This article is a detailed account of an
individual’s first-hand account of discrimination in the workplace. Every day, José Zamora applied to 50-100 open positions without
a single response from recruiters. After a while, he wanted to
see if the outcome would change if he had a ‘white’ sounding name. By assuming
the identity of Joe Zamora, he began to receive e-mails and calls regarding
the same positions he applied to as José. A study found that “applicants with
white-sounding names received 50 percent more callbacks than applicants with
black-sounding names” (Matthews, pg. 1). It is clear that systematic racism is
apparent in the hiring process. Zamora is one of many individuals all over the
country who are negatively impacted by systemic racism.
Matthews, C. (2014, November 3). He
Dropped One Letter In His Name While Applying For Jobs, And The Responses
Rolled In. Huffington Post. Retrieved from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/02/jose-joe-job-discrimination_n_5753880.html
I want to say that it's shocking to me that making a name sound whiter will better the chance of a Hispanic man get a job, but it isn't. Unfortunately, that's the society we live in and until people of different 'races' unite in this cause, it will remain unchanged. My question is, did they ask any different questions to him in the interview because of his race? I imagine they were surprised when he walked in and looked different than they expected him to. Maybe the answer is blind interviews? Over the phone, perhaps. Again, there's not a real solution to this problem until the oppressors see the errors in their ways.
ReplyDeleteHow long should we wait for the oppressors to see the errors in their ways?
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy to say but I once experienced this when applying for internships. My last name, Perez, is a very common Hispanic name where it can be racially discriminated. I believed that if I put the "É" in Perez, I would see more responses. I showed it to an academic adviser who told me that's the way the world works and I would have to conform to it. I changed the letter and received more responses, something I found very degrading.
ReplyDeleteI know this happens because I read the research but, honestly, you are the first person that I know that experienced this. There are no words....
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