When professional development in diversity is provided to educators in the field, it usually targets classroom practice with the intent of closing the achievement gap. These efforts are critical. But work should not stop there because culture underlies every policy, practice, and procedure in the school and influences every thought, interaction, and behavior of the individuals working within an organization. One such area is the interview process. Educators generally believe hiring practices are equitable if hiring practices comply with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and procedures. Though well-intended, these guidelines center on visible aspects of culture (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, disability) while failing to recognize deep underlying differences responsible for day-to-day clashes in the workplace among individuals of different cultural backgrounds. Comprised of values, expectations, and assumptions, these differences or invisible aspects of culture influence thinking, relating, communicating, and other actions, including during an interview. When educators of different cultural backgrounds have their own set of rules for appropriate interview behavior and are unaware that these expectations influence their thoughts and interactions, misunderstandings and conflict result, as illustrated in the example provided in this article. (Contains 1 note.)
