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Asian last names lead to fewer job interviews

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Care to expand your claim to everyone in the world? Racism is a human problem. The attempts to limit it to 'America' or even 'North America' are ridiculous and disingenuous.

North America is less homogenious population wise than many other countries in the world. So while you would be foolish to expect no level of difficulty in finding employment in a place where your name is not common the idea is that there are signifcant pockets of minorities in these places which you would think should dull the bias. The study proves this is not the case.

No one is saying it wouldn't be odd if I went to Japan with my African ass last name and had trouble attracting responses. But when more than 30% of your country is minorities (25% in Canada), some of these biases are horse shit.
 
Yeah, my fiancée has an obviously Vietnamese last name and this sort of crap has crossed my mind. When we get married, she's likely going to hyphenate and use both names, but as far as any future job hunts go I'm going to be curious to see if she gets better results by just using my obviously white last name on her resume, even though we live in a super diverse area.
 

Takuan

Member
I can see this being the case. I could go from Asian to Gentile just by removing 1 letter from my surname. I'm almost tempted to try it, but I'm not job-hunting at the moment.

That's horrible.

The only guy I ever hired, (we were 2 doing the interviews) was Asian.
He was pretty good during the interview, but once hired could barely understand English.
I don't know if I interviewed his twin or what...

Language can be an issue with anyone, you can get used to the accent.
The key in hiring is to go for diversity. Having folks from all around the world is great and as each university has its own curriculum, you have a better pool of knowledge if you don't favor a few of them.

If in doubt, offer a temp job first and decide if you want to make it permanent after a few months.

We had a hire that was like that. She was good in her interview, had no apparent issues communicating in written and verbal English, and had a great attitude. However, once she joined my team and was put to task, it was clear she had issues understanding the language - she'd struggle to understand clients' e-mails and even more to respond to inquiries with any degree of clarity. She'd struggle to comprehend written documentation.
She could write grammatically correct English paragraphs, but constantly failed to communicate concepts that could have been summarized with a few bullet points.

It was baffling, since she was fully able to carry on a conversation. We had to let her go, despite trying to work with her and giving her clear directions on where she needed to improve. I found out later on that she needed her hand held in previous placements at our company, essentially requiring someone else to do the brunt of the work for her. For whatever reason, this was ignored. It was a shame, because she was a terrific person otherwise and should never have passed probation (she'd been with the company for about 2 years all in all).
 

KingV

Member
I can see this being the case. I could go from Asian to Gentile just by removing 1 letter from my surname. I'm almost tempted to try it, but I'm not job-hunting at the moment.



We had a hire that was like that. She was good in her interview, had no apparent issues communicating in written and verbal English, and had a great attitude. However, once she joined my team and was put to task, it was clear she had issues understanding the language - she'd struggle to understand clients' e-mails and even more to respond to inquiries with any degree of clarity. She'd struggle to comprehend written documentation.
She could write grammatically correct English paragraphs, but constantly failed to communicate concepts that could have been summarized with a few bullet points.

It was baffling, since she was fully able to carry on a conversation. We had to let her go, despite trying to work with her and giving her clear directions on where she needed to improve. I found out later on that she needed her hand held in previous placements at our company, essentially requiring someone else to do the brunt of the work for her. For whatever reason, this was ignored. It was a shame, because she was a terrific person otherwise and should never have passed probation (she'd been with the company for about 2 years all in all).

We hire a lot of ESL people on my team at work and I find that the best course of action is to be honest early and push people past their comfort zone often.

I hired an intern that was ok at understanding , but was clearly super uncomfortable speaking English, so I made him present everything I could. He presents like 2 or three things per day. I wasn't sure if he was going to be ready to be hired permanently, but that helped him with a lot with his English communication.
 

Takuan

Member
What about Asians and other minorities who think they're white?. I know 3 active military who act like they're white and are all right wing nut jobs now.

I chilled with a half-white, half-Korean dude who told me his rude awakening story. He grew up around white people and identified as white until around college, when for whatever reason the subject of race came up. At some point he said he was white; his white buddies laughed at him, and responded "Dude, you're a Chink!"

Poor bastard.

We hire a lot of ESL people on my team at work and I find that the best course of action is to be honest early and push people past their comfort zone often.

I hired an intern that was ok at understanding , but was clearly super uncomfortable speaking English, so I made him present everything I could. He presents like 2 or three things per day. I wasn't sure if he was going to be ready to be hired permanently, but that helped him with a lot with his English communication.
This person spoke grammatically perfect English, though! She had an accent, but it wasn't strong. Perfectly intelligible. But when it came to communicating at a standard that was expected of her role, she just couldn't do it.
 

moojito

Member
I work in IT and I occasionally see emails come in like "we just got a new hire Jane Smith but her name is actually <something very asian>, can we have it changed in AD?"
I wonder if they have to use fake names to get interviews and wotnot. Would be pretty sad.
 

Miletius

Member
To all you guys wondering why you meet so many Asian kids who have either a) been given an Anglo name or b) choose to go by a name other than their original now you know why.

I have an American first name and a Hispanic last name. The asian name is hidden in the middle. I always wondered why my mom didn't want me to go by my Japanese name for a long time but as you become an adult you understand why.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
What's acting white?
I'd say acting like you have white privilege and saying dumb shit like minorities deserve to be shot. Since from what I've seen the people I'm talking about seem to think they're exempt from the minority struggle now that they're in the military. Basically they've bought into the insane right wing talking points and are surrounded by like minded mostly white people.
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
I'd say acing like you have white privilege and saying dumb shit like minorities deserve to be shot. Since from what I've seen the people I'm talking about seem to think they're exempt from the minority struggle now that they're in the military.

Since you went there in this thread for some reason, what exactly is "acing like you have white privilege?"

How would you "ac" like you have white privilege?

Edit: You seem like you demand that Asians behave a certain way....
 

Jeffrey

Member
Wonder if this is different in the tech industry? I get calls and emails for jobs like every hour. Even after I turn off my monster and dice and what not. If white people get more than this. Welp.
 

Breakage

Member
To all you guys wondering why you meet so many Asian kids who have either a) been given an Anglo name or b) choose to go by a name other than their original now you know why.

I have an American first name and a Hispanic last name. The asian name is hidden in the middle. I always wondered why my mom didn't want me to go by my Japanese name for a long time but as you become an adult you understand why.
Have you ever come across an Asian person who genuinely likes their English nickname over their real name?
 

Kazerei

Banned
When I was in university, I got a career services counsellor to look over my resume and help add to it, because it seemed kind of barren. She suggested some bullet points, one of which was "fluent in English". I shrugged it off and didn't end up adding it. But who knows, maybe that would've helped :\
 
Looks at OP:

Yeah, that's what I'll tell myself when I continue to not get called for job interviews; not my horrible lack of experience :D
:(
 

commedieu

Banned
Can we all unite now?

They have an exclusive club gang, and aren't interested in Asians or Latinos or blacks having seats outside of their tokens.
 

Miletius

Member
Have you ever come across an Asian person who genuinely likes their English nickname over their real name?

I can't think of any offhand, but I haven't really asked that much. I know that there are certainly people (like my cousins) who genuinely prefer that most people use their Americanized names versus their Japanese names. Wether it is some fear that they will be discriminated because of their name or because they think that the average American butchers the pronunciation I don't know.
 

shira

Member
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KingV

Member
When I was in university, I got a career services counsellor to look over my resume and help add to it, because it seemed kind of barren. She suggested some bullet points, one of which was "fluent in English". I shrugged it off and didn't end up adding it. But who knows, maybe that would've helped :

If you have a very Asian name I would also call out if you are a perm resident or don't require a visa.

In my field I get a ton of applications try gatvrequire visa sponsorship and few that don't. If you dont require one you are far more likely to get an interview. It won't necessarily help you pass the interview over somebody better qualified but might help you get a foot in the door.
 
Shit, my racial perk! Gonna re-roll for straight caucasian male.

But honestly, I love my name. I get asked so many times from even other Asians why I don't have an American name. My parents simply never gave me one and I'm proud of my name. It's unique and pretty damn easy to pronounce. Both my first and last name are indisputably Asian. Will I ever change it? Depends on how desperate I get for a job I guess. I wouldn't fault other people for doing it.
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
Since you went there in this thread for some reason, what exactly is "acing like you have white privilege?"

How would you "ac" like you have white privilege?
Ok guess I phrased this all wrong. Just from what I've seen some minorities I know seem to think they can get away with anything and shit on other minorities. Clearly this is going to go nowhere and I apologize for phrasing it that way. Its just how I've described it when I see minorities in my network act like they they aren't minorities. Then when it comes to race issues they just brush it off because fuck you got mine. Like I remember one guy I'm describing noticed me and him were racially profiled at a store for being brown since an employee followed us around for no reason. I didn't even notice at the time. But ever since he joined the military, he went full crazy and thinks he doesn't have to worry about any of that shit again.

Edit: Just saw your edit and I guess so or at the very least if you're a minority, show some empathy. Its been frustrating seeing others just give no fucks for others because they have a better position in society. Its like when I see minority Republicans, why?!.
 

Pancake Mix

Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Ok guess I phrased this all wrong. Just from what I've seen some minorities I know seem to think they can get away with anything and shit on other minorities. Clearly this is going to go nowhere and I apologize for phrasing it that way. Its just how I've described it when I see minorities in my network act like they they aren't minorities. Then when it comes to race issues they just brush it off because fuck you got mine. Like I remember one guy I'm describing noticed me and him were racially profiled at a store for being brown since an employee followed us around for no reason. I didn't even notice at the time. But ever since he joined the military, he went full crazy and thinks he doesn't have to worry about any of that shit again.

Oh okay. It's a bad thing in general when people go "f you I've got mine" for a whole host of reasons. Sure.
 

LordPusha

Member
Yup, I knew shit like this had to be going on, go to any different country with a foreign name and you'll get snubbed a lot when applying for jobs.

Very much true here in Italy. Also today I discovered that some people think that Italians aren't white lol.
 

muu

Member
Wonder if this is different in the tech industry? I get calls and emails for jobs like every hour. Even after I turn off my monster and dice and what not. If white people get more than this. Welp.

This thought doesn't really apply when there isn't enough qualified workers to fill the jobs
 

dohdough

Member
Same thing happens when it comes to college admissions. Sometimes you're better off not reporting your race if you're Asian and I'm concerned about it everytime I send out a job application, not to mention that because I'm Asian, I have to fulfill a certain level of expectations that people of other races don't.

On another note, I'm not sure why "acting white" needs an explanation. Anyone with an ounce of racial consciousness fully understands what it means.
 
I thought about changing my last name using the Icelandic naming convention (dad's first name + son ... in this case Samuelson or Samson) since a) my current last name isn't even phonetically correct b) even it were, non Mandarin speakers would still get it wrong because inflections matter and c) my immediate family are the only ones in the US. If my future kid's educational and career prospects matter, I might just go ahead and do this.

That said...I'm not changing my Chinese surname and my kid(s) would still get proper Chinese names.
 
This sucks but I can't really get too angry about this. Language problems are a legitimate concern. Fact of the matter is, chances are higher that a person with a foreign name will have issues communicating than someone with an English-sounding name. Even if that foreign person has a 99% chance of being a sufficient communicator, the English guy has a 99.4% chance. This rationale is probably going to explain much of that 28% statistic.
 
This sucks but I can't really get too angry about this. Language problems are a legitimate concern. Fact of the matter is, chances are higher that a person with a foreign name will have issues communicating than someone with an English-sounding name. Even if that foreign person has a 99% chance of being a sufficient communicator, the English guy has a 99.4% chance. This rationale is probably going to explain much of that 28% statistic.

Communication is a legitimate concern. But it's one that you figure out during the interview process...not by using their ethnic sounding name.
 
There's only a finite amount of interviews that can be conducted. It's a shitty situation for sure.

So you think it's legitimate to screen a person based on his last name? Because of a dumb assumption that his English is bad regardless of his qualifications? That's some fucked up hiring process right there.
 
When I moved back to Australia and was looking for a new job, it was almost impossible for me to get interviews and offers outside of Chinese firms.

Now I'm not saying my resume was so great that I deserved an offer from every form I applied to, but between my multiple degrees, experience from top firms and clear ability to communicate in English, something was fucking up that I wasn't even being called to interviews
 
I'm surprised by this, honestly. It's still a terrible thing to happen though. I wonder if my family had to deal with the same thing (they are Asian).
 
So you think it's legitimate to screen a person based on his last name? Because of a dumb assumption that his English is bad regardless of his qualifications? That's some fucked up hiring process right there.
People are irrational all the time. It's a basic human behavior. The only way to solve this is to hide everyone's names prior to the interview process, but there's no way something like that would get support and/or be enforceable.
 
People are irrational all the time. It's a basic human behavior. The only way to solve this is to hide everyone's names prior to the interview process, but there's no way something like that would get support and/or be enforceable.

So basically the hiring process is flawed and blatantly racist..but whatever, lets hand wave the situation away. Got it.
 

Erheller

Member
People are irrational all the time. It's a basic human behavior. The only way to solve this is to hide everyone's names prior to the interview process, but there's no way something like that would get support and/or be enforceable.

Yeah, it sucks that people are being racially profiled, but eh, I can see the racists' point.

Fuck off with that bullshit.
 
So basically the hiring process is flawed and blatantly racist..but whatever, lets hand wave the situation away. Got it.
I'm saying they it's understandable human behavior that explains this statistic. I'm not averse to doing something about it if it is achievable. Hiring is mostly about luck and factors completely outside of your control. If there's was to make it more fair I'm open to it but I don't despise hiring managers because this inequality exists.
 

Llyranor

Member
There's only a finite amount of interviews that can be conducted. It's a shitty situation for sure.

True. Why even bother interviewing women when any of them could go on maternity leave at any time?! What if one goes into labor during the interview? Then you might even have to do an emergency delivery during company time. Why take the risk?
 

Raguel

Member
I'm saying they it's understandable human behavior that explains this statistic. I'm not averse to doing something about it if it is achievable. Hiring is mostly about luck and factors completely outside of your control. If there's was to make it more fair I'm open to it but I don't despise hiring managers because this inequality exists.
This is fucking stupid. You should be ashamed.
 

Lumination

'enry 'ollins
What is more troubling than this, I think, is how many Asian Americans just want to sit there and take it. Justify this, write it off, not try to fight it, but instead think if they just "work harder" and "be good and quiet" they'll be accepted.
Which is why the stereotype of Asians being meek exists. A lot of us are brought up to just take this shit and quiet down. We like to call it "discipline". I was born here and was able to shake that off, but every week I interview some Asian students (born here or not) that haven't escaped that. It's really depressing.
 
Yep, if you're a visible minority they'll have it in for you


I do interviews for my company, and if I can't be 100% sure I am pronouncing a name right I am a lot less likely to call them for an interview. So maybe that is part of it.

You must have gotten that job through connections because it damn sure wasn't through competence.
 
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