Whether it’s LGBTQ+ identity discrimination in employment, age discrimination, racism, sexism, genderism, or any other -ism, many job seekers have faced discrimination in their job search in the past, fear facing it in the future, and/or just plain worry about how to overcome it.
Let me be 100% clear that yes, it is an unfortunate fact that discrimination can and does exist in the job search process and it can absolutely be a barrier to access in a lot of ways.
The good news is that there are increasingly more studies on the topic of discrimination in employment, and there are also more recruitment tools being developed that aim to reduce it.
According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article, a new study method developed by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School aims to catch resume bias and, presumably, correct it.
Diversity recruitment tools and blind recruitment tools are coming to the forefront and being used by companies like PepsiCo, Nike, and Microsoft.
The bad news is that there doesn’t seem to be a push to make large-scale progress on this issue any time soon.
So, while we continue the fight to end employment discrimination, I’ve got some workarounds to overcome any -ism you might run into.
First, I’m going to answer a couple of very common questions about discrimination in employment from job seekers.
Common Questions About Employment Discrimination
Should I remove my college dates or minimize my total number of years’ experience to avoid ‘aging’ myself too much? [Age discrimination]
Removing college dates can be a good idea (and is a very common practice) for any school experience dating back more than 10 years. This can be one simple way to eliminate a potential point for age discrimination.
As for minimizing your total number of years’ experience, I think for most professionals, it’s a good idea to get credit for as many years’ experience as possible. However, I’ve worked with job seekers who had 30 years’ experience and wanted to round down that number to 25 (or 25 years and wanted to round down to 20), and I typically will defer to client preferences on that. But anything up to 20 years’ experience is usually worth showcasing.
Should I modify, or ‘whiten,’ my name if it indicates non-white ethnic or cultural identity?
I’ve been asked this question many times over the course of my resume writing career. Ultimately, I believe this is a personal decision that each person has to make for themselves.
With that said, I want to provide some resources on the topic to help you decide what’s right for you.
A recent article from the business and career development publication Cleverism on When Resumes are Made ‘White’ to Please Potential Employers includes a pretty depth-y look at conscious and unconscious bias, the various ways job seekers are ‘whitening’ their resumes, and the pros and cons of each side (including links to reputable studies and resources).
Beyond that, I’ve included a couple of links below to help you with the pros and cons of the issue.
On the pro side of the argument to alter your name, multiple studies have shown that it is effective in getting more callbacks. I think that sucks, but apparently, it’s been proved true again and again.
According to a study by Harvard Business School (which is by no means the only study with similar findings), African American and Asian job applicants who mask their race on resumes seem to have better success getting job interviews. [Harvard Business School, Minorities Who ‘Whiten’ Job Resumes Get More Interviews]
On the other side of the argument, CPRW Demisha Jennings recently told Forbes on the topic, “if you change your name and they do give you a call back that’s great but if they can’t accept you for who you are with your name, then you don’t want to work there.” [Forbes, Are Job Candidates Still Being Penalized For Having ‘Ghetto’ Names?]
While I can’t speak from personal experience, I tend to agree with Ms. Jennings’ sentiment above, and I always want to see job seekers being true to themselves and what they really want from their career.
Which brings me to my first method of avoiding bias and discrimination in your job search.
Tactics to Avoid Employment Discrimination
Diversify Your Job Search
If it’s true that you wouldn’t want to work for a company that would discriminate against you based on your name, gender, age, etc., then your best possible course of action is to target companies that value diversity and inclusion.
You can save yourself tons of time and frustration by putting in a little bit of extra legwork in the beginning of your job search and taking the time to research companies that share similar values to your own.
If you’re not sure how to get started, here are a few tips:
- Do a Google search for something like, Companies that value diversity 2020. The resources you find will give you a good idea of the types of companies you could pursue and will also provide additional information about how and why these companies are worth your time.
- You can also take a look at the most prominent companies in your area and go straight to their website to see what they have to say about diversity, equity/equality, and inclusion.
It’s also a really good idea to go beyond just the surface of their website content and take a look at their leadership team and/or board members (and/or employees, for very small companies and start-ups).
Does the company leadership match the diversity they claim to support?
That’s an important distinction, and not all companies use practices that align with their public values. But if you can find the ones that do value diversity and inclusion, then you’re less likely to encounter discrimination.
Diversify Your Network
Referral candidates have always been a preferred source for companies to find high quality candidates, and that still holds true today. A recent LinkedIn study showed that nearly 50% of business owners cite employee referrals as their top source of quality workers.
The reason for this isn’t because these referrals are magically better than everyone else who applies. It’s because they can be trusted more easily (and quickly and efficiently) by the recruiter because there is a well-known mutual connection who is ready and willing to vouch for them.
That’s why networking is such an important component to a well-rounded job search – and especially important if you worry that some form of employment discrimination may stand in your way.
By leveraging your network to get a referral for a role, you bypass the ‘anonymous submission’ phase of the recruitment cycle and go directly to a decision-maker with ‘referral hire’ status, which puts you in a way better position and gives you much better odds overall.
If you struggle with networking, I’ve included some tips here to help you:
Be active on LinkedIn and in LinkedIn groups.
Groups should be chosen based on their relevance to your career- current or intended- skills, and interests.
You will see updates and articles from people in your groups. You can even set your preferences to receive emails whenever a new topic is brought up. This gives you the opportunity to learn new things about your industry, debate and give your opinion on group topics, and interact with others.
By being active in groups, people will begin to recognize you, thus creating bonds that may be useful to one or both of you in the future.
And, it doesn’t have to be a difficult or time-consuming task to complete. Just be diligent about logging onto LinkedIn once or twice a week, checking in with your groups, and commenting a few times. Then, if you find yourself consistently interacting with the same person or people,
consider sending a connection request to grow your network.
Provide value and contribute thoughtfully.
Consider how your knowledge, expertise, and skills can help others. People are much more likely to help you if you’ve helped them in the past. This can be as simple as answering a question posed on social media or forwarding a link to someone who may benefit from it.
Give more than you get.
Don’t be a needy networker. Make sure you strive to give more than you get in every relationship. Let people know they can count on you, let them know you care about their success and want to help in any way you can.
Be genuine and unique.
Networking can be awkward for a lot of people, and the more you try to be someone you’re not, the worse off you’ll be. In all your interactions, try to relax and just be yourself. (or, ya know…the polished version of you.)
Take a moment to learn about each person before reaching out for the first time. Try to include a unique element to each message, so they know you’re talking to them specifically, not just sending out dozens of canned messages.
Lead with gratitude.
Gratitude goes a long way. When you are asking for someone’s time or expertise, if you lead with your own appreciation and an acknowledgement of how much it would mean to you, they’re much more likely to say ‘Yes’.
Respect others’ time.
NEWS FLASH: Everybody’s busy, and we all think we’re busier than everyone else. If someone actually does agree to give you some of their time, be respectful and don’t take up any more of their time than necessary.
Play the long game.
Don’t be the one who only networks when it’s beneficial to you. Make network maintenance a long-term habit. Building relationships takes time, so decide now that you’re in it for the long haul. You never know when you’ll need your network.
Share generously.
Share posts from people you like, admire, and respect. In doing so, you not only help their
information to reach a larger audience, you’ll also help yourself ‘get on their radar’, develop your relationship with them, and even build your own authority in your career space.
Final Thoughts on Discrimination in Employment
I wish we lived in a world where discrimination wasn’t a thing. I really do. But employment discrimination is a reality for now, so we need to find workarounds however we can.
To the frustrated, anxious, exhausted job seeker out there in this tough market, I urge you to keep being your unique and awesome self. Be strategic in your job search and own your skills and professional value.
Know your worth and do whatever needs doing to make sure others see it, too.
You can do this. And I’m here to help.
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