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Minorities Who ‘Whiten’ Résumés More Likely to Get Interview

Deepwater

Member
Too true. If I had a dollar for every old white person that said I'm "surprisingly articulate"

Edit: my first name is rough though. Hard to mask that. My little brother has it good.

had a middle aged white coworker ask me if my parents were professors because I was so well spoken.
 

Mozendo

Member
I am (un?)fortunate enough to soumd like a stereotypical meek white guy. It never gets old when my entire 6'4" black self strolls into an interview.
Yeah I have the same voice to an extent, whenever I told some of my online friends I wasn't white (not even it comes to skin color) they made a big deal. Incredibly awkward
 

Hopeford

Member
I work at a college and many of our Chinese students will adopt American names. I don't mind since it's ultimately their call, but I always hope that they aren't doing it to accommodate the teachers/administration.

I'm Nigerian and I could imagine the verbal beatdown I'd get if I'd ever approached my dad about adopting a western name at school.

Speaking as an immigrant, one other reason we change names is just that it gets really, really, really, really old when literally everybody you meet can't pronounce your name. So it's often tempting to just go to the "Westernized" version of your name. Especially if you can pass for white, because by then you're basically invisible once you got the accent down.

And like, this is just personal preference/experience so I can't pretend it applies to everyone but...well, people do treat minorities differently, even if they are very liberal. That's not to say that people will necessarily treat you badly if they can tell you were born somewhere else, but there is a noticeable difference that I personally don't super appreciate. The way people treat me seriously changed from back when I had a thick accent to my mostly non-noticeable one. So I can understand the whole wanting to change names thing. So yeah there is probably a desire to "camouflage" if possible and blend in. I know I do that, but maybe I'm more paranoid than most.
 

ExVicis

Member
This is a known thing. I try to do this every time I apply for a new job.

Honestly though maybe I lucked out because I'm told my name apparently sounds white and I'm told my voice does too. Don't even need to have a white voice.
 
I remember someone here on GAF pretty much admitted that they skip resumes sent by minorities becuase he didnt know how to pronounce certain names.
 
Very interesting study that highlights the biases in applying for jobs and especially resume drops. If you can bypass a resume drop through networking or being in a fellowship then diversity helps you greatly in corporate America. Most top companies in financial services, consulting, technology and other well paying fields have initiatives for diversity and inclusion. Whether or not companies are passionate about having a diverse workforce or just don't want to look bad is up for your interpretation. If you can meet with the head recruiter of Amazon and have her or him check off the boxes for your competency as a candidate I think you can go further in the recruitment process than your white peer--assuming he just does the normal application and resume drop.

One thing that I believe does not help, and was mentioned in the study, is leading a diversity effort that focuses on one group of people. You have to make your diversity efforts on campus or out of work sound like All Lives Matter.

Also I think Asian-Americans are screwed when it comes to these topics and I do not see any solution in the near future. The conversations I listened to about their experience in college and career applications did not seem to go anywhere and there seems to be hesitation with bringing the issue they face to a nation level where other minorities and allies could champion behind them.
 

ExVicis

Member
Yeah I have the same voice to an extent, whenever I told some of my online friends I wasn't white (not even it comes to skin color) they made a big deal. Incredibly awkward
Oh I know this feeling.

I have told people online that I am black and they outright just go "No, man nooo. You're not black dude" and just continue on thinking I'm telling some weird joke
 

The Lamp

Member
This just reminded me that I've been applying to jobs and selecting "Hispanic" even though I look white. Gonna stop doing that.

The job game is so unfair and cruel in this country.
 

PulseONE

Member
I didn't even consider this would be a problem when I move... And neither of my name's are white sounding :/

How's the reaction in the US to Indian names
 

Samara

Member
There was this man who sent his resume continuously for 4 years with his Arab name. He sent the same resume with a "white sounding name" and got an offer in less than a week. He sued and won.

My mother begged me to go to a property she recently bought with my white boyfriend. It's after the visit that she confessed they had refused to pay cause they refused to pay "a well spoken negro."

Both stories are from "no racism" Canada btw.
 

dabig2

Member
My name is Hispanic as fuck and I'm never changing it, but I can talk very suburban white...since that's where I grew up and was raised. I'm talking Midwest, Jesus camp, white suburban too. It's worked out well for me so far.
 
One of the more interesting parts of the study that hasn't been as discussed here is whitening your "experience", instead of or including whitening your "name". That is, if your experience includes working at an organization that sounds "non-white" like "African American Support Network", some people remove these things from their resume despite the fact that these experiences may be valuable and pertinent to the job at hand.

That is bonkers to me even though I understand the "logic". Your activities could "reveal" your race like your name does. It is disturbing, especially in an environment where so many people are struggling to get employed and gain experience. And even worse, the study reports that while minorities are less likely to "whiten" their names and experience when the employer's ad suggests they value diversity, the study finds no evidence that such employers engage in less discrimination than those that do not.

It is valuable to have studies like these that systematically investigate and verify what would otherwise be dismissed as anecdotes.
 

Aiustis

Member
Isn't this known? On a related note: phone interviews are my favorite thing. I sound so incredibly white; whiter than Abby with a PSL listening to Taylor Swift.

Sometimes you got to watch out though, white people can get weird if they need time to prep for how not white you are.
 

Mahonay

Banned
This has been the case for a long time. Pretty common. I have friends and my own sister who've had to do this to get a job.

I guess there are sheltered white people out there that this is news to.
 

entremet

Member
My name is Hispanic as fuck and I'm never changing it, but I can talk very suburban white...since that's where I grew up and was raised. I'm talking Midwest, Jesus camp, white suburban too. It's worked out well for me so far.

Same. Hispanic AF too. Won't change it either. Does make it harder. I know. But most minorities know that we play life on higher difficulties anyway lol.
 

Barzul

Member
I work at a college and many of our Chinese students will adopt American names. I don't mind since it's ultimately their call, but I always hope that they aren't doing it to accommodate the teachers/administration.

I'm Nigerian and I could imagine the verbal beatdown I'd get if I'd ever approached my dad about adopting a western name at school.
It'd probably look like this https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=wZ6cgD_fd04 😂😂
 

antibolo

Banned
There was this man who sent his resume continuously for 4 years with his Arab name. He sent the same resume with a "white sounding name" and got an offer in less than a week. He sued and won.

My mother begged me to go to a property she recently bought with my white boyfriend. It's after the visit that she confessed they had refused to pay cause they refused to pay "a well spoken negro."

Both stories are from "no racism" Canada btw.

Where in Canada though? If it's from central Canada then I wouldn't be surprised at all.
 
Facts. Also, love being told how "well-spoken" I am. Was so happy when I interviewed for my new job and one of the Sr. Managers interviewing me was black - was able to relax which helped me tremendously.
 
tons of people will blame you for what your parents named you lol. It's crazy.

I fortunately (for my sake) have an anglo first name and unique (but not foreign or ethnic) last name. I've also mastered the white voice on the phone.

in regards to Asian folk having americanized names, it's also because they'll come here for work and they get tired of having to pronounce their name or having people mispronounce their name at work.

You should always attempt to say someone's name correctly if that is what they prefer to be called. I hate the idea that white people can't be bothered to manage pronunciations so the rest of us have to acclimate to them.
It's not a unique issue to white people though. It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with unfamiliarity with a name, which is not an inherent issue that only white people have. I have a Asian name and black people, Hispanic people, and every other race have issues with saying my name. It's why I choose to go with an English nickname.
 
My last name is hyphenated and the first part is clearly hispanic but the second part is "Leon". I'm considering changing my last name on my resume to just Leon as it looks more "white".

Edit: and my first name is germanic in origin and definitely not Hispanic sounding.
 

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
If people would actually listen to minorities when we tell them this shit, we wouldn't have to do studies about it.

I mean, no fucking shit.

I'm kind of "lucky" in that my name is Italian, my last name is Terry, and I've chatted with more than a few employers that expressed surprise that I was a black dude when I came in for the interview. I, uh, didn't get the job most of the time. I'm a huge nerd, and I sound like a fucking nerd, so phone interviews throw them off too, because I don't "sound black" (eye roll). Some people also read my name backwards, thinking that Terry is my first name, so that throws them off too.
 

entremet

Member
My last name is hyphenated and the first part is clearly hispanic but the second part is "Leon". I'm considering changing my last name on my resume to just Leon as it looks more "white".

Edit: and my first name is germanic in origin and definitely not Hispanic sounding.
You betray your username, hermanó.

😂
 
I get this too. I'm Asian, my name is incredibly Brazilian / Portuguese, but I live in an English country. My name does not exist in the country, even colleagues/clients miss out a letter when writing or speaking my name. I've had applications where I was immediately rejected, even though I met or exceeded their requirements and topped it off with a perfectly written cover letter.

I'm not saying the country is nothing but a bunch of racists, but there really is racism. I have met some really cool employers though. One of them actively encouraged diversity, and it was obvious given all the personal pics I've seen from buddies that worked there. The other even flew me to their office and gave me a cool interview, including lunch with the team.

Sometimes I'm just tempted to adopt an English first name just so I don't have to spell it out over the phone.
 
Don't necessarily like calling it "whitened," if only because I didn't (and don't) have to change anything about my resume. Doesn't make my resume not black... But that's the impression I get from "whiten."

---

On a separate note - no shit. Anything that sounds like another race can and will be used against you. But people will still ignore the existence of racism.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
For larger companies and the Feds I'd really like to see them depersonalize resumes of race, age, or gender identifiers as much as possible. At some point you still want to know the employees you're hiring, and I guess there's no real way to stop unconscious or conscious bias at that point, but even getting people past the first hurdle would be a big step up. Everyone knows how much it sucks not hearing back for jobs, and adding the nagging doubt that it might be for something out of your control ain't a recipe for happiness.
 

TheFlow

Banned
This is why I am thankful my parents named me something normal. People assume I am white do my first and last name.
 
Well maybe if I anglosized it to Chrispanic! At the Disco More people would read my posts! *cries in spanish*

nn7eboT.gif
 
Yeah I know I definitely remove any signs of my ethnicity in my voice when I talking on the phone. My name is black as hell though, so if I get a call in the first place I know that's definitely already been considered.
That really sucks though that we have to do this. Luckily my name sounds Japanese so employers are expecting an Asian to show up, not some 6ft+hulking Black African.lol. That's why I try to avoid speaking over the phone because I can't hide my accent.
 
Everyone knows this besides white people.

Yeah as I "White Person" I wish I knew this sooner. My intial batches of resumes I had listed either mix race or checked both White and Indiginous American/Native Alaskan check box thingy and I was rejected without even an interview and these were places with serious need of additional employees the moment I decide to just put down White I got the interview and a job and it suddenly clicked as Stupid as it is most employers idea of a Native American is stuck in the 1700s or is that of a alcoholic so Why the fuck would they employ me.

My current employment is with a family friend so I circumvented all of that lol.
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
My old office manager, white girl from Iowa with the mixed race kid who i constantly talked with about progressive issues and our hated of trump, said she got a ton (~3000) of replies to job postings. Admitted that she filtered jobs by name. Ignored resumes if she couldn't pronounce the name.

It took me a few days to digest that. It was a black owned business. It shouldn't shock me. It really shouldn't shock me.

I think i gave her too much credit. I mean, she probably believes that makes her more efficient and it's a valid excuse.
 

Bleepey

Member
I work at a college and many of our Chinese students will adopt American names. I don't mind since it's ultimately their call, but I always hope that they aren't doing it to accommodate the teachers/administration.

I'm Nigerian and I could imagine the verbal beatdown I'd get if I'd ever approached my dad about adopting a western name at school.

I knew some Nigerian dudes who went by English names in secondary school. I found it weird.
 
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