Intrepid Job Hunting Tips for Immigrants and Racial Minorities

You find yourself job hunting once more! Your mad skillz and fantastic personality are in the market, awaiting some lucky bugger to hire you. Hooray! Well done, this is the first step. You DO have a lot to offer the world.

There are especial challenges that face immigrants and racial minorities when it comes to job hunting, and everyone needs to know. It might not be YOU yourself that is preventing you from gainful employment, but how others might perceive you.

If any part of your name sounds "foreign", like mine does, please include in your cover letter or CV that YES, YOU CAN INDEED SPEAK ENGLISH (if you can). This might be obvious to you, and to everyone that you have actually spoken to, but it is not obvious to everyone. You do not have to say it outright, I normally say that I have "excellent communication skills". (I normally wink as I write this.)

I have heard from an ex-flatmate of mine that some companies simply throw away CVs from people with "foreign" names (hers did), so maybe even invest in a pseudonym. They are fun to make! I usually use my English name on CVs. This is not the bad kind of lying! Employers have as much to gain as you from hiring a competent worker. Do not let their prejudice stop you, it might even be subliminal!

Finding referees who speak English might be hard. Many of your influential and respected contacts may be reluctant to speak English to potential employers. This sucks, but that doe not mean at all that no one else would speak for you! Perhaps you need to broaden your approach. Ask a friend, or a lecturer, or a tutor, or your high school teacher! They are mostly understanding, especially if you explain the situation.

Always, but especially for us, double check cover letter or CV for spelling or grammatical mistakes. Yes, you should do this anyway, but if people suspect that your English is your second language, some might read more into it than they should. A typo for you might be bad English for some.

Does anyone else have anything else to add?

Good luck, and show 'em how awesome you truly are!

Hugs,
KK.