Getting into a job

• Recruitment: The discriminatory practices faced by members of visible minorities are well documented; for example, their applications are filed separately and never examined, and candidates are told that jobs are filled when they are not. Interviews that do not allow interviewers to identify the strengths of visible minority candidates, but rather compare them unfavorably with candidates who are White are also obstacles to employment. Negative, often unconscious racial biases also sometimes occur in the recruitment process.
  
  
  

Getting along in the job

• Workplace climate: When members of visible minorities do make the transition into employment, they must often deal with the accusation that they have been given their jobs because of "reverse discrimination." Their ability to do the job is frequently undermined, their self-confidence is eroded, and their stay in the workplace is short and often tortured. In entry-level jobs, particularly, members of visible minorities often experience "ghettoization"; they are seen as fit for only certain kinds of employment. When industries are downsizing, they are among the first to be fired because they are among the last hired. Insecurity and a hostile climate often affect the transition of members of visible minorities into employment.
  
  

The twin evils of inequality and invisibility within the structure of the workplace limit the transition of members of visible minority groups into meaningful employment. The situation must be addressed by focusing on the systems of employment and pre-employment, examining the ways in which they have a negative impact on the chances of members of visible minorities, and altering the systems accordingly. At present, far too much emphasis is placed on the intention or lack of intention of counsellors and employers to discriminate against visible minorities. This is futile. Each of the processes outlined above must be examined for its impact and altered accordingly in consultation with the visible minority groups whose employment opportunities are limited because of these processes, which appear to be neutral.