ACE presentation for MWACE webinar update June 16th
1. Meet International Students’
Career Service Needs
Midwest ACE
____________________________________________________
Jerry Donahue – Northwestern University
Qiang Fitzgerald – Huang & Fitzgerald Consulting
Graciela Kenig – DePaul University
3. Agenda
Barriers Facing International Student Career Center
Utilization
Cultural Preferences and Language Concerns and
their Impact on the Job Search
How to Help International Students Understand US
Culture
Working with Other Offices around Campus
3
5. Barriers to Utilization Include…
International student
perception of career
centers
Timing of career
center information
provided
Career center
locations—physical
and online
5
6. Some Ideas
Networking opportunities
International student ambassadors
International student groups
Pair with student mentors
Career Center open house
Panel discussions
Dedicated Career Center Services orientation
Spread out information over time
Be specific about access to services based on
location and hours 6
7. Possible Student Panel Questions
What is the most challenging aspect of
attending college in the United States?
What are some of the benefits you are
deriving from this experience?
What do you wish you could have done
differently?
How could others have been more
helpful?
7
9. Culture Defined
“The way we do things when nobody
tells us how to do them.” (Jack Kemp)
“The collection of prejudices acquired
by age 18.” (Albert Einstein’s definition
of common sense)
9
10. Edward T. Hall
Low Context
High Context
Based on Cultural
Preferences
10
11. Context Values in Cultures
Individualistic
and competitive
Logical, Linear, Precise
LOW CONTEXT
Task-Focused
Time is finite
11
Generalizations;
reference points
12. Context Values in Cultures
HIGH CONTEXT
Collective & Cooperative
Intuitive
Relationship-
focused
Time is
abundant &
fluid
12
13. Context Values in Cultures
Low Context
Individualistic and Competitive
Logical, linear and precise
Task focused
Time is finite
High Context
Collective and Cooperative
Intuitive
Relationship focused
Time is abundant and fluid
Reference points; Generalizations
13
14. Place Yourself on the Continuum
Based on the quiz you took earlier AND what you just learned,
do you think you act in a low or high context manner?
Low Medium High
Context
14
15. -
LOW MEDIUM HIGH
- Northern
European
- Swiss
- White
American
Male
- White
American
Female
- Southern
European
- Middle
Eastern
-East
Indian
- Asian
- African-
American
- Hispanic/Latino
- Native-
American
- Hmong
Based on Edward T. Hall’s Continuum of Low to High Context in Cultures
Cultural Preferences Around the
World
15
17. How HC’s Share Information
Long-winded
explanations
Imply vs. state
Conversational
Timing: May
interrupt
18. Effects on the Job Search?
Informational/Job
interviews/Career Fairs
Answers questions
indirectly
Doesn’t get to the point
fast enough
May interject comments
at the wrong time
18
19. Non-Verbal Communication
Low Context = self-confidence;
trustworthinessHigh Context = disrespectful; may
have other connotations
Direct Eye Contact
19
20. Spatial Relations
Low Context non-Latino
Caucasian: 18”-32” apart
High Context Latinos:
8”-18” apart
Results?
• HC people assume lack of warmth
• LC people feel invaded
20
22. Ideas to Help
22
Feedback is critical
• https://career.berkeley.edu/Intn
lStudents/IS-interview
• http://www.engr.utexas.edu/ec
ac/yourcareer/help/123-
internationalinterview
25. International Students have
trouble with
Accents/pronunciation
Formality
Inability to understand slang, jokes, etc.
Grammatical errors
Long-winded narrative in resumes
25
26. Explain and Avoid
Americans use a lot
of slang in speech
Humor and sarcasm
are common,
interpret positively
Use of abbreviations
in speech is
common; ask for
clarification if not
certain 26
27. Ideas to Help
Join or participate in Toastmasters
Find native English-speaking partners
Individual college programs
(Networking Programs, ESL, Writing
Centers, etc.)
Always mention these resources in your
workshops
27
29. Share Key US Beliefs
Equality & respect of individual
Multiethnic & multicultural nation
Proud of country & welcoming attitude
___________________________________
Examples to consider:
1.) Learn to understand their U.S. internship experience
by writing a report about it and discuss it with a
counselor or fellow domestic students.
2.) Reflect upon their experience with a U.S. employer
while on a CPT or OPT work assignment. 29
30. Clarify Social Attitudes & Customs
Independent, practical, work-oriented
Men and women on equal footing
Deal with conflict openly and directly
Beliefs are a private matter and are tolerated
Greet people with a firm handshake
Say “please” and “thank you”
Express gratitude to others
Relaxed table manners
___________________________________________
Examples to consider:
1.) International student panels focused on this topic
2.) Workshop on U.S. Culture and the Hiring Experience30
31. Explain The Role of Informational
Interviewing and Networking
Offering Value To Others
Credible
Likeable
Helpful
Mutually beneficial—not a favor
______________________________
Suggestions to consider:
1.) Provide a guest speaker on the topic
2.) Connect students to the LinkedIn alumni group
31
32. Educate Interviewing Etiquette
Punctuality is essential
Display confidence, optimism,
team-orientation
Make direct eye contact, firm
handshake
Claim credit for your
accomplishments
Employers seek positive,
upbeat, energetic
employees
______________________
Consider: Video interviewing,
speed networking, elevator pitch
32
33. Ideas to Help
Incorporate coaching ideas from the
employer’s perspective
Include employers in workshops to address
these specific social attitudes and customs
If available, utilize Going Global. It has a
section on US culture
Invite international students to programs on
etiquette and attire
33
37. Resources
International Office on your campus
Toastmasters International
Myvisajobs.com
GoinGlobal – Cultural Advice
Adjusting to American Culture
Power Ties- The International Student’s Guide to Finding a Job in
the United States, Dan Beaudry
3 Steps To Your Job In The USA, Steven Steinfeld with Yingping
Huang
(Books available on Amazon.com)
37
38. Q & A
Some questions to consider:
1.) How have connected with other campus offices
related to helping international students?
2.) How have you been involved in the orientation
of international students on your campus?
__________________________________________
What questions do you have of us?
38
Notas del editor
Jerry Donahue
Medill School of Journalism, Media, & Integrated Marketing Communications - Northwestern University
Qiang Fitzgerald
Huang & Fitzgerald Consulting,
DePaul University,
Illinois Institute of Technology
Graciela Kenig
College of Communication, DePaul University
We will first identify some barriers that prevent international students from utilizing career services (and give you some ideas to overcome them)
Then we will discuss Cultural Preferences around the world, along with Language Concerns, to explain and illustrate some behaviors that affect the job search
We also will provide you with tips to help you explain US culture to your international students.
And some resources that will allow you to work with other offices, departments or organizations in order to better serve your international students
Student perception of career centers
They aren’t familiar with such services
They talk to others in their immediate network who may not know what CCs do--and who may provide misinformation
They may not trust that strangers would be willing to help them
They may feel that they are not ready to utilize the service yet
They may be embarrassed by how much they do not know
Timing of Information Provided about Career Centers and their services
Often, the International Student Office—if there is one—will provide an orientation session about EVERYTHING they need to do which may take one or two days. This can be overwhelming when everything is new
Career Center Location—physical (including satellite offices) and online
Networking opportunities – “ambassadors” who can promote Career Center services to other international students
Forge relationships with international student groups
Open house in your Career Center
Organize Panel discussions that can deal with typical difficulties international students encounter
Separate CC Services orientation from general international student orientation. The amount of information can be overwhelming.
But spread out information over time
Be specific about access to services based on location and hours
If you decide to organize a panel with more experienced international students, these are some questions you may consider asking. We asked them of international students at DePaul and their answers were quite revealing. They informed many of the helpful ideas we included in this webinar.
In this section we will talk about cultural preferences around the world so you can help your international students understand
How Culture Affects Job Search/Career Decisions
Job Interviewing Etiquette
Role of Informational Interviewing and Networking
There are many ways in which people define culture. These two are my favorites. BTW, Jack Kemp was a football player and we all know who Einstein was.
More scientifically, though, cultural anthropologist Edward T. Hall studied cultures around the world and felt that people could be divided into two major categories:
Low and High Context.
Based on their cultural preferences
Hall studied many different nationalities and placed them along a continuum of low to high. What’ significant about this chart is that except for the northern Europeans and the Swiss, Americans are at one end of this continuum and the rest of the world is at the other. Take a look at this chart to see where most of your international students are coming from. Where do they fit in? I am sure you will agree that most of them will need a lot of guidance to figure out how to find work here successfully
And here’s why. These cultural preferences have an enormous impact on the job search. Perhaps the most noticeable differences are those that affect communication – both verbal and non-verbal and in terms of language use.
HC people communicate to form and develop relationships rather than to exchange facts and information.
That is why their explanations tend to be long-winded—they are trying to make sure that the listener understands. The answer to tell me about yourself in a job interview, for example, could start with I was born in Croatia and never touch on the main points of the interview.
To the employer, it may all sound like blah blah blah.
HC people often imply meaning if doing so can prevent disappointing or hurting someone’s feelings. That is, they are more likely to say that traffic was heavy, when asked if they had any trouble finding the place, rather that admitting that the employer’s directions were confusing.
They also may interrupt, not because they are rude, but because they want the listener to know that he or she is being heard.
By now, you probably realized that we all have some work to do. Whether the job or informational interview takes place over the phone or in person – or the exchange happens at a career fair – when questions are answered indirectly, or someone doesn’t get to the point fast enough or interrupts at all the wrong moments.
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The differences in non-verbal communication can be even more devastating. For example, for LC people making eye contact is a sign of self-confidence and trustworthiness.
In most HC cultures, however, you don't make eye contact because it is disrespectful. In some cultures it has sexual connotations.
The same is true of spatial relations. As one example, note the differences in how close to others Latinos prefer to stand, compared to white, non-Latinos. One group’s comfort ends precisely where the others’ begins.
And the effects also can be devastating. HC people assume you lack warmth if you stand too far away. LC people feel invaded if you get too close to them
All of the following ideas will help—if your international students exhibit such preferences—
but also if your advice is positive. In other words, our way is NOT better than theirs.
It’s just different. To succeed in getting hired in the US, international students need to understand how hiring managers could misinterpret their cultural preferences.
So, providing one-on-one coaching and role playing is really important. Use mirrors, recordings, whatever you have available to let the student see and hear how he or she comes across. Feedback is critical and should be coupled with examples of how the student can improve. A good tool is Interview Stream
Workshops adapted to international students—Include international speakers
Note that int’l students need to practice their English on a regular basis and to connect with a native speaking American student to better learn about slang. They should always ask for an explanation during an interview if they hear unfamiliar slang used in the conversation.
They should be careful about the length of their verbal answers during interviews and also on their resumes. Be concise with specifics.
They may not understand the context of a conversation if sarcasm is used, so they should be careful to interpret this in a positive light and wait for clarification
One example of an abbreviation many Americans use is ROI, or Return On Investment. Encourage your students to ask for clarification
These are resources that can help the students become more confident is speaking English, and the college resources should be noted on your career services website. These resources should be easily found by int’l students, so they should be included in hand-out materials from you office. Where is this information placed on your website? Is it easily found?
While this isn’t an easy topic to explain, even to native Americans, discussing some of the key components with international students can provide a context when they interact with American employers and their representatives. So let’stake a short look at how this might be done.
These are some of the key beliefs of U.S. citizens in general that students should be aware of, and how these beliefs can impact the interviewing and hiring process. For example, respect of co-workers even though they may have very different points of view on topics related to the work place, can promote team harmony when in close collaboration on project work. Americans tend to accept people of all backgrounds, races, religions, creeds in the work place with no discrimination . But a key factor of this accepting attitude may be the ability of the individual to do the job at hand.
Social attitudes, in general, as well as customs of Americans are important to the int’l student in understanding the U.S. culture and how to best work with it. These are several examples to illustrate to them what this is and to begin a discussion on their meaning. These would lend themselves well in a workshop on U.S. culture and allow for a frank discussion among the U. S. and int’l students about these attitudes and customs. For example, how to deal with conflict on the job, or acceptance of beliefs different from another person.
Informational interviewing may be a new, and possibly intimidating, concept for int’l students. It can help them build their professional network if done correctly. So the students need to be well prepared to conduct this type of interview with good, specific questions to use in the interview. They should understand that this type of interview is not to ask favors of the person, but to have a meaningful discussion that can be beneficial to both parties. So they should practice with a career services professional before they attempt to connect with a new contact. This can be a teachable moment! Encourage them to use this technique as they develop their network, and to always be careful to thank their new contacts, especially if they are alums of the institution. Finally, it can be vehicle to practice their language and non-verbal skills with professionals.
This slide relates how understanding the culture can help the int’l students during the interview process. Providing examples about individual accomplishments during an interview can be a very important aspect to improve the employer’s understanding of the skills offered by the candidate. Clearly, by practicing for interviews and developing a good understanding and grasp of English, the student will feel more confident in explaining their positive attributes during an interview.
Here are several ways to help int’l student become more familiar with the U.S. recruiting process and how they can better present themselves to employers during this process. Having employers as part of the conversation during programming, i.e. workshops, info sessions and the like, provides credibility to the session and possible connections for future conversations with students. Offering attire and etiquette sessions can be helpful to acquaint the students with U.S. norms and customs in these areas so critical to successful interviewing and a successful job search.
Developing good relationships with other campus offices that help int’l students should be a goal for every career service office and its staff.
Here are some examples of campus offices that work directly with int’l students and can be very helpful to career services professionals. It is very important to explain to international students the division between academic departments and administrative departments.
The approval process for international students’ working permit needs to be clearly defined and published.
These are the typical visa options for int’l students who wish to seek employment off campus in the U.S. We recommend that you develop a strong relationship with your international student office so that students can be referred to them, and they can provide guidance to students during your programming. It should be a mutually productive collaboration on your campus. Your staff members should become informed about these visa options when discussing the job search with int’l students, and be able to refer them to the international student office when appropriate. Finally, it is helpful to have the international student office provide updates to your staff each year, or more often, on any new federal legislation that may impact these visas, and possibly participate with your staff discussing these visa options as part of the job search process.