we're hiring students to support our engineering department, to help them gain experience and prep them for their future career goals. at the same time, we're not just looking to fill positions, we need motivated students who can perform well, b/c time and money will be spent on training.
we have 5 applicants, 4 openings. 4 male caucasian, 1 female hmong.
1 of the boy and the hmong girl share the same class/major, and will be graduating the same year. here's what set them apart...
caucasian boy - previous high school activities/work experience. director of a small volunteer/non profit group. some job experience relating to school major. excellent communication skill, asked questions during the interview.
hmong girl - no volunteer work, no high school activities, job experience not relating to school major. quite and was not interactive during the interview. she has a full college scholarship.
we have 4 openings. right now the hmong girl is at the bottom of the list, but is it fair to place her there?
over the weekend i had time to reflect and compare my own growing up experience in the 90s. my parents wasn't involved as other caucasian parents were about extra activities and volunteer work. i just knew how to study hard and went off to college. i didn't have a role model, or someone to teach me to build a successful resume. i did the minimum, but worked hard to go to school.
do you think the hmong girl deserves a chance (she did studied hard in h.s. and earned a full scholarship)? working here will get her the experience needed, so that one day she can compete with other applicants at a corporate firm.
i just want to point out that race and gender have nothing to do with the hiring decision. but i think culture/lack of education has a lot to do with how you were raised.
i hope we can be better than our parents; participate, get involve in our kid's life and teach them how to build a strong future.