Most of us have never considered that our names can have a profound effect on our lives. A name is not an indicator of our skills, our experiences, or our worth to society. Yet, studies show that employers select their employees based on their names, rather than the qualifications they will bring to the job. One Latino man named Jose Zamora recognised this fact and decided to use it to his advantage. After searching for a job for months, Jose decided to drop the “s” in his name, applying instead as “Joe” Zamora. Suddenly, he began to receive a whirlwind of responses. After removing only one letter on his resume, employees were suddenly interested in hiring him. What was the difference?

Ethnicity. Even if hiring managers were not consciously discriminating against Latino names, Jose’s situation is an indication of a clearly unfair hiring process. And he is not alone. Studies show that applicants with “black-sounding” names receive 50% fewer callbacks than those with “white-sounding” names, regardless of each having equal experience and qualifications. Such discrimination has also been shown towards those with Latino names.

This is a problem not only for black and Latino people searching for jobs, but also for the employers. The inclination to hire Caucasian people is very dangerous, as that candidate may not necessarily be the best candidate for the position. Furthermore, a diverse group of employees is an asset because they will bring in new perspectives and ideas that can benefit organizations. Companies will also benefit by being able to more effectively communicate with different customer groups and understand diverse customer needs. Personally, I would feel much more comfortable as a client with a company having a diverse employee base, rather than being composed of primarily one racial group.

Given the benefits of hiring a diverse workforce, it is clear that organizations need to improve their hiring processes to give all applicants a fair opportunity. They could start by ensuring their hiring committees understand the value in diversity and are not racially prejudiced. Another possible solution would be to take out names and only allow hiring managers look at the job applications when deciding who to give a call back. This is clearly an issue to be grappled with by both employers and employees, but the first step is to create an awareness for the issue and to educate those who are in charge of hiring. In the future, I would hope to see fair racial representation in the workforce and diversity that encompasses all races, including black, Caucasian, Latino, Asian and First Nations.

 

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References:

Discrimination in the Job Market in the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2017, from https://www.povertyactionlab.org/evaluation/discrimination-job-market-united-states

Canada, Q. (2016, September 13). 5 Black Owned Start-Ups in Austin. Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://runningfromemptyshoes.com/2016/09/13/5-black-owned-start-ups-in-austin/

Matthews, C. (2014, September 2). He Dropped One Letter In His Name While Applying For Jobs, And The Responses Rolled In. Retrieved February 04, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/jose-joe-job-discrimination_n_5753880.html