Facing Unconscious Bias in Your Career and Life

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Understanding unconscious bias is important for employers and job candidates.

It’s also critical for respectful conversations in the workplace. For a long time, I have wanted Tony Chatman to come on my show. We have talked about many ideas. Unconscious Bias is a topic both of us are passionate about made it easy to start finalizing.

The show was recorded live in front of an audience of three as well as a Facebook Live stream (more people engaged the conversation via Facebook). I would like to thank the First Christian Church of Chicago along with the Greater Ashburn Community Development Corporation for hosting us. Hundreds saw the live streaming and after the video posted on Facebook.

I also published it on my YouTube page.

We would love your input. Here’s how you can contribute to the conversation:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen
Send email feedback to [email protected]

Let me share a little about my friend:

Tony Chatman is a Corporate Relationship Expert and President of Chatman Enterprises Inc. Some of his corporate clients include the Social Security Administration, Chase Bank, and the U.S. Secret Service. Tony is a prolific professional speaker on Unconscious Bias and is in demand around the country on this topic.

Here are a few of our discussion highlights. The show lasts 90 minutes and is worth every minute of your time

The brain has two different thinking systems – conscious and unconscious
Unconscious is more of a feeling—react before thinking
Affinity bias draws on past and experiences
The brain responds quicker to simple rather than the complex
The brain reacts very quickly to stereotypes
We are programming our auto responses rather than training our unconscious
Be aware the majority of us have biases
Tony shares about the bias test at iat.org
Optics also play a big part of bias
Bias plays a large part in hiring decisions—most decision makers rely on gut instinct
We discussed name bias and how job candidates with ethnic names are often disqualified based their names only
Assumptions are often made about physical appearance and disparity in pay

Do you need coaching or instruction? I am here for it! Feel free to contact me as I am opening consulting and coaching slots for clients who need job search help or would like my presentation on unconscious bias.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Are You Over Educated? Why Does it Matter to Your Career?

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Are you looking to get another degree to help your career? Did the first one help your career at all? Once again, Janine Truitt of talentthinkinnovations.com and Chris Fields of ResumeCrusade.com joins me for a roundtable discussion. We banter about a trend where many are getting more degrees than what’s valued by employers.

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen.
Send email feedback to [email protected]

Here are a few of the highlights of our discussion:

Many job seekers and career changers using education to increase his/her career marketability
We discuss how the return of investment is not what it used to be
Cited this study showing how JD and MBA‘s are not getting jobs immediately
Finding the balance between traditional education and skills to scale your career
We talk about how creativeness is essential to a job search
How and when do you showcase your accomplishments in the era of personal branding
Each of us shares the importance of personal branding on and offline
Using association and professional affiliations as a springboard for your career

Let me know if you like the format where Janine, Chris, and I banter about the job search. Is there a topic you like to hear more about? Let me know. I would love to hear about what you think.

Need help with your career goals, directions, or efforts?

Do you need coaching or instruction? I am here for it! If you’re in Chicago, join us at our “Unconscious Bias” event on February 12. If you want to join me, send me a note at [email protected] or call 708-365-9822 for more information.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

The Epilog of My Talk at UNG on Unconscious Bias

You may not realize you have unconscious bias.

All of us have unconscious biases affecting the way we react to one another fairly and justly. I’ve witnessed it from time to time and even more so recently. I have had clients throughout the years confronted with biases about a) color b) age or c) ethnicity.

Because I have been talking about issues impacting negatively on ex-offenders, people of color, women, disabled, and other groups, I have garnered more attention. Since speaking to groups treated like 2nd class citizens, my show’s downloads have decreased.

Good. I do not pander to or wander from my goal: to be The Voice of (ALL) Job Seekers.

Don’t over react. Race is a big part of the discussion and doesn’t mean you’re a racist based on recognizing unconscious biases.

I was asked to come to the University of North Georgia to talk about “Unconscious Bias” due to my Facebook postings on diversity and inclusion. I have been studying and noticing how microaggressions (the result of unconscious bias) emasculate job seekers. Many young people (especially of the aforementioned) who are assaulted with hurtful assumptions way before his/her first job interview.

I recorded an excerpt from my talk at the University of North Georgia on unconscious bias. I wish I had a day to bring training to a complete circle, but grateful to introduce the idea of promoting amicable and respectful dialogue around the affect of bias.

Here is the link to the show and notes. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

I am open in talking more about this subject (like all of my articles) offline. If you want to contact me, please call me at 708-365-9822. If you would like for me to present at your organization or college, email me at [email protected]. I will gladly consider facilitating a discussion on this topic in any format you’d like.