Huh !! Read this !! Shame on USA !!

[Chica Yeyé 41]

They do that in Canada as well. I applied for teaching jobs under both my maiden name (Spanish) and my married name. Guess who got the interviews and offers? Yup. the German lady (me ). Needless to say, I was happy to tell the University of Alberta to shove it and opted to teach for another college.

[Mand 1]

This is what worries me about our girls names, which funnily I posted about a few minutes ago

[trailmix 77]

This is what worries me about our girls names, which funnily I posted about a few minutes ago

I used to have a really unusual surname, no one could ever pronounce it and i'm not sure where anyone thought it was from - but it was never a problem for me in terms of employment.

I also wouldn't worry about your girls names, which are lovely. As I mentioned earlier, would you even want to work with someone that would discriminate against you because they thought your name wasn't 'right'?

Edited September 21, 2009 by trailmix

[christera22 8]

Thanks Trilliumand others for answering properly. I was waiting for people like 'loveusomuchhoney' to answer. To answer him, I came here just for my wife & some professional work and nothing else. In my country I had been a senior programmer of a well known games programming company. So i had no need to scam.......back there they sponsored my car, home + cell phone, home rent everything.

We are planning to go to India [pretty soon. I face racialism and idiotic pride everyday in my work here. They wont pronounce and call me thigs as hey and dude etc. I has clashes with them several times now. So yes in the international aspect its sure a shame for USA. ANd to correct 'loveusomuchhoney' I didnt say USA is a shame ......... I said that kind of attitude of non acceptance and racialism is shame. Its a shame for any country where its happening. I am sure VISAJOURNEY is a non racial & open hearted forum ....so people who has faced it will understand. In my work I have heard people mock about my british accent and the incapability of understanding american slangs. I have faced people shounting at me from other side of the road " sorry a** foreigner " Plus words like your country and Our country is always uttered. BUt then demarcation based on name is real shame and evil thing. Thanks to all members who has shown example of the same. US govt shd really look into this, I myself have several rejection fopr no reason shown , even i was perfectly qualified.

Thanks

Huh !! Read this !! Shame on USA !!

Found this at this CNN MONEY Link

Even if 1% of this news is true, its a real SHAME for USA ........... I wd post my comments later. Want to see what other VJers has to comment about this.

________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________

Can your name keep you from getting hired?

These job seekers think their unusual names are getting in the way of their job search.

By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer

August 27, 2009: 12:01 PM ET

Glenn Miller is tired of fielding jokes about the great American jazz musician.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- For job hunters, that very first line on your résumé can influence potential employers. Just ask Glenn Miller.

Miller, 56, was out of work for about four months earlier in the year. On every interview he went on, the senior software engineer had to field jokes about his namesake, the great American jazz musician.

"They say, where's your band? And I say, they're all dead."

Even though Miller became adept at responding with witty one-liners, "it changes the tenor of the interview to have that opening dialog ... I think it makes people not take me seriously," he admitted.

For other job seekers, it's no laughing matter.

Colleen Rzucidlo, 27, has been actively looking for a public relations job for about nine months, but believes her hard-to-pronounce surname has hurt her chances of landing a position.

"While I certainly can't prove it, I often wonder if my last name hinders me when it comes to the job search process," she said. "Nobody knows how to say it -- that's a turn off. If they can't say my name they are not going to bother reading my résumé."

Of course, considering someone's name as part of the decision-making process is not only wrong but illegal, says San Diego State University Human Resources Professor Christine Probett. "Discrimination of those sorts are well protected under the law," she said.

But that doesn't mean it's not happening.

For example, résumés with white-sounding names have a 50% greater chance of receiving a callback when compared to those with African American names, according to a study performed for the National Bureau of Economic Research by the University of Chicago's Marianne Bertrand and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sendhil Mullaina.

Many job seekers agree. Nakores Sameita, 26, believes her ethnic-sounding name works against her. The former credit analyst for Chrysler was laid off in June and recently decided to go back to school for a masters in finance because her job search has been fruitless.

Hiring managers often question her immigration status, Sameita said. "I've had a couple of interviews and the first thing they mention is my name and ask me where I'm from," says the Kansas City resident, originally from Kenya. "Even though I'm a citizen it puts me at a disadvantage," she said.

Recruiters say that an applicant's name has no bearing on their chances of getting hired, and many states require employers to establish and enforce anti-discrimination policies.

"As a recruiter, the name is usually the last thing I look at," said Thad Schiele. "My job is to get the hiring manager the best candidates for a position."

But cynics suggest that if résumés can be scanned for appropriate terms and keywords, then someone's name could also play a role in the initial screening process, whether consciously or unconsciously.

While hiring managers may not intend to discriminate a candidate based on a name or ethnicity, the name could still signal something about the applicant's skills or background that is relevant to the job.

Duram Gallegos, 25, believes that potential employers call him assuming he speaks fluent Spanish because of his name.

Gallegos has been looking for a job near his home in Elgin, Ill. for six months and thinks his last name gives hiring managers a false impression that he can't back up in an interview.

If a job seeker does feel that their first name conveys an image they are uncomfortable with, then they could just use their first initial on a job application or résumé, Probett of San Diego State University suggested. But deemphasizing a last name is obviously not realistic.

Instead, job seekers should focus more on the aspects of their image that they can control, Probett said, like their online presence or the email address they use for correspondence.

"For example, 'PartyDude@BeerU.Com' might project an image of someone who is not too business savvy," she said.

If you think the USA is a real SHAME then why do you want anything to do with coming here to then USA?? You must be a scammer?

Edited September 22, 2009 by christera22

[Dr. Obvious 49]

US govt shd really look into this, I myself have several rejection fopr no reason shown , even i was perfectly qualified.

Thanks

That doesn't mean that they were discriminating against you because of your last name.

For example, I just had a phone interview this afternoon where the rep said they had 641 applications and they had to pick only 10-11 for even the initial interview. Might as well go out and play the lottery. The person who interviewed me had a MENA name.

In another example, my brother is trying to get into the Navy's officer program, but they are far, far over quota with all fully qualified applicants. It is just a numbers game if he gets in next fiscal year or not.

The economy sucks and I have gotten more rejection letters over the past few months than I can count, even with my white folks name. Go figure.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Wacken

[SuperDuper! 230]

Is anyone actually surprised that some people judge others by how their name appears or sounds?

This occurs throughout the globe.

indeed. Who cares. A name is just a name. Don't like it? Change it. Next.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Is anyone actually surprised that some people judge others by how their name appears or sounds?

This occurs throughout the globe.

indeed. Who cares. A name is just a name. Don't like it? Change it. Next.

Many people (my boss from Hong Kong included) adopt nick names for business which are easier for their Americans (in America!) to pronounce, or they shorten their names to something more manageable. I have seen some long and complicated Indian names which would take me quite some time to learn to say. And I have had Indians pronounce my name incorrectly in turn. I don't understand why the pronunciation is such a sticking point. If it's a short term interaction just let it go, and if it's long term then coach them through it.

[christera22 8]

I agree with Nick+Heather. I have never felt bad about people calling my name in different ways. What i feel bad is the discrimination and injustice based on a name. Thats a sheer shame. I dnt know what USCIS and Obama is doing about this but they shd really do a mass education of internation geography and world cultures. That news I quoted on the 1st post is posted by CNN money all over the world. WWhat impression the world makes of USA out of a news like that ? I have also heard remarks like " Your Freaky strange name ..." Also I do a job which needs a lot of customer interaction. A nice well dressed guy came and straight pointed to another white colleague of mine , to get served by him. Later I heard him tell my colleague, that he doesnt want to get talked to some strange looking freaky foreigner. What this does is makes me feel so bad and frustated. My wife told me , that person may be uneducated. I really dnt think so .

Some of my colleagues call me by my half name and i gladly accept it. NOthing really goes bad if someone pronounces some name wrong. Hope i cd express my feelings properly.

Edited September 24, 2009 by christera22