Race and Employment
When looking for employment after awhile a person may begin to wonder if their race is playing a part in not getting hired. I can speak from experience that in some cases it does. Case in point when I lived in KY I went on an interview the company called to make sure that I knew the directions to their facility as soon as I got there the position was filled--no interview I didn't even get to say one word. Now when I left this company I waited a few hours and called back about the "filled" position and don't you know it was not filled. So I asked how could it be filled when I came in for the interview but now open. The receptionist told me that my education and skills set me apart from the rest but her boss wanted to hire a white female for the position.
Dejected because of my race I knew and still know that I must strive to be better than even I will allow myself to be in this job market from volunteering to part-time employment. It's sad that in today's society race still plays a part in whether a qualified person obtains employment no matter if their white, black or purple it should not matter. The person is wanting to better their opportunity and become an asset to the company.
Unfortunately, that was not the only incident where race was/is a factor in my not obtaining positions. Some hiring personnel (white and black) have told me the following: that I am a threat to them; I would make more money then them; I thought you were white with all of your education and skills; you seem white on paper. That's just a short list and needless to say I did not get hired.
So now I'm strongly considering opening my own business so I will be the captain of my own ship.
You may wish to talk with Yvonne Larose, who comments to many of the entries posted by candidates. You can reach her by going to her bio page at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/pages/yvonnelarosebio.php . Yvonne is African-American and has her own business so I'm sure that she'll have a lot of great tips for you.
Also, your entry really got my indignation engines going. Hopefully I translated that energy well in my blog entry at http://www.CollegeRecruiter.com/weblog/archives/2006/06/race_still_matt.php .
Please believe me when I say that the vast majority of employers in this country want to hire the best talent regardless of race or any other non-employment related trait. But some are more interested in their own bigoted views than in the strength of their business. Be strong. I would tell you to be wise, but I can you already have that under control.
Kristal, I'm full of so many thoughts and emotions (even now approximately eight hours after reading your post) that I'm not able to write a discretely appropriate post in length and advice.
What I can say at this moment is that it is far better that the companies have rejected you because had you gotten into their environments without their being open about their proclivities, you would have been miserable to the point of wanting to slit your wrists (literally). Being in that type of fry pan is akin to working for an abusive boss. Life is too short and no matter how fantastic your work is nor to what extent you exceed your expected goals or the work done by any of your co-workers and peers, it will never be rated at the quality it deserves and you would receive a rating that would prevent you from climbing to a higher position.
Being in that environment would definitely build character. But who needs that much character?
There are companies that have legitimate fair employment practices. Look for them.
Unfortunately, I'm starting to write that book that I'm trying not to impose on you. So I'll stop for now.
Please keep us apprised of your research and other employment opportunities. Ask for strategies. And I will at this point pass the torch that was given to me (and my classmates) by my second grade teacher one day in November:
"Just remember, because of the color of your skin, you will have to be three times better in order to be considered half as good [as a white person]."
The interesting thing is, I am multi-racial. Some of my family is white. I don't hate them and I used to hear them admire me for being the best of any of the offspring as well as forget that my skin is not the same color as theirs. We have our traits for a reason -- the Life lessons that we need to learn, and perhaps the ones we need to pass on. The former is the more important.
Viva
Without intending to do so, I became one of those who broke down barriers in my city. What it took was focus on being around the right types of people, doing the work that needed to be done in as professional a manner as possible, listening to the guidance of others with experience (no matter what color), and ignoring the chaff.
There will be many who will discount your abilities, your background, your knowledge. Don't sweat it. Had you forced your way into those environs, you would have found yourself living a nightmare.
While this sort of practice may be more commonplace and more blatant than California, these practices still exist everywhere and on some level.
The important thing is to use each and every situation as a learning opportunity. Learning to deal with people, situations, environments.
These are also learning situations for the sake of gaining work experience. Having just come out of college, you have a lot of book learning and theory under your belt. It is excellent to have this. I haven't seen your resume so I do not know what work experience, if any, you have. But before you start a business, there are many things you need to know about management and supervision. The easiest way to gain that knowledge is to learn from the good examples and the bad examples, and from asking questions.
I don't know what your race is. Steven implies it is black. It may be Arab. It may be Latino. It may be many things but the Internet does not reveal it. In the final act, it isn't the one's race that is important. It's what you can deliver as a professional.