Career Advice

During a job interview, asking a candidate questions related to their ethnic, social, cultural, or religious background is a big no-no. So, no matter where you are from, being openly discriminated against during a job interview is unlikely. Companies understand the legal implications of such discrimination, and interviewers are trained to treat all job applicants with respect.

However, when you are conducting a job search, the information on your resume will be reviewed with the utmost scrutiny. Thus, it is important to think long and hard about what you include in your CV.

Even today, many recruiters and hiring managers might have some of their own biases when hiring employees. If you are not careful with the information you include, you may face some form of discrimination due to the content of your resume, and this may hurt your chances of landing an interview.

So if you are unsure about how your resume should look and what information you should include, here are a few tips to help you approach this.

Ditch the Affiliations

When you are creating your resume, you can leave out information regarding any organizational affiliations you may have. The hiring manager does not need to know if you belonged to an organization that supported a particular sexual, religious, or cultural cause.

Providing this information could give a hiring manager some insights into your history and any sexual, cultural, or religious orientations you may have. By excluding this information, you remove any possible chance for a hiring manager to discriminate on these grounds.

Of course, if you have been working for an organization that fights for a particular cause, such as gay rights, you should include your position in your resume. By omitting past employment information, you will be misrepresenting your work history, which could cause legal complications in the future.

Don’t get Too Personal

In certain jobs, the hiring process may require a candidate to provide personal information such as nationality, marital status, and perhaps even height and weight (in the case of modeling).

However, in most cases, you should omit this information from your resume, since it is most likely not related to your job post. Of course, if you’re applying for a government job, or one that will take you overseas, this information might be necessary. But for any other role, do some background research and take a look at a few sample resumes before you fill out your application.

By providing as little personal information as possible, you will reduce the possibility of discrimination.

Mind Your Language

Be especially vigilant when providing information about the languages that you know, as this could highlight your ethnicity. However, most companies prefer that their applicants are bilingual or multilingual.

So, if you’re providing this information, think about how it can benefit your company. For example, if you speak Spanish or have a Latin American background, you could prove useful to a company that’s planning to expand its operations in Latin America. Use your own discretion when highlighting your languages, and only inform employers about languages that you think would be useful to the company and the work you will be doing.

Diversity can be a powerful tool when you’re looking to advance your career, but it’s just as important to know when and how to use it. There are many job opportunities out there, and if you know how to leverage them the right way, your cultural, ethnic, sexual, and social backgrounds can help you land the job you want.