The folks at Vestra Inet, a Toronto web design firm, are hiring a "Content Writer & SEO Specialist." They posted a job description to LinkedIn and waited for the applications to roll in. Instead, it unleashed a torrent of outrage.
It reads like any other job ad for an online copywriter — until you get to the last line.
"Please note that the Position requires filling in the responsibilities of a receptionist, so female candidates are preferred."
People on LinkedIn are pointing out how sexist — and illegal — the ad is.
"I just wanted to inform you that I am giving my wife permission to leave the house and apply for the position at your company," wrote one man.
BuzzFeed Canada contacted Vestra Inet to ask about the ad. A woman who answered said, "I've been given instructions to give no comment."
She acknowledged the company has received calls about the ad, but declined to add anything other than "So basically we have no comment as to that, thank you."
The posting on LinkedIn shows that as of now 61 people have applied for the position.
Meanwhile, lots of people are tweeting their outrage at the company.
@gidgejane @vestranet wooooooooow. Just wow. Who wouldn't want to be a content writer slash receptionist for a bunch of sexists?
.@vestranet Are you out of your (small) minds? https://t.co/GJDXI9jdtB
And they're starting to leave reviews on Vestra Inet's Facebook page.
Well, all these people are missing out on working for a company that publishes subtly SEO-d posts like the one headlined "How To Choose The Best SEO Toronto Company."
