Getting a job with a foreign name!?

Question

I am living in Ireland and have perfect English after living in English speaking countries for years, the only problem is my name. I am from Europe but the northern part and I am afraid my name does not sound good to potential new employers. I think this leads to my application being put in back of the queue behind all native English speakers. I have qualifications and excellent language skills and I feel that this is inhibiting me from moving on with my career.

Any advice??

Answer 1

umm, what's the name? It usually doesn't matter what the name is, but you could always adopt a nickname and use that as your name, just when you do official paperwork write the correct name

Answer 2

I know I'm in the U.S. but we are a country full of foreign last names. Everyone was an immigrate at sometime. Some people here have similar problems with their surname.

While we try to be a nation that doesn't discriminate, it happens too often. We have laws to protect people. I am sure Europe has laws too. If you feel discriminated against you have cause to go to the court system. (what ever process you use)

I do agree with the other posts, if you write your resume and cover letter with good English then it should reflect your speaking ability. I know many people in my own country who don't read or write English well and I am talking about the typical English only American.

Once the interviewer meets you then he/she should be able to see that you speak well enough and then hire you.

Answer 3

Ask to see the manager when you hand in your application and make an impression by shaking his/her hand and introducing yourself.  You should never lie or fabricate about your name, though -- a strange name is better than a fake name, even on your application (which is a form they will file away and keep if you're hired.) Good luck!

Answer 4

I don't think you should let concerns about your name inhibit your job prospects. I also have an unusual name, but aside from the frequent mispronunciations, it hasn't been an issue. If you are qualified and confident in your abilities, nothing else will matter. Especially not your name.

In your cover letters, stress your experience with English, and let them know that you can communicate well. You likely come off better in writing than some people who do speak English as a first language :)

Best of luck to you, and don't let the frustrations get you down!

Answer 5

As someone who hires staff, I can tell you that if I saw an application with a northern European name it wouldn't put me off.

Basically, if I saw an application with a name from other parts of the world then I would query whether they had the right to work here, and if they hadn't explicitly written on their CV what type of passport or visa they have then yes, they'd be going to the bottom of the pile.  But that's not an issue for Europeans who do have the right to work here.

English skills are something that is never that great a concern for me, because it is easy to tell just from reading the application whether your English is good enough.  So, as long as your application is well-written, then this shouldn't be a problem.