What's in a Name

You call a rose by any other name and it will still smell like a rose.

But that is not to be the case with trying to land a job. Foreign-sounding names are a hindrance to getting a job according to a University of BC Associate Professor, Philip Oreopoulos.

According to an article from The Leader, researchers from UBC sent out 6000 mock resumes between May and October last year to various employers throughout the Metro Toronto area. The CV's were identical except for the names.

The research team found English-sounding names were 40% more likely to get a call back for interview than those with foreign-sounding names.

The professor said one possibility is a preference based discrimination, where the employer has no concern about the level of skill, " its just that the employers pick the resumes that match the demographic of the people who are already working there"

Another possibility is that employers perceive a foreign-sounding name belonging to a person who might not have the desired "social and cultural communication skills necessary for the job, he added.

While this study was conducted in the Toronto area, the results could have been similar here in Vancouver concluded Oreopoulos.

This is a sad reality. But what is worse is that Canada is actually draining other countries of their talented citizens as these immigrants come to the country equipped with high educational backgrounds, extensive experiences in their field and different perspectives not to mention their global connections which could be very valuable to the Canadian economy. And where do these skills and talents go?

Most of them are not utilized. If they do never in their full potential.

Nevertheless, at least now there are discussions about this issues. There will be a day when everyone will have a real sense of equality in this country.