In supporting clients with their career development, often
times the focus is helping individuals overcome barriers such as language,
education level, or age. However, classifying
certain things as “barriers” as can be short sighted. Often the very things that we view as
disadvantages can be advantages.
At the moment I’m only a few chapters into Malcolm
Gladwell’s new book, David and Goliath:
Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, where he examines the
stories of classic “underdogs” highlighting the role that the perceived
“barrier” played in the success of the individual. Typically the individual finds a way to change
the game in some way; to play by his/her own rules where the disadvantages are
actually a source of strength.
Malcolm notes that often individuals with barriers strive
relentlessly to become a small fish in a big pond. Although this would typically signify
success, all too often, you can’t get noticed with so many high achievers around
you. Instead, Malcolm notes that the
underdog becomes successful by becoming a big fish in a little pond. This can
take some “out of the box” thinking.
How can we help job seekers embrace their barriers? A
starting place would be to reframe negatives as positives and provide supports
that help clients build on these advantages. For example, language might be a
barrier, but being fluent in another language can be beneficial in many
different communities where clients or customers may also have language
barriers.
Use the comment section to let us know how else you can
reframe negatives.
Interested in learning more about Malcolm Gladwell or his
book? Check out his recent TED Talk at http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_the_unheard_story_of_david_and_goliath.html.
Earlier this year our team had the opportunity to meet
several internationally trained professionals (ITPs), from a wide range of
countries and representing a number of different professional occupations. All
of these individuals had made the decision to immigrate to Canada and were
committed to staying here, putting down roots, and raising their families. All,
however, were frustrated by the many challenges in establishing their
pre-immigration careers. These included challenges with regulatory bodies and
professional associations, lack of recognition of previous experience and
education, language barriers, and adjusting to Canadian workplace practices.
Many of the ITPs find themselves working in “survival jobs” and
feeling quite underutilized . . . doctors washing dishes, engineers working as
janitors, bankers/accountants driving cabs. Reitz (2011)
called this the “taxi driver syndrome,” estimating that this underutilization
of immigrants is costing the Canadian economy $3 billion every year. We attract
the world’s best and brightest, then leave them to navigate our complex system
with little to no assistance – Lamontage (2003)
called this seduction and abandonment.
Despite the numerous challenges, all of these professionals
had good things to say about the services they received from various
community-based agencies. They’d had settlement assistance, been referred to
language classes, taken workshops in Canadian workplace culture, and had
support in developing their resumes, cover letters, and interview skills. They
were very thankful for the assistance offered, most stating that the Career
Development Practitioners (CDPs) who assisted them were very nice and helpful.
However, these professionals also raised some issues that were somewhat
concerning to us, especially given our role as educators.
These issues focused on two key elements. First, it was felt that CDPs did not truly understand
the complexities of the foreign credential recognition process, resulting in an
inability to help ITPs navigate these systems or connect them with
professionals who could offer assistance. Secondly, CDPs seemed to make rather
bizarre recommendations around what work these highly skilled professionals
should or could do – an economist, with a PhD, told to apply as a customer
service rep in a bank; a structural engineer was told she should take a course
in MS-Office, despite her having superior skills using the entire MS-Office
suite.
ITPs face unique challenges and consequently
need specialized solutions. We recommend CDPs develop their understanding of
the foreign credential recognition process, foster strategic relationships with
professional associations and certifying bodies, and learn from the successes
of ITPs who’ve navigated to successful employment in their pre-landing sector.
Further, CDPs should pause to explore the unique skills and qualifications ITPs
bring; rather than assuming an engineer would need MS-Office training, discuss
the advantages of participating in a Canadian education program and explore,
with your client, what might “fit” best.
In supporting clients with their career development, often
times the focus is helping individuals overcome barriers such as language,
education level, or age. However, classifying
certain things as “barriers” as can be short sighted. Often the very things that we view as
disadvantages can be advantages.
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