When Toni Sykes started interviewing for biotech jobs after getting laid off several months ago, at first, she didn’t think much of it.

The clinical research professional based in Long Beach knew her value as an employee, and understood that her situation was completely out of her control. She was a high performer — and some of the companies interviewing her experienced layoffs too — so she assumed they’d be sympathetic. But each time she brought it up, she noticed that she was suddenly treated differently.

The first time it happened, the interview was going fairly well. But when she mentioned getting laid off, the hiring manager quickly lost interest, she told SFGATE. What was supposed to be a 30-minute conversation suddenly got cut short to just 12. “It was obvious they didn’t have a good feeling,” she said.

Then it happened again with another company. As soon as she told hiring managers that she was let go, she could hear them start messaging each other. She also knew they were talking about her, she said, because one of them was wearing glasses that reflected their computer screen. “You could see the lines going up,” she told SFGATE with a laugh.

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Eventually, she began debating whether she should bring it up at all in interviews, and started adjusting her language to sound more positive. Months later, she was finally able to land a new role at a startup based in California.

“It’s been rough,” she said.

And according to corporate recruiters, chances are that this form of prejudice is more common than we realize. For the thousands of California tech workers who have been laid off, this could make the job application process feel even more cruel and dehumanizing than it already is.

Over the past two years, the tech industry has been a blood bath. Major players across the state have hemorrhaged high-salaried workers, forcing employees at Google,........

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