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Name discrimination in job applications is rife in certain countries (The United Kingdom, France and Germany to name a few).

As an applicant, can I change my name to a "native" one on my CV in order to minimise my chances of not being rejected solely due to my name? It's not an option for me to just nativise my name (such as what this person proposes). I did have a "native" name given to me partly as a joke, but one that also kinda stuck so it's not entirely a name that I'm not known by.

Also, please no answers such as "would you want to work for a company that does it etc. etc.", the problem is far more pernicious and widespread than just a few bad apples, it's also not something that somebody with a "native" name or looks ever has to consider, so why should I?

Answers applicable to any country are very welcome, but for my personal case I'd like to know what the situation is in the UK.

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5 Answers 5

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As long as it's a name your previous employers and/or google/linkedin will correctly link to you for verification/background checks, you can use whatever you like.

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    That's a very good point, but perhaps a little too late for that now (specifically past employers). At best I could inform them that I go by a different name when giving references.
    – user113216
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 17:12
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(Not specifically UK applicable)

In general, people who have a "native" name and also a "local" name, which is particularly common in cultures where the native name may be hard to pronounce (specifically, east and southeast Asia), usually use their native name on their CV, and then parenthesize their local name. For example, if your name is Jinping Xi (because that's really the only Chinese name I know without making one up, sorry XD) but you found people can't pronounce Jinping correctly so you go by Frank, you would name yourself Jinping (Frank) Xi on your CV.

As a side note, I have a hard time believing a company would exist which would take exception to your native name, but then not take exception when you come in and obviously look like someone from that country. They're going to find out you're ethnic eventually, may as well frontload that cost and not deal with it later. That's my opinion.

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    There are studies which suggest there is a lot of unconscious discrimination happening. So someone with an ethnic name might be rejected with what the reviewer genuinly thinks were valid reasons but unconciously they connected the name with some bad prejudice. So with a different (or no) name this resume would have made the cut. Face to face this unconscious discrimination is smaller (according to these studies). The same applies to age by the way. (sorry I could so far not find an english reference)
    – user180146
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 15:50
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    You're right that using a different name on the application won't help against outright racism, but it could give the OP a leg up against unconscious bias, which is much more common.
    – Llewellyn
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 15:55
  • Having legally changed my name to one that matches the region, it has made a world of difference for opportunities available despite not having the 'looks' to match it. Sure, sometimes I get questioned/ made fun of, but I am not outright rejected like I was before, so even these reactions are positive.
    – さりげない告白
    Commented Jan 7, 2020 at 7:25
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From my point of view it's okay to do that. I know a friend in UK who doesn't like to put his legal name in his CV, or LinkedIn profile either.

At the end of the day, CV is a tools to get you into the interview and not issue you with an official offer. Before a company issue you an official offer, they require you to provide them things like Social Security Number, Full Name, and few other things that you can't find in candidate's CV.

Having said that, if you get into an interview, and they ask you to introduce yourself, you can say: you are [Your Legal Name], and your friends and colleague call you [Your nick name].

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    I would broadly agree with this, as long as a) you have only a single alias, b) your cv is otherwise unaltered, and c) you stay away from unethical recruitment agencies. I have in the past (as a dev manager) had almost exactly the same CV sent to me a dozen times with different names/dob at the top of each. They were all binned and I was subsequently accused of racism.
    – Justin
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 15:59
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    Just to clarify, I'm talking about using a completely different name, e.g. say my name is Mohamed bin Mohamed (my name is in that vein so not completely far-fetched) but I put Mo Smith (also assuming there's nothing else in my CV that can identify my background), maybe I can justify the Mo part by saying people commonly call me that but Smith is clearly there just to sound "native". I want to know the acceptability of that.
    – user113216
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 16:15
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No such thing as "Legal name" in the UK (more specifically England and Wales, Scotland is different). You are free to change what name you go by with very few restrictions. The only thing you cannot really do is hide any of your names if they matter, that's why on all sorts of credit applications you are asked if there are any other names you are known by.

So go with whatever name works best for you on cv and very much your daily life. If you want to change the name on passport/driver's license too (which you don't have to do, it's perfectly fine to have Josh Akkerman on your paperwork but day to day go as Peter Johnson), it's a simple deed poll away.

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  • From a practical point of view. Some consistency is handy. If your future employer does an initial google search it would be nice if they would atleast find your linkedin
    – user180146
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 15:18
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    @DavidW Not even broadly, it's really as simple as it sounds where in the UK you are free to change your name at will, without the need to notify the authority. It states as much even on gov page: gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll and tax man can still find you by National insurance number, together with birthday etc. As for right-to-work-checks, those very often are done as part of onboarding, and you will only have to provide the documents to whoever is processing the checks: gov.uk/check-job-applicant-right-to-work
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 18:35
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    @Barb You are confusing matters and confusing a step needed to replace British documents (and few minor uses) with a change of your name. And no, the name on your birth certificate is not your "legal name", as there is no such concept in England and wales. Unless of course, you can bring a citation stating otherwise.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 18:16
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    @Barb start with overview, then read deeper: "You do not have to follow a legal process to start using a new name. But you might need a ‘deed poll’ to apply for or to change official documents like your passport or driving licence.". And now this is very much off topic, if you are curious about the legal why, go to lawexchange.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 18:29
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    @Barb and pointed you to a book which discusses the matter, if you really want to know why there is no such thing. Clearly you do not.
    – Aida Paul
    Commented Jan 5, 2020 at 18:36
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I had a friend whose surname would have suggested he was from an ethnic minority. There was no obvious indication of this if you'd met him, he had no accent nor physical characteristics. He was disappointed by responses to job applications, mostly getting immediate rejections. He switched to using his mother's maiden name, which was a traditional English name, and had no more problems.

The only time he needed to use his "legal" name was on the employment contract and with payroll, since his bank and HMRC (the tax authority in UK) recognised him by his legal name. Eventually he changed his name by deed poll so as to make his life more consistent.

If I wasn't cynical about racism, I'd point out that in the UK the employer is legally obliged to check that someone has the right to work in the UK, and this can be quite a pain for small businesses, so they might reject anyone where there's a hint of having to validate citizenship or visas etc.

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