Interview advice for individuals from black minority ethnic communities.

Following on from last week’s blog looking at what people from black and minority ethnic communities can do to increase their chances of making it through to interview stage, we shall now consider how to put across a good impression when you get there - highlighting areas we know can cause barriers to some people from non-white British backgrounds when seeking jobs in the UK.

As we stated last week, our position on what is right and wrong is irrelevant; and we are not saying that everyone will face these barriers, or create them - rather, that they can exist. And whilst the law is here to protect you, sometimes people aren’t always consciously aware or even care that they are being discriminatory. Consequently, you should be aware of the barriers you may face so that you can decide if you want to avoid companies that won’t be supportive of your experience in the workplace, or use tools to navigate around this behaviour in order to increase your chances of finding employment.

Dress

Whilst race and religion are different considerations, religious affiliations are often cultural. And stereotypes can sometimes be linked to items that display belief - be that jewellery or clothing and this can sometimes damage your chances at interview. Whilst the ideal would be to remain neutral at interview stage - ensuring that such items (jewellery especially in this case) are removed or hidden - there are some doctrines that require a more visible display of faith. In these instances we would advise that you broach the subject to address any potential misunderstandings that the employer may have and redress  any concerns they may have of your ability to do your job safely.

Body Language

Interview stage is all about rapport; the majority of the decision will be made on the things that are not said, rather than the things that are. Although we would advise that you do not attempt to read other peoples’ body language, we would advise that you do influence your own. There are cultural norms in the UK that suggest a good applicant such as: - a firm handshake, direct eye contact and straight posture. Make sure you display these traits because, as difficult as this might be if your culture values opposing nonverbal cues, you may wish to give yourself the best possible chance of appearing competent, confident and capable in the eyes of the interviewer.

Work History

If your work history contains periods where you worked abroad or in an organisation that an employer might consider “non-British”, bear in mind that there could be an assumption that this work would not apply to the UK market and they might not value this contribution. Make sure you point out how your skills are transferable and the additional diversity can, in truth, add value to the organisation through increased experience and knowledge around how different cultures approach challenges.

Modesty

There is a fine line here; whilst culturally the UK can be modest sometimes, this is false and at interview you need to project your very best. There’s an art to selling yourself without coming across as overbearing, so practice on friends till you can get it right. Also have a look at this: - handy guide from what I learned today shows some good examples of how the British can use language in often confusing manner,

Remember if something is not mentioned it does not mean it is not being thought about - make sure you take the chance to alleviate concerns and instead leave the interviewer feeling that any perceived differences will add value to their business. 

Happy Building

Chrissi

Construction and the black and minority ethnic communities

This week Panorama showed a programme called “Jobs for the boys”, which considered findings that young African men were twice as likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts. We were interviewed for the programme and gave advice on seeking positions in construction from the black minority ethnic communities. As it was only a half hour program not all of the advice we gave made it to the final edit so we felt a blog with further information might be of use.

Please note: this is a large and complicated area so do additional research into factors that may affect you.

Firstly, there are internal and external factors to consider. Internal factors are the things you do personally that might stand in the way of you getting a job and external factors are the things that create barriers for companies that are beyond your control. Internal factors can be due to your background, culture, community, etc., and can affect how you feel, hold and present yourself. One example is how you communicate. Consider that up to 83% of communication is reliant on non-verbal cues (proximity, eye contact, touch) and cultures can be very picky about the rules.  For example, a study found that Italians touched over 200 times in an hour when having a conversation, whereas the British just two to three. So if someone British was talking to someone Italian they might feel uncomfortable with the amount of touching whilst the Italian might find their British friend to be cold and unfriendly. This gives you an example of how the way you walk, talk and hold yourself can have a massive impact on getting a job - we know that most people make their decision subconsciously within seconds of someone walking through the door, so make sure your body language mimics what they are expecting.

Externally there are also barriers.....

Both construction and ethnic status are not as simple as they first look; barriers to construction for example, will depend upon what area of the industry you are looking to get into. The trades (the actual work of laying bricks, cladding buildings, etc.) mostly recruit people they know, which means if they mostly know white British people, they will mostly employ them.  On the other hand finding a job within the professions (Quantity surveyor, architects, site managers etc), where bigger firms often rule the roost, can be easier for minority groups to access than the trades, but promotion and a welcoming environment, once inside, can be a bigger challenge.

Black or minority ethnic status is also a dependant factor, as stereotypes and challenges differ between one group and another. Factors such as religion, skin colour, language, name, and family responsibility could have an impact on the way you are perceived which, whilst it shouldn’t, can create a barrier.  In construction we have heard “Asian kids don’t want to work in construction as they all want to be doctors” and “all the Irish are good for is ground-working”.  Unfortunately we have also heard far more offensive stereotypes (it should be noted not only in construction)  but I don’t want to reinforce them by writing them down.  The point is, clumping together issues around race isn’t always helpful, instead what I shall do is give some advice on what you might want to consider when applying for a job.

Please acknowledge that, in writing this, what I feel is right and wrong is irrelevant.  This is based upon challenges we know you might face and what can be done to work with the way things are - it is up to you to decide what feels right for you: -

What to do

Your CV – This should be about getting you through the door; interview stage is where you can wow with your brilliance. At CV stage companies are looking to see if you have the basic requirements but there are other factors that can hinder your chances of making the sift - your ethnicity is sometimes linked to the assumption that English will be a second language and then the further assumption that if it is a second language you will not be skilled enough in it - therefore you need to set out your stall.

Your name - Some employers in the UK are more likely to employ someone with a traditionally British name; we hear and have seen research on this from large and small companies and, as a workaround, people have been known to employ a British nickname to get them through to the interview stage.

Your spelling - Linked with language assumptions above - make sure you do all you can to challenge this perception where it might occur; people will be hypersensitive to your spelling and grammar and what my white (albeit Irish) name will get away with, yours might not.  Again it’s not fair that we have to work around these issues – but that’s why I’m writing this blog in the first place and trying to bring about change.

Your language - Cultures can have different approaches   to showing respect. So where in the UK we are somewhat more reserved, friends from Uganda and Northern India who now work in the UK can be somewhat more enthusiastic when applying for roles - exclaiming that they would “love the chance to work for such a brilliant, amazing and fantastic organisation”. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be seen as false and, consequently, weakens your application.

What to look out for

Also, companies that work for the public sector are subject to different legislations and are therefore, not only more open to employing people from none white British communities, but also have further support in place to develop their careers.

Where to go

These organisations can help: -

• Stephen Lawrence Trust
• Princes Trust
• Youth Build Bradford

If anyone sees this as useful let us know and next week we will write about the interview stage next week.

Happy Building,

Chrissi 

For all things construction and equality, get yourself over to the Constructing Equality Ltd. website. 

The Anonymous Blog Strikes Back

At Constructing Equality Ltd. we like to create blogs that are both engaging and interesting for the reader - blogs that stimulate and prompt research and investigation by anyone that may have an opinion, or view, that they feel will contribute to a particular matter related to construction and/or equality and diversity.  We want to use this blog is as platform for discussion; a place where people of all ages, backgrounds and professions can anonymously write their responses to initiate discussion.

Last year we were approached by a woman working in construction who proposed to us the idea of hosting an anonymous blog. She considered some of her experiences as potentially harmful to her career and was unsure what to do - she wasn't so much looking for answers as a platform to let off a bit of steam; a place where she could talk about the experiences and behaviours she had encountered and hopefully interact with others who’d had similar experiences, or who had suggestions as to how to deal with them.

An anonymous blog was suggested as a way of enabling open discussion without fear of reprisal either for her, people like her or those who wish to comment.

The long and short being - we began to host the anonymous blog; a place where people of any age, sex, race, ability etc. can write a blog post, which we will host, and generate vibrant discussion. The anonymous blog has already enabled a number of people to have a platform for debate and gain guidance and resources to support them and their journey.

We want to encourage more of you to use the anonymous to reap the benefits of constructive debate and discussion and there are a number of rules for using the anonymous blog which can found at an earlier blog from last year.

We see this as a tool for industry, and individuals in the industry, and want you to use it as your own, so get blogging!

If you want to add rules, groups or networks, please let Kyle know and we will do what we can to support you.

Construct Away,

Kyle

For all things construction and equality, get yourself over to the Constructing Equality Ltd. website.