Why Do Some Immigrants ‘Whiten’ their Résumés?

In Western countries, we observe that some employers and landlords discriminate against people with a name indicating that they are from a minority group. Research has shown that if you have a name signaling that you are an ‘immigrant’ or belong to an ‘ethnic minority,’ the chances of being invited to a job interview, or a viewing of an apartment are reduced. Factoring in the potential discrimination, some immigrants and members of ethnic minority groups have been observed to adopt strategies to hide details that show their minority status from their applications.

Correspondence tests have highlighted systematic discrimination in the labor market. In a correspondence test, similar to those carried out by the nccr – on the move, researchers create fictitious applications and send them to real employers and landlords. The applications are constructed in a way to highlight discriminatory practices in cases where minority applicants are invited less often to interviews. On average, applicants from non-neighboring countries find it much harder to be invited to a job interview.

Considering the discrimination, ‘immigrants’ and members of ethnic minority groups have a clear incentive to hide details from their applications that make their minority statuses apparent. On the contrary, if an employer cannot tell that the applicant is an ‘immigrant’ or belongs to a minority group, the chances of getting invited to an interview have been noted to increase.

Evidence of ‘Résumé Whitening’

In the academic literature, this is referred to as ‘résumé Whitening’ or ‘CV Whitening’ depending on which side of the Atlantic you are. We know from anecdotal evidence that résumé Whitening is taking place, and surveys among students in the United States suggest that a majority of the applicants would consider doing so.

To date, however, less focus has been given to the degree of ‘résumé Whitening’ in the real world. Within the framework of the Migration and Mobility Survey of the nccr – on the move, we asked the 7,659 participants whether they had modified their applications to show evidence of actual ‘résumé Whitening.’ Overall, we found that around nine percent of recent immigrants had modified their résumés.

Strategies to Counter Discrimination

How do some immigrants modify their résumé? The most common approach observed was adding information rather than removing it, such as the mention of diploma equivalences, as well as hobbies and volunteering engagements to indicate integration into Swiss society. Less common were techniques like changing one’s name, or removing specific information that could imply minority statuses, such as a language spoken, or schools attended.

However, we found great variance in the occurrence of ‘résumé Whitening.’ People are more likely to modify their job applications if they have experienced more difficulty in finding work, or if they could anticipate greater difficulty in finding work, given the levels of discrimination observed in correspondence tests.

Profile of Immigrants Modifying Their Résumés

Those who have already faced difficulties, or who expect difficulties – or who have heard of difficulties experienced among friends– are more likely to modify their résumé. Moreover, immigrants from countries in the Middle East and Africa were more likely to engage in ‘résumé Whitening’ than immigrants from other countries. These are the same regions from which candidates in correspondence tests were identified as the most likely to be discriminated against in most Western labor markets. But it is not just about the origin of the candidates, as ‘résumé Whitening’ is more common if a person has spent a longer period looking for work, or faced problems when moving to Switzerland. Consequently, clear evidence exists that ‘résumé Whitening’ is a reaction to disadvantages and difficulties. These results also show that immigrants are using their agency to counter the discriminatory practices.

Didier Ruedin is a senior researcher at the University of Neuchâtel and a project leader of the nccr – on the move projects: Overcoming Inequalities in the Labor Market: Can Educational Measures Strengthen the Agency and Resilience of Migrants, Refugees, and their Descendants? and Narratives of Crisis and Their Influence in Shaping Discourses and Policies of Migration and Mobility.

References:

–Auer, Daniel, Julie Lacroix, Didier Ruedin, and Eva Zschirnt. 2019. ‘Ethnische Diskriminierung auf dem Schweizer Wohnungsmarkt’. Grenchen: BWO. https://www.bwo.admin.ch/bwo/de/home/Wohnungsmarkt/studien-und-publikationen/diskriminierung-auf-der-schweizer-wohnungsmarkt.html.
–Ruedin, Didier, and Eva Van Belle. 2022. ‘The Extent of Résumé Whitening’. Sociological Research Online. Forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1177/13607804221094625.
–Zschirnt, Eva, and Didier Ruedin. 2016. ‘Ethnic Discrimination in Hiring Decisions: A Meta-Analysis of Correspondence Tests 1990–2015’. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 42 (7): 1115–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2015.1133279.