What’s in a Name? How Your Name Could Impact Your Job Prospects

If your name is Tim Jones or John Smith, the odds are that companies and HR professionals have heard your name – or one just like it – many times. For a more unique name, like Tim Papadopoulos, you may think that gives you that ability to stand out against the competition, right? Not according to recent studies.

professional recruitersResearchers have found that people with easy-to-pronounce names are more likely to be favored for a job or promotion. That means candidates with names not common in America – or even ones that are a bit longer than normal – could be missing out on key opportunities. While this research can shed some light on the hiring and promotion process, for the most part, decision makers are not even aware of their subtle biases against certain names.

So what does this mean if your last name always trips up the tongue? As professional recruiters, we don’t advise you to change your name or omit it from your résumé – your name is an important part of your identity. The best plan of action is to either make the font of your name smaller on paper or go a less traditional route: the video résumé. By drawing attention away from your name and highlighting your skills, you can avoid facing discrimination due to your name.