Black Sales Journal

If you are like many sales professionals you may be looking for a new ‘home’ as a result of a number of reasons.  You may also be considering finding a job after the turn of the year, as it may be time.  If so, you undoubtedly recognize that the resume’ is the window to your qualifications, and even though it has it’s good and bad points as a tool, it is necessary.

That brings us to the notion that the resume is the ‘crow bar’ that opens a crack in the door to give you consideration and an interview. Without the resume’ a hiring manager or human resource representative will have no idea of your talents, or your ability to display them.  Which prompts the question ‘du jour’, should your resume’ be ‘race neutral’.

‘Race neutral’ is a term used frequently in education to describe the basis for educational policy that supposedly ignores race as a determining factor.  In this case, I am going to use ‘race neutral’ to indicate that your race is not disclosed.  Sometimes this might mean the ‘scrubbing’ the resume’ or other correspondence of determinants of race.

I know you are not going to ask why ‘race neutral’, but for those who might wonder I point again to the objective: Getting in front of the manager for an interview.  Once there you will at least be able to begin to showcase your values, your abilities, and the fact that you can work in that, and any other environment.

The Applicant Selection Process

As a process, a hiring manager or HR representative potentially sees hundreds of resume’s to fill one position.  Remember the first goal, which is to get in for a personal interview.  Your charm, skills, and ability to respond to questions and situations will be your tools, but you have to be able to showcase them.

If you follow some simple logic, many of these resumes are going into the ‘D’ stack, as they lack the basic qualifications that were advertised.  Some are going into the ‘B’ and ‘C’ stack as they have many of the qualifications, but are unlikely to be contacted, as there appears to be better candidates available.

Then there is the ‘A’ stack.  This stack has candidates who meet the basic qualifications, and have some points that create attraction to the reviewer.  As a reviewer you start at the top of the ‘A’ Stack and work downward.

Remember, the process of separating into stacks (A, B, C, and D) includes personal input on the part of the manager or HR representative.  This area of discretion is a “wild card” for the manager or HR rep.  You must end up in A, and hopefully at the top of it to get a strong opportunity to be interviewed.  I hope you see that almost anything can put you in the wrong stack, so don’t give anyone the excuse to put you there.

Here is where the perceptions, preference, and prejudice come in.

The Everpresent 3Ps (Perceptions, Preference, and Prejudice)

As I have described in previous posts of this journal (Black Sales Journal 12/30/2010, The 3Ps and Your Employer)  the 3Ps can have an effect, and sometimes an insidious effect on the hiring process.  It can happen without the perpetrator even really thinking about it.

Brief Definitions:

Perceptions are hard to change, and deep rooted.  They can come from many sources.  A person’s life experiences, the media, parents, friends, and the knowledge and ignorance of interaction or lack of interaction all form perceptions.  Perceptions are prevalent in all racial and ethnic groups.  We all have them; it is what we do with them that make all of the difference.  Managers have perceptions too!

Preferences are powerful.  They are not always meant to be deleterious to a particular racial group, yet have that effect when they are applied as the opportunity for fairness and equity is missed as the customer’s (in this case) preference is carried out.  The hiring manager’s desire of whom they want to work with is directly related to their relationship comfort.  Some preference may come from perceptions, and some from prejudice, but the net result is the same:  The sales professional who is capable is not interviewed because they don’t quickly meet the preference of the hiring manager.  Often it is because of a reluctance to do business with someone who is decidedly different than themselves.

Prejudice renders any situation difficult, if not impossible.  It should never be endorsed, whether it involves sales or any other endeavor.  Prejudice does change the landscape.  You probably won’t change it as you can do perceptions and preference, and you may be able to spend your time better elsewhere.  If a buyer is prejudice, the narrow-mindedness and patent unfairness will reduce, or destroy your chances of having a successful business relationship, or keep it very short lived.
Now, the simple fact is that any one of these Ps can change which stack you are in.  So at the risk of sounding over simplistic when it is to your advantage you should willingly disclose your race.  When you are in doubt, you should give consideration to ‘scrubbing’ your resume of racial indicators.

Of course there are times when you have no choice, and times such as job fairs when it will be obvious when you hand someone your resume, but in the overall, unless you suspect that it is an advantage, you should exercise discretion.

I am not saying don’t be proud of your race or the events and groups you were or are involved in.  I am saying that to give yourself the highest probability of an interview based on the logic that you have no idea of the background, preferences, or perceptions of the reviewer.

Your resume replete with work accomplishments should give a clear picture of everything necessary to compare to the other candidates.  It is a portrait of your qualifications, accomplishments, and job history and the reviewer should be enticed to move to the next step.

Sometimes it Takes Two

I am an advocate of having two resumes, or even more.  Each stressing what you need to stress, depending on the nuances of the job.  If that is the case, you can have a resume that is all-inclusive, which shows everything, as well as a resume that is ‘scrubbed’ and used when you want to show race neutrality in your solicitation effort.  There are some cases where you might be from a historically Black college or university where you would not want to consider any changes or scrubbing.  That is understood.

More than anything else you should take the time to frame yourself in the light you want to be seen.  It will increase your effectiveness in the long run.

Always be effective.

Your comments are welcome.

While on vacation, I would like to reintroduce a couple of posts which were well received, or at least well commented on.  Both this post and 10/27 will show a redux of a previous post.  If you have not read it, I hope you will take the opportunity.  If you have, I hope you will enjoy reviewing it.  I will rejoin you on the 31st with a tantalizing post.

This is an interesting topic, and that is why we would like to cover it here.  God has given us the gift of being different.  We come from so many backgrounds that it is difficult to point them all out.  There are as many variations in our culture as there are reasons to rejoice about it.

I am going to give a definition of your culture that is slightly shortened from Webster’s Online Dictionary (Definition of Culture):

“The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations.  Additionally, the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social groups.”

In other words, that which is part of you because of your surroundings and your past including that which is learned and absorbed, and that which you will be passing on to others.

This is a broad interpretation.  I think you will agree that it is interesting that culture, in the form of one’s diverse background can actually be a lightening rod for criticism or even a reason for exclusion in the world of corporate employment.  Comfort, likability, even preference is affected by one’s background, color, and certainly culture.  Now these are not synonymous at all, they just blend to make a concoction that many employers avoid drinking.

Decisions on hiring, promotion, and even things as simple as who gets referrals and redistributions are done on the basis of how you are perceived.  Is it always fair?  I am more than certain that it is not!

What Are You Suppressing?

It is always wise to be yourself while in the office or work environment, as it is easier that way.  But…the self you need to be is the one that not only got you hired, but the one that can sustain your employment.  I am not saying you should be a chameleon.  You need to know how to be you, the business professional during the hours that you are selling the services and products that provide your living.

The workplace is a vessel of many principles and traditions.  You don’t have to conform to all of them, yet need to know which ones are important enough to follow so that you don’t damage your chances of success.

Suppress your culture?  Suppress it only if your culture runs afoul of the principles and traditions of your customers and your employer, and then, you only need to suppress it at work.  Should you wear your culture on your sleeve while you are at work?  I think you will agree that the answer is a resounding NO!

Let’s be Practical

Here is a brief look at some of the situations that commonly occur just to give some practical perspective.

Promotion - Your interview for a promotion is much anticipated.  You are working, in a conservative industry (commercial banking), for a conservative bank.  What do they expect from you in terms of your delivery, your approach to customers, your educational background, and your appearance?

Job Interview - You are in search of a position fitting your years of experience and your success in the past.  You are known as a solid sales professional and you want to move up in position by taking a sales manager role.  In addition to all else, your results have indicated that you are the likely candidate.  What will get you hired in this coveted position?

Reduction in Force - You are a solid performer, yet you recognize that they are considering layoffs in your sales department.  You feel you are a key performer, yet realize that there are others who have done a good job as well.  Your numbers are solid, and your product and industry knowledge are exemplary.  How are they going to make that decision as to who stays and who goes?

In each of these examples, there are two common denominators.  One is the fact that you are competing against others.  The other is that you still have a customer who has expectations from a business standpoint.

In each of the above, you could have problems if you stray from being race neutral in your approach.  Also note that you still deal with the forces of the 3P’s, Perceptions, Preference and Prejudice. Cultural diversity can and will sensitize this.  Whether you are black, brown, tan, yellow, or white, you need to recognize that if you are race neutral in your professional manner, you have a better chance of professional success.

I don’t care whether you are white or brown, if your organization has a policy against dreadlocks, braids, and Mohawks, you may want to avoid fighting it, and consider a profession or employer who does not care.  Keep your individuality, and exercise it when you are on your own time.

If tattoos and piercings are part of your culture or appearance, you should consider a sales career where those things don’t matter.  Most sales careers are not the place to be too different as there is a customer out there who will make the decision on degree of difference.

There is no doubt that you need to be the image of the consummate professional in the customer’s eyes.

Is this selling out?

This is a good question.  What I am actually sa

ying is that you must play the professional role in this theater.  Be as different as you want during your off hours.  Your alternatives to conforming are self-employment and other careers.  You are not selling out by being the professional.

One Last Word

You can be an activist in the street, a militant about social issues, or a pacifist about conflict.  I am advocating that when it comes to professional sales, be the consummate professional (while at work) who is also an activist in the street, a militant about social issues, or a pacifist about conflict.

It can be done.  It is done in sports and in many other arenas.

Be the best!

Your comments are welcome.