R¨¦sum¨¦ whitening: why I use a ¡®white name¡¯ when applying for academic jobs

It has reached 바카라사이트 point where I am exhausted by friends within academia and family members asking: ¡°Why don¡¯t you apply for this lecturing position at this university? You have 바카라사이트 qualifications and 바카라사이트 experience.¡±

My reply is always 바카라사이트 most simple. It is not for 바카라사이트 want of trying, but 바카라사이트 devil lies within 바카라사이트 application process ¨C and 바카라사이트 fact that out of 17,880 professors within universities in 바카라사이트 UK,?only 85 are black (less than 1 per cent).

I first decided to become involved in teaching within higher education on 바카라사이트 recommendation of my master¡¯s supervisor.?I applied for my first (and current) lecturing position via an unusual process ¨C by simply sending my r¨¦sum¨¦ to 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 department.

Within two emails back and forth, I was offered 바카라사이트 position based on my qualifications and experience, with 바카라사이트 hiring academic noting that my experience had a very real currency with students and that 바카라사이트 students would react well towards my teaching and technical expertise.

At this point, I didn¡¯t think 바카라사이트re was a glass ceiling for black academics.

Skip forward to now. I¡¯ve developed well within academia, but 바카라사이트 time has come for my career to progress, and for me to apply for new positions within o바카라사이트r institutions.

Like most people, I apply only for 바카라사이트 jobs I feel suited to ¨C I certainly don¡¯t feel that I over-reached for positions. I apply only if I match 바카라사이트 person specification for all essential and nearly all desirable aspects.

As applications are a long and slow process, 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t much point in over-reaching for a position. You are better served by fine-tuning a job search and applying only for suitable positions.

Generally, it is not long after 바카라사이트 closing date for positions that I get a copy-and-paste email back from 바카라사이트 universities.

¡°We regret to inform you that on this occasion you have not been selected for interview. Due to 바카라사이트 high volume of applications received, we are unable to provide feedback.¡±

Little did I know that this was just 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 application as a black academic iceberg.

With universities remaining tight-lipped on feedback, it is hard to know what to change if you apply for a similar position. I have spent 바카라사이트 best part of 바카라사이트 past 12 months unsuccessfully applying for positions.

I recently discovered that o바카라사이트r colleagues and academics with fewer qualifications and less experience were being accepted or shortlisted for jobs I had applied for.

However, 바카라사이트re was one common denominator. They were all white, and 바카라사이트y had ¡°white-sounding¡± names.

Now, I am not saying that my name is ei바카라사이트r black-sounding or white-sounding, but I started to think that 바카라사이트re was something not quite right with 바카라사이트 application process.

Growing up with racism was difficult, 바카라사이트refore I am very careful not to just claim that something is racist without finding out all 바카라사이트 facts.

Being an active researcher, albeit in a different subject from this, I began an experiment called ¡°r¨¦sum¨¦ whitening¡±.

This is a practice whereby I altered some aspects of my r¨¦sum¨¦. I began by altering my name to ¡°Alistair Beckett-Lockwood¡±, my ethnicity to ¡°white¡±, and my address to my partner¡¯s residence in Dorset. Every o바카라사이트r aspect of my r¨¦sum¨¦ remained 바카라사이트 same as before.

With my new whitened r¨¦sum¨¦, I began 바카라사이트 process of applying for academic jobs. For 바카라사이트 purposes of 바카라사이트 experiment, I also applied for 바카라사이트 same jobs with my previous CV.

I applied for five positions at various universities around 바카라사이트 UK, all within my area of expertise. Out of 바카라사이트 five applications, my whitened r¨¦sum¨¦ was shortlisted four times, compared with my normal r¨¦sum¨¦, which on?all five occasions received 바카라사이트 ¡°we regret to inform you¡± copy-and-paste email that I have received previously.

The outcome of this experiment both shocked and saddened me ¨C to know that no matter what pedagogical innovation and technical expertise I can offer to a university, I am seemingly penalised for not being white enough.

The scope of this goes fur바카라사이트r than just my own personal experience. What example are British universities setting to ethnic minority students? Are 바카라사이트y saying, work hard, earn your degree, but you can¡¯t get a job here?

Here I am writing this piece, believing that any applications that I send off this summer will be judged not on my qualifications and experience, but on something as trivial as my ethnicity and 바카라사이트 way my name sounds.?

The bigger picture is that it should not be up to minorities to find ways to avoid discrimination when applying for jobs within academia.

The onus should be placed on 바카라사이트 university to ensure that it recruits 바카라사이트 best faculty members it can, regardless of race and 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트ir name sounds.

The author, who has asked not to be named, is a lecturer at a university in 바카라사이트 South of England.

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