Rising above unfair employment practices

Shama Kassam

The Silhouette

In a country like Canada where ethnic minorities are more common than Tim Horton’s locations, we would assume that something as trivial as ‘name discrimination’ wouldn’t exist, right?

A recent study conducted at the University of Chicago says otherwise.

When prospective employers accept resumes, perhaps the first thing they look at is often the centered, bolded and underlined first and last name.

Discrimination in Cialis costs the workplace can begin long before the job seeker even arrives at the interview.

From the moment your resume hits the desk of the management, your name subconsciously sends a message about you.

Some names can be obviously be indicative of a particular cultural background.

Though someone’s race should be no indication of their abilities, work ethic or competency, the sad truth is that real life indicates otherwise.

Each hiring manager is subject to their own set of racial discriminations and pre-existing notions, and wouldn’t necessarily always follow in line with the company’s policies.

The researchers in this study created fake resumes with “typically white” sounding names such as Brad and Carrie and “typically black” sounding names to examine the effects of these in the workplace.

Though it is unfair to assume that anyone named Brad would be white, these names were chosen for the purpose of this study to play to the stereotype of the average person.

They sent 5,000 of these resumes out to 1,300 potential job positions to observe the outcome.

They found that resumes with “white-sounding” names were 50 per cent more likely than those with “black-sounding” names to receive a call-back. These striking results held true for both lower income jobs such as cashiers and mailroom clerks as well as those in executive positions.

These numbers indicate that for a job applicant with a “black name,” they would need to send out 50 per cent more resumes for the same number of call-backs or contact from the companies.

Though this study was conducted in Chicago, these disappointing results are likely to hold true north of the border as well.

Initial screenings of resumes are often done under time pressure and examiners don’t take the time to look at each and every resume with the same scrutiny.

Without much else to go on, the name of the applicant is crucial in creating an immediate impression and without realizing it, may be the key or roadblock to your success.

“When my family first came to Canada over 20 years ago from India, the demographic landscape was quite different than it is today, says third-year student Simona Shaw. We moved to a smaller city and my family decided that they would change the family name to something a little less ‘ethnic’ sounding in order maximize the chances of finding employment. My mother was able to find employment quicker than she may have had she not changed the family name. Although at the time our family benefited from the name change, it does bother me a bit, especially looking at how Canada has transitioned into such a multicultural country with many immigrants. Hopefully in the years to come society will be able to bridge this gap.”

The Canadian workforce right now is made up of 3.2 million people who were not born in Canada and have come to Canada as immigrants.

Over half of these workers were in Ontario showing that though having an “ethnic” name may slightly decrease your chances of getting a call back, being a motivated and skilled worker will still pay off.

Make sure your resume showcases all your skills regardless of what your name is and put the work in applying widely to make sure that the Canadian workforce soon breaks these stereotypes to ensure each individual is provided with the same opportunities across the board.