Here's Why You Could Miss Out on Job Offers Because of Your Accent, ESL, or Personality Test Results!

Are you sure you didn't get hired because you don’t speak perfect English or have the right accent? Spoiler: It’s not just you—it’s the AI. In this episode, we dive deep into how the latest hiring tools might be discriminating against non-native speakers, those with accents, or anyone who's different. If you're feeling overlooked, it might not be your qualifications, but the hidden biases of AI algorithms that are putting up roadblocks.

Employers often compare the verbal communication skills of candidates based on a North American standard, which can lead to contrast bias. Ontario, Canada, is planning to ban the requirement of Canadian work experience in job postings or application forms—a move aimed at addressing this very issue.

In my interview with Global News, I discussed how AI bias disproportionately affects new immigrants and newcomers to Canada, especially those for whom English is not a first language and French-speaking jobseekers. One major concern is how AI tools score verbal communication. For example, a leading company that prides itself on its commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, uses these AI tools in hiring. Yet, they fail to recognize the bias these tools can introduce, particularly when it comes to candidates with accents or different verbal communication styles. See the example here.

This bias can negatively impact international talent, newcomers to Canada, ESL professionals, French-speaking job seekers born in Canada facing pronunciation barriers, as well as people with speech disabilities, invisible disabilities, and those who are neurodiverse. AI-powered tools that score verbal communication don’t always account for these nuances, and as a result, qualified candidates can be unfairly overlooked. Here is how to fix it as a career professional.

AI Personality Test or Personality Bias?

Have you ever been told your personality or cultural "fits"?

After I was laid off, I went through a series of tests—yes, including the infamous personality test—while applying for a top leadership role at one of the biggest banks. When I finally met the team, the hiring VP casually mentioned how my personality was a perfect fit. Lucky me? Or was it all about bias?

What really got me thinking, though, was how, as a manager, HR would send me personality test scores for candidates. Looking at those scores now, I can’t help but wonder about the biases built into these systems. It wasn’t just about my experience—it’s about how the unseen biases in AI and personality assessments affect people with accents, ESL speakers, or anyone who doesn’t fit the "typical" mold.

In my latest podcast episode, I dive deep into this issue, unpacking how AI algorithms, personality tests, and hiring assessments unintentionally reinforce these biases. And here’s the hard truth: you might not be failing—it’s the system failing you.

When Hilke Schellmann, an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and assistant professor of journalism at New York University, and I had an information session a couple of years ago on AI biases for her book, I had to invite her to my show.

Tune in to the conversation with Emmy-winning investigative journalist, Hilke Schellmann, whose book The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired lifts the veil on the unfair systems working behind the scenes. Don't let AI decide who you are—it's time to take back control.

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Let’s break the mold together. No more shrinking, no more pretending. It’s time to own our accent and personality!?

Why This Podcast Diaspora's Career Challenges Matters?

Because your accent, personality, identity, and success shouldn’t be compromised. Subscribe now to join the conversation that’s reshaping workplace norms!

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Sweta Regmi, a former hiring manager at award-winning companies, is the Founder and CEO of Teachndo, a Certified Career & Résumé Strategist, and the Podcast Host of Diaspora’s Career Challenges. As an immigrant herself, Sweta specializes in helping professionals from diverse backgrounds break barriers and secure six-figure careers without compromising their identity. In 2024, she received the Outstanding Career Leader award, the highest honor from Career Professionals of Canada, recognizing her impactful contributions to the coaching industry. She has also been named a Top Job Search Expert and a Top Career Advisor to Follow on LinkedIn, ranking among Canada’s Top 60 Creators. Her expertise has been featured on over 100 media platforms, including CBC National, Global National, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, City News, CTV, The Globe and Mail, Forbes, LinkedIn News, Indeed, and major career conferences. Sweta is also the Amazon Bestselling Author of “21 Resilient Women: Stories of Courage, Growth, and Transformation”, a book praised by Canadian libraries, ministers, and MPs. Her consecutive nominations for the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards by Women of Influence from 2022 to 2024 further cement her reputation as a top career expert in Canada.

To date, Sweta has helped over 500 career professionals globally secure six-figure leadership roles at top-tier organizations, including major banks, Accenture, Deloitte, Amazon, IBM, and the Government of Canada.