An ethnic-sounding name hinders my chances of getting interviews?

[longwaitnvrends]

Hello. I've been out of work since May after my last contract job ended. I've been applying for jobs through indeed for months only to find out that most of my applications weren't even viewed by employers.

After some digging, I know when an application is received, indeed will send an email notification to employer with the subject line "So-and-so has applied for your position". The actual resume is an attachment, and to view it the employer has to click and download it. And that's when the applicant will get notified that their application has been viewed.

In my case though, I seldom get this kind of notifications - in fact about 1 out of 20 applications. This makes me wonder if my ethnic-sounding surname is the reason why employers aren't interested, given that this is the only piece of information out there before the actual resume is being looked at.

Now unfortunately, there is some specific social stigma and stereotypes surrounding the ethnical group I belong to, and I understand that when the candidate pool is huge, employers will be inclined to choose people whose background is more aligned with the company's (i.e., no language and cultural barriers). But I don't think there's much I can do to increase the chances of my resume being looked at. And quite frankly, I think this is a form of discrimination.

I'm posting this to ask if this has ever happened to you, and if so how you went about dealing with it. Thank you.

 

[Bs65]

Well cannot advise if you are being discriminated against or not but guess you could always try an experiment and apply for a couple of jobs with your ethnic name and a separate application with a made up western name. Doesn’t help you get a job but could prove a point to yourself that employers are discriminating for no valid reason when experience should be the only consideration.

Of course could create a bit of a dilemma what to do if the made up name application gets an interview call and then of course not advisable to pretend you are someone you are not.

 

[canuck78]

Online applications may be hard for many. Not sure if you have a Canadian degree that would also be a deterrent unless from a well known university most likely in the US. Have you networked? Contacted people on Linkedin? I would also look at opportunities out of Toronto and Vancouver. There is such a large influx of immigrant to especially Toronto the competition is very high. It is hard for Canadian graduates to get jobs as well.

 

[longwaitnvrends]

Canuck78, thanks for the reply.

I have a Canadian bachelor's and a master's. The latter really does more harm than good in my experience and makes me look like an overqualified nerd who has little experience. Keep in mind that I'm in accounting and experience is everything.

I have given some thought to the idea of finding employment outside GTA/GVA (I'm in Toronto), but found it extremely difficult. For starters, small places have fewer opportunities. Also, I don't drive, so unless I move to the city/town where I work, commuting is just not an option for me. Personally though, I'd prefer smaller places over Toronto 100%, if I can find a job.

In terms of networking, I simply don't know how. I've lost contact with almost all my classmates, so a sudden reconnect request is certainly something weird and out of blue. I've heard about using LinkedIn to network, but unless you know someone who knows someone who is hiring, it wouldn't be of much help either.

I know it's hard for everyone to find a job, but harder for minorities in particular. I've had one employer who rejected my application merely 2 hours after submission on indeed, without even reviewing my resume. And ironically, the rejection letter in part reads:

Hello XXX

Thank you for expressing your interest in the position offered by DECIEM | The Abnormal Beauty Company. After careful review and consideration, in the context of our current needs and requirements, we have decided to continue employment discussions with other candidates.

LOL.

 

[longwaitnvrends]

Bs65, believe it or not, I actually tried this before. Two completely identical resumes with different contact info sent to two similar telephone banking positions, one with RBC another TD. Guess what, Alex Goodrich got an invitation from RBC to complete an online assessment, and I got a rejection letter from TD. True story.

 

[canuck78]

Think you need to get over your fear of networking and reach out to previous classmates, people who hold positions that you dream of having, join networking groups, reach out to your previous professors from your masters course, etc. Yes your lack of experience is a large factor and a catch 22 that most Canadian students face. Your inability to drive will also really limit your options even in the GTA so I would also prioritize learning to drive.

 

[nns14]

Bs65, believe it or not, I actually tried this before. Two completely identical resumes with different contact info sent to two similar telephone banking positions, one with RBC another TD. Guess what, Alex Goodrich got an invitation from RBC to complete an online assessment, and I got a rejection letter from TD. True story.

That's just sad!

I also advise to go through network. You will have to hassle on linkedln by sending private messages to employees who work on companies that are hiring. If you find helping person, he/she may give you guidelines on how to go about contacting the HR or the manager of the hiring department.

I don't know the Western culture but here in in the Middle East, connection is everything.

 

[David83]

You have been searching for a job for 2 months. I have been searching for a job for 2 years to no avail. I have submitted probably over 1000 applications, almost all of them were ignored. To be honest, I think being an immigrant, especially from a completely different culture with a clear accent, has something to do with it. People try to downplay this factor, but I have my suspensions. It is illegal to discriminate against applicants based on color, ethnicity, religion, ... etc, but how would you know employers don't discriminate? You will be told that don't put a picture in your resume, because employers may discriminate against you based on it. This is silly. They can see your picture on LinkedIn. They can know you are immigrant and even your religion from your name. No one would know what they do. Have them write a detailed letter why they rejected your application, and then maybe you can be more confident that they evaluated your application objectively.

I have been attending workshops to edit my resume, and write it the "Canadian way", and have it critiqued by other people, to no avail. Am I unemployable? I feel I am useless, and all my educations and skills are nothing to employers. I have lost much of my self-esteem in the process of finding a job.

The other day I applied to a research position in my own field in which I have a PhD, and have done research for 7 years, just to receive a response saying that my skills don't align with whose needed for the job?!! I met all the requirements, literally, and was very excited that I would receive a positive response for this position. I was kidding myself according to their response. If my skills don't align with that position's requirements, then it is hopeless to find any job. Of course no one hears these words or cares, so you have to keep trying, because otherwise you will be homeless in no time with all the expenses and bills you have to pay.

The connecting with people part. I have been trying to connect with people on LinkedIn, but again most people just ignore your messages. They don't care about you finding a job. Well, they don't have to respond to you because you are just a random stranger. I understand that. You asked if this happened to anyone. My answer is clearly yes, and you can imagine how frustrated I am from this.

I am not saying that being an immigrant or from other ethnicities is the sole reason, but it is a factor in having a hard time to find a job in Canada, I believe. At the end, in my experience, the hiring process is very very flawed. People's emotions play a major part in it. It is not an objective process. Employers think they have an optimized approach to select the best candidates, but the selection process is near random in effect. At the end, if you need a job, you have to play the game according to their rules, and speak their language. Just see how many videos are there on how to answer the behavioral questions. They encourage you to come up with answers, rather than being honest with your answers. They want you to give them the illusion that you are perfect and ideal, and people can do that.

 

[canuck78]

At the end, in my experience, the hiring process is very very flawed. People's emotions play a major part in it. It is not an objective process. Employers think they have an optimized approach to select the best candidates, but the selection process is near random in effect. At the end, if you need a job, you have to play the game according to their rules, and speak their language. Just see how many videos are there on how to answer the behavioral questions. They encourage you to come up with answers, rather than being honest with your answers. They want you to give them the illusion that you are perfect and ideal, and people can do that.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't this describe the hiring process in the most of the world? Where is you PhD supervisor in all of this? What about other professors you've studied with or the other PhD students that were in your program? Those are contacts that should have connections in Canada or internationally which may not lead to a job but at least an interview or perhaps another lead/contact?

 

[Bs65]

Some employers unfortunately often look at a resume see a raft of qualifications such as a masters or a PHD and immediately start thinking someone could be over qualified regardless whether they have the experience. Often even more so if more qualified than the hiring manager. And do not get started on psychometric tests even it seems these days in some instances for checkout operators or shelf stackers. Not saying those are not valued occupations but tests seem hardly relevant other than application filtering when oversubscribed.

 

[emamabd]

I know it's hard for everyone to find a job, but harder for minorities in particular. I've had one employer who rejected my application merely 2 hours after submission on indeed, without even reviewing my resume. And ironically, the rejection letter in part reads:

Hello XXX

Thank you for expressing your interest in the position offered by DECIEM | The Abnormal Beauty Company. After careful review and consideration, in the context of our current needs and requirements, we have decided to continue employment discussions with other candidates.

LOL.

This looks like an automated response from an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), it usually means there aren't enough keywords in your resume that match the job posting. Which leads me to the question: Do you invest time in customizing your resume for each job you apply for? Or is it a generic resume you use for all/most of your applications?

 

[longwaitnvrends]

Hi David! It's nice to connect with you here. I have read your post and I can very much relate to the frustration you're experiencing during your long and ongoing job searching process. I just wanted to add to the discussion some of my thoughts:

I was like you - very insure about my accent. In fact, my insecurity had gone so bad that I would avoid talking to people at all costs, hence my lack of networking skills. Fortunately, I finally realized that this was more of a psychological barrier than a linguistic one. And from my limited experience interacting with native and non-native speakers, I found that people don't care about your accent. Trust me, they genuinely don't care, as long as you are able to make yourself understood. Yes, there will be some people who judge you based on your accent, but then you shouldn't bother with these jerks' opinions anyway.

You also mentioned your PhD could be something that holds you back in your job searching journey, so is my master's. I used to dedicate 1/4 of my resume space to listing my education and all the nitty gritty details I am proud of (scholarships, club involvement, course projects, etc.). It works fine if the job I am applying for requires the level of education I have, But most jobs I applied for don't. So I found out a way to de-emphasize my education, which is to only list the timespan, the degree, and the institution name in one single line and leave out any details. You also need to put your education section below your experience section. This way, employers will mainly focus on your experience, and a lazy lot may not notice you have a PhD at all. This happened to me one time during a phone interview.

I can't give you more advice as I am still between jobs. But I wanted to let know this: keep your head up and know that you will eventually win this battle. From your posts, I find you well articulated. This is definitely something you can use to your advantage.

 

[longwaitnvrends]

I don't know the Western culture but here in in the Middle East, connection is everything.

From what I have experienced, same here in Canada.

 

[longwaitnvrends]

This looks like an automated response from an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), it usually means there aren't enough keywords in your resume that match the job posting. Which leads me to the question: Do you invest time in customizing your resume for each job you apply for? Or is it a generic resume you use for all/most of your applications?

I've heard about ATSs but wasn't aware of just how prevalent these systems were. I've alway been under the impression that only big companies use these systems - companies that would receive hundreds of thousands of applications for one opening. And frankly, I think these systems are bad, and the use of such a system can only be justified for high volumes of applications companies receive. The key words are selected objectively, so it is essentially a guessing game.

In this particular case, it was an accounting related position, and the hiring company wasn't a particularly big one. Obviously my resume had all relevant accounting terms, software names, as well as some common soft skill terms. Honestly, I couldn't think of any terms or key words that the recruiter was looking for but were not shown up in my resume. I also met their experience requirement. Also, I wrote a completely new cover letter for this position explaining how my skills match their requirements.

Unless I so gravely misunderstood how this ATS thing works, I couldn't seem to pinpoint where I did wrong.

 

[canuck78]

From what I have experienced, same here in Canada.

Think connections are more of an issue in ME and some other countries. A connections is usually a way to get an interview not necessarily the job.