What is in a name when

[raven27]

What is in a name when you are trying to get a new job? Can you tell what color they are? My name is Raven Joyner what color I am?

[Maro]

What is in a name when you are trying to get a new job? Can you tell what color they are? My name is Raven Joyner what color I am?

No Idea - American and Australian names are rapidly diverging from UK one.
:lmao

[Maarek]

What is in a name when you are trying to get a new job? Can you tell what color they are? My name is Raven Joyner what color I am?

Color, Race, Sex, Religion, size, shape ... all that stuff shouldn't matter when applying for a job.

[raven27]

Yes you are right I wish it was like that but it is not.

[egarrard]

My name is Raven Joyner what color I am?Beats me. How good are you at what you're applying for? A different question these days might be what sex are you? Just as irrelevant to the job. How you do the job is much more important these days. If you go at it with this chip on your shoulder, you're not going to get very far in anything. You could have been named River Phoenix after all. Look where that name got him. What's he doing now? Like I said, it's your actions that determine your own fate.

[CyberGuy]

Sadly Raven, you are right. While race, creed, color, or ethnic background is not supposed to matter, it does. There are many times that I have seen people shunned because they do not fit a job reviewer's profile of the 'perfect' candidate. Even companies that have very strict rules in that regard still have this, but to a lesser degree.

I for one cannot tell one way or the other what you look like from your name. But if you don't think that a name can affect whether anyone will take the time to interview you or not. You are mistaken. It most certainly can. Here's a true story that relates to this issue:

I have a good friend who is originally from Syria. He and his brother are very intelligent likable fellows whose last name happens to end with 'Al-'. The brother lives in Ohio while my friend lives here in Toronto. He could not get people to even look at his resume until he dropped the leading 'Al-' from his last name and changed his first name to 'Mike'.

As soon as he did that and resent the resume to those same companies he got multiple calls for interviews based on his skills. It still took more than a few interviews (he couldn't hide his mild middle-eastern accent or skin cast) until he found someone who was more interested in his skills and personality than his country of origin.

The bottom line is that prejudice and bigotry exists. For black people is is not nearly as bad as it was during the 60's & 70's, but it is still there. It is more subtle and people try to hide it, but it is still there. Sadly with the crap going on in the middle east these days, more and more people are being looked at with mistrust, bigotry, and even hatred.

Raven, just from the topic that you started this thread with I can only guess that I am not telling you anything you do not already know and that you have either seen or experienced this garbage first hand.

All I can say to you is that not everyone out there has this narrow minded view. There are a growing number of us that have a far more tolerant view of differences between people. Believe me, no one who is racist makes it far in this world economy. The world is too damn big and they are outnumbered. :Thumb

Keep at it and don't let this trash bum you out!

[Maro]

Cyberguy - good post. I agree
:Thumb

[WazLady73]

Great post Cyberguy! I could not have said it better.

Here is a link to Abcnews.com 20/20 did a story on this same subject back in August...

Sadly it is out there. I agree it should be your skills and willingness that get you a job. Not your name, race or creed.

Read on:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/Business/Black_Names_040820-1.html

[Raedwulf]

I can't anything more to the discussion, most of it has already been said...

Raven... for some reason, I don't see any reason you'd have problems getting a job in my neck of the woods... heck Ravens are called Fort Nelson Eagles in my experience, they certainly grow quite large up North

Is there some sort of cultural connotation where you're from that we can't understand?

Have a look at your resume a few more times... are all the t crossed i dotted?
Is there a skill set missing that you have but aren't clearly presenting?
Getting that first job is a daunting task, made much more so in that many jobs require experience, but if you can't get the job how do you get the experience... yadda yadda yadda...

Sure you fill up your resume with all those jobs with McDonalds, 7-eleven etc... but those are easy marks... a potential employer wants to see you extend beyond that

You may need to try some volunteer work in your field just to get that experience

[raven27]

Thank you all.I am a black man I grew up in Germany Virgina Illinois Washington Louisiana my father was in the Air Force.It is a problem with my boss because they think I am suppose too act in a way the they see on tv or what they hear on the hip hop radio station now I love rap but I I think that rap is a image that can hurt some black people.People is going to think what they think but you have to dress for the occasion.