Think Landing a Job Is Hard? Try Having ‘DEI’ on Your Resume
Diversity professionals were hot commodities in corporate America just a few years ago. Many now find themselves struggling for work.
David Daniels IV
Photographer: Ben Sklar/Bloomberg
FacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftBy Saijel KishanOctober 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM UTCUpdated on October 20, 2025 at 3:40 PM UTCBookmarkSave
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.
Having DEI experience on a resume can feel like 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 Inc. “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 Donald 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.
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