Letter to the editor. Do not select us with foreign sounding names
Imagine you are doing everything right – but still it is not enough. Not because you lack skills. Not because you do not have experience, but because your name is in the way.
I am at a stage where I am looking for work. I had just sent my application for a service. I had prepared myself carefully: updated my resume, wrote a selling personal letter and practiced interview questions. With a positive feeling I clicked on « send ».
The weeks went by. When I did not hear anything from the employer, I chose to follow up by calling the contact person for the recruitment. I expected a standard answer that they were looking for someone with more specific experience, which I completely respected. But instead I heard something completely different.
When the person asked me to repeat my name to find my application came the answer: « Was it anti -? We chose to move on with another candidate because we did not think you were Swedish. »
This person had assumed, based on my name, that I was not Swedish. How can my name – part of my identity – affect my opportunities so negatively? I reacted enough because I do not feel like anything other than Swedish and is set when it happens.
I have lived all my life in Sweden, been part of the culture, I know no other language other than Swedish, have worked all my adult life and yet my name seemed to stand in the way of my chances. This is the second time a person does not think I am when they hear my voice.
To be open With experience is not about seeking sympathy – it is about making visible a reality that still exists. I refuse to let this define myself. Instead, I see an opportunity to influence, highlight and change.
I am determined to find a workplace that values competence over strenuous assumptions. The sad thing about this is that I am not alone – there are many who share the same experience.
I refuse to believe that this is how we want to shape our society. We know better than that and I intend to be part of the change I want to see. I love my Sweden!
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