Names matter – they’re a central part of someone’s identity, representative of who they are and often where they come from. And it's safe to say that the correct pronunciation of a name is just as important.

Beyond a workplace courtesy

At Greenhouse, we’ve seen how inclusive hiring cultures build stronger businesses. It’s clear that creating that culture is rooted in seemingly small details – like pronouncing every candidate’s name correctly. It’s not just common courtesy, it’s a crucial behavior for achieving true workplace inclusivity – one that prioritizes acceptance and belonging.

According to the 2012 study Teachers, Please Learn Our Names!: Racial Microaggressions and the K-12 Classroom, “although the racial undertones to the mispronunciation of names are often understated, when analyzed within a context of historical and current day racism, these incidents are considered racial microaggressions – subtle daily insults that, as a form of racism, support a racial and cultural hierarchy of minority inferiority.”

Because mispronunciation in the classroom causes a harmful form of othering, it affects the emotional wellbeing of students of color, and essentially hinders their ability to learn.

Now imagine the triggering effects for a candidate hearing their name pronounced incorrectly during their dream job interview: confusion, disappointment and frustration – none of which are adjectives you’d like to see on your candidate feedback survey.

Hello, my name is the Candidate Name Pronunciation feature

We’re so excited to announce that Greenhouse is launching the Candidate Name Pronunciation feature – it gives your candidates the opportunity to pre-record their names before their first interview, so your hiring team is clear on how they should be addressed.

How it works

With this new feature, candidates are able to pre-record the correct pronunciation of their names when recruiters request their interview schedule availability through Greenhouse. Candidates can:

• Record up to 10 seconds of audio
• Playback to ensure they’re comfortable with it
• Re-record as many times as they’d like
• Delete the recording if they so choose