Has anyone ever been stereo typed against because of their name?

Question

Do you think employers stereo type a person's resume because of their name?

Or by Assuming their race, skills, intelligence or qualifications.

Please add experiences if any and how you feel about it.

Oh, and do you personally stereo type a person because of their name?

BE HONEST

Answer 1

Yes.
My name is Sade so most assume I'm black..which I'm half but still, don't stereotype me before you know my race.

Answer 2

There was a study done a couple of years ago where identical resumes were sent out, except one person had a very "WASP" sounding name and the other had an African-American-sounding name. (Like Charles Wentworth and Tyrone Jones, for example.) Everything else was the same, but the person whose name "sounded white" was far more likely to be called for an interview. Sad, isn't it?
I married a Hispanic man, and I now have a very Hispanic-sounding last name. I didn't get interviews until I included my maiden name, which is German, as a middle name. That just makes me sick. I'm the same person, just as competent when they think I'm 100% Hispanic as when they know, from my maiden name, that I'm not Hispanic at all.
Grendel, you make a good point. It's unfortunate, but sometimes when parents choose certain names for their children, they could be hindering their children's futures. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.

Answer 3

Haha, yes. Not at work (I'm far too young for that), but at school.

My first name is Elysia (I'm female, just feel more comfortable with a male avatar), so people have automatically assumed Im from Greece - as my name is derived from the name 'Elysium Fields', a part of the Greek underworld. People often point out the slight upward tilt of my eyes as well, some even asking if I'm from somewhere in China or other areas of Asia, so that makes things even worse.

I'm not insulted by any of it, just rather irritated that people make automatic assumptions based on someone's name, sexual orientation, age, skin colour and so on. It's annoying, it's hurtful and most of all it's downright wrong.

Answer 4

Allow me to preference my remarks by reminding that you said you want honest answers. I once had the pleasure of living next door to a black couple (I am white) who had two beautiful children. Adam, a little boy about five, and Ashley, a girl of about eight. I once asked the father how they arrived at the kid's names as I thought the names were really cute. He told me that he and his wife had named them as such because "It will get their resumes looked at one day." The guy was 100% correct! I don't know if it's just me, or if others think as I do, but the naming of a child is important TO THE CHILD. I think that choosing a name that strongly reflects any ethnicity, especially a minority one, is somewhat reflective of an unwillingness to merge with the overall society. That "unwillingness to merge" is often passed on to the child in such a manner as to formulate an "in your face" attitude for that child. Adam and Ashley will do fine in life for they have parents who were wise enough to began thinking about their future the day they were born - and they're no less a part of their own culture for it.

Answer 5

Yes - I have been stereotyped b/c of my name (Eleanor).
At my last job, I was speaking on the phone with a young lady who needed some information about our services. She asked if she could pick up the information rather than have me mail it to her. I told her she was more than welcomed to do so. About a half hour later, she showed up and said that she spoke with a white lady named Eleanor who had material ready for her.
I was still sitting at the front desk and I told her that I was the Eleanor she was speaking to on the phone. I could have knocked her over with a feather. (I'm black).
So yes, that's happened to me.....just not whilst applying for a job. Harvard conducted a study about this and the segment aired on CNN a while back. Employers do discriminate based on names. Harvard sent two identical resumes to a potential employer....the only thing changed was the name. On one they had a "Jamaal" and the other had a "Jacob". Jacob would receive calls and offers for interviews and Jamaal never did. Sad but true.

::EDIT:: (for part 2 of your question) Yes, I do find myself stereotyping people because of their names. I'm totally guilty of that. If I have a hard time pronouncing a name (and its origin is not of a different counrty), I tend to not take that person seriously.

Answer 6

Yes..i've seen resumes weeded out based on addresses also..this company i worked for used to take 1/3 of the resumes and just throw them away - the reason being that these people aren't lucky and they didn't want unlucky people working for them. They used to judge ethnicity based on the part of NYC they lived in.
i remember watching them laugh at some of the resumes - what people write down, etc. what a bunch of ******* that company was.

Answer 7

Many times. I married a Polish man and used that name when I went looking for work. One interviewer actually said,
"So-are you one of those dumb Pollaks?". He laughed as if he thought it was somehow funny. I got up and vowed never to do any business with that company again. I also went on interviews using my maiden name which was sometimes a help and sometimes a detriment. It's amazing how blatantly prejudiced people can be. I would have thought people would keep that ugliness hidden to the outside.

Answer 8

Since my name is Anita, a lot of people assume I am black if they haven't seen me. I don't feel people are being fair to assume with out seeing, but on the other hand I assume people are white if they don't talk with an accent. So.. I don't know. I can't say this makes me feel bad or insecure, I find it assuming.

Answer 9

Of course people get stereotyped; not everyone admits it.

If you have an "Aquanetta" applying for a job versus a "Susan" you can make several stereotypes. That doesn't mean they're accurate, but it doesn't stop it from happening.

My family has been stereotyped as being Muslim (because of our last name though it's Greek) and we always get "special" attention at the airport.

Answer 10

No, I don't think so but I think no matter what, psychologically, if an employer was presented with two equal people for one position and one of the candidates happened to have the same name of person he hated then he would choose the other person. In the same situation, but one of the names reminds him of someone he loves, then I think he'll be more inclined to pick that person.

Answer 11

woman: what's your woman in charge exhilaration call? Jasmine Rose Why isn't no longer on your ordinary record? because of the fact I many times attempt to sidestep pairing 2 comparable names at the same time (the two flower names subsequently) Why is it a in charge exhilaration then? it ought to come off as cheesy, yet i like it because of the fact it sounds so quite. ought to it ever make your ordinary record? per danger, if I spelled it Jasmin Rose. It looks particularly much less 'literal', besides the fact that it's going to nonetheless be reported the comparable way. Boy: what's your boy in charge exhilaration call? Riley. Why isn't no longer on your ordinary record? because of the fact it is totally admired and unisex. Why is it a in charge exhilaration then? because of the fact I many times hate admired and unisex names, yet i myself incredibly love Riley on a boy. ought to it ever make your ordinary record? per danger as a center call, or after its attractiveness drops.