How do you avoid getting “pigeon-holed” as an Asian American? (e.g. due to your “cultural background”) – Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Asian Americans are commonly stereotyped as geeky, good in science/math, quiet and pliant. Consequently, Asian Americans might be “pigeon-holed” to low level technical staff jobs with little chance of advancing into management. Assuming that a […]
I might be a stereotypical Asian-American (kinda geeky and generally quiet). It seems this might be hurting me on the job. What can I do to get noticed? Signed Anonymous Dear Anonymous, It’s unfortunate but we all live with that stereotype. That you are asking about getting noticed indicate you probably don’t exactly fit that […]
Dear Anonymous, It sometimes happens that another individual (whether a supervisor, colleague, client, or even casual acquaintance) may call you by the name of another Asian person. I think it is important to remember that this type of confusion can be caused by the most innocent of reasons — and not just because “All Asians […]
Dear AAPAAN: What happened to the accountants ? What’s a strategy for career development. — young accountants Dear young accountants Conventional wisdom is if you want a good chance for a job upon graduation, be a software engineer or an accountant. I had heard about tech shortages but never about accountant shortages. So when I […]
Dear AAPAAN – My supervisor hinted that they might offer me an international assignment. I kinda like it but there’ll be some strong spousal conflicts. My spouse is on a career track as well and it seems unlikely he can get a comparable job in that country. I’m torn about turning down such an opportunity […]
Dear AAPAAN: How do you blend into the American community, especially in the work environment? –Cecilia Cecilia: Your question raises a very complex topic. To blend in, my simple advice is to go out of your way to spend time with your co-workers. Do a bit of chitchat each day talking about work and non-work. […]
I got my first job performance review and I was surprised I got a below average rating. I feel like my supervisor is particularly harder on me than my non-Asian American coworkers. What should I do? – Anonymous Dear Anonymous, When you receive any negative job performance review, especially your first review, the first thing […]
Dear AAPAAN: “I have matched with a mentor but thus far she had not been able to steer me to a job. What’s wrong?” – Anonymous Dear Anonymous, You are responsible for your own career and not your mentor. He/she can help you discover or develop yourself and give you clues on how and where to […]
Dear AAPAAN: As China becomes a greater economic and political power, how will that impact the image of the Asian American? The return of “yellow peril”? … Jeffrey Jeffrey: The return of “yellow peril” is certainly possible and maybe likely. I hope I am wrong. There was a time during the 1980’s when some […]
Interestingly enough, a study on this topic was just released in July. Here’s a link to an article describing the study: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/18/there-are-94-united-states-attorneys-only-three-of-them-are-asian-american/?utm_term=.998acf1fd593. And here is a recent Op-Ed on the same subject by a Justice on the California Supreme Court: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-liu-asian-american-lawyers-20170723-story.html. The study indicates that Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in […]