4 ms·

I have absolutely, I just have worried about the optics of changing my name and having people find out, like it would seem as though I'm running from things and

I have absolutely, I just have worried about the optics of changing my name and having people find out, like it would seem as though I'm running from things and making it worse.

elil17 5y ago
Just change your last name. People will assume it’s due to marriage (which, depending on your gender, will either be totally normal or mildly abnormal). Only the background check companies will look into it and they usually are just there to check criminal record.
cm2012 5y ago
If you get a legal name change, once it's done even your birth certificate is changed. Hr would never know.
- cancelled 5y ago
  That would be great if it worked like that. I know it's stupid in my position, but I like my name, and I know I didn't really do anything wrong. I feel like it would absolutely just be like letting the offending party win, if I did this. But I need to grow up and accept my new reality.
  - moneywoes 5y ago
    Did your employer not listen to your side of the story at all?
    - cancelled 5y ago
      My manager did and I could tell they believed, but the optics of it all I imagined made it too toxic to be worth defending me over. Racist, sexist content was falsely attributed to me.
      - tshaddox 5y ago
        In what sense were there “optics” beyond the company? Was this incident public, or just on some forum that would only show up when people Google your name?
      - cancelled 5y ago
        Some other platform picked it up and started bagging on me. Not national news public, but still.
- dustintrex 5y ago
  Until HR requests your academic records, references or anything else that refers to you by your old name.
  - jcrites 5y ago
    I’ve never had an employer request academic records after working at multiple FAANG companies — except perhaps right out of college, but I’m not sure even then. Unless you’re applying for a job that’s high-profile (like VP or C-suite), or in a highly regulated industry, I wouldn’t expect this. Plus you can probably contact your university registrar with your legal name change and ask them to update the transcript to the new name.
    - sgerenser 5y ago
      HireRight background check for 2 different BigTech companies required me to put the contact information of my University’s registrar. I think they did actually verify that I received the degree I said I did, despite that being over 15 years ago now.

I have absolutely, I just have worried about the optics of changing my name and having people find out, like it would seem as though I'm running from things and making it worse.

elil17 5y ago

Just change your last name. People will assume it’s due to marriage (which, depending on your gender, will either be totally normal or mildly abnormal). Only the background check companies will look into it and they usually are just there to check criminal record.

cm2012 5y ago

If you get a legal name change, once it's done even your birth certificate is changed. Hr would never know.

cancelled 5y ago
That would be great if it worked like that. I know it's stupid in my position, but I like my name, and I know I didn't really do anything wrong. I feel like it would absolutely just be like letting the offending party win, if I did this. But I need to grow up and accept my new reality.
- moneywoes 5y ago
  Did your employer not listen to your side of the story at all?
  - cancelled 5y ago
    My manager did and I could tell they believed, but the optics of it all I imagined made it too toxic to be worth defending me over. Racist, sexist content was falsely attributed to me.
    - tshaddox 5y ago
      In what sense were there “optics” beyond the company? Was this incident public, or just on some forum that would only show up when people Google your name?
    - cancelled 5y ago
      Some other platform picked it up and started bagging on me. Not national news public, but still.
dustintrex 5y ago
Until HR requests your academic records, references or anything else that refers to you by your old name.
- jcrites 5y ago
  I’ve never had an employer request academic records after working at multiple FAANG companies — except perhaps right out of college, but I’m not sure even then. Unless you’re applying for a job that’s high-profile (like VP or C-suite), or in a highly regulated industry, I wouldn’t expect this. Plus you can probably contact your university registrar with your legal name change and ask them to update the transcript to the new name.
  - sgerenser 5y ago
    HireRight background check for 2 different BigTech companies required me to put the contact information of my University’s registrar. I think they did actually verify that I received the degree I said I did, despite that being over 15 years ago now.