From ‘foreign-sounding’ surnames to experienced professionals deemed ‘overqualified’, recruitment discrimination is rife. Two shocking cases reveal how qualified candidates are being rejected before they even reach the interview stage—and what it takes to beat the bias.
In the span of five minutes, I came across two reports of recruitment bias from two different sources. The biases? One was a combined gender and racial example, the other blatant ageism. The rules of recruitment have become bewilderingly confusing. How does a candidate who didn’t receive a job offer really know the true reason they were rejected?
When changing your name opens doors
Just writing that sub-heading feels so wrong. Yet, sadly, it can work.
One job seeker decided to put her suspicions to the test. After months of rejections and silence, she swapped her surname for her husband’s “white-sounding” name whilst keeping everything else identical—her CV, her qualifications, her experience. The result? Interviews started flooding in.
Here are the details and latest update about her experience, which she shared in a job seeker’s forum on Reddit:
The six-month struggle to find a job
My legal name sounds ‘foreign’, so I’ve been using a nickname, which is just the first part of my actual name. My surname is very short, easy to pronounce, but not ‘white’.
I spent about six months applying to jobs. I either received a rejection email without a single interview or was ghosted. I applied to 150+ jobs, some below my experience level, some matching it exactly.
A bit about me: I have 10 years of experience in tech, all in non-technical roles. I now live in a new country (USA), so my networking is almost non-existent here.
I focused on quality, not quantity when I applied for jobs: I researched roles, companies, and current employees, customised my CV and cover letter, and even had them reviewed by professionals and former colleagues. I reached out to recruiters on LinkedIn, found email addresses, contacted team leaders… I heard back NOTHING. I felt devastated, worthless, and started worrying about debt just to survive.
Then, my husband suggested I try using his surname (white sounding) and also changing the spelling of my first name. I knew discrimination existed in hiring, but I honestly thought it wouldn’t affect me. (I had hired people myself and never cared about names or ethnicity. Silly me.)
The job hunt experiment that changed everything
I changed my name on my CV and LinkedIn, created a new email address, and applied to about 10 jobs with the new ‘white sounding’ name. Within a week, I received two interviews. I even completed the final-round interview last week and am waiting for the result.
Nothing else changed, just my name.
I’m glad I’m finally getting interviews (but who knows, I may not even get the job), but seeing such a stark difference so quickly is shocking. It’s a bitter feeling.
So, if your name sounds ‘foreign’, [in the country you are applying] try changing it… Very sad to experience this first-hand though…
UPDATE: Success—But at What Cost?
I got a job!!
Since my original post, I applied to about 10 more jobs, received another interview, passed the first round, and was offered a position from the company I mentioned in the original post. I also applied to the same company (but for different/similar roles since the positions I originally applied for were closed) and heard back from one company so far as well. It’s still a bitter feeling, but it’s also a relief to know that at least I’ve finally opened doors.
For those curious about using a different name, here’s how it went for me: when I received the call, I simply said, ‘By the way, my legal name is blah blah. Would you like me to email you my legal name and documents?’ The recruiter just noted it over the phone, sent me the offer letter with my legal name, and the background check went through with no issues. Of course, every company or recruiter may handle it differently, so I can’t say it’ll be the same for everyone, but I wanted to share the logistics since some people asked.
I also didn’t expect so many of you to comment and share your own stories. Thank you for opening up. Reading through the comments really showed me how discrimination takes so many forms… Xenophobia in my case, but for others, it’s gender, age, race, and more. It’s also clear that some industries/positions favour certain ‘types’ of candidates aside from actual skill sets and experiences. That said, for those of us who end up in positions of power, let’s remember to do a better job and be less biased.
To my fellow job seekers: keep going. This past year has been the hardest of my life—job hunting, personal struggles—but what crushed me the most was feeling worthless, less confident every day, and constantly having the thought of lowering my standards. I even applied to companies that have horrible reviews… just to get by. But things can and will turn around, and I’m rooting for you!”
Ageism: When experience becomes a liability
Biases work both ways, depending on the industry, company culture, the demands of the job and the individual hiring manager. Sometimes the chips are in your favour—for example, if you’re female, other times because you’re male, not married, or share the same nationality as the hiring manager.
However, the bias blockade that will stop us all is ageism. Experience used to be an asset; now it’s something you might want to downplay on your CV, even if salary isn’t the issue.
“That’s blatant ageism”
Simon Bucknell, founder of recruitment platform GenX Talent, shared his experience of ageism for two candidates he put forward:
Four CVs sent. Two in their 30s. One late 40s. One early 50s. Hiring manager? Mid-30s.
Guess what happens?
He rejects the two older, more experienced candidates. Within 30 minutes.
All were asking for the same money. All solid. All worth a conversation. But that’s not what this was about.
I said to my colleague Kelly, ‘That’s blatant ageism.’
And it was. Shocking! And as you get older you hear the same tired excuses.
‘Overqualified.’ ‘Will get bored.’ ‘Role filled internally.’ ‘Not the right fit.’ ‘Not our culture.’
All just code for one thing. Ageism.
Then comes the classic line—I see it in adverts and job descriptions:
‘We’re building a young, high-energy team.’
As if that makes it acceptable. Kelly and I made our excuses too. We don’t work with that hiring manager anymore.
Because if you’re happy to quietly discriminate, we’re happy to walk away.
The reality of modern recruitment discrimination
These two cases highlight a troubling reality: qualified candidates are being filtered out before they can demonstrate their abilities, based solely on characteristics unrelated to their competence. Whether it’s a surname that sounds ‘different’ or a birth year that suggests experience rather than ‘fresh energy’, discrimination continues to undermine fair recruitment practices.
The world and the economy need more recruiters and hiring managers to stop this type of behaviour. They need to stop it from the top.
