As a black female, I’ve come to accept a few things in life:
- The color “nude” does not apply to me. Whether it’s Band-Aids, pantyhose, or underwear…nude will never be what my skin looks like.
- I can’t walk into a random bar or party and know that I’ll be accepted. I remember many times in college when my white friends and I would crash parties, and I’d have a tinge of nervousness walking in the door. For all I know, there could be a confederate flag on the wall.
- I HATE stereotypes, and have done everything in my power to not perpetuate them.
- The color of my skin can affect my job search.
It’s no secret – LinkedIn has become the new resume, especially for those in Sales and Marketing. However, it makes me wonder: how does this affect the African-American, or any other minority for that matter, jobseeker?
In the past, a resume was a piece of paper and a candidate was nothing but a name, skills and experience. The common practice was to remove any groups or associations that identify the candidate with a race, religion or ethnicity. But with online resumes with photos becoming commonplace, is that advice to go by the wayside? After all, LinkedIn says a profile isn’t complete without a picture.
I admit, I’ve been hesitant to post my picture, because as a Black female, I felt that it may count against me. I’d like to think as a society, we’ve gotten over such superficial things; we do have a black president now. Then I come back to reality, and realize that mindset is a bit naive. For every 100 people who realize that race doesn’t define a person, unfortunately, there’s probably at least one person who does.
In the end, I’ve come to peace with my decision to bring a face to Ashley Deas. My reasoning: if a company can’t look past my picture to my qualifications, it’s not a company that deserves my talent.
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