DEI on resume can make job search worse

After seven rounds of grueling interviews, an offer for a recruiting job seemed within reach for David Daniels IV. Until a reference check that Daniels learned had involved wary discussions of his background in diversity, equity and inclusion. The offer never came.

- BY SAIJEL KISHAN

DAVID Daniels IV said having experience in diversity, equity and inclusion feels like having scarlet letters in an already tough job market.

(BEN SKLAR Bloomberg)

Having DEI experience on a resume can feel like wearing a scarlet letter in an already difficult job market, said Daniels, who lives in New York and held roles at companies including yoga wear retailer Lululemon Athletica.

"There's this sense of, if you did DEI, we don't want to hire you," he said.

For Daniels and others like him, working in diversity made them hot commodities in corporate America just a few years ago. Now it's a liability. Conservatives have lambasted diversity work as exclusionary, while President Trump's ire against what he has termed "illegal DEI" has spurred a retrenchment in many companies. Fearing lawsuits and the loss of government contracts, businesses quickly pivoted, downsizing or dismantling their diversity groups.

That left DEI professionals who lost their jobs stranded, competing for roles in a tight job market. Among the jobless population in the broader economy, about a quarter have been unemployed for half a year or longer the highest share since the mid-2010s, excluding the peak years of the pandemic. DEI specialists say they're getting less interest from recruiters than they did several years ago and fewer interviews from companies. To bolster their chances, professionals have stripped the three letters from their resumes and sought roles in adjacent departments, such as in human resources, public affairs and marketing. Others have weighed changing careers.