Thats A Shame & Funny @ The Same Time.

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I agree “AA”. I supposedly have a white name and sad to say I have that suburban accent. Compared to some friends with so called ethnic names, it’s bad news. So overall, should blacks have to change who they are to get a good job? If it is, we should just get our own stuff like other ethnic groups. For example, Asians, Jews, Italians.

YES WE DO!

YES!

If you want to sound white over the phone just hold your nose.
Either we are going to get our own or were going to have to play the game by their rules.

There is definately truth to this article!! I have a “white” american first, & last name, and I make sure not to speak slang or broken english when I recieve phone calls from prospective employers….However, when I show up in person…, you should see their jaws drop on the ground when they see me for the first time!! It’s almost funny! I say almost because most of the time they’d make up some lame reason as to why I didn’t recieve the position..but we all know why.

I have had so many black women talk down to me in the past because of this very issue. Giving your child an “ethnic” name (which is not as much “ethnic” as ignorantly ghetto) in a still predominantly white America is just handicapping them for the future. Yeah, it “sounds nice” when you’re comparing “unique” names with your “sista friends,” but know that it’s simply not smart to telegraph your (or your child’s) ethnicity before they even complete a job applicaton or walk into an interview. While other recent immigrants and ethnic groups are Anglo-cizing THEIR names to assimilate into the job market, WE are doing things such as imposing ghetto names on our children to stand out even more. Why give people ANOTHER reason to discriminate? Insanity!

As a Human Resources Manager, I know there is bias when I send Dept Managers resumes w/certain names like Lakeisha Jones, or Damarian Williams. I have been clear w/the managers that all qualified individuals should be interviewed but as the managers are white, they give all sorts of excuses as to why they didn’t interview a particular candidate.

While I admire Black people for giving children interesting names, they should first think about the future and how people perceive others on paper.

This is the very reason i named my children the way i did. I honestly don’t think this will change and it will always be an extra form of discrimination. Hell if I seen a “Jaquan” or any ethnic name, the credential had better be solid before i would ever see them. This is because of how we look in the view of society. It isn’t merely the name that turns people off, it is a potential indicator of what type of person you might be hiring based on your own reinforced perceptions of people.

i’m changing my name to ‘whitemanissuperior’

This has been an issue for a long time. And yet,what we have failed to understand is that its not the name that turns employers off its the person itself. We do not need to hide our identity because employers won’t hire us. I been rejected for jobs and my name is a proper american name. So having a ethnic name does not matter. People should feel blessed if an employer does not hire you on dumb excuses like your name because if they did hire you they won’t even give you a chance to advance. We need to fight this white supremacy to the fullest and quit backing down to this foolishness. And another thing,like Jeffrey1975 said we need to create OUR own careers,businesses like other groups do. It will make our lives better and build our communities.

plz you dumb fuch niggahs there is such thing as sounding white(TRY LISTENING TO CAJUNS OR WHITE MEN FROM BROOKLYN)its called standard american english.and a simple vocabulary class or book would do wonders for alot of us both black and white folks.and trying to change ur name after having it for close to 20yrs and then changing it to get a job is just plain stupid,so what happens after you get the job and ur dumb azz forgot you changed ur named and someone on the plantation calls you out on it,then what fool.STUDY VOCABULARY AND MAYBE LINGQUISTICS AND IT WILL HELP ALOT,KEEP IN MIND MALCOM X TAUGHT HIMSELF HOW TO READ BETTER BY GOING OVER THE DICTIONARY DAY AND NIGHT!

NO NO NO…some of a lot of these crap ass names are not african or ethnic so dont pull that. LaTingia goosha Brown isnt African…stop lying. If you’re not sure…you can easily find the meaning of a name to see if it’s ethnic.

I’m sick & tired of mommas making stupid names putting La at the beginning of it then wonder why people laugh & the child has problems like this

And a lot of so called christian & jew names are wanted so why are you crying when you want to be christians so bad Jesus first & all that BS. Africans were not christians or jew we had our own religion before europe slave trade stole us and forced us to be christian to be good slaves So deal with it.

Barack Hussein Obama isnt a christian name & look at the BS he got & still gets & he’s the President, Christianity=Racism so when are you gonna realize it

I may not have an african name, but I’m named for a king/head of house, a US president & decend from a roman emperor not for Christian or jew crap so i can get a job if i want without this problem

WOW THIS IS SO CRAZY! MY 17YR.OLD SON NAME HAPPENS TO BE DAQUAN…

This post is funny yest interesting for many reasons. I for one do not subscribe to the current plantocracy way of doing things. If the decendants of Europeans wishes to maintain a structure that is discriminatory to everyone else i say go right ahead. The time we take to complain about names we should be trying to start our own businesses to insure that our people get work and if you own that business don’t feel ashame to employ most black workers.

I think you have a right to name your child whatever you want and it is your job to provide properly for that child and also create opportunities for him/her. This is a network world and if you are a good parent with a good rep. and your word is trusted then you can help get your child a job from the connections you have made over the course of your working life. Many black professional parents have down just that.

The problem is black people accept too tittle and when you do get the job you make a mess of it. You know you are working for people with different backgrounds and mindset then don’t bring your blackness to the people job. Come to work work and go home. I have witness that the same people who call blacks lazy and unintelligent are the msot lazy and dumb set of people. I see it everyday but i am not here to judge just to get pay and leave. The other problem is money, alot of you when you get pay you don’t put your money to good use rather there is alot of beyoncy and Tupac wanna bees walking around the place. This need to stop you need to generate wealth.

I understand how hard it is to get a job but when you get one show that you need it. Come to work ontime, No smoke breaks, pay attention to your work, be efficient, Don’t be sick all the time, Make no or less excuses, be serious when it comes to work, Show initiative, be organize, demonstarte a level of professionalism that is unseen anywhere else etc. I am the only black person that works for my company and all of the above i have demonstarted for 3 years and it is my first job in this country. I know my job like the palm of my hands so at the end of the day the only thing that is left to say is that i am Black and that won’t change but i top every area mentioned.

I would defend white people here to an extent i don’t think there have a problem with language because i am west indian and from time to time my guyanese accent comes out but they do look to see if you fit the current black stereotype and i do the same with them and i know all of you here do it too. People want honest and hard working people in their company and thats that and many white people know that alot of whites are not hard working but they would rather have a white person that someone who have no clue how to dress in a work environment. If i own a company i would want West Indians around me for one i understand them more, it is easy to communicate with them because of similarity in background and culture and i guess white folks do the same.

Names have nothing to do with it, there was a Young Black Intern here the other day and she carried her weight lovely, she work hard, always at work, was smart, interract well – better than i do, and had a personality that everyone loves and guess what her name was Malika.

So it’s time we pull ourselves up some people will always have a bias don’t let that get you down and its not only white people but the other races are even worst trust me.

Another piece of advise to you wanna be beyoncy and tupac, when you go on your vacation please dont come back and show off your pictures to everyone in the ofice that creates envy, which becomes a problem for you. keep your business to yourself and for your black folk none of these people want to share in your joy and if you seems to be doing better than them GOD help you.

Keep your personal life away from work, you are not there to live but to work especially in this environment. Years ago when i was a little boy i saw one of the American movies about blacks and whites and i remember this black family used to work for some white folks and one day the white folks came to their house for something and saw that they had a piano. The whites were upset becuase the blacks had a piano and they didn’t. This eny cause the black family alot of pain. My uncle owns a company in MD and he told us a story one day, he said, he was getting contacts from they whites folks and one day he turn up with his wife’s(a doctor) jaguar and that was the last day he got any more conracts. You people get the picture keep ya dam business to yourself and to people who understands you.

this stuff is so true. And we all know us black folk always giving names to our kids something str8 hood or ghetto which basically gives their racial identity away right away. even with the name i have i choose not to disclose my race on applications and choose not to enter my race on the surveys at the end of the online applications.

I don’t think its the names that are not getting us the jobs. I think it’s the image of black people. Look at what just happened in Chicago. How these black kids beat that poor boy to death. This is what they see. They see us as savages. Gorillas in the midst. So they hire the Mexican’s to fill there quotas. This country has thousands of companies who have never and will never hire black folks regardless of what your name is. I think that we need to stop supporting companies that don’t support us. That’s the only way thing’s will change. I am putting together a list of companies that don’t hire blacks or less than 1%. If you know of any and you would like to ad them to the list simply drop me an email. Or if you want to see it.

We ain’t changing our name nor our home neither are we changing our race, we are black and we will remain black nothing can change that, we call onto our black brothers, those that are rich and influencial,leaders and all that believe in being african to rise up against this chalenge because it is your turn to [sit in]it is your turn to hold unto the batton.they will not rest untill we are 100% free.we are the light of the world.let the dream of our father come to past.

we are african,we are creative,we are talented,we are gifted,we are wonderfully created,dont change your name please,if you do will your children change their name too,if martin luther king snr, has change his name what would have happen to the junior king. let us keep the dream alive.

The tips are helpful to people who desperately need a job but, I have to agree that if we as black people don’t stick together and hold on to what belongs to us than there will be NO future for our children! If the hiring managers are racist than it does not matter what your name is! In this article it explains what address to use, how to shortin your name to make it sound less ethnic, and how we should talk however, nothing can change the part on the American job application that ask you to list your RACE! You know the squares that are listed white, black, Indian etc…. What we supposed to do, lie and say we white too!!!!? Nothing and no one can change who we are so we need to embrace ourselves and learn to live with ourselves, and learn to love who we are. If we don’t people will forever try and keep us down!

I wish that some of these women would look up these names before they apply the stigma of having some stupid made up cacophony of syllables for their childs moniker! That’s just my opinion on it. However, for any company or single person to assume that Daniel is a “white” name is really a display of the ignorance that fuels their prejudice. And if this is proven you could possibly sue the stank out of them for blatant discrimination! If they’d look into a baby name book, they’d see that a lot of names that are anglicized are actually bastardized biblical names that are actually rooted in Hebrew (such as the example that I provided for you before). Also I know a caucasian named Tisha, so I’m sure that she would get a kick out of this bulls**t article. This is almost as bad as those two white guys that tried to link what they called “unique” names to criminal tendencies. In fact I believe one of those bastards was named “Daniel”. Anyhoo, Ashton (while we’re on the subject of names that sound like they belong to white boys. I can’t say that I’ve met any black Ashton’s) it’s not as if there are a lot of Shaquilles, Oprahs, Earvins, Ulyssess (that always sounded like an old man’s name to me, but maybe it’s just me) and you get my drift…and these people are paid more than you and I together. So you should stop trying to encourage people to assimilate, no, SELL THE F**K OUT, because in so many words that’s your suggestion. Before I leave, I must know one thing….
WHAT IN THE HELL DOES “DAQUAN” MEAN?

And for sweetwilly41 I disagree with some of your statements! You almost sound as worse as the chick in this article! If you worked hard to have the things that you buy than, you should feel proud to show off what belongs to you! Lets stop their stereotype of us not being able to have s**t!

I think alot of people are missing the point of the article. No one is telling anyone to deny who they are. The point is, what’s more important, being yourself or being unemployed? Having a child with a “unique” name, or having a child who isn’t stereotyped and pigeonholed as inferior before they even arrive for their first day of school? This has been around forever. I read another study almost 8 years ago on this subject, and the results were exactly the same. I’m 35, my oldest sibling is 40, and our mother, even that long ago, deliberately gave us non-ethnic sounding names for this exact reason. Has that played a part in where I’ve gone in life or what I’ve been able to achieve? I have no way to know for sure, but I’m willing to bet that the racial ambiguity of my name does have something to do with it.

None of the suggestions in this article are new. Many are the same pieces of advice I was given 13 years ago when I was coming out of college and beginning the job search. Is it right that we still have to deal with this type of thing? Absolutely not. But again, do you want to be right, or do you want to be employed?

One thing I learned in school is that ALL human communication is performance, and we all play different roles under different circ**stances. I don’t care how “real” you are, do you talk the same way when you’re at your grandmother’s house as you do when you’re hanging out with your friends? Do you behave the same way at church as you do at a bar? I don’t, and I doubt many people do. What I’m saying is, in order to function and succeed in society, we ALL have to change things about ourselves in order to adapt to different situations. People who are unable or unwilling to adapt in those ways are usually considered to be lacking social skills.

If you feel that changing or “Americanizing” your name feels like a lie, then by all means, don’t do it. Just know that you’re gonna have to send out twice as many resumes before you get an interview, and you’re gonna have to go on twice as many interviews before you get a job. The bottom line is this. If you’re looking for a job and they’re looking to hire someone, then they have something you want, and that puts them in a position of dominance in the situation. So if you really want that job, you have to try to fit the mold of what THEY want, not the other way around. If you can’t handle that, then you have two options. Start your own business, or continue to look for a job.

Institutional racism exists. It probably always will, because it’s virtually impossible to prove you’ve been a victim of it. Personally, if I’m dealing with someone I know has something against me because of my race and is also in a position to come between me and something I want, I find a way around them. Why? Because my goal is to accomplish my goal, not to take responsibility for reshaping someone else’s thought processes. If there’s a wall in my path, I go around or over it. I don’t waste time being mad at the wall, and I don’t try to talk the wall into moving aside for me.

I think alot of people are missing the point of the article. No one is telling anyone to deny who they are. The point is, what’s more important, being yourself or being unemployed? Having a child with a “unique” name, or having a child who isn’t stereotyped and pigeonholed as inferior before they even arrive for their first day of school? This has been around forever. I read another study almost 8 years ago on this subject, and the results were exactly the same. I’m 35, my oldest sibling is 40, and our mother, even that long ago, deliberately gave us non-ethnic sounding names for this exact reason. Has that played a part in where I’ve gone in life or what I’ve been able to achieve? I have no way to know for sure, but I’m willing to bet that the racial ambiguity of my name does have something to do with it.

None of the suggestions in this article are new. Many are the same pieces of advice I was given 13 years ago when I was coming out of college and beginning the job search. Is it right that we still have to deal with this type of thing? Absolutely not. But again, do you want to be right, or do you want to be employed?

One thing I learned in school is that ALL human communication is performance, and we all play different roles under different circ**stances. I don’t care how “real” you are, do you talk the same way when you’re at your grandmother’s house as you do when you’re hanging out with your friends? Do you behave the same way at church as you do at a bar? I don’t, and I doubt many people do. What I’m saying is, in order to function and succeed in society, we ALL have to change things about ourselves in order to adapt to different situations. People who are unable or unwilling to adapt in those ways are usually considered to be lacking social skills.

Still, if you feel that changing or “Americanizing” your name feels like a lie, then by all means, don’t do it. Just know that you’re gonna have to send out twice as many resumes before you get an interview, and you’re gonna have to go on twice as many interviews before you get a job. The bottom line is this. If you’re looking for a job and they’re looking to hire someone, then they have something you want, and that puts them in a position of dominance in the situation. So if you really want that job, you have to try to fit the mold of what THEY want, not the other way around. If you can’t handle that, then you have two options. Start your own business, or continue your job search.

Institutional racism exists. It probably always will, because it’s virtually impossible to prove you’ve been a victim of it. Personally, if I’m dealing with someone I know has something against me because of my race and is also in a position to come between me and something I want, I find a way around them. Why? Because my goal is to accomplish my goal, not to take responsibility for reshaping someone else’s thought processes. If there’s a wall in my path, I go around or over it. I don’t waste time being mad at the wall, and I don’t try to talk the wall into moving aside for me.

What about Princella Smith?

Barrack isn’t an Anglo-Saxon name. I don’t care what jargon is used to justify this. This article is stating that you need to lie to get this job because working for someone else is soooooo important and that self respect should have a price that if met can excuse covert racism. In layman’s terms….. SELLING THE F**K OUT!

At this rate blacks will be back in bondage before 2025!

Nothing wrong with selling out though! Anyone who is employed does it on a daily basis!

11 years ago I married a Nigerian man,and gave birth to our son. My husband wanted to give our son a tribal name, it was a beautiful strong name which translates “Protector of the family, First son” however being an african american I could forsee white teaches stumbling over his name, and that job application being passed over, my current husbands mom works for a hospital and told us applications with “ethnic” names are placed at the bottom. So to sum it up I gave my son a “society” name. I hate it that I had to give his rightful name to him as a middle one and because of this racist world I have to hide, and I also have to talk white when I inquire about jobs and other services to even be considered. This is a sick, sick world. But as te saying goes,”It’s your world, I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut”.

Resume and application reviewers can and will make assumptions from everything included in your resume. Beginning with its neatness and layout. Then, the name and address and whether you are in the city and whether you will have to commute and how far. Should they get to the MEAT of your resume, are your qualifications based on education/degree or past employment experience.

DON’T LIE and DON’T MISLEAD!!!!!

If your name appears DIFFICULT to pronounce, I suggest you use your nick name if you have one. Which I am sure you might with many uncommon names.

I have the experience of having reviewed a great many resumes prepared by ethnic and non-ethnic job applicants. Many were poorly prepared, exaggerated, and did not meet the minimum qualification requirements. Although the applicant was well qualified. And some untidy and no margins.

DON’T LIE and DON’T EXAGGERATE. Your qualifications and experience when laid out with lots of thought will speak for itself. LIES and MISLEADING will also eventually show up, and if the cause of your hiring would be the cause of your firing. This would then be a bad reference for future applications.

At one time, I had a professional page here on BP. Don’t know what happened to it or where it went.

No matter how educated or qualified you are, you still may note be able to prepare your own resume well enough to get the employer’s attention and an interview. Get professional help with your resume and then use your resume when you complete employment applications. Do not complete applications for employment from memory.

The job of the resume/application reviewers is to go through many applicants and weed out as quickly as possible the undesirable looking paperwork and get down to the desirable looking few.

There is definitely a double-standard. But, you must have faith in GOD and do what is right. Never lie about your qualifications, experience, employment history or background. Although, there is nothing wrong with using whatever name you can legally use to not only get the interview but to investigate if this place of employment is even worth your time. Daquan Justin Smith is D. Justin Smith. Your white counterparts do it all the time to hide their misgivings, you only do it to get a fair shake at life. An e-mil addres and a mobile phone number are acceptable contacts for an applicant until the offer to complete an actual application is made. Don’t do an application over the internet, there are computer program that employers can us to “word search” your application and resume in order to delete you as an applicant. Go to the job site, investigate as a customer if you can and then after you feel comfortable, ask for the hiring manager, introduce yourself and hand them your resume, they should review it briefly and if interested will give you an application to complete. This method does not guarantee you anything but you will know the real scoop afterwards and may just land the job.

To the sell-out comments: Don’t sell out! You and others will pay dearly in the end. You will never be seen as anything more than someone who grovels for bread, a begger, a cheap negro for sale, a slave, if you will. I have experienced blacks in the workplace who will even help the white boss fire you just to win brownie boot licker points on the job. As soon as the old boot-lickin’ negro did something out of line or refused to do something the “big boss” required. they get the boot at the other end too. Trust GOD, not Satan on the job site. As Michael said, “They don’t really care about us!”

I most certainly do not agree with the major contents of this article. To presume that just because we are in an economic recession we should as black African Americans hide our identities in order to get a job. That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. I agree that some names are off the top but it should be up to that person to change their name if said person has a problem with how it sounds. In this country that option is allowable thus in my opinion, it is a better solution rather than to omit a person’s black heritage, characteristics, expressiveness and demographical information.

I’d like to ask the question: What are we really doing? We are not protecting ourselves from being discriminated against nor are we guaranteeing that said position is ours to keep. We are masking ourselves from who we are and some of our ancestors and civil rights leaders fought too hard for us to just throw that away. Would you forsake your credentials, your home, your children, wife or husband to make another person or entity accept you? How far do we go and where do we end? This article fails to explain that part.

Discrimination is wrong in every sense of the word. However, proving that it has occurred is incredibly difficult to do. Furthermore, there can be additional factors that a potential employer decides not to hire a person besides the fact that person’s name is god awful.

We should think clearer about how we proceed in this life. Focus on your experience, education, and your character to guide you in the most prudent direction. And more importantly, retain your blackness while prevailing in your endeavors. .

SINCE BLACK PEOPLE GOES TO CHURCH MORE THAN EVERYBODY ON THIS PLANET EARTH, WHY NOT GIVE YOUR KID(S) BIBLE NAME LIKE JOHN,MATTHEW,MARY,ESTHER,ETC.

This article is asking you to sell your resume, so the HR people will at least look at it. In the today’s economy, just getting it looked at is a major challenge, they have so many coming across their desk they will use any reason to eliminate some.

After all, they are not asking you to show up in white-face. But they do want people that will fit the corporate culture and not make waves. If you come across as a misfit for their company, it won’t make a difference if your name is Billy or Tosofit, they will not hire you.

So I guess a name like Bernard Madoff will get you that job. This article is true in a way. It should tell us that black people need to take more control of their community and resources. First, we shouldn’t name our kids names that will create barriers down the line.

Companies should not discriminate. In corporate America it doesn’t matter what your name is. If you are black you will be discriminated against eventually. I used to work in corporate America until I realized that I should be making more money so I gathered my resources and now I work exclusively in real estate sales. I am spending the next ten years of my life investing in myself so that I don’t have to stress myself out in corporate America with their petty euphemisms and innuendos.

I encourage all black people to be entrepreneurial. Black people are not going to climb the corporate ladder because the glass ceiling will just get lower. Black people must grab the bull by the horn and manage their money and time wisely. You can’t get water from a rock. Be your own boss. Don’t kiss nobody’s ass to get along with them. It ain’t worth it.

Adjusting our names to get a job that, once they see our faces, we will not get is just a waste of time. CORPORATE AMERICA HATES BLACK PEOPLE AND THEY HATE THE SMARTEST BLACK PEOPLE THE MOST. HELLO! Even black people in corporate America hate black people. You can play their game all you want. If you do get a job in corporate America they will already be plotting to get rid of you on day one. Then while you are there you will have to deal with petty euphemisms, backbiting, the whole mesh. My advice to black people: Spend your money wisely and be entrepreneurial. There are no jobs for black people and now that we have a black president there won’t be for the next 3 years.

Also, black people should stop spending their money on companies that don’t give them jobs. Don’t buy METLIFE Insurance. Those people are racist. Before you spend your money on anything ask about their employment policies. Do your homework. Ask the company how man black people do they employ? If the answer is a low number or none, don’t give the company your money.

Ghetto moms are doing their kids a diservice by giving their kids ghetto names!

You can hide your race on the resume or application but you can’t sneek it past the interviewer. If they really wan’t to discriminate against you for being black they can just hire someone else. How are you going to prove it?

Well no matter what we do as people the man with the darken heart will always find an way to attempt to keep being the bias pr ick that they are. I do not volunteer my race just so i can surprise the f uckers when i get to the interview my name is consider latin or american depending on whose spelling it lol…

I will never deny who im by doing all that lame sh it the author was referring to from a previous article she had read f uck them and their petty azzes i’am who i’am.

First they tell me to get an education-I did, get a collge degree-I did…. telling the truth about yourself tp get the job-I did, but the job I wanted goes to OTHER people…..and wind up getting the piece of job that pays less and that I didn’t want and then tell me they would promote me-what a crock!!!!! I won’t deny myself of who I am or where I came from, but when the interviewer gives you a s**tty position (temporaries companies do this, too)or tells you that you’re not qualified, It pisses me off. I spend 2/3 of my life in schools only to tell I’m not qualified…. equal opportunity my ass!!!!

I’m Afro-Latino and racism does exist because I don’t identify myself as African American i admit I get more calls and is more accepted than saying I’m black because of my black skin. Because of my accent and the fact I’m latino whites seem to be more accepting I find that very petty and ignorant.

black people arent the only ones out of a job…smh.

@Monte_Brown~ Just out of curiosity, why do you say MetLife is racist?

you shouldn’t have to, but you might have to…i find it funny when employers need to hire you BECAUSE you are black, just to fill a quota, but hey, if you need that job at least you’re in…

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