I’m preparing to interview and have heard that it’s important to fit into a company’s culture. How could I figure out what is a company’s culture and how do I compare different companies? Signed M Dear M This is a very advanced question for a young graduate to think about. Usually the young grad is only […]
I’m an Asian-American. Do I have to work harder to get ahead? Anonymous Dear Anonymous Unfortunately, the simple answer is very likely yes. This answer applies to women and other non-white minorities as well. So if you’re an Asian-American woman, you’ll probably find it is harder still. There had been a number of academic studies to demonstrate why […]
Dear Anonymous We all know networking is very important, the common phrase – “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” I would go one step further, it’s also – “Who knows you”, that is, if someone is thinking about hiring someone, or a new opportunity, or a speaking engagement – will they think of you? They key to networking […]
Dear AAPAAN: I am involved in an office romance. Some of my friends warn me that mixing work and romance will be trouble. What’s your perspective? Anonymous Dear Anonymous Your friends are giving you good advice. Romance alone is challenging enough and when you mix in office and work issues you have a heightened risk for major […]
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 […]