There are plenty of things that can influence a person’s career prospects: education, experience, qualifications, connections, personality and, apparently, whether they happen to share a name with somebody Donald Trump knows.
The U.S. president made headlines Saturday after publicly offering Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president and CEO Dana White the job of White House press secretary.
“Dana will be a press secretary like none other,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Dana, please take the job!”
Now, there are plenty of people who might argue that putting the man responsible for promoting some of the world’s most violent sporting events in charge of communicating the president’s message would be a perfectly logical move. After all, what better preparation is there for answering difficult questions from reporters than managing a room full of people who spend their weekends punching each other in the face?
But perhaps there was a misunderstanding somewhere along the way.
As Trump departed West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, he clarified that the job offer was a joke.
“You would have thought people would have said, ‘He’s having a good time,'” Trump said of the offer. “I will tell you, I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea, and there’s only one Dana.”
Well, Mr. President, with all due respect, there is another Dana.
One theory making the rounds is that a senior White House staffer may have suggested Dana W. White for the position, only for Trump to automatically assume they were talking about his personal friend, UFC boss Dana White.
And, to be fair, when you are friends with someone named Dana White, perhaps you naturally assume every conversation about a Dana White is about that particular Dana White.
The other Dana White is an African-American woman who previously served as assistant to the secretary of defence for public affairs, overseeing communications work at the Pentagon. In other words, she has actual experience in government public relations and dealing with the media.
And while there is no confirmation that a staffer suggested Dana W. White or that Trump confused the two, the possibility makes for an entertaining lesson in just how much a name can influence someone’s professional fortunes.
Consider the poor individual named Donald Trump who has spent his entire adult life trying to establish a career. Imagine submitting a résumé, only to have an employer wonder whether you are the billionaire businessman, former reality television personality and president of the United States. You might get an interview, but you would probably spend the first 20 minutes explaining that you have never owned a casino, appeared on The Apprentice or suggested buying Greenland.
And what about someone named Joe Biden? Depending on the employer, that name could either get your application moved to the top of the pile or immediately sent to the recycling bin. It might also mean being asked, repeatedly, whether you remember where you parked your car.
Then there are the people who share names with famous fictional characters. A man named Harry Potter might find himself with an advantage when applying for a job at a children’s bookstore, but perhaps less so when applying to become a professional magician. A Clark Kent applying to work at a newspaper might be asked whether he has any experience with investigative journalism, or whether he prefers to work in a phone booth.
Even outside celebrity and fictional names, the workplace can be an interesting place for people whose names carry unintended meanings.
A person named Hunter could have an easier time getting noticed for a job in wildlife management. Someone named Baker might find a bakery owner particularly receptive to their application. A candidate named Fisher applying to a seafood company might enjoy a brief moment of good fortune, while someone named Cook could have a similar advantage in a restaurant kitchen.
Of course, these are hardly qualifications. A person named Baker is not automatically good at making bread, just as someone named Fisher is not necessarily capable of catching anything larger than a cold.
The opposite can also be true. Imagine being named Cash and applying for a job as a bank teller. The employer might appreciate the irony, although it could also raise a few questions during the background check.
A person named Banks applying to work in finance might seem like a natural fit, while someone named Crook could face an uphill battle, regardless of how spotless their professional record happens to be.
And spare a thought for anyone named Monday applying for a job that requires enthusiasm at the beginning of the workweek. It is an unfortunate name to carry into an interview on a Monday morning.
The more serious issue, however, is that names can influence employment opportunities in ways that have nothing to do with celebrity or coincidence.
Research has repeatedly demonstrated that employers can make assumptions about applicants based on the names appearing at the top of their résumés. Studies have found that applicants with names perceived as belonging to racial minorities can receive fewer interview invitations than applicants with otherwise identical qualifications and names perceived as belonging to the majority population.
That is a considerably less amusing example of the power of a name. You can spend years earning degrees, gaining experience and building a career, only to have someone make an assumption about you before you have even had an opportunity to introduce yourself.
There are also the unfortunate cases of people who share names with individuals who have developed less-than-stellar reputations. Imagine being named Jeffrey Epstein and trying to establish yourself in education, finance or politics. You could have the qualifications of a Nobel Prize winner and still find yourself answering some rather uncomfortable questions.
Of course, there are advantages, too. Having the same name as a respected professional in your industry might get you an extra look from a prospective employer. A familiar name can make a résumé stand out, even if the applicant has absolutely no connection to the person who made it famous.
In Dana W.’s case, the confusion, if there was any, was certainly an unusual way to get some public attention. She has the government communications experience, while her namesake has the friendship of the president and a career in mixed martial arts.
Perhaps the two could even trade résumés for a day. Dana W. could explain government communications to UFC executives, while the UFC’s Dana could explain to White House reporters why the next briefing might involve a weigh-in.
One thing is certain: in today’s working world, it helps to have the right qualifications. But apparently, having the right name doesn’t hurt either.
And if you happen to be named Dana White, it might be worth keeping your résumé updated. Just make sure you specify whether your experience involves public affairs or mixed martial arts. You never know which one the president is looking for.