Whitening My Resume
Hi all,
Full disclaimer: I am not a SJW or anything like that.
I recall these vague memories of learning about implicit biases associated with resume review - names/org involvement/interests seem to trigger negative bias against implied nationality, sponsorship issues, race, sexual orientation (from org involvement), etc. on a statistically significant level.
I used to simply tune out of those lectures, thinking it was just some PC stuff we're required to hear and acknowledge..........until I started as recently a Summer Analyst. I was born and raised in the United States with perfectly fine English and a lot of pride in my family's US military services. In the months leading up to this summer, I got several HR calls asking to "confirm my citizenship and work status", which I thought was a bit weird but just kept telling them I'm a US citizen every time. Then, the lady verifying my I-9 seemed extremely frazzled - she took my passport away to make a call. I heard her repeat an address, which I discreetly googled on my phone and it turned out to be the Homeland Securities ICE office (I'm not even Hispanic). There is a senior guy who keeps "complimenting" me on my "good English" and tells me it's rare that I'm so friendly because most of my people don't smile much (wtf). Now, I took this boutique job as an IB stepping stone to something better with no intention of returning, and I'm glad I did because this experience exposed me to an ugly truth - people's first assumption of me will rarely be that I grew up in the States, speak English, or have the ability to communicate professionally. Granted, I'll admit this is probably due to the fact that the vast majority of international Asian students refuse to learn or speak English in America. It made me wonder how my name alone might have hurt my resume during prior recruitment.
Now, I'm not the sensitive type but something about all this just didn't sit well for some reason. A few drinks later on Friday night I did a quick google search and found these
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/2…
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews
It's what it is, I'm not trying to be an activist, I literally just want to secure my first FT IB job, work a couple of years and leave. I'm not ashamed of my ethnicity and I don't care to be buddy buddies with these people - just need to reach my goal for now. My questions are:
- Should I omit my ethnic last name? Use initial or just my first and middle name?
- Should I somehow indicate that I'm a "US Citizen who can speak English fluently and do not require work visa" big and clear on my resume? How?
- Should I throw in some "white interests" like skiing, hiking, hockey, etc.?
Obviously, my plan is to network first before applying but realistically I can't get to know 5 people from every bank x20. Some, I'm just gonna have to apply with my resume. Interested to hear your thoughts and advice on "whitening my resume".
Thanks,
Why are you so concerned about how "white" you are? If you can speak English, your ability to speak will translate in your writing in your resume. Just list your name and move on. My god, I hate when people use the term "SJW" unironically. This isn't 2015. If you truly do care about diversity, you wouldn't care about whitening yourself and omitting your diversity involvement; you would actually stand by them and not care about how people look at them. If you truly aren't a racist SoB, you wouldn't be throwing international students under the bus for your own shortcomings.
I'm not concerned about how "white" I am at all. But if you're asking why I wouldn't want to "whiten" my resume, then you must live in a totally delusional world.
Refer to the two links if you need more context. Also, I hardly think I'm the one instigating anything. If I can wake up one day and people won't associate me with negative stereotypes, trust me I'd start jumping and singing on Park Ave.
I do know a lot of students with ethic last names who list 'US Citizen' under their name / contact info at the top of their resume. This was mostly for engineering / computer science
Another thing - unfortunately many international students have personal "agents" who help them write resumes, cover letters, and essays.
Yeah the world is racist, is this really news for you? You’re Asian, you don’t experience the same systemic racism Blacks, Latinos, or Women face (unless you are female which is a very low probability given the demographic of this site unfortunately).
I never said you were instigating anything, I said to suck it up and go through with it because honestly Asians really don’t face as much racism. Just stick to your shit and go with it. Your whole thing came off as disingenuous when you said “SJW” and crapped on international students
"You're Asian, you don't experience the same systemic racism Blacks, Latinos, or Women face"
Bet bro, lmk when my URM networking event with GS takes place, you can email me my travel arrangement to my school address, and the plane tickets to my Diversity Superdays as well, thanks!
You realize that being an Asian male is literally the only minority group to not get all that URM Diversity treatment, right? Tell me this isn't news for you. Also, you're saying that I'm more privileged than some millionaire's spoiled daddy's girl - for what, "male privilege"?
This. I've encountered plenty of racism and prejudice (both explicit and implicit - the latter hurts much more). That said, it is a drop in the ocean compared to what so many other groups face and frankly we Asians (FOB or not) often perpetuate and push along that racism personally and professionally in order to get ahead. I'm specifically pointing the finger at my past self here (in addition to many others).
OP in short - it sucks, dude. It does. I (and I suspect many others of us) have been there. Hang in there. I hope that you don't try to change your identity. It'll confuse you even more and the potential negative long term ramifications to your mental well-being and social friends/circle/identity is potentially huge. The later in life that stuff hits, the worse it is for you and those around you. Ever seen truly confused people above the age of 35 who all of the sudden have all of these career/personal/professional regrets? I have. It's ugly. And a lot of it stems from trying too hard to please others or "fitting in". In the end all of this is just a job. That's it. A job. Nothing else.
If you need to omit organizations or your last name or whatever on your resume, you probably don't want to work there and with those people.
You probably won't have the problems you have faced at bigger organizations. So try to stick through this and learn a lot (or quit and do something else) and prep to land something at a larger more diverse organization.
Good Luck
Hey man thanks for the insight. Yeah, I wrote in the original post that "I'm not ashamed of my ethnicity and I don't care to be buddy buddies with these people - just need to reach my goal for now".
So yeah basically I just need to get past the screening, superday, then I'm out of IB in two years. My thinking is that if I need to "whiten" my resume, fuck it I'll do it. What was your story? I'd love to hear more about your experiences.
As an Asian dude, there definitely was some lowkey racism during my interviews, but you just kind of have to deal with it and let people get to know you. I never whitened my resume because I am proud of who I am and knew I could get offers by just being me. As to the other comments comparing racism, yes asians (men especially) face racism but not to the extent of other minorities, but that doesn't make it ok.
Hey, thanks for the reply. I actually crushed my interview just fine, then as soon as I started things changed. Right now my mentality is that idc if people know me or not, they can be racist for all they want. I'm just in it for the resume boost, exit opps, and pay. But who knows, interested to hear more about your experiences in S&T!
Maybe though if you have an uncommon last name list 'US Citizen' though somewhere on your resume, either at the bottom (or in some cases I've seen it at the top under the name).
Asians are the most discriminated group in America.
Could you imagine being such an insecure beta-male that you actually fucking pretend to be a different race. The funniest part is when say a Chinese guy changes his name from Yu Wang to Robert Wang and thinks this will help him get a job. Saddest most pathetic shit I’ve ever seen. Embrace who you are and be confident ffs.
No, it was just because some Chinese names are hard to pronounce, it's not about "sound like American". Just make convenient for others.
I'm sorry, I hate racist shit, but I hate Asians who are desperate to be white even more.
Dude I'm not trying to be white, but rather distance myself from personally inaccurate, yet very prevalent stereotypes regarding communication abilities. I don't think I'm evil for doing that.
I wonder how you feel about all the Asian natives bleaching their faces, getting plastic surgery, dying their hair, or wearing contacts to change their eye colors? Cus I none of the Asian Americans I know does that.
I understand, but the three questions in your thread are definitely going too far. I'd respect you if you fight the HR on his seeing you as a stereotype.
Wow this whole thread is sad. My advice is to not change who you are for a company. While there will always be racist people, the majority of people won't care what race you are, but instead who you are as a person and if they would want to work with you. Be yourself and forget trying to whiten your resume.
I think you guys are getting hung up here - it's not necessarily about race, but culture (?) and generalizations.
Unfortunately, the stigma with Asians is not that we won't show up on time or lack technical knowledge, but rather poor communication and insufficient language skills. While I feel bad and empathize with these international students who face language/cultural barriers, I don't think I'm being selfish for not wanting to be dragged down with it, you know what I mean?
Wow.
It's really irritating that it's 2019 and I still hear and read shit like what German Hardo is saying. Someone get their fucking intern.
OP - Which city are you in? If you're not in NY, CHI, or SFO, I would consider those places. There are more people of color and the people in those cities are more accepting / less racist (if at all). At the end of the day, you can not change your race, so don't hide it. Wear it with pride and don't hide a single thing about it. If people have a problem with you being Asian, they can fuck right off.
When people say you have "good English", they probably ONLY speak English. They tend to forget that you probably know an entire other language (something they don't have). Asia is growing faster than ever, and it's possible America won't be #1 forever. Just by being Asian, you are already at a significant advantage to work (and succeed) there if you ever decide to.
Wall Street is definitely becoming more diverse. More people of color are entering Wall Street, and more importantly, being promoted to leadership positions. It's only a matter of time until things become more "balanced".
My advice would be to keep your resume as is, and focus on your work experience, not how white it looks. If a firm is going to hire or pass on you because of how "white" you are, you don't want to work for them - trust me.
I've been in the corporate world long enough to know that racists do not last long.
Keep hustling and work hard - you'll get there. Ignore the racists - they're stuck in the past, and it's not worth your energy to feel upset about it. Put that energy into networking and studying.
PS - I help lead recruiting efforts for my IB's NY office (I work at a EB). Four years ago, our analyst class was about 90% white. This year, it's about 50%, and each class is more impressive than the last. This trend is not just happening at my firm - it's happening everywhere, and I expect it to continue. I think people are realizing that talent comes in different colors, and taking action.
We are still collecting resumes for a Summer 2020 start (FT and SA). If you're comfortable sharing, why don't you PM me your latest and greatest resume? If it's good, I'll throw it in the mix. If it sucks, nothing I can do.
Hey Monkeyking,
Thanks a lot for your comment, I'll shoot you a PM!
You wanna see racist, go try interviewing at a Chinese company as a black man lol.
So sad..
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