Could changing your name seriously boost your career? Giles Morris investigates
We've all got one - the friend with the impossibly glamorous
name 1___________ leaves the Peters, Katherines and Margarets 2________ us feeling
somewhat, well, frumpy. Sometimes life (or in this case, parents) isn't
fair. But it's not as 3_______ the first name you get lumped with at birth
actually has an impact 4________ your success in later life. Is it?
Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, certainly thinks 5________. "Names generate impressions, just like a person's appearance can generate a positive or negative impression," he says. "But names also have an impact when you're not physically present, such as when you send 6_________ a CV."
Mehrabian has researched people's instinctive reactions 7_________ hundreds of first names. It's striking how many positive associations some names carry, and how negative the connotations of others 8_______ out to be - particularly when it comes 9_________ linking names with "success", which Mehrabian takes to include ambition, intelligence, confidence and 10_______ such valuable workplace attributes.
So what kind of name does it 11_________ to reach the top of the tree career-wise? Based on research in the US, Alexander, says Mehrabian, scores 100% for "success". William gets 99% and John 98%. For the girls, Jacqueline rates very highly, as 12___________ Diana, Danielle and Catherine. Although Katherine, Mehrabian points out, does slightly better than Catherine.
But can the impact of a first name really be that cut and 13_________? Pamela Satran, co-author of eight baby-naming books, is less 14___________ that the power of a name can be quantified.
"There isn't that 15_______ hard evidence that's absolutely conclusive," says Satran. She recalls one American study 16________ researchers submitted identical CVs to a number of employers. The forename on half of the CVs was Lashanda, "seen as a stereotypical African-American name," says Satran. The name on the other half was Lauren - seen as much more white and middle class. In one study Lauren got five 17________ more call-backs than Lashanda, says Satran, but in 18_________ study, the rate was similar for both names. "I've seen similarly conflicting studies," Satran adds.
Angela Baron, an adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 19_________ an understandably dim view of employers 20_________ make decisions on the basis of first names. "People do make emotive judgments," she says, but "we shouldn't be recruiting people on that basis. Good interviewers will be aware that what they need to look for are skills, experience and what [the interviewee] can do for the business."
Celebrities are leading the field in the bizarre forename stakes, with Jordan (a British model) calling her daughter Princess Tiaamii and Jermaine Jackson lumbering his son with ... wait for it ... Jermajesty. But non-celebrity parents aren't far behind."My pupils have increasingly outlandish names," says one secondary school teacher from north London. She cites "poorly spelt names" such as Amba, Jordon, Charlee and Moniqua, and 21_________ she calls "absurd names" like Shaliqua and Sharday. How will such names affect her students when they go out to get a job? "I think it's a serious disadvantage," she says.
Albert Mehrabian agrees that "deliberately 22_________ names are disastrous." But Pamela Satran has a more relaxed take: "How these names 23___________ perceived is something that's changing very rapidly," she says. "Celebrity culture and ethnic diversity have made people much more eager 24________ look for a wide 25_________ of names of their own. The thinking is if you have a special name, that makes you a special person."
Adapted from The Guardian
Albert Mehrabian, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, certainly thinks 5________. "Names generate impressions, just like a person's appearance can generate a positive or negative impression," he says. "But names also have an impact when you're not physically present, such as when you send 6_________ a CV."
Mehrabian has researched people's instinctive reactions 7_________ hundreds of first names. It's striking how many positive associations some names carry, and how negative the connotations of others 8_______ out to be - particularly when it comes 9_________ linking names with "success", which Mehrabian takes to include ambition, intelligence, confidence and 10_______ such valuable workplace attributes.
So what kind of name does it 11_________ to reach the top of the tree career-wise? Based on research in the US, Alexander, says Mehrabian, scores 100% for "success". William gets 99% and John 98%. For the girls, Jacqueline rates very highly, as 12___________ Diana, Danielle and Catherine. Although Katherine, Mehrabian points out, does slightly better than Catherine.
But can the impact of a first name really be that cut and 13_________? Pamela Satran, co-author of eight baby-naming books, is less 14___________ that the power of a name can be quantified.
"There isn't that 15_______ hard evidence that's absolutely conclusive," says Satran. She recalls one American study 16________ researchers submitted identical CVs to a number of employers. The forename on half of the CVs was Lashanda, "seen as a stereotypical African-American name," says Satran. The name on the other half was Lauren - seen as much more white and middle class. In one study Lauren got five 17________ more call-backs than Lashanda, says Satran, but in 18_________ study, the rate was similar for both names. "I've seen similarly conflicting studies," Satran adds.
Angela Baron, an adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 19_________ an understandably dim view of employers 20_________ make decisions on the basis of first names. "People do make emotive judgments," she says, but "we shouldn't be recruiting people on that basis. Good interviewers will be aware that what they need to look for are skills, experience and what [the interviewee] can do for the business."
Celebrities are leading the field in the bizarre forename stakes, with Jordan (a British model) calling her daughter Princess Tiaamii and Jermaine Jackson lumbering his son with ... wait for it ... Jermajesty. But non-celebrity parents aren't far behind."My pupils have increasingly outlandish names," says one secondary school teacher from north London. She cites "poorly spelt names" such as Amba, Jordon, Charlee and Moniqua, and 21_________ she calls "absurd names" like Shaliqua and Sharday. How will such names affect her students when they go out to get a job? "I think it's a serious disadvantage," she says.
Albert Mehrabian agrees that "deliberately 22_________ names are disastrous." But Pamela Satran has a more relaxed take: "How these names 23___________ perceived is something that's changing very rapidly," she says. "Celebrity culture and ethnic diversity have made people much more eager 24________ look for a wide 25_________ of names of their own. The thinking is if you have a special name, that makes you a special person."
Adapted from The Guardian
KEY
To be on first-name terms with somebody: to call them by their first name as a sign of a friendly informal relationship. E.g. staff and pupils were on first-name terms.
Boost something: to make something increase, or become better or more successful. E.g. to boost exports/profits. The movie helped boost her screen career. To boost somebody's confidence/morale. Getting that job did a lot to boost his ego(= make him feel more confident).
1. that
Impossibly: E.g. an impossibly difficult problem (= impossible to solve). He was impossibly handsome (= it was difficult to believe that he could be so handsome).
Glamorous: /ˈɡlæmərəs/ especially attractive and exciting, and different from ordinary things or people
glamorous movie stars. A glamorous job.
Glamorous: /ˈɡlæmərəs/ especially attractive and exciting, and different from ordinary things or people
glamorous movie stars. A glamorous job.
2. among
Somewhat: /ˈsʌmwɒt/ to some degree. Rather. E.g. I was somewhat surprised to see him. What happened to them remains somewhat of a mystery.
Frumpy: /ˈfrʌmpɪ/ (of a woman or her clothes) wearing clothes that are not attractive or fashionable. Dowdy /ˈdaʊdi/. E.g. a frumpy housewife. Her frumpy (old-fashioned), shapeless dresses. He had a rather frumpy wife.
Frumpy: /ˈfrʌmpɪ/ (of a woman or her clothes) wearing clothes that are not attractive or fashionable. Dowdy /ˈdaʊdi/. E.g. a frumpy housewife. Her frumpy (old-fashioned), shapeless dresses. He had a rather frumpy wife.
3. if
Get lumped with: (informal) be given something (e.g. an object or a responsibility) that you don’t want. E.g. I don't want to get lumped with a big repair bill. I was just unlucky to get lumped with such a poor team.
4. on
Emeritus: /iˈmerɪtəs/ used with a title to show that a
person, usually a university teacher, keeps the title as an honour,
although he or she has stopped working. E.g. the Emeritus Professor of Biology.
5. so
6. in
Send something in: to send something by post/mail to a place where it will be dealt with. E.g. Have you sent in your application yet?
7. to
Striking: /ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ interesting and unusual enough to attract attention. E.g. it is striking that no research into the problem is being carried out.
Highlighting interesting data:
What is surprising about these results is that boys are more likely to be left-handed than girls.
Surprisingly, boys are more likely to be left-handed than girls.
Interestingly, even when both parents are left-handed, there is still only a 26% chance of their children being left-handed.
One of the most interesting findings is that only 2% of the left-handers surveyed have two left-handed parents.
It is interesting to note that people are more likely to be left-handed if their mother is left-handed than if their father is.
The most striking feature of these results is that left-handed mothers are more likely to have left-handed children.
Highlighting interesting data:
What is surprising about these results is that boys are more likely to be left-handed than girls.
Surprisingly, boys are more likely to be left-handed than girls.
Interestingly, even when both parents are left-handed, there is still only a 26% chance of their children being left-handed.
One of the most interesting findings is that only 2% of the left-handers surveyed have two left-handed parents.
It is interesting to note that people are more likely to be left-handed if their mother is left-handed than if their father is.
The most striking feature of these results is that left-handed mothers are more likely to have left-handed children.
8. turn
Turn out to be: to be discovered to be; to prove to be. E.g. The job turned out to be harder than we thought. The house they had offered us turned out to be a tiny apartment.
Particularly: /pəˈtɪkjələli / especially; more than usual or more than others. E.g. particularly good/important/useful. Traffic is bad, particularly in the city centre. I enjoyed the play, particularly the second half. The lecture was not particularly(= not very) interesting. ‘Did you enjoy it?’ ‘No, not particularly (= not very much).’
9. to
When it comes to something/to doing something: when it is a question of something. E.g. When it comes to getting things done, he's useless.
Take: to understand or consider something in a particular way. E.g. What did you take his comments to mean?
10. other
Attribute: /ˈætrɪbjuːt/ a quality or feature of somebody/something. E.g. Patience is one of the most important attributes in a teacher. The most basic attribute of all animals is consciousness.
11. take
Take: to need or require something in order to happen or be done. E.g. It only takes one careless driver to cause an accident. It doesn't take much to make her angry.
Reach the top of the tree: to reach a position of power or a top position (e.g. professionally).
-wise: concerning. E.g. Things aren't too good businesswise.
12. do
13. dried
Cut and dried: decided in a way that cannot be changed or argued about. E.g. The inquiry is by no means cut and dried. The championship is not as cut and dried as everyone thinks.
14. convinced
15. much
Conclusive: proving something, and allowing no doubt or confusion. E.g. conclusive evidence/proof/results. The evidence is by no means conclusive.
Recall: to remember something. E.g. She could not recall his name.
16. where
Submit: /səbˈmɪt/ to give a document, proposal, etc. to somebody in authority so that they can study or consider it. E.g. to submit an application/a claim/a complaint. Completed projects must be submitted by 10 March.
17. times
Call-back: when a company calls potential employees for an interview after looking at their CV or for a second interview.
18. another
19. takes
Take a dim view of somebody/something: to disapprove of somebody/something; to not have a good opinion of somebody/something. Sp. ver con malos ojos. E.g. She took a dim view of my suggestion.
20 who
Lead: To be the best at something; to be in first place. E.g. lead (somebody/something) (in something) The department led the world in cancer research. We lead the way in space technology.
Bizarre: /bɪˈzɑː(r)/ very strange or unusual. Weird. E.g. a bizarre situation/incident/story. Bizarre behaviour.
in the… stakes: used to say how much of a particular quality a person has, as if they were in a competition in which some people are more successful than others. E.g. John doesn't do too well in the personality stakes. Who are the main contenders in the party leadership stakes? In the popularity/fitness/beauty etc stakes: They're running neck and neck in the popularity stakes.
Lumber somebody (with somebody/something) (informal) to give somebody a responsibility, etc, that they do not want and that they cannot get rid of. E.g. When our parents went out, my sister got lumbered with me for the evening.
Outlandish: /aʊtˈlændɪʃ/ strange or extremely unusual. Bizarre. E.g. outlandish ideas. As the show progressed, it got ever more outlandish. An outlandish hairstyle.
Bizarre: /bɪˈzɑː(r)/ very strange or unusual. Weird. E.g. a bizarre situation/incident/story. Bizarre behaviour.
in the… stakes: used to say how much of a particular quality a person has, as if they were in a competition in which some people are more successful than others. E.g. John doesn't do too well in the personality stakes. Who are the main contenders in the party leadership stakes? In the popularity/fitness/beauty etc stakes: They're running neck and neck in the popularity stakes.
Lumber somebody (with somebody/something) (informal) to give somebody a responsibility, etc, that they do not want and that they cannot get rid of. E.g. When our parents went out, my sister got lumbered with me for the evening.
Outlandish: /aʊtˈlændɪʃ/ strange or extremely unusual. Bizarre. E.g. outlandish ideas. As the show progressed, it got ever more outlandish. An outlandish hairstyle.
21 what
22 misspelled
Take on something (informal) the particular opinion or idea that somebody has about something. E.g. What's his take on the plan? A new take on the Romeo and Juliet story (= a way of presenting it).
23 are
24 to
Eager: /ˈiːɡə(r)/ very interested and excited by something that is going to happen or about something that you want to do. Keen. E.g. Everyone in the class seemed eager to learn.
25 range
Range (of something) a variety of things of a particular type. E.g The hotel offers a wide range of facilities.
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