Posts Tagged ‘Unemployment’

Hanging out in a bar to look for a job?

March 3rd, 2010

A tough challenge for an immigrant

The job market in the US is still in a state of recession. Jobs are few and seekers are many. For Americans it’s highly competitive. For new immigrants, it’s almost a mission impossible. “Upwardly Global” is a non-profit group which helps immigrant professionals find jobs in their own fields rather than driving cabs or washing dishes.

Job finding rendezvous – a bar

Many immigrant women have never been into a bar, a place reserved for men in their native countries. Some immigrants say that drinking alcohol was rare in their homeland. Their visit to a pub in lower Manhattan last week was one step in their efforts to learn the different ways and places to conduct a job hunt in the United States.

Trying to help

Upwardly Global helps immigrant professionals find jobs in their own fields. The usual path leads to landing menial jobs such as cleaning houses, driving a taxi or washing dishes. In a bar they learn skills like making eye contact, promoting themselves and networking with strangers. It is all done in happy hour and the talk is over blaring rock music.

The professor

Ms. Agbonlahor, who was a college professor in Nigeria, was not fazed by her new surroundings. “It’s just a place,” she said with a shrug, wondering why men were so secretive about bars back in Africa. She was more daunted by other things she was learning to do, like calling strangers to request informational interviews, praising her own work and having the correct demeanor in interviews. ” I learned to smile and I learned to look the interviewer in the face,” she said after a recent mock interview experience. “Back home you’re supposed to be very sober to show you’re a serious candidate.”

Alternative work

Since coming here about two years ago, Mr. Khanal, an immigrant from Nepal, has been working in a deli, highly frustrated not to be using his education and experience. He wants to pay taxes so he would be eligible for government benefits, but the deli owner pays in cash and refuses to file tax forms. Mr. Khanal joined Upwardly Global three weeks ago and said he already felt more optimistic about finding a teaching job.

Upwardly Global

Upwardly Global, founded in 2002, also has offices in San Francisco and Chicago. Many of the people that the group helps are refugees and asylum seekers; all already have at least a bachelor’s degree, speak English and have authorization to work in the United States. The immigrants get help with their resumes, are directed to training and certification programs, attend mock interviewing and networking sessions, and, if possible, are connected with companies like JPMorgan Chase, Deloitte and Pepsi.

The organization

The organization has worked with almost 900 immigrants in New York and about 2,000 nationwide. The New York office opened in the summer of 2006 and has found jobs for 250 immigrants since then.

Tags: Bar, Immigrants, Interviews, Unemployment, Upwardly Global
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Taking steps to finding a career

February 28th, 2010

Out of a job? This may the time to re-design your career

If you are at a crossroads in your job, this is the time to stop for a moment and think. It may be a golden opportunity to stop spinning your wheels in your career lane and make a commitment to make a change.

Think career

Design a career for yourself that corresponds with what you really want to attain in life and that is connected to your values and beliefs. There are many options you can choose: salaried employment, management, independent, partner, business owner or multi-careerist.

What is right for me?

Your career must be based on logic, rationale and wisdom. It should be based on the past and on what you have now: intelligence, strength, general and specific knowledge and experience. What you have gained up to now can be relevant for other career paths.

What attracts me?

Look for a career that will enable you to authentically realize who you really are, to love your line of business, to implement personal values that move you forward toward a destination that gives meaning to your life.

A breakthrough

In contrast to the expected future, a breakthrough is a new future and not a continuation of the past. Use a forced turning point or initiate a crisis to begin a breakthrough. Take a risk, let yourself be unsure and uninformed, plan for the future, take advantage of opportunities and new possibilities that may arise.

Think of a job

Get down to brass tacks and think of a job or position that will take you into the new career you have chosen. Define the characteristics you want. Think of the possibilities of progress and growth. Choose a job that is best suited for you.

Be proactive

Look for work and take advantage of the possibilities that the world of employment offers – national and local newspapers, Internet Web sites and employment fairs. Focus on looking for work proactively. This is the time to initiate, to instigate, to design and create your future. Make sure you are fully and truly devoted, seek help from the appropriate placement companies, invest in networking in all cycles of your life, be creative and take initiative.

Don’t look, find!

Let others look for work…you concentrate on finding it. Invest your intentions, focus, time and energy: manage the process of finding work in an organized manner. Look for more than one position at the same time so you’ll have the opportunity to choose, move forward in the utilization of any possibility that opens up, relate to the calendar and the market situation, investigate and improve the organization of your relevant skills.

Being accepted

Investigate and examine the workplaces offered to you. Make sure they are right for you. Prepare good answers to why you are preferable over other candidates. Be open to opportunities that may come your way. Be honest in your job interviews and business meetings. Guide your acceptance process into a new job.

Tags: Career, Career change, Jobs, Personal commitment, Unemployment
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

« Older Entries