While submitting a salary counter on a role I was offered, I listed valid points on why I deserved a higher sum for the responsibilities. Recruiter brought up my diversity being a key negotiator and awkwardly asked me “what are you” since the person making financial decisions will “want to know.” I am a “racially ambiguous” POC and while I answered in order to save face, this made me extremely uncomfortable. I accepted the job but can’t shake how inappropriate and dehumanizing this felt.

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Posting as :
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I’m Black (nothing ambiguous about it). And I’ve dealt with similar stuff. Hours afterwards, all the proper responses rush to your head, but in the moment it’s so jarring, and tough to react on your feet.

Especially now that diversity is “trending” in our industry. Which it should be. But I spent years building a book/resume at 3 of the top 5 or 6 agencies in the country, and these recruiters keep shifting the conversation to diversity. And it’s like, I’m not here to talk about that. That’s something your company needs to rectify internally. I’m just a guy talking to you about a job. Much like all serious conversations in our business, it’s handled so heavy handedly and clumsily. I don’t know how to solve it...but I hear you.

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So tokenizing. I’m a Latina creative that’s been in the industry for about 7-8 yrs. Before 2020, when recruiters reached out to me it was because of my work. The projects I was working on were not diversity projects. I’ve been freelance since 2019. It was the same then.

Come to 2020, “diversity” becomes popular and I’ve seen this weird boxing in because I’m POC. Now I’m almost exclusively paired with other POC creatives and lots of the projects I’ve been asked to work on have a POC theme to them(black history month,etc). While I’m happy there is more visibility now I don’t think limiting POC to POC projects is the way to go.

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P.S. I’d love to see responses from BIPOC fish who may have experienced something similar and/or have any suggestions.

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I’m confused. They explicitly tied your ethnicity to your compensation negotiation? Is this in writing?

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Thank you GD1 for the uplifting comment and advice, I will definitely reach out to HR about it when I’m settled 💕

As a Black man let me say this. Get that money! Lots of folks have been diversity hires and went on to do great things. Only thing I ask: open the door for others while you’re in there.

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As a white dude in his mid 50s I fully support this sentiment. I'm sure if you are a POC this kind of directness coming from a recruiter or potential employer can feel weird, too transactional, etc. But we white people have been so casually stepping through open windows and doors of opportunity for so long, we've collectively convinced ourselves that "leveling the playing field" means color blind, gender blind hiring decisions now, circa 2021. Nuh uh man. If organizations are feeling it, lean in and take those opportunities guilt free. No one is hiring POC that lack the skills and experience, they are simply putting a premium on it. And that's a-okay. Any white person that wants to complain and enter into some whataboutism games - go check yourself, learn some things. If you are so insecure that you have to rail against equality and some awakening that's starting to take hold, a long overdue correction of things - I dunno man, ya weak.

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This exactly why race should never have a place in the being a determining factor. Where you just a diversity hire or hired based on your skills only? You'll never know...

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Well race is a factor because agencies have a default setting towards people who look, dress, and act like their current leadership.

I’m just saying POC don’t necessarily want to discuss their race while interviewing with people they’ve never met before.

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I’m but one among the least diverse segment of society and just wanted to say that sure sucks you were put in that situation. Hopefully some others can help with better suggestions than I ever could.

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Since you now work there, is there someone internally you can reach out to and try to address it? Not that it's your problem to correct, but flagging that it happened could help prompt a change? Don't know if thats helpful, either way sorry it happened.

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This is so curious, I’m sorry about it, how awkward. Things are getting weird, on a recent job app I had to fill out a whole section about identifying with the LGBTQ community, I didn’t even know that was legal but more importantly I’m not understanding either way how it would impact anyone’s ability to do the job. I hope you’re happy with the offer regardless, congrats.

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Ugh. Sorry about that. But it does sound like you were hired on the basis of your work. Now they’re asking about race to get you more $$$. It’s messed up, but it sounds like you’re truly valued and desired there. I’m sure it’s not going to be the last awkward/insulting conversation you’re going to have about race at that job. Expect to be in every new biz video to show how diverse the agency is as well.

helpful

Puke.. I haven’t had this exact situation happen to me but while networking all last summer after graduation, professionals were constantly asking what I was and saying that I had a better chance of getting hired now with “all the BLM stuff going on”...

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Christ. 😠

Yikes.

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