Job applications- communicate religion/ethnicity?

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I’m applying for a job within a large institution.

I’m (white) Jewish.

In normal times I’d keep stum, I mean who’d be interested in that. However, reading what I do about diverse workforce targets etc would it be in my interest to mention this in my covering letter? I know this could be a contentious subject, just asking how people would take this.

[CubanPete]

I wouldn't mention it.

Its about equal opportunity. Positive discrimination is illegal too (Unless your a girl in Engineering...).

[edc]

If it is a large institution and your thought process is that declaring this will be to your advantage then such institutions normally have their recruitment and diversity policies/charters on their website. If upon review of that documentation you think it would be to your benefit then go or it.

[VR99]

I think it might be slightly OTT to mention that in a cover letter...unless the role requires you to be of a certain ethnicity/religion.
Edit: in line with EDC's post above..if you think your religious/ethnic profile might be an advantage based on any research you have undertaken on the organisation then go ahead.
My original post is from my own perspective...I am of Asian origin but the hiring manager would realise that fairly quickly from my name(I assume!) however in your case if your name isn't clearly "Jewish" or is Anglicised then understand why you might want to mention it.

Edited by VR99 on Monday 24th August 13:07

[DanL]

Any large organisation with a competent HR department will strip that sort of information out of candidates CVs, etc. when passing to the hiring manager.

The question is - is it more likely to get you put forward as a candidate for consideration? I’m not sure being white Jewish buys many diversity points (to be deliberately glib about a serious issue!), so I’m not sure it would do anything positive for you. I don’t imagine it would hurt...

[Dan_1981]

Just start the letter with 'Shalom'.... they'll get the hint.

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Thanks everyone for the insightful replies. It wouldn’t be anything I’d ever have considered in the past, and doesn’t hugely sit right with me. In theory it shouldn’t make any difference one way or the other, but in these times anything that might help could be worth a try, if done in the right way.

I quite like the “Shalom” idea

[spikeyhead]

Most of the large places I've worked at in recent years, the CV has Candidate 12659 in place of their name, and plenty of other personal stuff taken out too.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Dan_1981 said:

Just start the letter with 'Shalom'.... they'll get the hint.

Too obvious. In hobbies, put tickering with your Volvo, playing cards and making sure guests in your home who arrive healthy leave with type 2 diabetes.

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TwigtheWonderkid said:

Too obvious. In hobbies, put tickering with your Volvo, playing cards and making sure guests in your home who arrive healthy leave with type 2 diabetes.

[easyhome]

If the large institution in question is the Labour Party I’d leave it out.

[Fastpedeller]

To my mind questioning religion/ethnicity is discrimination - otherwise why ask it?

[enpointe]

Fastpedeller said:

To my mind questioning religion/ethnicity is discrimination - otherwise why ask it?

Equality *MONITORING* forms go nowhere near the hiring manager in any decent organisation