Can a name get you a job? That is the question many are asking after a recent post on TeamBlind went viral. A Chinese tech professional shared how months of job applications led nowhere until he decided to change his name to an American one.
Suddenly, interview invites started rolling in.
The user wrote, “I got rejected with my real name but got 3 invites as an American name. I’ve been applying for a few months now and all I’ve been getting were the automated ‘unfortunately’ rejection emails. I checked off all the requirements and even got my resume critiqued by a career coach. I saw on Reddit someone applying to the same job with different names so I changed my name on my resume. BAM. I got an email asking for an interview.”
He went on to explain that his real name is very Chinese, but he used to go by James in school. So he changed his name on his resume to James Bright — “Bright” being a translation of his last name.
“I got interview requests from three different companies that initially rejected my original resume,” he added.
Now he is unsure how to move forward,
“If I go on with the interviews, they’re going to know I didn’t write my legal name on the resume. If I continue using my real name, I won’t get past the resume phase. I even applied through referrals and nothing. I’m lost and don’t know what to do anymore. Should I just interview as James and hope for the best?”
He added that he is a US citizen and doesn’t need visa sponsorship.
‘You can go by a preferred name’
Netizens on TeamBlind quickly jumped into the discussion. A user wrote, ” You can go by a preferred name, nothing illegal about it. If it’s helping do it!.”
Another added, “I don’t think anyone would openly challenge it. Would they raise their eyebrows when they learn you have a different legal last name? Yes. Does it matter? Probably not. I think the question is are you ok with people addressing you by this last name at work for as long as you’re at this company? It’d be funny if you use it as a “preferred” name but you actually don’t prefer people using it.”
“Yes. Paycheck first, fight systemic racism later,” stated a user.
“Hiring managers at high-tier companies know that people with Indian / Chinese sounding names are more likely to be on a temporary visa and therefore be at their beck and call on weekend and holidays and always put in 60+ hours when they demand it. They call this “talent,” claimed a netizen.
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