What's a name got to do with it?
Ok, so if your name is Nazia Mahmood, chances are you're going to have much more of an uphill battle during a job hunt than if you were named, say, Allison Taylor - even if your work history and qualifications were comparable.
These were the alarming findings of a recent government research report in the U.K.
In this day and age, should I really be thanking my parents for giving me a Western-sounding name when I'm Indian (even though the last thing on their minds when selecting it was to shield me from racial bias)?
When are employers going to get past the point of relying on secondary factors (such as one's name and appearance) and turning a blind eye to what really counts (one's talents, skills, abilities, work ethic, etc.)?
These were the alarming findings of a recent government research report in the U.K.
In this day and age, should I really be thanking my parents for giving me a Western-sounding name when I'm Indian (even though the last thing on their minds when selecting it was to shield me from racial bias)?
When are employers going to get past the point of relying on secondary factors (such as one's name and appearance) and turning a blind eye to what really counts (one's talents, skills, abilities, work ethic, etc.)?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JACQUELINE M. WALTERS on -
A person's name should always remain the jewel of his/her soul. We are multicultural Human Beings, from multicultural backgrounds. Modern day Diversity teaches us how to accept, tolerate, embrace, and respect other cultures/races.
I feel comfortable in my skin and fortunate to be of such a multicultral background. I am proud of my maternal grandmother from India,and my maternal grandfather from South America of Chinese and Spanish backgrounds. My paternal grandfather from Scotland and my paternal grandmother from the West Indies of French background. It does not matter to me that my genes say that I am a different race from my skin color, what matters most is that I am a changing growing Human Being. We should all be proud of who we are.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Votta on -
It's so true though. One doesn't know what prejudices lurk in the minds of all recruiters; hiring for any organization. Sure organizations put in place and on paper rules against prejudices, but it ends up being just that one person or persons determining the fate of a job seeker.
How can that one person or persons be monitored or seriously held accountable when they are able to be the decision maker; resorting or falling to prey on their past mental models of prejudices.
Let's not forget about the years of prejudices women faced, seeking occupations once considered "a mans job". And how about those preconceived notions that age makes a difference in performance and skills. Hmmmmm!
We have a lot of work to do in this country to control the numerous prejudices existing in our world and I doubt very much we will conquer prejudices in my time. Hope I'm wrong!
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