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August 15, 2004

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Ask the Experts

As posted in the 8/15/2004 Arizona Republic CareerBuilder Ask the Experts Column.

Question:

I have noticed that a lot of companies mention that they want diversity in their hires. I don’t appear to be Native American (blond, blue eyes), but I’m a quarter Cherokee. How should I highlight this, and if I do, will it actually hurt or help me in getting a job offer?

Linda’s Answer:

What many people misunderstand is that companies sincerely want to tap minority candidates to give everyone the opportunity to get hired. And yes, some are motivated by wanting to show statistical reports that they have a certain percentage of minority candidates or employees. I think the best way is to indicate your ethnicity on your resume is to show your membership in minority professional associations. Companies now seek out publications geared toward certain diversity markets. A candidate could write in his cover letter, “I read about your position in Career Engineer,” then the human resources professional would know the firm’s advertising is working.

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