- Applicant rejected from remote tax accountant role due to not having an American accent
- Job involved backend tasks, not heavily client-facing, per the applicant's description
- Recruiter cited client complaints about strong accents as reason for immediate rejection
In a bizarre case, a job applicant from Europe said they were rejected for a remote junior tax accountant role for not having an American accent. Questioning the process, the applicant detailed in a social media post that they had applied for a job that required them to enter tax documents, review client documentation, organise files, check data accuracy, and support tax preparers. Despite the job description making it seem like it was not heavily client-facing, HR rejected them.
The rejection came during the 15-minute HR interview, where the recruiter asked them to explain their professional background.
"After I finished, she told me straight away that I have a “very strong accent,” that the company pays a lot of attention to accents because the role is client-facing and clients complain, and that I should have an, 'American accent or no accent at all,'" the applicant wrote.
"She then said that because I have an accent, she could not offer me anything, and ended the interview," they added.
The rejection left the applicant confused, as they had worked in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Italy, among other countries where they had not faced any issues with their English.
"What confused me is that I've been living in Europe for around six years and have studied and worked in English throughout that time," they said.
"My bachelor's degree in Italy was taught in English, my current MSc is in an international environment, and English was the working language in my previous roles at multinational companies. I also use English every day in my personal life."
The applicant said they understood if it was a client-facing role, but saying someone needs an "American accent" for a backend job seemed odd.
"I understand that a client-facing role can require clear communication. But saying someone needs an “American accent or no accent” seems very different from assessing whether they can communicate clearly."
Check The Post Here:
HR rejected me because I don't have an “American accent”, is this normal?
by u/No_Cardiologist9904 in recruitinghell
Social Media Reactions
As the post gained traction, social media users empathised with the applicant and questioned the recruitment team's decision.
"No accent means 'no immigrants'. This is very thinly veiled racism, and is right on the limit of illegal discrimination. You don't want to work here. Move," said one user, while another added: "Yeah that's actual factual racial discrimination; if you want to, you could absolutely file a complaint with the board of labor wherever they are."
A third commented: "Unless it is a customer-facing role where a smooth accent is essential for effective communication, that is just a ridiculous ask, particularly for a back-end desk job."
A fourth said: "Ridiculous. If you can be understood, then it's ridiculous. I've worked with people; it took me weeks to tune into their accent, but once I had it it was fine. Sounds like they flat-out rejected you on that basis alone, which is illegal, I would hope."
