Name Discrimination
Name Discrimination
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Name Discrimination Effects of an Ethnic Name on the Application Process
Human Resource Management/Employment Law Class Ms. Gwen Babb, Instructor May 14, 2012
Name Discrimination
ii
Abstract
A job applicant 's skills, education and work experience are not the only determining factors in an employer 's hiring process. An applicant 's name can greatly influence an employer’s decision to review the resume or invite an applicant for an interview. In spite of laws that protect against discrimination, it is difficult to protect against an individual 's intentional or unintentional bias when it comes to weeding out applicants with difficult to pronounced names or “name discrimination.” An applicant with an ethnic sounding name, hard to pronounce name or a name that either projects or is associated with a certain image, can place the applicant at a disadvantage. An applicant should not be forced to alter their name to be considered for employment. However, some extend that to assimilation into the workforce. Presenting a resume with strong knowledge, skills, abilities and experience may lessen the affect of potential name discrimination, yet research demonstrates name discrimination still exist. Employers should also make more of an effort to enforce practices, such as redacting the names of applicants on resumes during the initial screening process.
Name discrimination has been observed in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and other places with minority populations. It is also associated with assimilation and linguistics. However, this paper will review the impact name discrimination may have on African American/Blacks and/or the potential impact of ethnic sounding names and the application process.
Name Discrimination
1
Name Discrimination Effects of an Ethnic Name on the Application Process
In an election year, where the incumbent President of the most powerful nation in the world is Barack Hussein Obama II, his
i
Name Discrimination Effects of an Ethnic Name on the Application Process
Human Resource Management/Employment Law Class Ms. Gwen Babb, Instructor May 14, 2012
Name Discrimination
ii
Abstract
A job applicant 's skills, education and work experience are not the only determining factors in an employer 's hiring process. An applicant 's name can greatly influence an employer’s decision to review the resume or invite an applicant for an interview. In spite of laws that protect against discrimination, it is difficult to protect against an individual 's intentional or unintentional bias when it comes to weeding out applicants with difficult to pronounced names or “name discrimination.” An applicant with an ethnic sounding name, hard to pronounce name or a name that either projects or is associated with a certain image, can place the applicant at a disadvantage. An applicant should not be forced to alter their name to be considered for employment. However, some extend that to assimilation into the workforce. Presenting a resume with strong knowledge, skills, abilities and experience may lessen the affect of potential name discrimination, yet research demonstrates name discrimination still exist. Employers should also make more of an effort to enforce practices, such as redacting the names of applicants on resumes during the initial screening process.
Name discrimination has been observed in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, and other places with minority populations. It is also associated with assimilation and linguistics. However, this paper will review the impact name discrimination may have on African American/Blacks and/or the potential impact of ethnic sounding names and the application process.
Name Discrimination
1
Name Discrimination Effects of an Ethnic Name on the Application Process
In an election year, where the incumbent President of the most powerful nation in the world is Barack Hussein Obama II, his
References: The HR Specialist: Employment Law on August 1, 2011 5:00pmin Discrimination and Harassment, Hiring, Human Resources Bertrand Marianne and Mullainathan, Sendhil. "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination" University of Chicago. 6 May, 2003. " 'Black ' Names A Resume Burden Study: 'Black-Sounding ' Names Prompt Fewer Job Callbacks" CBN News. 15 October, 2008. Good Resume But No Interviews? It Could Be Your Name, April 23, 2009 (1:30PM) by Julie O 'Malley, CPRW http://www.pongoresume.com/blogPosts/305/good-resume-but-no-interviews-it-couldbe-your-name.cfm?CFID=13726074&CFTOKEN=ceccc9c7722e328d-41A68A97-5056-8D3D666C3AF626706BEB&jsessionid=ec30cbeacbd1ad79b403674a2a5f46c48246 Can your name keep you from getting hired? These job seekers think their unusual names are getting in the way of their job search. By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer August 27, 2009: 12:01 PM ET http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/26/news/economy/applicant_names/index.htm Avoid Hiring Discrimination, Don 't Be a Victim of Racial Bias on the Job Hunt, By Nadra Kareem Nittle, About.com Guide http://racerelations.about.com/od/theworkplace/a/AvoidHiringDiscrimination.htm