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April 2024
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APPLY ANYWAY8/21/2023 I have been in contact with a newcomer friend that just landed a few months ago from India. She needed to get work quickly and would require support for various things. My input to her is to continue the search, get some Canadian experience by volunteering for a few hours a week, and meet people in the community. That's the best way to maintaining a positive attitude while waiting for that breakthrough in the employment search. People of color only apply for jobs that they meet completely where as men would apply for all jobs that they only meet 65% of the time. You probably heard this data. As well, employers nowadays rely on AI to screen hundreds of applicants for one position and because of that, there would be a slim chance that work experience outside of Canada will be given serious, if not points for consideration. Hundreds of immigrants land in Canada every year as the country continues to expand its economy with high labor needs. Getting employment in their field of expertise is still the number one issue for immigrant integration. More than 10 years ago, I, too, landed with just one suitcase and a big box. The rest is history as to what happened to me afterwards. New immigrants have lower self-esteem and will not apply to jobs that they think they're not qualified enough to get shortlisted. They do not have the existing networks that native born and or those who lived here longer would have for which to draw on for various types of information and support. But because of this self-selection, a few of them would end up in jobs that are way better for them in the long run compared with survival jobs that could trap them to a cycle of low wage and high stress situation. I would suggest to apply anyway until you see traction with a number of interviews for these positions. You'll never know how the hiring manager makes decisions with the selection process. They could be very well looking for a different kind of candidate and throwing yourself into the pool increases your chances. In my case, I bested hundreds of applicants and the only reason I was able to get the job was because I applied, despite the constant self-doubt. Keep up the positivity and never underestimate your worth. You have come a long way. Now prove to them that you can contribute now and not later.
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UNLIKELY BEDFELLOWS4/24/2023 Like the Black See Grain initiative powered by the UN between Ukraine, Russia and Turkey to free up the grains to address the growing food insecurity in many parts of the world, this deal is highly contentious. While currently warring, the two factions managed to put aside their strife to think about how the grains from Ukraine could solve another world problem. Albeit, for very selfish reasons, they came together, debated endlessly, sought side deals and concessions, and almost broke down the negotiations. So much for what UN calls 'restricted diplomacy.' While highly volatile and unpredictable, when pulled together, enemies can be brought to the table with very clear political or economic objective, facilitated by multilateral actors who are perceived as neutral or non-partial to the central conflict. It seemed that limited trust can be fostered on a very narrow set of targets with disincentive for non-cooperation and rewards for its maintenance. The world is fraught with conflicts and war-mongering. The stances of governments and politicians are more towards creating division and polarization rather than creating a pathway towards reconciliation and unity within a diverse framework. Negotiations seldom accomplish their purpose because of the insistence that all wrongs and disagreements on all fronts had to be taken down first which is not the way to go. This initiative proves that with a strong political will, enemies can sign the same accord separately without the face-to-face interaction but still agree on the document. Even though the terms are fairly slim, that could be start of more talks and less fighting on the ground. This is possible but very hard to put together and maintain, but do we have a choice?
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COMPARISONS4/14/2023 Beware, comparisons could be dangerous, misleading and disempowering. It's no longer the case that you compare apples to apples but what grade, variety, source, and other properties that make this exercise completely useful at all. We come to the point where comparing past result to future result will give us a good indication of progress, or lack thereof. But times are a-changing. Comparisons now are what it seemed to be decades ago. We compare our achievements or lack thereof with our neighbor next door, or circle of friends and see how we rate. With a new car, house, appliances, their kids going to better schools, new hobby gadgets, professional designations, etc. Now with social media, we get to see the best looking, brightest, smartest, richest, and most loved professional in our field, and we think that's the standard of everything great. If you're a business, to the fastest growing, VC-loved startup raking in millions in less than 5 years. If you're a purpose-driven organization, to the well-respected, well-oiled organization in your sector that's getting all the accolades all the time and getting it right most of the time. This unbelievable, impossible idea of standard is ubiquitous but seldom rejected. It presents an illusion that could never be satisfied. Yet, the picture of success or nirvana is just that. We have that picture in our minds. What comparisons do you use to gauge your performance? your organizational health and vitality? your relevance to your community? your competencies as against life's challenges? Do you really know the person and organization you are trying to emulate? What standard or measure do you subscribe to and how they came to be? By acclaim, by rigorous system, by a multilateral consensus? By politics? self-promotion? Internal comparisons are the best. Internal best practice as against trade/industry practice could be profitable. The people that are in deep trenches know more than what the annual reports say. They get to build and develop the measures, the measurement, the methods, and the theory of what and how change can happen. As a rule, it's best to construct your own metrics. |