The JobUp Guest Speaker Series
Conversation with Leticia Lopez, Workforce Development Specialist, New Women New Yorkers
Welcome to our Guest Speaker Series. Since the very beginning, when The JobUp was still my practicum at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, I have structured it as a continuing education program.
I wanted to deliver information that would equip my immigrant students for success, while giving them the added experience of an academic format. Acquaintance with an instructional setting can benefit those who decide to study in the U.S. down the road.
So I formulated a curriculum that would provide both a comprehensive overview of the job-hunting process in the U.S. and a strategic understanding of how to land a good job.
To demystify the subject and engage the class, I decided to incorporate interactive features. One of them is the guest speaker series.
While the series is time-consuming to produce, guests bring great value to The JobUp. They offer specialized knowledge and diverse perspectives, as well as introduce local and national resources. By connecting with them, my students can expand their social capital in advantageous ways.
The guest serie also stimulates high levels of English-language practice through the Q&A with students.
But there’s another element that I deeply believe in: The collaboration with other organizations in integrating immigrants.
At its core, The JobUp is a journalistic community engagement project that fills a crucial information gap. It gives immigrants access to both the instruction and the resources they need to fully develop as new Americans. That’s a game-changer in the U.S., where newcomers aren’t taught how to merge into the social fabric.
Some of the guests who visit The JobUp are leaders in integrating immigrant professionals, either in New York or nationwide. They want immigrants to be recognized as the talent powerhouse they are in a labor market that, to this day, continues to underuse too many of them.
As for me, I want my students to meet representatives of these organizations, hear about their programs, tap their networks and continue to rebuild the social capital they left behind when they emigrated.
There’s more. I think that we can and should champion collaborations in integrating immigrants not only to benefit our mission — in my case, to inform and equip immigrants for success — but also to increase our impact on the lives we want to change.
With that in mind, here’s the first of our Q&A series: A conversation with Leticia Lopez, a workforce development specialist at New Women New Yorkers, a nonprofit founded by Arielle Kandel in 2014. To find out more about their work and programming visit New Women New Yorkers. The organization is a fellow member of the Global Talent Leadership Network (GTNL), an initiative launched by World Education Services to amplify and support the work of participating immigrant leaders.
Lopez engaged in conversation with students during the recent online cycle of The JobUp, which ended on Feb. 22. The Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
How can immigrant women present their background abroad (whether it is education, language, culture, work experience or all of the above) to American employers as a strength?
Immigrant job-seekers have many skills that are attractive to potential employers, including adaptability, bilingualism, cultural awareness and competency, and a strong desire to learn and persevere. Now more than ever, employers from a wide range of industries are looking to hire a diverse team of workers who can offer creative solutions to unique challenges and represent the diverse markets and communities they serve.
Also, having little or no experience in the U.S. does not erase the professional experience and skills you acquired in your home country or other countries.
Immigrant women should conduct deep introspection to identify their top strengths and weaknesses, build their confidence, and successfully share their value and the contributions they can make with potential employers.
If, during this process of introspection and job search, you find out that your dream job is not at your reach right now, create a professional action plan that helps you map the steps that you need to get where you want to be.
There’s a lot of talk about the rise of skill-based hiring versus the old degree-requirement hiring approach. In a nutshell, how does skill-based hiring work, and do you see it happening in immigrant integration?
The skill-based hiring approach focuses on the actual skills and abilities of a candidate to perform a job rather than on their formal certification, credentials or previous work records. As a result of Covid, employee empowerment movements and a conscious effort to create diverse teams and provide social mobility to historically disadvantaged communities, some employers have decided to opt for a skill-based hiring approach to fill their job openings.
This momentum undoubtedly represents a great opportunity to join the workforce for foreign-educated professionals, career-changers and people who have not had a chance to access formal education for their desired career path.
To take advantage of this momentum, immigrant women need to make sure they are able to identify and communicate the key transferable skills that make them the right candidate for the position.
Read carefully the role description of your desired position; identify the must-have skills for the person performing this job; and reflect on how your own unique experiences and skills relate to the role.
For example, when I came to the U.S., my professional background was in logistics of international commerce, where I learned the fundamentals of project management, liaising between stakeholders, and customer service. These skills helped me land my first job in the U.S. and are essential skills at my current role at New Women New Yorkers.
What is the thing that immigrant women find really hard to do, or to adjust to when looking for a job in the U.S.?
There are many challenges that come into place when looking for a job as an immigrant woman. Many immigrant women do not give enough importance to networking and self-care when looking for a job. But when you hardly know anyone as a new immigrant in the U.S., building your network can seem daunting.
My advice is not to feel discouraged. You can build your network by requesting informational meetings, participating in community events and volunteering.
To be clear, building your network does not mean you will ask someone for a job. It means you will create new contacts who can help you gain new information or skills and that can lead you to your desired position. That is how I found my first opportunity in the U.S.
Also, looking for a job can be very stressful, and dealing with rejection can affect your confidence. During a job interview, employers can notice if you are discouraged by your job search and, sadly, this can affect your chances of getting the job.
To avoid and break this cycle, it is important to dedicate some time to your self-care and gain back your confidence.
Taking a break, doing meditation, having a hobby and exercising are just some of the free self-care routines that can help you start over and feel better and less stressed. Don’t underestimate the power of some “me time”!
Who influenced you and/or empowered you the most here in the U.S.?
I have been very lucky to find a lot of inspiration throughout my career path in the U.S. Of course, serving talented immigrants from all over the world during the last six years has influenced me in focusing on improving my own skills to become my best professional self. I have also had great colleagues who helped me understand the U.S. workplace culture and mentored me in my previous jobs.
But without hesitation, the person who empowers me the most is my husband. He has always been there to keep me accountable and support me in achieving my career goals. Without the help of all these people, my career path would be very different today.
5. Which skills and/or traits helped you the most adapt to the U.S. workplace and culture?
Listening skills coupled with a strong desire to learn; there is so much we can learn from others if we pay attention to the advice they share with us.
Also, being resourceful; I strongly believe it is the best way to deal with ambiguity. I always think that when a door closes, another one opens up.
Based on your own experience as well as the experiences of the immigrant women you guide at NWNY, what is the main thing that immigrant women either underestimate or don’t know about the American labor market?
Understanding the mainstream U.S. workplace culture can be very challenging for immigrant women. This is why our LEAD flagship training provides immigrant women with an introduction to the U.S. workplace culture and with a learning space to build skills, helping them adapt and succeed in their professional careers.
To circle back to the idea of networking, I believe we underestimate its importance. Our ability to network and connect with other people can help us find a job and grow our careers.
Through networking, you can find out about other opportunities, resources and key information that will help you move forward as a professional. Even if you are already employed, you should make sure you continue to grow and cultivate your professional network.
Also, building your confidence to engage in self-promotion conversations is a key skill to develop. For many women, it is difficult to talk openly about their skills and accomplishments. We often think of self-promotion conversations when we think about a job interview and getting a better pay for our hard work.
But this skill goes beyond that; it will also help you inspire others to engage in the work that you do, inspiring your co-workers to move toward a certain goal, helping your company gain new partners and even helping other immigrant women pursue their own goals by sharing your story.
In addition, understanding your skills and achievements will help you set new goals for yourself.
What are the “superpowers” that immigrant women have but U.S. people do not often recognize?
Owing to their cultural background, professional and personal experiences and unique skill sets, immigrant women have a multidimensional approach to the workplace that enables them to provide creative solutions for employers and engage with diverse markets and communities.
