Do you think your name may be preventing your resume from being considered because potential employers assume your age?

43 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 3:06PM UTC

   One never knows. I'd say keep at it. Keep applying. Keep pivoting. It's a numbers/ networking game.

   Best of luck!

2. Betty StridenJanuary 8,2025 at 3:24PM UTC

   If they're discriminating based on age, they could be using the length of your work history against you. How many years of experience do you currently have showing on your resume? Lots of young folks have "dated" names. Many are making a comeback

3. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 3:44PM UTC

   My work history goes back to 2000. I don’t use education dates. I have nearly 30 years with the same company, and have dates for each of my title changes/promotions.

4. Chandra GreenJanuary 8,2025 at 3:29PM UTC

   No, actually, I don’t. Common names from the era mentioned above are coming back. I see them daily. However, interesting topic. I’ll pay more attention to a few other names.

   Thanks.

5. Vanessa LontocJanuary 8,2025 at 3:41PM UTC

   Unfortunately it is possible that unconscious bias and ageism can play a role in the hiring process. Names can sometimes trigger assumptions about age, ethnicity, race, experience, and even personality. While you can't change your name, you can highlight your skills and experience in your resume and cover letter. Focus on your accomplishments and how your skills align with the specific requirements of the job. You could also consider networking with people in your field and attending industry events to connect with potential employers and build relationships. Remember, your worth is not defined by your name or age. Keep your head up and continue to pursue your career goals.

6. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 4:17PM UTC

   Not sure about discrimination based on your name. Do look at how many years back your resume is showing. For ex. my experience goes back to the 80’s but I only list my current role and those going back to 1998 - only because I’ve been in staffing and it helps to show it. Hasn’t prohibited recruiters from contacting me, my current role of over 13 years gets tons of attention. My resume is also on LinkedIn. Don’t fret over your name. Focus more on removing your year of college graduation (however) I hired IT folks that had grad years in the 70’s and I loved knowing these folks had an older skill set that was rare among newer programmers. But I tried to eliminate ageism as I focused on skills.

7. Meme PriceJanuary 8,2025 at 5:32PM UTC

   Over the holidays, I applied to at least 200 jobs that I met the initial qualifications for and have only interviewed with 3. It can feel discouraging to have the education and experience yet not be considered qualified for small things...so to speak but as much as it depends on you, try not to settle? Persistence, patience, and humility develop professionals too.

8. KatJanuary 8,2025 at 5:59PM UTC

   I wouldn't recommend using a fake name or alias. That will be confusing to interviewers and HR and could lead to your application being rejected outright for lying.

   Instead, try using either your middle name (if it's something less dated sounding) or just your initials. That way there's no age or gender bias up front, though your resume may have other indicators of age - like being at the same job/company for many years. Only use your most recent job title since that's your most recent experience.

9. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 6:39PM UTC

   No. I think unique names that sound ethinic may pause recruiters consideration.

10. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 6:42PM UTC

    No, not at all, the examples you provided are not considered that at all, very prevalent names being used today.

11. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 6:50PM UTC

    No

12. AnonymousJanuary 8,2025 at 7:36PM UTC

    This is an interesting idea, and I hadn't even considered that. And my name really hasn't been a popular baby name since the 70s. The unfortunate thing is there may be a little bit of truth to that. Everyone has their unconscious biases, some are, and some are not aware of them. Would love of that sort of information could be redacted from resumes before they are reviewed. Some sort of masking. "You cannot view this information until you make the decision whether or not to interview the individual and if you choose not to move forward with them after that, you better have a damn good reason why." It kills me how other countries do resumes. MX for instance, will include full names, family size, DOB, color photos, etc. At least the ones that I Have seen.

13. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:15PM UTC

    Yeah, but you know what it’s kind of a double edged sword. So say they finally decide to go through with it and they meet you and then they decide they don’t want to hire you based on what you look like which believe me happens a lot.

    personally, I think I would rather know before I waste my time at an interview that they are ageist, misogynist DBs.

14. FarazpbcJanuary 9,2025 at 5:32AM UTC

    It’s possible that unconscious bias could play a role if a hiring manager associates your name with a specific age group, even if unintentionally. While this shouldn’t happen, biases can influence decisions. To counter this, focus on crafting a standout resume that highlights your skills, experience, and accomplishments prominently. If you’re concerned, you could use a first initial or nickname on your resume, but ultimately, the goal is to let your qualifications shine and address any assumptions during an interview by demonstrating your expertise and energy.

15. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 1:09PM UTC

    Yes.

16. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 1:26PM UTC

    No. Use another name on your resume. A middle name maybe if that is how you feel.

17. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 2:26PM UTC

    Names are more likely to project ethnicity than age. Children are often named after beloved grandparents, and different parts of the country have different naming conventions (think common nicknames being the birth name in the South, like Billy Bob and Peggy Sue, where it would be William Robert and Margaret Susan in the North). You could try initials rather than your name(s) to see if there is a better response. I've done that, and it didn't make much difference.

18. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 3:29PM UTC

    Names are not assumptions on your age - job history, year of graduation on your college history, etc. those are the assumptions of your age. Do you have job history dates going back to 1999 or only 2009 .. Do you put that your graduated college in 2010 or 2019, etc?

    I think these are the age assumptions / bias.

19. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 1:43AM UTC

    If you graduated in 2010 you're still young.

20. AnonymousJanuary 9,2025 at 3:40PM UTC

    Even if a resume does not reflect your age, hiring managers can easily google you to figure out an approximate age. So, while they could judge you based on your first name it is easy enough to figure your age out. Unfortunately, age discrimination is real and you just need to find a place that does not discriminate. I'm in the same boat as are a lot of people - getting around 20% of the interviews I may have gotten 15 years ago. You just need to get more 'balls in the air'. Just know that you are not alone. Stay positive and best of luck!

21. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:12PM UTC

    It’s hard to find a place that doesn’t discriminate. Unless it’s a one person shop, you’re always dealing with several people and all of their implicit biases. Too many hurdles to get through. They really need to start cracking down legally on these people.

22. Kathy SijanJanuary 9,2025 at 4:01PM UTC

    I don't work in HR, but had a friend who was convinced her first name was a deterrent. So she changed everything and went by her middle name.

    Generic example: First name Kelly.

    She changed to K. Lynne Smith.

    Just a thought.

23. Amy ChinJanuary 9,2025 at 4:28PM UTC

    Unconscious bias definitely exists and there is a lot of research to back this up. It's been found that human biases are even trained/programmed into AI programs.

    In fact, I did a small experiment with my name when I was a junior professional. Since my last name is a dead giveaway for my race and ethnicity, I took my then-husband's last name which was just 3 letters difference, but is a very British/English name. I submitted applications under both last names using the exact same resumes. Guess which applications I got more responses for?

    After my divorce, I changed my last name back to my maiden name. But at that point, I was more senior and had a larger network. My point is, unless the hiring manager already know you to some extent, I believe that your name can be received poorly due to unconscious bias.

24. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:11PM UTC

    Speaking of biases – when Facebook had job listings on the page, they had an algorithm that would not show many job listings to people over a certain age. So never mind not getting an interview or getting your résumé looked at – you couldn’t even see the job!

25. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 9,2025 at 10:35PM UTC

    Age discrimination exists and it sucks hard. Biases - conscious and unconscious - are real.

    But when I look at a resume, this is what I care about: ARE YOU QUALIFIED?

    My hiring managers care about is this person qualified? Can they fill the need on my team and hit the ground running?

    Half the time, I don't even look at the applicant's name.

26. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 2:58PM UTC

    Can I have your hiring managers???

27. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:09PM UTC

    You are one in 1 million because most people can’t get past their biases. :-(

28. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 1:57PM UTC

    No, When I look at resumes, I look at education and qualifications first. It isn't until I am have put them the resumes into the review pile that a cursory look at the name occurs. I really don't care what your name is - I once hired a Happy Easter ( yes that is what was on her Birth Certificate) and a Mary Christmas.

29. BarbaraJanuary 10,2025 at 5:08PM UTC

    Happy Easter? I would hire him or her immediately regardless of their qualifications. What a fun name. And that is probably why I’m not in HR.

30. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 2:20PM UTC

    I would say that the bias could be there. Before I changed my first name, I was getting near zero responses to my resume, because it's a name that society has come to hate. The moment I switched to my middle name, I got three responses within the next couple of days, and the trend continued. The people commenting that they look at the qualifications first are the kind of people we should have doing the hiring, but it's not always the case.

31. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 5:05PM UTC

    I cannot imagine what name you have that society has come to hate so

    much so that you would not be considered for a job. That’s crazy !! But if it works for you to change it and you’re successful good for you. We’ve certainly lost our way as a society if this is true.

32. Wanda ShawJanuary 10,2025 at 2:45PM UTC

    It's possible. But Any employer that's worth anything wouldn't dare make these assumptions. It's futile and limiting.

33. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 5:02PM UTC

    Exactly. How stupid they don’t deserve good candidates of any age.

34. Titra HamiltonJanuary 10,2025 at 3:16PM UTC

    At this point, I think that in one's Name, Address and Age can prevent a resume from being considered. I removed dates associated with my degrees. I collapsed everything on my resumes to a list of "Prior Experience" that is more than around 10 years old. I do not list my address anymore. In fact, a recruiter told me not to because that alone dates your resume. Your email, cell phone and link to LinkedIn are sufficient. As for Name, the concern/risk speaks more to the unique, complicated or ethnic names. For that, one has two options. They are: 1) Don't apply if you feel that you have to hide any aspect of your identity to get hired, or 2) be strategic. One can use a single initial instead of your full name, like one of my favorite actors does (S. Epatha Merkerson). One can ever shorten it to "S.E. Merkerson". With the later, one cannot tell if the applicant is male, female, mature, youthful, etc. These are just points to consider.

35. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:08PM UTC

    I remember when you would have to initialize your first name for your White pages listing. For folks who don’t know: that’s back in the day when we only had actual physical phone books and had to protect ourselves from guys that way too. Problem was, men did not use first initials on their listings so everyone knew that if you had an initial, you were a woman.

36. AnonymousJanuary 10,2025 at 5:00PM UTC

    that would be weird and unfortunate. I’m 67 years old and went to school with women named Bambi, Lindsey, Paige , Brandi, Ashley all very

    modern names. I’ve also met 20 somethings named Donna Barbara Ethel, Mabel and lots and lots of Maria’s and Mary’s. So if hiring managers are age discriminating this is a stupid way to do it. Just as stupid as age discrimination.

37. Afo Ogbeyalu KaluJanuary 11,2025 at 4:12AM UTC

    I think judgements and assumptions are made more regarding surnames than first names.

38. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:05PM UTC

    Not the question though

39. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 6:20AM UTC

    I doubt it since many of those names have cyclically come back into style. I have an 8 year old relative named Audrey, for example.

40. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 4:05PM UTC

    My name has not been recycled and yes, I do believe that this happens sometimes.

41. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 5:17PM UTC

    I’m not sure that it happens with me. But I am positive that it happens with other people. Anyone who claims otherwise hasn’t been exposed to it, and has the privilege of not having to experience it.

42. AnonymousJanuary 11,2025 at 7:20PM UTC

    Some AI programs even see Karen as a bad word, so the resume gets kicked out before a human ever sees it.

43. AnonymousJanuary 12,2025 at 3:32AM UTC

    If you are worried about age discrimination, LinkedIn allows you to remove year graduated and there are other ways to leave off irrelevant past work history from your resume.