Posted on Aug 30, 2014

This Man Changed His Name From José To Joe And Immediately Got More Job Interviews

"I had to drop a letter to get the title."

Becky Catherine Harris

by Becky Catherine Harris

BuzzFeed Motion Pictures Staff

How much does your name really matter when applying for jobs? Probably more than you think.

BuzzFeedVideo / Via youtu.be

BuzzFeedVideo / Via youtu.be

Meet José Zamora. About a year ago, José started looking for a new job.

Each morning, José would wake up and immediately get online, where he would scour the web for job listings. He would apply for 50 to 100 jobs every single day.

After six months of applying for every job he could find, José had an idea...

"What if I try 'Joe.' Just remove the 's' in my name, and maybe I can make some dollar signs."

BuzzFeedYellow / Via youtube.com

His hunch was right. A week after José started applying for jobs under the name "Joe," he started hearing back from companies interested in his resumé.

After months of searching, José was suddenly having to turn down potential employers — the same potential employers that had ignored his application when he had applied using his real name.

"I was applying for the same exact jobs, the exact same resumé, the exact same experience, just a different name."

Using his new name, José ended up being offered several jobs, and was able to pick the one that worked best for his schedule. So, who would you hire— Joe, or José? What if they were the same person?

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