My ethnicity helped me get a job. Is that a good thing?

“I always include my mother’s maiden name on my resume – it gives me a better chance,” says a friend with an Asian mother and white father. “Diversity is on-trend. I’ve seen my manager ignore applications with European names.”

That’s not a fair go, is it? Getting a leg up because of ethnicity? Landing a job is already hard as it is. Endless applications, interviews and rejections. There are tricks to being noticed by employers. Messaging a friend in the industry on LinkedIn, using school connections, asking relatives for a summer gig. Dolling up the resume so it floats to the top. Team player? Sure. Skilled at Excel? Why not?

But when a candidate ticks the “culturally and linguistically diverse” box, suddenly meritocracy is dead. They’re cheating the system. They’re stealing a job from someone more qualified.

The “trend” of diversity hiring has come at a convenient time in my career – the beginning. I got my start in newsrooms through a placement program for culturally and linguistically diverse students aimed at increasing minority visibility in Australian newsrooms.

Loading

With notable exceptions, the Australian media is overwhelmingly white – as was the rest of my university cohort – so I applied, despite my unease. However, soon after I was accepted, guilt began to snowball. Although the program involved rigorous interviews, I wondered if I deserved to be rewarded for attributes outside my control. Why do I deserve special treatment?

But when I joined the workforce I noticed there’s not always a fair go. In recruiting and promoting, managers can often choose someone who reflects their ideals, politics and culture. I saw a limited variety of ethnicities reflected in the industry, particularly in leading roles. Even if managers aren’t consciously discriminating in the hiring process, the whiteness of most newsrooms is self-evident. When 51.5 per cent of Australians are first or second-generation migrants, that is a problem.

To address the disparity, some organisations are adopting diversity hiring initiatives. It’s good news for my career but has led to many uncomfortable conversations. After ticking the “diversity box” in an application I was surprised when it was brought up in a job interview. I felt ashamed and pressured to prove I was more than a “diversity hire”.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be the ‘token Arab’ of the office,” I said, laughing nervously. I wanted to be hired because I’m a hard worker, not to become a signpost of virtue-signalling.