Why getting a name right matters

I wonder how much more different my life would have been if I didn’t have an Anglicised name. My parent’s conscious decision to name me ‘Isabella’, relegating my Vietnamese name to my middle name, speaks to the insidious truth of a society that privileges whiteness: how much more difficult it can be finding a job with a ‘foreign’ sounding name.

Research from Stanford University and the University of Toronto have shown that almost half of black and Asian job applicants who changed their resumes did so by changing the presentation of their name in an effort to erase any racial cues. The same research found those who ‘whitened’ their resumes were twice as likely to get call-backs for an interview, compared to those who left their ethnic name intact.

What is the solution? It’s not fair that the world should operate in a way that affords more opportunities to those who are white passing. On the flip side, how much value is there in a blind hiring process? The rationale behind this recruitment strategy is that anonymising candidates can help us overcome any unconscious biases we may harbour. Yet, a significant limitation in this approach is that it excuses the need for affirmative action, or the need to meet targets and quotas. In my opinion, these are structural changes that are needed if we want to meaningfully increase diversity and representation in the workplace.

I don’t have a clear answer. However, what I do know is that no one should be able to deny, or take away, the pride and self-worth you feel in your identity.

- Isabella