Seasonal Outreach* Part 2
Straight from the inbox:
"Hey K,
I was at D&B this past weekend at a bday party and i coulda swore i saw you at a table, i spent the remainder of the dinner glancing your way until you left. I think what happened was that since we ended i’ve been in two relationships the past one just recently ended and after seeing you i began comparing the last two females to you and made me think where we’d be now. But the past is the past right, but anyway just wanted to know if that was you,how are you doing? how’s work and the family? email me sometime.
- P"
Translation: I’m lonely as hell right now.
I was at nobody’s D&B last weekend so he was glancing at some other heffa. That message is from the same guy who sent me an EMAIL to inform me that he was still in love with his ex back in Feb/March. Guess that didn’t work out!
His email got me thinking about re-dating. I’ve never re-dated someone…for that to happen, at the very LEAST, dude would have to try REALLY hard to convince me to start all over again. And his angle would have to be COMPLETELY different.
The streak is SO over
"WHAT THE FUCK?! 200,000 PEOPLE COME THROUGH HERE EVERY DAY BUT CAN’T GIVE US HOMELESS PEOPLE NOTHIN?! I BEEN PANHANDLIN’ FOR 4 HOURS AND AIN’T MADE A DOLLAR. FUCK THIS SHIT!!!"
If I can manage to make it through a week or more without seeing/hearing some crazy shit in the subway, it’s like some sort of winning streak.
Which name begins with "Ta" and ends with "Kiesha?"
Jennifer of course!
I was talking with a 50ish white coworker about my frustrations with job hunting. She said, "change your name on your resume. I worked in HR for years and they see your name and throw your resume in the trash without even looking at the credentials."
I’ve read about the Ebony vs. Rebecca resume studies and know there’s a correlation b/t how Black your name is and how many call-backs you DON’T receive. However, I know plenty of Tamika’s who get jobs without changing their name.
Both my first and middle names are "Black" so my only option would be to use my initials. But what happens when they call me?
Sure I speak proper english…but I sound like a Black girl who speaks proper english. If they’re the type to discriminate based on names, would they bring me in for an interview after hearing that I am indeed Black?
I’m going to use my initials for a while to test the theory…I’ll update the blog w/ my findings.
*Seasonal Outreach © the Hostess
LMAO @Translation: I’m lonely as hell right now.
that IS true LOL…re-dating isnt worth it, trust me. Its a waste of energy.
about changing your name and using your initials…that sucks i dont even know what to say about that.
Comment by Peach — December 20, 2006 @ 11:46 am
Hmm. I dont know.
If they discriminate on your name w/o even meeting/knowing/interviewing you…I wouldn’t want to work for them anyway.
Because of my name, 99.2 % of the time people always think I’m a black male (the biggest threat in America lol *just being real, I know you seen “Bowling For Columbine”* lol) before meeting/talking to me, but I still seem to get called back. Now tell me that’s not odd as hell lol
So, I think you can do it Kie, just keep trying.
However, if you want to try the initials thing to. Dont see any harm in that.
Comment by dayrell — December 20, 2006 @ 12:50 pm
Don’t change your name to using initials on your resume. If they won’t hire you based on your qualifications-and not the way your name sounds-they probably are not going to be a great employer anyways and won’t be worth the trouble.
I’m kinda re-dating someone right now ( I wrote about it on my blog, “The Airman”) and sometimes people really do change. However this guy of yours just sounds lonely!
Comment by SmartBlkWoman — December 20, 2006 @ 9:12 pm
I’ve decided not to use my initials. As I was writing a cover letter today, I thought it would’ve sounded dumb to end it with “sincerely [insert initials here].” I just gotta keep trying
Comment by Administrator — December 20, 2006 @ 10:17 pm
Most folks think I’m a man from my name and others think it’s a made up “black” name. It’s the whittest female name one can come up with from France but hey Americans don’t know that. lol!
Good luck with your job search.
What is up with dudes saying “females” instead of girl or woman. Is it a new thing?
Thanks. Hmm that’s a good question regarding “females.” This particular guy is kind of bitter so that might explain it.
Comment by Honest — December 21, 2006 @ 11:05 am
K, DO NOT SLEEP! What you’ve said about the name game, is 100% true. My name is Omar, and when I was just starting out like about 10 years ago I was really pushing to get into this one major company in my area. They ran several adds for a position which fit my experience and my educational training as I was in college at the time. They had ads for the same position in the paper over the course of at least 6 months and everytime I submitted my resume with no call back. Now remember, this was 10 years ago before everyone in the media picked up on this, but one day I saw the ad again and decided to use my middle name instead of Omar. Well well well, what do you think happened? You guessed it, I received a call to interview not two days after submitting my credentials. Got the job too. Oh and one thing to keep in mind, I kind of disagree with some of the statements above concerning if they descriminate against your name, assuming you are Black, that you may not be a good “fit” anyway. The reason for this disagreement is the fact that typically in most firms, the person “screening” apps, is rarely the person who makes the ultimate hiring decision. Most firms receive so many resumes today that some even outsource this initial screening to outside companies or through some HR assistant, before they even get to the HR manager. So if you have some lowly hr assistant with an animus towards Black people, yes indeed your app or resume with a “Black” name will promply hit the circular file (trash can). This is very true. So that one idiot at the bottom of the totem pole is enough to deny access. That’s why it is absolutely critical that any resumes you send out, that you also follow up with phone contacts to either the HR manager or do some deeper digging and determine who heads up the department you want to work in and contact them directly. Just a tip because most of the time most folks just shoot their resumes out and wait for a call v. being slightly agressive and reaching out to contact the real shot caller(s) directly. Keep your head up and to get your foot in the door don’t be shy about “amending” your name temporarily then once you’ve got the job politely asking them to refer to you by your given name. Continued good luck. O
Comment by MistaO — December 21, 2006 @ 12:53 pm
@Honest. I was programed to say males and females in the military. No one is called men or women in the military. So i think maybe it leaked lol
Comment by Peach — December 21, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
I believe this be true….Pray for those who judge by a name.
Comment by StillMe — December 21, 2006 @ 11:55 pm