Name Discrimination in the Recruitment Process by Recruiters

Abstract

Literature reviews have brought attention to the discrimination towards names in the recruitment process by recruiters where these individuals are not considered for employment. In order to examine this phenomenon from the literature, an ethnographic study was conducted of the perceptions of recruiters through participant observation and a semi-structured interview during a period of three months. This study conducted a semi-structured interviewed with 20 recruiters who were a member of SHRM and a local chapter of SHRM in the state of Florida. A gap from the literature in furthering research in seeking what perceptions recruiters have towards first names of a perceived socioeconomic status associated with the first name is examined. The findings indicate the recruiter’s perceptions have an impact towards those with unusual and ethnic first names.