Colour Stories: No Local Experience

This is an excerpt from the conversation held in October 2022. In this episode of?LinkedIn Karma with?#WonderingMo, we discuss our lived experiences of dealing with "No Local Experience".

Introductions

Niti Nadarajah ?Coach, Lawyer, DEI Advocate, Australia

Baishakhi Connor ?Strategy Leader & Board Member, Australia

Sweta Regmi Teaching Immigrants & Layoff Survivors Lived Career Strategy, Canada

Ronnie Cheung Talent Connector, Career Practitioner, Recruiter, New Zealand

Moumita Das Roy, Marketer & DEI Advocate

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Moumita: What did you feel when you first received rejection stating you did not have enough local experience??

Baishakhi: When I moved to Australia nearly 14 years back, I had years of work experience in technology and investment banking in different countries. However, when I migrated to Australia with my husband, I did not have a local network and found it challenging to secure a job. Also, the timing was not great with the global recession in 2008/9

I applied through online job portals like Seek and reached out to people on LinkedIn to create a network. I got some interview calls, but was told that I did not have enough local experience.

I continued my job search and eventually landed a job after twelve months of being unemployed. The lack of local experience was the primary reason for my struggle, and it was something that I could not change overnight.

My maiden name was challenging to pronounce in Australia. I changed my surname to my husband's surname, which was easier to pronounce, and then I received more interview calls.

Once I got my foot in the door, it was smooth sailing from there. It made me realise that things can change for the better if you keep pushing through the tough times.

Moumita: I always wonder what has two or three years added to our experiences that are more valuable than what we brought in??Niti, you said you've not had to experience this.?Is it because you grew up in Australia?

Niti: I have not faced any discrimination during my job search in Australia as a person of colour. However, when I moved back to Australia from the UK, I did have concerns about not having worked in Australia for a while. This concern was different because it was about my experience in law and not about my skin colour. I grew up here, went to university here, and got my first job here, so I hadn't experienced discrimination during my job search.

But I did notice some international students, particularly those with accents, found it difficult to get roles in law firms. I think there is a prejudice that attaches to the accent someone has or the name they bear.

As a hiring manager, I don't think a person's nationality or accent is particularly relevant. However, having knowledge of local regulations is essential for some roles, like mine in law.

I have noticed that some international students struggle to find legal roles in Australia because they lack legal experience or are not qualified as Australian lawyers. I advised them to emphasize everything on their resumes, such as the skills they have gained overseas.

Moumita: My experience has been quite different when it came to amplifying skills. When I first moved to New Zealand, recruiters advised me to remove senior designations from my CV.

Starting anew in a foreign country is always challenging, and confidence is necessary. However, I also understood that people did not know me here. I started with volunteering and getting to know the country's culture, people, and nuances. I applied to more than 100 jobs before landing my first contract in the second month of my arrival.

I remember having a chat with one recruiter who suggested that I tone down my CV to get my foot in the door to cover the lack of local experience. I responded by acknowledging my lack of Kiwi experience, stating that newcomers to the country do not usually have such experience. The recruiter had no response at the time, but he called me back a week later to offer me a two-month contract with the largest Kiwi retailer.

While it was a job I could have done years ago, I accepted it without hesitation. It turned out to be an excellent opportunity, and my contract got extended, but I had to leave after two months because I landed a permanent role.

So, what do you think recruiters and hiring managers are looking for from candidates having no local experience??Is it a functional skill or is it something else??Is it culture??And if it is so, can it not be learned on the job??

Baishakhi: There are certain jobs where local knowledge and qualifications are necessary, such as in tax or law, due to regulatory requirements.

However, I've also noticed that there can be a layer of unfamiliarity and unconscious bias or stereotypes when it comes to hiring candidates without local experience. When recruiters are presented with several resumes, they tend to lean towards what is familiar, which can be a disadvantage for candidates without local experience.

It's important for candidates without local experience to make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to understand their skills and experience. This can help them stand out from other candidates who may have more familiar backgrounds. Starting out in a new country can have long-lasting ramifications, but with determination and persistence, it's possible to succeed.

Moumita: It is often true that we are measured in colour and not measured by merit.?Sweta, Ronnie, what are your thoughts on this?

Sweta: I was a newcomer in Canada when my spouse got laid off from his job in the States. We thought moving to Canada would be easy, but we quickly learned about the challenge of not having Canadian experience.

I realised the importance of cultural fit and trying to blend in. I saw many other immigrants changing their names to English ones to fit in better, and it was difficult for me to understand at first. But I knew I had to put my ego aside and be open to volunteering and gaining experience. Eventually, I became a hiring manager and worked in a leadership role for over a decade, where I learned about the biases that exist in the hiring process.

It wasn't until I left that role and started my own company teaching immigrants about career strategy that I realised the extent of these biases. There are so many different types of biases, and most hiring managers aren't trained to recognise them.

Now, after years of trying to fit in and please everyone, I've realised the importance of embracing my identity and insisting on having my name pronounced correctly. I want to encourage others to do the same and demand that their identities be respected. It's the first step to overcoming biases and building a more inclusive society.

Ronnie: My family comes from Hong Kong, but I have been living in New Zealand for over 30 years. I decided to become a practitioner to use my recruitment skills to help migrants and other people with their job search in New Zealand because I've seen many individuals not getting the opportunity, they want due to how they have interviewed or because of their job search.

There are two types of recruiters: internal recruiters and external recruiters. I am an internal recruiter, and we understand what the culture fit for our organisation is because we work there. Our job is to coach the hiring managers on what candidates are the best fit, not just on skills but also culture. I remember my friend, who is South American and married to a Kiwi, told me that she wouldn't change her last name because if a company doesn't accept her for who she is and her cultural background, then she is not the right fit for them.

Some roles have local elements attached to them, such as legislation or understanding local standards. Although you could learn this quickly, New Zealand is a small country, and we run very slimly in terms of the number of people in each company. There isn't always time to teach people this stuff.

To make your CV stand out, you need to highlight the skills and experience that match the job you're applying for. Recruiters and hiring managers only spend 20 to 30 seconds looking at a CV before they decide what to do with it. Therefore, you need to customise your CV to the local market and show the recruiter what they want to see. Volunteering is also a great idea since it shows that you're willing to immerse yourself in the local culture and mix with Kiwis.

Niti: It is important to consider whether you want to work for a company that might treat you negatively because of a certain attribute, like pregnancy or race. Even though some women might feel the need to hide their pregnancy from potential employers, it's important to ask ourselves if we want to work for a company that is prejudiced against us because of who we are. Of course, not everyone has the luxury of choosing where they work, but if we do have that opportunity, it's worth considering the company's culture and hiring practices.

There is a lot of unconscious bias that goes into job requirements, and sometimes job ads have unnecessary qualifications or experience requirements that could be excluding qualified candidates.

I believe both prospective employees and employers have a role to play in creating a fair hiring process. Prospective employees should put their best foot forward, and employers should consider whether the requirements they're including in job ads are truly necessary.

Moumita: Let’s wrap up with a few directions of what a newcomer could do to feel more integrated in a new country.?I will start with what I did when I came to New Zealand. I started with volunteering, I have got way more than I have given through volunteering, including speaking opportunities at the New Zealand Parliament to being featured on a billboard campaign as a super volunteer.?Also, my first referee in this country is from the place I was volunteering at.?Another one would be to transfer skills, identify areas of skill shortage, and see if we can add value to them or probably upskill in that area to find a new role. Finally, the power of networking and having the courage to put ourselves out there in person and online.?As cliché as it may sound, it is not whom you know, but who knows you.?Day one is always scary but done is always easier than to do.?Just start.?Do it scared.?Do it anyways.?

Baishakhi: I reached out to people one-on-one.?I reached out to several people, on LinkedIn, for coffee, asking to know the new country and their company.?You can do it through sports.?If you enjoy sports, join your local netball team or football team. Create some new networks in the new country.?It also helped me understand the Aussie accent better over time.?

Explain your home country’s education and experience clearly, in full letters and through a frame of reference, like the University is among the top five institutes in Asia. Share the turnover of the company you had worked for in the local currency and say how many people worked in the organisation. We must be persistent, to start over.?

Niti: There are groups focused on helping migrants. Do research to find out whether there are organisations like that in the country which you're moving to or have moved to and see if you can meet some of the people through those networks.?Find someone who could mentor you. I think building a brand is important, and if you can do it, and if you have the courage to do it, I will recommend it. Like writing articles in your area of expertise and trying to get professional opportunities even before you move to a new country, to highlight the experience that you do have.

Sweta: It is important to identify whom to talk to. Someone who has had a similar battle as yours, may not be the best person to help always. Talking to an expert helps. Or someone from a similar industry. Seek advice from the right people.?Also, be very clear on what you want. Influence the influencers.?And about cultural fit – I think it is the hiring manager's loophole to reject.?If an organisation cannot define what culture fit means or if it cannot be measured it has no value to me.?For job seekers, I would want them to ask the interviewer and want them to self-reflect on what it meant.

Ronnie: The key areas for me are volunteering and networking.?Networking with the right people will help customise your CV for the local market.?We don't require as many details like your date of birth or if you are married or not.?We don't need your photo.?Having that information on your CV is only going to let the employer have a bias.?Be willing to take opportunities to do temporary or contracting roles so you can get that local experience.?

Moumita: Thank you, everyone. Embracing a new place, and feeling integrated is obviously a two-way process, but a lot lies with the organisation and how they let individuals bring their whole selves to work by acknowledging them as who they are. This is an important conversation that we need to have more often.

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We had this discussion in October 2022, a technical issue kept me from publishing this earlier. Not publishing it, even if delayed will be unfair - so here it is, late but still relevant.

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