A week ago, I met a bunch of young tech-enthusiastic at an industry event. Most of them were in the age range of the early twenties to mid-thirties. Most of them were either searching for a job for quite some time or in the wrong job so that they want to find the right job. They wanted to talk to me one on one, and I was glad to invest my time.
Most of them were immigrants who came to the country as skilled migrants or have arrived for their higher studies. Those who have migrated have been working in their own countries for quite some time in blue-chip companies. However, once they arrive here finding a job has been their nightmare. They have been constantly refused by agencies saying they do not have local experience. Those who have come for higher studies have completed either MBAs or MSc s (few of them had two Master degrees), but since they have taken a break from the workforce for their studies, they are now being challenged by saying they are now not up to the market.
They were so frustrated with the situation they have been positioned at. They did not have any appreciation for anyone in society, and I would not expect them to appreciate anyone as well. How could anyone appreciate anyone in the society when they were consultant being pushed back although they have the top-notch university education with the latest skillsets or the industry experience in their own countries. Below were their complaints.
- Recruitment agencies do not even look at our resumes because we do not have local experience
- After the first phone screen, they never call us back
- Why is it so important to have local experience? I do speak perfect English, I studied in English medium, programming languages are universal, it is the same language developers at Apple write their code, and I have used that back in my country. How does it differ here to say, I do not have local experience?
It was disheartening to hear those stories. This problem has many angles as it is not just the recruitment agencies to be blamed. It is a value stream, and everyone in the value stream is responsible for identifying the problem and solving it. However, in this article, I need to focus on the candidates.
Creating your own job
As job seekers, yes, you do have challenges. However, why don’t you focusing on finding the solution by yourselves? If the jobs are not given, why don’t you create your own job? Luckily, we are living in a very different era. Especially the new generation who are entering the workforce. They have been born with technology. There is nothing to learn from that side. They born in the era of Facebook was up and running; Google was becoming a friend of everyone; Instagram is becoming the thing. This new generation started using those new things, probably when they were five, six years old. So, there is nothing for them to learn. I remembered one of my friends who is a COO of one of the banks, was getting tutored by her 16-year-old daughter on how to use ‘snapchat’. I had to laugh when she sent her first video with a kitty cat face. That is the biggest asset this new generation has. So, I would say you should start to be innovative rather than depending on the society who barely hear you.
The first step in this process would be to understand what you need. As an example, when I started my career, I wanted to work for a big company. It was part of social recognition. However, over a period, my objective changed. Now I want to be impactful, adding value and making a social impact. For some people this is financial stability, being with the family but still progressing their career. For some people, it is to make a social impact. As an example, one of my colleague who was working for a top 3 renewal energy company, left his CTO job to be a social entrepreneur. He was fed up of his bosses who are constantly chasing revenue by bossing around and forgetting social responsibilities. Now he is running a small school in his native place, paring with an NGO and he is very happy.
If you open your mind, there are many opportunities around you. As an example, just watch this youtube video. (by the way, I do not have any affiliation with this YouTuber. It just happened that I started watching it accidentally just because of the video quality).
I adored this video, but initially, I started laughing (isn’t it the objective of entertainment). Who would ever make money by recording, their own house, opening windows in the morning ( like they are the only people who do that) , cleaning the bed, folding clothes and still not stepping out from their home ( no issues with traffic, rushing, wearing office clothes ). There are millions like this YouTuber. Well even though it looks very simple and laughable (at one point), this simple video series showcases much more than that.
What it showcases, is planning, what is the message they want to communicate, scripting ( opening the window and watching outside, the narrative which is simple but engaging, recording, camera angles, lighting, editing, uploading to youtube, affiliations, managing subscriptions), it is a whole lot of things. It sounds very simple, but it is not. Anyone who has done similar things is doing a full-time job as an entrepreneur. I do not suggest that she may be earning a ton of money, but at least she is engaged, doing something she likes to do, and earning some money too. If you may have realized, this particular video has 400K views (that means it generates some money).
I am not suggesting you become a YouTuber. However, if you think very differently, there are many options available to do the same thing you do very differently. There are many people who accidentally become authors, poets, entrepreneurs using technology. An example is Rupi Kaur, who happened to be a celebrity poet thanks to Instagram. She could have been complaining that nobody gave her opportunities because she could not talk English properly or publishes continuously pushed her away. However, she absorbed the thing she knew, poetry and Instagram, and now she is a celebrity poet.
So, what I am telling you is embrace what you know best. If the world is not giving to you, give it to the world. Challenge whoever challenges you but stand up for yourself. If it does not exist it, create it.
About the Author :
Anusha is career a career and leadership coach, author and consultant. Follow her on her blog or consult her for advice or mentorship :
