By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
YOUNG job-seekers in Greater Dandenong are changing their names on their resumes to overcome race discrimination from employers.
At a young migrant employment forum in Dandenong last week, Sudanese-born audience member Albert Mambo said an employer who rejected his original CV invited him to a job interview when he resubmitted his resume with an alias name.
“They later called me to tell me I didn’t get the job,” he told the Journal.
Several audience members of Afghani background told the Journal they and their friends were using the same application ploy as Mr Mambo.
Zakir Rezaie said he believed it was necessary to counter employers’ discrimination.
“I’d certainly consider doing it. I know other people who changed their names to get an interview,” he said.
Over the past four years, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has averaged nearly one complaint every two days of race discrimination in workplaces.
Commissioner Kate Jenkins said there was a “significant amount” of race discrimination in recruitment and formal complaints were “the tip of the iceberg”.
“It is very disappointing that race discrimination remains a real problem in Victorian workplaces, despite more than 30 years of legislation, training and education.
“Assumptions that someone cannot do a job on the basis of their surname are out of touch and mean that employers are missing out on the benefits of a diverse workforce, and they may also be against the law.”
Ms Jenkins said the racial discrimination could be “systemic” and difficult to identify.
“There is a need to further educate employers about equal opportunity rights and responsibilities as well as the benefits of employing people with diverse experiences, whether born locally or overseas.”
Katrina Peach, of South-East Local Learning and Employment Network that staged last week’s forum, said Muslim job-seekers suffered the harshest discrimination.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard an African changing their name but I’m not surprised,” she said.
“It’s not necessarily discrimination against skin colour but assumptions about who they are and their language skills.”
She said training providers had told her they didn’t want “Muslim or Sudanese boys”.
“There’s no reporting of those training organisations for discrimination. They are paid for training outcomes.”
After the event last week, forum host Aaron Mashano urged Mr Mambo to work “11 times as hard” as other job-seekers to land the job.
Mr Mashano, chief energy officer of Leaders of Tomorrow, said: “Persistence is number one. For us, it’s 10 times harder because we’re black. But if I’m working 11-times as hard, I’ll get the job.”
McDonald’s Springvale store owner David Fowler, one of the forum panelists, said any employer that discarded job-seekers on the basis of name was “foolish”.
“At my store, 145 people are working for me. They are from 35 different nationalities,” he said.
“It’s about you, not about your name. Don’t put that road-block up.”
Victoria Police representative Sergeant Liam Gardiner told the forum “there’s no way that could happen” to police candidates.
“We’re bound by legislation that we can’t discriminate by race, religion or sex. The name means nothing to us,” he said.
Other employer representatives said having a multi-lingual migrant background was a plus for candidates.
To contact the Commission, phone 1300 292 153 or email enquiries@veohrc.vic.gov.au
