If You Are Black You Need Not Apply

Will I ever be hired again? If the last few years are any indication… then it’s unlikely.

Moments ago, still fresh from being informed I was yet again not hired for a job, the emotions are running high; so much so that the feeling of slamming my head against the wall is almost at full realization. Having been down the road of rejection too many times to count, I am a seasoned pro who knows all too well the reality of not getting a job and it’s not because of a lack of experience.

This latest “unemployment dance” admittedly got my last remaining hopes to peak level as I was one of two in final contention (at least this is what I was told). After five interviews, it all ended after the final Zoom with the CEO. Though I thought the meeting went well and he generally seemed to be interested, the end result did not go my way.

Now, the reality is that there could be many reasons why I wasn’t extended an offer. I have been over and over this, not just for this latest smackdown, but for those lost opportunities throughout the past few years. My unemployment journey has been ongoing for just shy of four years — yes, you read that correctly, four years. Honestly, I’m amazed I am still able to lift my head from the pillow each morning. Any inner strength or confidence I once had has now been eroded.

I don’t recall a college course on unemployment depression or the harsh reality of employers not hiring on the basis of race. This you learn in the field through trial by fire.

Prior to my last full-time job, I had a relatively respectable design career. I advanced early on and saw much success. These days I spend the waking hours pouring through job posts, rewriting intro messages, fielding automated rejection emails, and networking with former colleagues from long ago — all with the misguided hope of securing something… anything.

Since being stalled, I have gone through a reservoir of emotions on this — from confusion to anger, rage to depression, to hopelessness. All as a result of failing to land a gig. This has been the constant disappointment that continues to hold me firmly in its clutches.

I just can’t catch a break.

Meeting the quota

It is no secret that discrimination is rampant in the workplace. Unfortunately, I saw this first hand on many occasions when I was working.

No one wants to be a “diversity hire;” someone who was hired simply to satisfy the quota for an organization. I like to think I’d be offered a job because of my skills and experience, what I bring to the table, how I can contribute, but the truth is that during a time when millions are out of work and the employment landscape is desolate, my mind often goes to… “self-worth be damned, at least I would be employed.” I’m not proud of thinking this way but I have to survive.

It is possible that with the heightened racial tensions we currently have in this country, hiring managers are more skittish about hiring a Black person for fear there could be a potential future social or legal “entanglement.” Of course, this is ridiculous but you never know, especially if you’re not being hired.

In my experience of having been on countless interviews, it doesn’t matter how sharp I look, how I present myself, how experienced I am, or what my CV says, the fact is you can’t hide a fly in the buttermilk.

Pre-COVID, my interview experiences were consistent in nature; moving to the seat furthest from me or closest to the door in the conference room, no handshakes upon introduction, told there was no need to meet with other scheduled team members, and having interviews canceled while waiting in the lobby.

There’s a lot of discrimination that occurs after the callback [for the first interview]. If you just look at the callback stage, you’re only getting about a half of total discrimination, because the other half seems to occur from the point of getting the interview to actually getting the job. — Lincoln Quillian, Sociology Professor at Northwestern University

Keeping the landscape white (or light) is the first unwritten rule on page one of the virtual HR handbook.

Not a “cultural fit”

I confess that post-final interviews without subsequent offers, I have researched who companies hired for these positions. I keep records of all the CVs that go out, contacts I make, and interviews I go on. The numbers are staggering but over the past few years, those candidates that were offered the jobs are ALL white.

Does a Black creative fit in here? Not if you ask the talent acquisition community. This might sound a bit extreme but so is not extending an offer to an experienced, educated, and seasoned professional hungry to make an impact based on race.

I don’t have much data to support the supposition that I’m not getting hired because of my skin color but I can conclude, the patterns that emerge after being interviewed, and if lucky enough to advance in the hiring process — inevitably, I won’t make the cut. Then of course there is that pesky “identify my ethnicity” question asked on all online applications. Let’s also throw in the gender and age inquiry while we’re at it. Yum! Interesting how such discriminatory practices are just as prevalent for organizations that claim to value a diverse staff as those that don’t. Hmmm!

Hiding behind the excuse of not being a “cultural fit,” is yet another way a hiring team can dismiss qualified candidates of different backgrounds. Data journalist Ben Jay spotlights a recent study conducted by Northwestern University showing that a pattern of Black candidates being rejected after a first interview has steadily increased over the years. If the hiring process does move along, this can, unfortunately, breed more opportunities for Black candidates to face some form of discrimination.

Skin color should not factor into the equation, but sadly it does.

The first part of an interview process may be conducted by HR professionals who are educated and required to factor in diversity concerns while hiring. Latter stages, though, are often handled by managers who aren’t trained. — Ben Jay, Data Journalist

When it rains, it pours, and as luck would have it, every month or so a few employment opportunities do pop up all at once providing yet more instances where I will eventually be placed on the “don’t call us, we’ll call you” list. If I’m lucky, I’ll be afforded an invite for a phone screen by a recruiter who has no intention of following up, and who will ultimately ghost me.

This has become the norm. I’m sure many of you have experienced this.

If I do make it to an in-person interview (now Zooms), typically I will advance in the process — thankfully. However, when the end is within sight, the luck starts to shift, and has routinely, thus far. After 85 (now 86) face-to-face interviews over the past few years, my efforts have yielded nothing.

Understandably the professional landscape is much different today but we should all be able to claim our exit from work-life on our own terms. Having a system decide when you should “retire,” should never happen. Deciding you are not a good “fit” for whatever reason, is a tough pill to swallow. Add to this not being provided an opportunity (or given a chance) because you’re Black.

This now dismisses all that you have worked hard for in life. The money you (or your family) spent on education so you could build a blooming career can so quickly be swept away at the whim of hiring teams that don’t consider POC.

Why?

The will to be

Having to apply to, and be rejected by, the types of jobs I once held when I started my career post-college, is defeating and humiliating. Nonetheless, I need to survive and any job that will pull in some income is what I have to target — entry-level, paid internships, part-time, assistant for, it doesn’t matter, just something.

Minimal freelance does hold my schedule from time to time, not quite enough to keep the lights on mind you, but is a reminder that I still have something to offer and am not a complete failure — although even this is fleeting.

Watching other people’s careers from the sidelines, flourish, knowing mine remains stagnant helps reinforce my lack of interest in continuing to look for jobs I know I will never get. Though I know I have to forge ahead, the momentum takes a hit each time I’m visited by a ghost. “Well, if no one will hire me then what else is there but to fully give up and become a burden.” This is not who I am. Fortunately.

I’m not a quitter but it does seem like there is a calculated conspiracy to keep me from landing full-time employment.

Changing a profile pic on LinkedIn or “whitening the CV” doesn’t matter. Eventually, I’ll be in front of someone who will see me, judge me — discriminate against me. No matter what I bring to the party, it’s a no-win situation. With the unfortunate reality that there is a lack of diversity in key hiring positions, it is more common than not, POC will not be extended a job offer.

CEOs need to take a knee and then stand up for — and do — something that will really make a systemic, long-term difference. — David D’Alessandro, former CEO of John Hancock Financial Services

Like anything race-related in our society, if change is to happen there has to be a will to change. Without it, those of us in marginalized communities will continue to be cast aside, without the rightful opportunity to live a prosperous life. I can do everything in my power to have a great life, work hard, be productive, and do what I can to make a mark in this world but it’s not all up to me.

Until then — more applications to fill out, more resumes to send, and more rejections to receive.

Thank you for reading!