LOCALS ONLY NEED APPLY: Hidden Hiring Practices & How to Overcome Them

“Discrimination is a disease.” – Roger Staubach

First a brief disclaimer: This article is not intended to offend the brave souls who actually engage in EOE (Equal Opportunity Employment). Instead, it is being written in response to countless instances in which discrimination has hindered careers moving forward, and for no other reason than say, being a woman, or Hispanic, or a Yankee. I am looking for work again, and I just read this on a Craigslist ad for a large, local restaurant chain:

“Local candidates true to southern hospitality are encouraged to apply.”

When I first arrived in Southeast Louisiana in the spring of 2010, I worked with a recruiter who specializes in the hospitality/culinary industry. After several attempts to land an interview for me (and failing), she flat out told me to wait at least a year. She offered advice that still stings in my ears: “you are not a local… talk to me in a year and then we’ll see if that helps. Good luck.”

With a solid background in culinary savvy San Francisco as well as solid culinary experience in Asia and Europe, recruiters love me and my CV. They are powerless, however, to get past insipid forms of discrimination. Yep, I am not a local. I was not born in New Orleans. Therefore, I must be handicapped because of this, since we all know that only those from the south understand the concept of good food and service? I guess these Hiring Managers have never had the pleasure of dining elsewhere…

I decided to relocate to New Orleans last year BECAUSE of the culinary industry and famous food culture of this area. Yes, this is a foodie city indeed. Love it. But so are San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Austin, Miami, Seattle, Kyoto, Rome, Berlin, Shanghai, Sydney, Bangkok… (if I did not mention your fine city, my apologies). I did my research and knew that there is a “locals only” mentality here, but in my naiveté I did not pay much attention to this. Silly me. Oops. Now what do I do? How do I overcome this “hidden” obstacle?

Here are some options I have considered:

• Move to a different area. Live and work in a place where the melting pot of the US is not a big deal. East Coast, West Coast, and places like Austin, Chicago, and Boulder Colorado all come to mind.
• Stop applying online, via recruiters and even through other connections. Start showing up in a suit, resume in hand, a pep in my step, a smile on my face. See what happens.
• Add more local references with 504 numbers to my CV, even though they are not professional references.
• Word my cover letter to include that I am not a local, but I am a local in spirit and want to stay in the area. Gently talk about the “white elephant”. Use self-deprecating humor.
• Change professions, get a McJob, and call it a day.

I just got off the phone with a local contact. She is in a similar situation as I am but she knows EVERYBODY in town. She is going to introduce me to some of her contacts this week – owners who are opening up new restaurants and need someone with my extensive background. Fingers crossed. She is the flip side of what I am writing about: she is helpful, open-minded, and inclusive by nature. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Or perhaps this is “bad karma” I am working off. I recently hired three people for my last contract job, and observed that the company needed more men. Most of the front of house staff is female who are fairly thin-skinned and not physically strong. The company needed strength, stamina and thicker skins, and therefore I set out to hire more men to create a balance. Too much estrogen (or testosterone) in a team is not effective – a mixed demographic creates a more successful team. Recent statistics are proving this: the more diverse a group, the better for the company. So, I hired two men, young and strong and qualified… and one woman who is similar to the people the owners usually hired (I hired her because my gut also told me that she would be a solid, long-term employee). Maybe the difficulties I am having as a non-local is my own bad karma? Hmm…

My gut tells me at the time of this article, that New Orleans may not be a place I will set down roots. Then again, maybe I will. Hard to tell at this point. If these hidden obstacles continue to thwart my progress, I may not have a choice but to find my fortune elsewhere. Not ready to give up quite yet, but yeah… I am getting close. Unfortunately, I cannot change my gender, age, race or place of birth. I am kind of tired of hearing that it’s ok that I am from the West Coast… good thing I am not a Yank. I hear this on a semi-regular basis. What this message feels like is this: “you are not us, go back where you came from”. I realize that sounds harsh. Keep in mind that it is merely a reflection of some of the harsher realities here.

So what to do? I will continue to develop my famous thick skin. I will continue to network my network. I will continue to post CVs, pound the pavement, work with recruiters, and pray. And I will continuously tweak the wording in my communications to local Hiring Managers… and include information about me being a local in spirit. I will show up in a suit with my CV and a smile. Locals often say that all the people who live in New Orleans have CHOSEN to be here. Crazy as this seems, people like me have chosen to live here, too. But I cannot stay if the doors remain shut to outsiders.

In the last two weeks, there have been 13 armed robberies in the neighborhood where I just finished a contract job. Two break-in-and-enter rapes occurred last weekend about a mile from my flat. We live in a sinkhole here and the levees so far have saved us from the rising Mississippi. So far so good. But for how long, and is this a viable place to lay down some roots? Right now, my gut says no. Even with the justice department and FBI’s presence here since Katrina, things have NOT improved. The local culture is perhaps too attached to business as usual. So be it. Fair enough.

And Southeast Louisiana will lose good folks like me, who love this adopted city and want to contribute to making New Orleans an even better place. Having worked and lived overseas (Asia and Europe) for much of my professional career, and having the good fortune of finding success in these foreign countries, it would seem that a little place like New Orleans would not be so challenging. Argh. Time will tell, indeed. Stay tuned.

Moral of the story? Networking is key. Period. And (almost) EVERYTHING takes longer than any of us plan for… Perhaps it’s time to re-open  my file called PLAN B? Onwards.