We’ve all heard people say that those with Afrocentric or non-European sounding names stand a greater chance of being eliminated early in the job-hunting process. There are even some who suspect that their name is why they never got a call back after submitting their resume, but I believe this is the first time I have ever heard of a company directly saying so.
Hermeisha Robinson wrote in a Facebook post Monday that she received an email from a representative of Mantality Health in Chesterfield, Mo., in which she was told the company would not consider hiring her because of her “suggestive ghetto name.”
“Thank you for your interest in careers at Mantality Health,” a person named Jordan Kimler wrote. “Unfortunately, we do not consider candidates that have suggestive ‘ghetto’ names. We wish the best in your career search.”
Robinson wrote that she was very upset because she knows she is well qualified for the position. She also said the company’s email had her second-guessing as to whether her name is actually ghetto or not.
Another woman in the same area, Dorneisha Zachery, told KMOV that she received the same email from the same company.
“The company looked at my name and said we don’t care about what you’ve done in life, your name is going to dismiss you completely,” Zachery told the news station.
Jack Gamache, a representative of Mantality, told KMOV that the company’s account on the Indeed.com job posting website was hacked. CEO Kevin Meuret told the station that the company believes at least 20 people received similar emails.
“This is not a reflection of who we are as a company,” Meuret said. “This is deplorable.”
Meuret clarified that while the person whose name appears in the email signature is, in fact, a Mantality employee, they have absolutely nothing to do with the hiring process. He also said that person “is a great employee.”
Chesterfield police are investigating the hacking claim and looking to the possibility that a disgruntled employee sent the emails.
For their part, Indeed has spoken up and said they see no evidence of hacking on their end.
“Account security is of utmost importance to Indeed and something that we diligently monitor. Account holders are responsible for use of their password and we recommend frequent updates and complete confidentiality of your password. Our investigation into this particular account shows no evidence of compromise,” the company told KMOV.