Is it normal to believe that i was not hired due to my race?

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16 Comments

I recently had 3 interviews in Roseville, CA, but I wasn't hired for any of the positions, despite my bilingual skills and professional qualifications. I have never applied for jobs in Roseville prior to this experience. I have an Irish first name and a French last name, so no one knows I'm Asian especially since I don't have a foreign accent. My guts keep telling me that I've been discriminated against...not in an overt way, but a very subtle way. As I recall, my interviewers were all Caucasian. I only saw 1 or 2 minorities out of 20+ Caucasian employees. So, do you think I'm being paranoid or could I possibly be on target? Thanks in advance for your comments/thoughts.

Voting Results
39% Normal
Based on 31 votes (12 yes)
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Comments ( 16 )
  • kelili
    10 years ago

    People who have never experienced discrimantion would not understand what you are trying to explain. Just keep trying, good luck..

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  • GuessWho
    10 years ago

    The problem is that they probably think you're white.
    Everyone is discriminating against whites these days.

    As for seeing 2 minorities in 20 people, do note that there may be less then 2 per 20 in the population and they are actually overrepresented. (Yet companies seek to over represent them more for the sake of 'diversity').

    Them thinking that you're white is not helping as this excludes you from their selection in their attempt to diversify.

    Go get some shoe polish and pant yourself black with it and you'll get the job.

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  • myboyfriendsbitch
    10 years ago

    Perhaps you just failed the interview? Maybe you didn't have the type of personality they were looking for. Experience isn't the only thing employees look for in a candidate. They want people who can communicate well with others.

    I think that's why I can't score a job. I appear too timid at interviews and I'm no good at selling myself. Maybe you should think about your responses at the interviews. Surely you didn't answer every question perfectly? A "flaw" during the interview process seems more likely to me than 3 different employers being racist against Asians, but then again you are on the opposite coast of me.

    Now if you want to say employers discriminate against introverts I'd definitely agree with you.

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  • GoraIntoDesiGals
    10 years ago

    If you noticed 2 minorities then it means they do hire them.

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    • iembracediversity
      10 years ago

      Please see my last sentence above.

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      • GoraIntoDesiGals
        10 years ago

        Yeah but what's the overall ratio where you live?

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        • iembracediversity
          10 years ago

          Do you mean the demographics? When I looked at the U.S. Census, Roseville CA consists of 70+ percent Caucasian and the remaining percent includes other races.

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          • GoraIntoDesiGals
            10 years ago

            So that's 30% minorities as a whole and about 10% in that company but any sample size that small is not representative. There might not be enough minorities with the qualification they were looking for.

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            • iembracediversity
              10 years ago

              I doubt that it was solely based on qualifications. In my case, I was highly qualified with a masters degree, over 18 years of experience in the industry, and fluent in several dialects of Chinese. The interviewers also indicated a need for someone with my language ability to directly communicate with their patients due to the hassle of using interpreters.

              Despite the above and over an hour of interviewing, I didn't get hired, which surprised me. I even tried asking for feedback and how I could improve, but their only response was that it was nice meeting me, but they had chosen another candidate.

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  • elowen
    10 years ago

    I think you're playing the race card. You probably weren't as qualified as other applicants.

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    • changes123
      10 years ago

      How do you know this person wasn't as qualified?

      What makes them "less" qualified. You do not know the company standards, or their credentials. The interviewer OBVIOUSLY thought the person had enough professional experience to give them an interview. If they weren't qualified, they wouldn't have been even received a call back.

      And isn't it fishy that most of the people employed were caucasian?

      Naaaaah he's just playing the race card.

      Sweet heart. Discrimination in this day and age is dangerous because it is subtle. Then you have people like this person who live in a comfortable world, and don't feel affected by discrimination, so they automatically assume that your struggle doesn't exist. Even more, they are so arrogant that they try to tell you that you are not struggling.

      And that's why the fight for equality continues to this day. Keep your head up, that work environment would probably have made you miserable. Everything happens for a reason. Keep looking.

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      • iembracediversity
        10 years ago

        Thank you for your advice and validating my experience. It's sad that I have so much to offer but not given an opportunity for some unknown reason.

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    • iembracediversity
      10 years ago

      Elowen, I think you are rather quick at making a judgment or concluding that I'm playing the "race card". I'm from the Bay Area, which is very diverse, and I've never experienced anything like this until I recently moved to the Roseville area or Northern CA. I bet you are NOT a minority and could not possibly relate. Racism is still ALIVE and well as much as you may deny it; It has evolved from overt racism to subtle racism, which is harder to prove in today's society. I have 1 friend who is of Latino background who actually worked at one of these places and had confirmed that it seriously lacked diversity. In fact, she was treated so poorly that she ended up transferring to another location within the same hospital system. I could not relate to her experience until I experienced it myself. And of course, there will always be a FEW minorities if their mission states that they are "equal opportunity".

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  • iembracediversity
    10 years ago

    I got it through marriage.

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  • anti-hero
    10 years ago

    How did you end up with a French last name?

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