity to explain my background or experience. Instead, the entire interview was focused on DEI. It felt very much like the manager was mining for information to determine if my political beliefs align with Affirm’s beliefs. To be clear, I am not anti-diversity, equity, or inclusion. In fact, one of the reasons I left my last position is because they did not value DEI and I refuse work for a company that treated some employees as less than. To base the entire interview process based on a candidate’s responses to unexpected questions regarding DEI while factoring in zero of their skills or experience is insane. Further, their DEI report references Roe vs Wade and the company’s stance on this decision. They have expanded benefits for employees to be able to travel for abortions. Regardless of anyone’s religious or political beliefs, it is within Affirm’s right to offer such benefits. However, what does this have to do with DEI? Nothing, that’s what. Including such a politically and religiously charged topic in their DEI report does nothing but discriminate and exclude a large portion of the population. My stance on abortion is irrelevant to my job just as Affirm’s stance is irrelevant to DEI. The interview process is a very important process to ensure candidates and companies can get to know each other. Cultural fit is an important part of that process. However, using the screening process to mine for someone’s political beliefs is discriminatory. Thank goodness Affirm and I both dodged a bullet. They successfully surmised I don’t have the “right” beliefs and I learned that I would have been discriminated against and had to hide my religious/political beliefs. Again, those beliefs are anything but anti-DEI. Also, I have a preferred name which is my legal name, it’s just not my first name. Despite my resume, app, and verbal communication stating this, they continued to call me by my non-preferred name. Ironic given the above that they could not manage to call me by the right name. Run far away from this company. Even if you align with their political stance, why would you want to work for a company that supports such discrimination?

I can confirm I had the same experience as the person who also posted previously. This “interview” was more of a monologue by the hiring manager about the role (which confirmed absolutely nothing specific about the role) and Affirm. I was only asked about DEI and I was absolutely not asked any questions about my previous experience or skills or ability to perform the role. Nothing, zip, nada- there was no actual interview. For what it is worth, the HR team was great.