Attracting and Retaining Newcomers and Immigrant Employees September 30, 2011

1. Attracting and Retaining Newcomers and Immigrant Employees September 30, 2011 Don Rutherford don@culture-connect.com www.culture-connect.com Culture Connect

2. Workshop outline • Culture concepts • Pros / cons of hiring culturally diverse • Résumé screening • The interview • Integration Culture Connect

3. Gary Larson • Inadvertently, • Roy dooms the entire earth to annihilation when, • in an attempt to be friendly, • he seizes their leader by the head and shakes vigorously.

4. Culture • Our learned way of living. • What and how we think, feel and act. • “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.” Albert Einstein

5. Distribution of Cultural Norms Culture A Culture B Culture Connect

6. Iceberg Analogy Of Culture • Explicit (10%) • Resume, dress code, office layout… • Implicit (90%) • Values & beliefs • Resume expectations • Interview expectations • Gender relations • Conflict management • Manager/employee rels. • Teamwork....

7. Your Culture - Considerations Personal – nation, ethnicity, gender, age, personality, education, religion… Corporate – hierarchy, decision-making, inclusiveness, communication… Culture Connect

8. Canada Culture Connect

9. Sources of Immigration • To Canada (2009) • China • Philippines • India • United States • United Kingdom • France • Pakistan Culture Connect

10. Team Effectiveness Highly Ineffective Average Effectiveness Highly Effective Multi-cultures Single-culture Multi-cultures Culture Connect Nancy Adler, International Dimensions

11. Diversity in Workgroups – Pro/Con • Disadvantages • Lack of cohesion – mistrust, miscommunication, stress • Takes more time • Consensus difficult • Less efficient Advantages • Increased creativity – perspectives & ideas • Better problem definition, more alternatives, better solutions & decisions Culture Connect

12. Attract Diverse Applicants • Reward / recognize employees for recommending potential new employees • Treat people well; not necessarily the same • Demonstrate that you have happy, diverse employees who are being promoted • Make web site & all publications inviting – showing & mentioning diversity • Advertise positions in less mainstream publications / web sites Culture Connect

13. ResumeDifferencesAction Steps “Jack of all trades” Ph.D. fits all positions Lack of accomplishment Resume sent to wrong person • Dig for expertise in interview • Focus on transferable skills and experience • As above • Explain what you as interviewer are looking for • Dig for accomplishments • Check out the university • Redirect Culture Connect

14. ResumeDifferencesAction Steps Over-emphasis of the less important Inappropriate information Peculiar cover letters Assessing qualifications • Don’t reject on this basis alone • Explain what you as interviewer are looking for • Get another opinion • Evaluate academic credentials by specialized organizations such as World Education Services, IQAS Culture Connect

15. Recruitment Action Steps • Include people who are not part of the mainstream on the recruitment and selection team • Create clear and specific position descriptions with “must have” and “nice to have” skills • Don’t reject resumes because they only describe responsibilities • Consider overlooking frequent changes of positions after and before immigration Culture Connect

16. Recruitment Action Steps • Focus on progression of culturally different candidates. • Explain in detail the recruiting process used in your organization. You may post on your website a description of the steps and sample resumes. • Define upfront the English-language skill level required for the position. Culture Connect

17. Recruitment Action Steps • Use short-term contracts (whenever possible) to reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person. • Use the graduates of special programs designed to help immigrants find positions. Culture Connect

18. Interview – Opening • “Be present” with situation • Suspend judgement for a brief time • Be prepared for surprises; be flexible • Be aware of your assumptions and reactions • Explicitly state your expectations as appropriate • Get the support of colleagues when confused Culture Connect

19. Cross-cultural communication Non-verbal communication • Space • Body language • Gestures • Dress code • Tone of voice • Sense of humour • Scents – perfume, cologne Culture Connect

20. Cross-cultural communication Verbal communication • English as a second language • Accents • Silence • Acronyms / abbreviations • Different versions of English • Sports English • Connotations Culture Connect

21. Interview Differences • Greetings • Chit-chat • Gestures and body language • Showing too much or too little emotion • Excessive deference (hierarchy) Culture Connect

22. Interview – Middle • Interpersonal/team skills • Work on a project: formal authority, your role, deadlines, conflicts • Individual / Collective • Time – linear vs. fluid • Conflict – saving face Culture Connect

23. Interview – Middle • Business/Customer orientation • Developing and maintaining relationships with users/business partners /clients / or users & handling challenges • Hierarchy • “Customer is king” Culture Connect

24. Interview – Middle • Ability to Learn/Adaptability • situations in which you have had to adjust quickly; what boss have you worked the most effectively for? • Manager/employee relations – hierarchy • Delegation / empowerment Culture Connect

25. Interview – Middle • Planning & Organization • manage your time and prioritize your work • Manager/employee relations – hierarchy • Your Strongest Technical Skill • Individual / group contribution Culture Connect

26. Interview – Middle • Initiative/Problem Solving • Initiative • Risk tolerance • Communication Skills • Direct vs. indirect • Hierarchy Culture Connect

27. Interview – End • Explain company context and position • We have a diverse workforce – women & culturally diverse in leadership roles, LGBT, physically disabled, religious beliefs… • Do you have any special requirements during work day / work year? • Answer their questions & next steps Culture Connect

28. References • Check them out for validity – education & work experience • Check them out for the important questions – gender relations, interpersonal/team skills, adaptability… • Call other countries as necessary Culture Connect

29. Hierarchy I prefer working for managers who give me enough freedom so that I can determine the best direction for myself give me clear directions so that I know what they want me to do Culture Connect

30. Hierarchy I prefer working for managers who give me enough freedom so that I can determine the best direction for myself give me clear directions so that I know what they want me to do France UK India Canada Culture Connect

31. Low Hierarchy High Hierarchy • Minimize levels of power • Manager earns right to power through performance • First priority is getting business objective accomplished • Employees not afraid to disagree with boss • Titles and position smaller role • Senior people are not necessarily older and male • Value power level differences • Employees accept that a manager has right to more power • First priority is often pleasing the boss. Chain of command respected. • Employees generally afraid to disagree with boss • Titles and position command respect • Senior people are typically older and male Culture Connect

32. Once Hired • Common issues – lack of initiative, slow to pick up new stuff, not fitting in, odd behaviours… • Culture shock & adjustment • Preparing the receiving workgroup • New employee orientation • Coaching Culture Connect

33. Technical vs. Soft Skills Technical Skills High Medium Low Low Medium High Soft Skills Culture Connect

34. Culture Shock & Adjustment Culture Connect

35. Motivating Leader Change • Alberta companies are focussed on growth • Cannot grow or even maintain position without new employees • Are not / will not be enough Canadian-born candidates • Learn to utilize recent immigrants or die Culture Connect

36. Motivating Leader Change • Work with senior company leaders to acknowledge issue, develop game plan & restate it regularly to org • Ensure leaders are constantly reminded of changing times and encouraged to develop their own plans for meeting the worker shortages • Provide tools / training to assist leaders to make the transition to a new hiring process / model • Build on recent successes of bold new initiatives Culture Connect

37. Final Comments • Withhold judgement; seek multiple explanations • Know own biases & work to overcome • Individualism / hierarchy / look for the patterns • Is this a “diamond in the rough”? • Who is the best candidate? Culture Connect

38. Final Comments • No magic bullet – becoming a more competence recruiter of culturally diverse candidates involves numerous small steps • The ideas and practices discussed here may seem simplistic, but the vast majority of cross-cultural problems encountered have their roots in basic communication, judgement and relationship issues. Culture Connect

39. “In learning about cultures, we generalize. In real life, we treat people as individuals.” Culture Connect

40. How might you apply what we have talked about this morning to your situation? Culture Connect

41. Attracting and Retaining Newcomers and Immigrant Employees September 30, 2011 Don Rutherford don@culture-connect.com www.culture-connect.com Culture Connect