It helps to have a white name?

sp · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 218

"Resumés with white-sounding first names elicited 50 percent more responses than ones with black-sounding names, according to a study by professors at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/01/14/name.bias.ap/index.html

Some Chinese people adopt a western first name, some are given them at birth, and some choose to stick with their Chinese name. Are there pros and cons to all of these options

porkscratchings · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 112 Location: BirmingHAM

I think a western name is more user friendly in the job market which has seen employer toss a cv into the bin if it's headed by a foreign sounding name.

A friend of mine is asian - and has a v stupid sounding name which is long and hard to pronounce. He is also a geek with ample experience in his field and lots of qualifications in the UK. He applied for 50 vacanies that match his skills and got no response at all. Fed up with this racism, he moved to American where he found himself to be in demand. He got an extremely well paid job and is hoping to start his own pet hospital.

A similar situation happened to another asian chap - this one did not leave the Uk. Instead he waited a few months and re-sent the same CV to the same 60 odd companies that turned him down. Only one thing was changed - his name to John Brown (i.e. a amusing ref to having brown skin, asian). Half of these companies offered him an interview.

I stick with my chinese name in jobs and life. I'm not sure I want to be somewhere where I need to pretend to be someone else, someone more acceptable to white pple. If they won't accept me under my own name, do u think they will accept me more with a western name?
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Porkscratchings

Pheonix Event · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 4

Not unless your name is 'Steve' and have been thrown-off another forum for questioning the finances.

sp · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 218

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Quote: from Pheonix Event on 8:13 pm on Jan. 30, 2003
Not unless your name is 'Steve' and have been thrown-off another forum for questioning the finances.
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Hello Pheonix Event. I'm afraid you don't know what you're talking about. But seeing as you've brought it up, the thread you mention can be read here:

http://www.britishbornchinesedb.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?threadid=5 869

Enjoy!

porkscratchings · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 112 Location: BirmingHAM

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Quote: from Pheonix Event on 8:13 pm on Jan. 30, 2003
Not unless your name is 'Steve' and have been thrown-off another forum for questioning the finances.
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I'm not worthy mate!!

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Porkscratchings

ikonadmin · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 1

Phoenix Event

Judging by your email, you have close connections with people that were recently banned from using THIS message board. Please refrain from having a go at members of this message board as it is unneccessary.

Pheonix Event · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 4

Ok, not sure what that's about Ikon, but admin repaired my accout (I think). I looked at the BBC site and it is quite aggressive! People just fly-in! Things seem more relaxed here, sedate even. Still, I think I'll leave you to it, with an attitude like that! This is the shortage forum membership in history!

annagable · Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 1

I'm white, now married to my BBC husband, and I sometimes wonder if my new surname will make a difference for jobs in the future. People already give me a funny look if they only know me by my married name and then meet me in person and see I'm not Chinese...

sp · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 218

Pheonix': I don't know about the "shortage forum membership in history" but it's certainly the most pathetic attempt to stir up trouble under a false identity in history , you fool.

Annagable: Sad to hear you're getting these funny looks, but that's the society we live in. People get thrown by this sort of thing.

Gung hay fat choy!

yamerica · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 1

I suppose it depends on the type of work. I can imagine it would be eaiser to have simple english name in the white collar business world. I used to hear that my chinese friends had a hard time getting promotions in business.

In visual art, the name is less of an issue. A Korean friend in college changed her name to a more english sounding name after she moved to New York (from San Francisco). She didn't get any obvious advantage with that. It's a pity coz her Korean name is very lovely. This was New York though, anything ethnic is cool.

Eventhough my husband is british, I like to use my chinese last name professionally because I like to show that I could bring in another culture and perspective to anything I do. I actually had a cow when they changed my last name at the registry without asking me the options. I guess they don't hyphenate the names in england.

Best
Yam

VerticalHorizon · Joined: 15 Apr 2003 Posts: 9

Its also the case that in some jobs its not what you know but who you know. Get networking when you get your first break. Youll be amazed how many hurdles that can leap across.

eye_candy1870 · Joined: 08 May 2003 Posts: 86

As soon as white people start naming their children with traditional chinese names then I will consider giving my child a white name. BTW names like 'jade', 'chyna' dont count. LOL

Guest · Posted: Mon May 12, 2003 3:09 am Post subject:

Any of you guys just have a normal English name as your first name with no phonetic translation of their Chinese names?

I have a Chinese name but the first name part does not appear at all on my birth certificate. The same with my 2 brothers. Just want to say health is my middle name!

I have Chinese Canadian friend who also has this arrangement.

Danny

sp · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 218

The name on my birth certificate is an English first name followed by my Chinese given name spelled phonetically, then my surname. I think my kids (whenever they come along!) will probably follow a similar pattern.

OceanLee · Joined: 27 Feb 2003 Posts: 85

Me too, EnglishFirstName ChineseMiddleName Surname.

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