…and the sad thing is that sisters would talk down to/argue with ME when I warned them against giving their children them ghetto-ized names that they think “sounds cute” and expresses the “need to be different.” NOW, if brothers could only get with “feminizing” OUR resumes since there is an obvious bias in-favor of hiring black women over men…..

Sad what people have to do to get a job.

show of womanhood

they are crying and beggin and pleadin for employment…..almost sounds as if they will be willing 2 pick cotton or be employed as A nannie

[...] With “Ethnic” Names Face Pressure To Conform Read more here: Some Black Job Applicants “Whiten” Their Resumes To Get Ahead Posted in The 411 Tags: facebook, jobs, nation, racism, thoughts, white « NOW AT EUR [...]

Sad, but I guess you just gotta do what you gotta do. They did an experiment once where they sent out 100 fake resumes. 50 of them were all American normal sounding names(John, Jessica, etc), the other 50 were the more Afro-centric sounding names(Shaquita, Tamika); all had similar credentials. No secret which resumes got the most responses. Shouldn’t be that way, but it is.

It’s interesting because my mom, aunts, and uncles all have normal names, but it seems that when their generation started having kids, along came the “unique” names, and now it’s just gotten worse. Personally, I think a great deal of these wannabe unique and cute “black” names sound terrible.

this ain’t news! immigrants have been doing this and shortening their surname for ages. all these ghetto names are due to kids having kids. most folks in their late 20 and 30s know that those names while hamper a kid’s oportunities in life

it is what it is and you gotta do what you gotta do!

Funny thing is, the article doesn’t mention if those things worked. I suspect there call backs probably increased, but unless they were able to “whiten” their skin and hair, the result was probably the same. Lets face it, if people don’t want to hire you because you worked for a African American non-profit, or went to a HBCU, then it probably goes deeper than that. Like they don’t want to hire a black person period. I’m sure 8 years ago, these same people would have argued you up and down, about how racism in this country really didn’t exist, and all you had to do was work hard, and people would see past your color. Probably time to rethink that position.

I believe that having a resume that doesn’t scream out any racial identity is a good idea: a resume that is RACIAL neutral. Why set yourself up for base-less rejection? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet might very well be true for the rose, but when your name is TANIKA TANISHA BROWN, suddenly the fragrance of the rose is not so aromatic. There are so many stereotypes that accompany these types of name. Perhaps, the recipient of the resume might not be prejudice against hiring blacks, but ghetto-fabulous names evoke all the negative stereotypes and preconceived notions that many white people buy in to about certain types of blacks associated with these ridiculous names. I certainly am not trying to dictate how people should name their children, but for me, names like Joseph, David, Rachel, and Victoria are names that do not label our children — putting them at a disadvantage before they even get started in life. Names steeped in family tradition, or names that have authentic meaning, will give our children the solid competitive edge that they richly deserve– not names that are concocted by merely pulling consonants and vowels out of the air!
A foot in the door is a good place to start. Once your foot is in the door, you will (at least) have an opportunity to present yourself, your skill set and your core competencies to the hiring or human resources director. When you are well-groomed, polished, articulate and professional, suddenly the aromatic bloom of the rose is yours to claim – regardless of the hideous name given to you at birth. I see nothing wrong with using initials instead of your full name, or omitting certain data. If you have a proven track record of success (particularly during this economic tsunami), the company might hire you based on what you bring to the table – and not discriminate against you for your ethnic background.
I’m just saying…

The name thing I definitely agree with to a certain extent. I mean these made up names, that are play’s on traditional names can get very silly and out of hand at times. But its to a point now, where people have to omit volunteering or working for an AA non-profit? Isn’t the work exp more important than the work place? Now going to and ultimately supporting a HBCU is a bad thing as well that may get you denied? Can’t we see past this thinly veiled scheme? The rules of the game are constantly shifted so you can’t ever master it. Remember when they raised the rims in basketball when too many Blacks were dunking? remember all the golf courses that got redesigned when Tiger was shattering all the records? Its funny and sad, how every time Blacks start to adjust their strategy and start mastering the game, there is some new wrinkle thrown in. Trust me, if someone has a problem with you going to a HBCU because its a HBCU, your chances of getting that job will be slim to none anyway. Racism is a disease, and is so subliminal, that the carrier very rarely realizes that he is sick, so he can easily justify his actions, even if there is no logic to them. Racism doesn’t deal with logic, its all emotion. Have you ever tried to reason with someone who is all emotion and no logic?

Everyone knows that your chances of getting an interview for a good job rest on whether they believe your black or white.job searches are control by racism and n****rs need not apply.

I agree with Nefetti,Jack and nightowl.
I have been asking why are Black American giving their kids these homemade,made up names.Ex.
LaFran’keya,Jo’elisha, LaKenisha, Tansia, Africa,LoVania, Dontre’el,Dontree,Vantrell, Johntree, Johntrelle, J’daveon, etc.
Sorry if I offended anyone here by saying your name ,but I just truely made these up from the top of my head.
Women have for a long time just used their initials to get a fair shot.

Another mode of “whitening” one’s resume is to establish anonymity in the blogosphere. As someone who has the last word on who is hired as part of my team, the first thing that I do is google the candidate’s name to see what I can find out about the MAN BEHIND THE MAN. Believe me, all Hiring Directors employ this modus operandi to get the scoop on you prior to making a job offer, so be very, very careful about the image you project,accompanied by your photo and real name. If you don’t want a potential employer seeing it (and judging it) don’t put it in the blogosphere. Once it’s there, it is almost impossible to retract it.

As somebody who has ALWAYS had a good job since 16 I can say this: Technically no it should not matter what your name is but it does. If you have a hood name that does not make you any less important but unfortunately we live in a sin filled world which involves hatred and miscommunication. In order to get the interview you can not be seen as any sort of threat. Shorten or initial your name not to sound “white” necessarily but to not be identified as anything. Your resume should be about your EXPERIENCE. Make sure your jobs show stability (whether you’re actually stable or not is irrelivant lol) True, some jobs check references but out of all the good jobs I’ve had they rarely do (IF AND I MEAN IF AND ONLY IF) you are able to present yourself in such an intelligent,stylish, and experienced manner on the interview that they would put you at your desk right then and there if they could. They wont check s**t. Just my experience.

Nowadays, it’s like we toss vowels, consonants, and apostrophes into a big box, shake it up, and see what comes out.