In a podcast episode from the University of Flanders, VUB labour economist Eva Van Belle investigates whether it is really true that job applicants with unusual names have less chance of getting a job.
When you are looking for work, it is normal to have to apply for several jobs. But... what if you are a fifty-year-old woman? Or have a name that does not sound typically Flemish? Then it seems as if you have to send even more emails. Is that discrimination? Sexism? Racism? Or just coincidence?
Spoiler: the figures don't lie. Candidates who deviate from the “standard” are less likely to be invited for an interview. But surely all those employers can't be racist or sexist?
In this episode, Eva Van Belle explains what really goes on in selection procedures. And above all: how we can recognise and tackle unconscious bias.