"I have written and submitted more than 60 applications in the meantime and haven't received a single interview invitation."
My friend is on the phone. Her parents were not born in Germany. She is in her mid-30s, has professional experience and is well educated. We are looking over her records: they are solid.
Me: Your picture is too beautiful.
She says, "I think it's because of my name."
I reply: "Maybe use a different name then?" - She gave the idea a try and then submitted two applications - one with her real name, a second application as E. Müller.
Ms. Müller received an invitation. She did not.
I start researching: What happened to the anonymous application pilot conducted by the anti-discrimination agency and well-known German companies? They are pointing out it has been successful: more diverse candidates were found and hired. The anti-discrimination agency did come to the conclusion: "This is how you should do it". That was back in 2012.
Now it's 2021 - and nobody's doing it.
My research also shows that there still does not exist a simple and good technical solution to this problem.
It's time - for anonyfy!
