Businessman who puts job applicants through snowflake test is the real snowflake

Marketing man Kyle Reyes says he wants people who can justify their opinions. Just as long as they're the same as his opinions

A US company has introduced a “snowflake test” to weed out overly sensitive, liberal candidates who are too easily offended (Gothamist)

Congratulations Kyle Reyes. I’m officially naming you as the inaugural winner of my Business Jerk of the Month award.

Mr Reyes, who if nothing else has quite the talent for self promotion, has created a huge fuss with his “Snowflake Test” that applicants for jobs with his company have to pass.

The boss of US marketing outfit “The Silent Partner” has been all over the media taking aim at the moany millennials and brats he claims he is confronted with.

So of course Rupert Murdoch’s conservative Fox News Channel, and its sibling Fox Business, had him in to opine on the subject.

Mr Reyes insisted that his test is not political: “There can be conservative snowflakes”. It is simply designed to weed out people who “whine and complain and come to the table with an entitled attitude and an inability to back their perspective”.

It all starts to fall apart when you watch his spiel on Fox & Friends (not being a snowflake myself, I did that, although I had to restrain myself from throwing up at one point).

“Ever since the election cycle, people are split and not having rational, realistic conversations, so I want to understand how people make an opinion and stand by that,” he told the host, not unreasonably.

“So what answer would disqualify them from a job?”

“An answer where you don’t know the difference between there, their and they’re from a spelling purpose (dude, I think you mean spelling perspective) and someone who is not proud to be an American.”

Right. It seems that while Mr Reyes says he wants people who are able to justify their opinions, and who can back their perspectives, he’s not so keen on people who have a perspective that differs from his.

If your opinion is anything other than “I’m super proud to be an American” then you’re out.

Of course, most Americans are proud to be Americans whatever their political stance. I happen to be fond of the place myself. Mr Reyes and me would just differ about what makes it great.

Take guns, and here again Mr Reyes shows his true colours. The “Snowflake Test” asks applicants for their views on that subject.

“We do a lot of work filming with guns. I carry, a lot of our team and our clients carry as well,” Mr Reyes told Fox. "We work with a lot of hard core American companies so you’ve got to be comfortable around them.”

“If you’re not you’re not hired?”

“Adios.”

Once again, it seems that holding and being able to justify an opinion that there should be more gun control in America and that they’re not healthy isn’t enough. You either agree with Mr Reyes or it’s curtains for you.

Hey, I get it. You want people who are going to be able to work well with your clients. There’s nothing wrong with tailoring your hiring process to that end. But after sneering about “snowflakes” it does rather seem as if it’s Mr Reyes who is the real snowflake here.

I suppose it shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise when the current conservative President is so super sensitive he can’t even tolerate a critical tweet. It isn’t hard to see from where this man is taking his cue.

Enjoy your award Mr Reyes.