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Blog Article Archives Monday December 26, 2011
Register Now for the 11th Annual Asian Diversity Career Expo  Registration for Attendees, Exhibitors / Sponsors, & Volunteers is now open. To register, please click here. Attendees Exhibitors and Sponsors Volunteers- Join us in recreating the success of ADI's past events! Email all inquiries to expo@asianlife.com, or call 212.465-8777. *Please note: Students & Alumni of Northeast Consortium Partners receive complimentary admission, both online and on-site. Thursday November 10, 2011
ADI Has a New Facebook Page!  Find us under “AsianLife” and click “Like”... Stay updated on current job opportunities, interview tips, and general HR information. Wednesday March 23, 2011
Universum Student Survey  With over 330,000 respondents in 28 countries on 4 continents, the Universum Student Survey is the world´s leading research about career expectations of students. Participate in the 2011 edition now and, for the first time, receive direct feedback on your results!Click here to start: www.universumsurvey.com/usss/naamba Student will receive: Wednesday March 16, 2011
Universum Student Survey  With over 330,000 respondents in 28 countries on 4 continents, the Universum Student Survey is the world´s leading research about career expectations of students. Participate in the 2011 edition now and, for the first time, receive direct feedback on your results!Click here to start: www.universumsurvey.com/usss/naamba Student will receive: Monday March 7, 2011
Universum Student Survey  With over 330,000 respondents in 28 countries on 4 continents, the Universum Student Survey is the world´s leading research about career expectations of students. Participate in the 2011 edition now and, for the first time, receive direct feedback on your results! Student will receive: Wednesday February 23, 2011
Universum Student Survey  With over 330,000 respondents in 28 countries on 4 continents, the Universum Student Survey is the world´s leading research about career expectations of students. Participate in the 2011 edition now and, for the first time, receive direct feedback on your results! Click here to start: www.universumsurvey.com/usss/naamba Student will receive: Wednesday January 19, 2011
Universum Student Survey  With over 330,000 respondents in 28 countries on 4 continents, the Universum Student Survey is the world´s leading research about career expectations of students. Participate in the 2011 edition now and, for the first time, receive direct feedback on your results! Click here to start: www.universumsurvey.com/usss/naamba Student will receive: Thursday September 23, 2010
Employee Resource Groups: Making Diversity Work? What exactly is an Employee Resource Group (ERG)? It seems almost obvious, but the answer is much more complex than the name suggests. In actuality, an ERG provides networking and career advancement opportunities for under-represented minority groups and it might help in recruiting and keeping top talent from diverse backgrounds. And the next time you take a bite of your favorite Lime Flavored Doritos during the big game, you can toast an ERG with your Corona for making it a possibility. But how do ERGs really work? That was the exact question posed at the 2nd Annual Asian MBA Leadership Conference & Career Expo in New York City on August 27, 2010. Calvin Chung, director of construction and the Asian Business Council executive chair at Target, attempted to find the answers when he moderated a seminar titled "Employee Resource Group Leaders Summit: The Business Case for ERGs: Benefits for Human Resources and the Bottom Line." Joining him were panelists Howie Schaffer, vice-president of Cook Ross, Inc.; Fu'ad Butt, corporate vice-president of New York Life Insurance Company; and Lynn Wong, manager of import operations at The Home Depot. "There are some people who say, 'I would have quit this company if it wasn't for ERG. This is where I get heard. This is where I feel seen. This is where I get recognized,'" said Mr. Schaffer, a respected speaker, trainer, and facilitator on cutting-edge topics in diversity, inclusion and cultural competency. He feels that in many ways ERGs are the glue of an organization and in fact "are critically important to productivity and to profits." And in a bad economy with so many diversity programs getting cut, ERGs are by nature a grassroots effort that allows a company to continue its commitment to diversity. "Diversity is good for business. ERGs are one of the anchor points for diversity," added Mr. Butt. [See Vault's Annual Diversity Survey for more on ERGs and details on which companies are championing them.] Ms. Wong, who founded the Pan-American ERG known as the Pan Asian Waves, takes that notion one step further noting how a more diversity-friendly workforce translates to a better understanding of a company's consumer base. "ERGs reflect the needs of our customers and allow companies to better serve and better understand our consumers," she said. Agreeing with his fellow panelist, Mr. Schaeffer added that the aforementioned Lime-Flavored Doritos were the result of a Latino ERG. "They create business development opportunities and develop new area of income for a company." In addition to helping the company, ERGs also help advance the careers of the members involved. According to Mr. Butt, a good ERG provides a safe area for networking and puts people into situations they might not find themselves in on a normal day-to-day basis—including exposure to senior management. "You might end up working with them on a project," he said. "Maybe you are on the planning committee of an ERG with a senior exec, allowing you to work with that person in a safe environment. This is valuable face-time." Leveraging ERG Leadership is one of the keys to a successful ERG, according to Mr. Schaeffer. "They provide opportunities for emerging leaders to show their stuff, and it gives them an opportunity to fail," he said. "If you can handle an important task in an ERG, you can handle more responsibility within the larger company." His other keys to a successful ERG include setting the direction of the group (create a strategic plan); build a strong foundation (create bylaws, corporate charters or a leadership mandate); know your purpose (is it a social group or one that drives talent, performance and profit); connect to the bottom line (focus on business goals and outcomes); everyone can play (allow non-Asians to join an Asian ERG); Connect with other ERGs (collaborate on common goals); secure funding (it limits growth if you are fighting for scraps without corporate funding); choose your battles (don't get too political too soon); and be accountable (invite scrutiny and oversight from corporate sponsors). And don't be worried about making some mistakes along the way. ERGs, like all things, are a process. Ms. Wong notes that the ERG she founded in 2007 picked up financial support from the company in 2008 – what she called huge validation from The Home Depot – but that the Pan Asian Waves ERG is still growing and evolving. "We're figuring out what we can do and what we cannot do," she said. "We are on a growth journey and learning from experience." --By Jon Minners, Communications Manager, Vault.com Wednesday September 15, 2010
Employee Resource Groups: Making Diversity Work? What exactly is an Employee Resource Group (ERG)? It seems almost obvious, but the answer is much more complex than the name suggests. In actuality, an ERG provides networking and career advancement opportunities for under-represented minority groups and it might help in recruiting and keeping top talent from diverse backgrounds. And the next time you take a bite of your favorite Lime Flavored Doritos during the big game, you can toast an ERG with your Corona for making it a possibility. But how do ERGs really work? That was the exact question posed at the 2nd Annual Asian MBA Leadership Conference & Career Expo in New York City on August 27, 2010. Calvin Chung, director of construction and the Asian Business Council executive chair at Target, attempted to find the answers when he moderated a seminar titled "Employee Resource Group Leaders Summit: The Business Case for ERGs: Benefits for Human Resources and the Bottom Line." Joining him were panelists Howie Schaffer, vice-president of Cook Ross, Inc.; Fu'ad Butt, corporate vice-president of New York Life Insurance Company; and Lynn Wong, manager of import operations at The Home Depot. "There are some people who say, 'I would have quit this company if it wasn't for ERG. This is where I get heard. This is where I feel seen. This is where I get recognized,'" said Mr. Schaffer, a respected speaker, trainer, and facilitator on cutting-edge topics in diversity, inclusion and cultural competency. He feels that in many ways ERGs are the glue of an organization and in fact "are critically important to productivity and to profits." And in a bad economy with so many diversity programs getting cut, ERGs are by nature a grassroots effort that allows a company to continue its commitment to diversity. "Diversity is good for business. ERGs are one of the anchor points for diversity," added Mr. Butt. [See Vault's Annual Diversity Survey for more on ERGs and details on which companies are championing them.] Ms. Wong, who founded the Pan-American ERG known as the Pan Asian Waves, takes that notion one step further noting how a more diversity-friendly workforce translates to a better understanding of a company's consumer base. "ERGs reflect the needs of our customers and allow companies to better serve and better understand our consumers," she said. Agreeing with his fellow panelist, Mr. Schaeffer added that the aforementioned Lime-Flavored Doritos were the result of a Latino ERG. "They create business development opportunities and develop new area of income for a company." In addition to helping the company, ERGs also help advance the careers of the members involved. According to Mr. Butt, a good ERG provides a safe area for networking and puts people into situations they might not find themselves in on a normal day-to-day basis—including exposure to senior management. "You might end up working with them on a project," he said. "Maybe you are on the planning committee of an ERG with a senior exec, allowing you to work with that person in a safe environment. This is valuable face-time." Leveraging ERG Leadership is one of the keys to a successful ERG, according to Mr. Schaeffer. "They provide opportunities for emerging leaders to show their stuff, and it gives them an opportunity to fail," he said. "If you can handle an important task in an ERG, you can handle more responsibility within the larger company." His other keys to a successful ERG include setting the direction of the group (create a strategic plan); build a strong foundation (create bylaws, corporate charters or a leadership mandate); know your purpose (is it a social group or one that drives talent, performance and profit); connect to the bottom line (focus on business goals and outcomes); everyone can play (allow non-Asians to join an Asian ERG); Connect with other ERGs (collaborate on common goals); secure funding (it limits growth if you are fighting for scraps without corporate funding); choose your battles (don't get too political too soon); and be accountable (invite scrutiny and oversight from corporate sponsors). And don't be worried about making some mistakes along the way. ERGs, like all things, are a process. Ms. Wong notes that the ERG she founded in 2007 picked up financial support from the company in 2008 – what she called huge validation from The Home Depot – but that the Pan Asian Waves ERG is still growing and evolving. "We're figuring out what we can do and what we cannot do," she said. "We are on a growth journey and learning from experience." --By Jon Minners, Communications Manager, Vault.com Friday August 13, 2010
Why do we care about interracial dating? In the popular blog (and now a book) called, “Stuff White People Like,” written by Christian Lander, #11 of 133 is “Asian Girls.” It’s very obvious that this blog was meant to be funny and not to be taken seriously; however, it’s hard to overlook the fact that the author thinks it is worth pointing out as something out of the ordinary. We live in America: the melting pot of the world -- Why does interracial dating have to garner so much attention, and why is the affinity for Asian partners called “Yellow Fever,” as if it’s some kind of disease? Many ethnically Asian people have lived in the U.S. for generations and have adapted American values. Do you have to have some kind of weird fetish to love Asians? It’s baffling that this is still a topic of conversation in this day and age. Thursday August 5, 2010
Asian Americans and Emotional Intelligence Preston Ni of Asian Week wrote an interesting article called “Asian Americans and Emotional Intelligence.” He writes that according to Talent Smart, 90% of high performers at the work place possess high Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI), while 80% of low performers have low EQ. In today’s workplace where soft skills such as keeping a positive attitude in tough situations, being a team player, and being a good communicator are becoming increasingly important, Asian Americans leave something to be desired. Although most Asians are extremely well equipped in terms of having the technical skill set and the work ethic to be successful in their careers, it seems difficult to shed the cultural values we adopted by growing up in Asia, being raised by 1st generation Asian parents, or even being raised by 2nd generation Asian parents who passed down their parents values to us. For example, we are conditioned to be obedient to authority figures and to be accommodating to others. We have a difficult time speaking up in circumstances where it’s important to be assertive. So, just how Emotionally Intelligent are you? According to Ni’s article, someone with a high EQ has the following qualities: · The ability to deal with one’s own negative emotions · The ability to stay cool under pressure · The ability to see social cues · The ability to be assertive and express difficult emotions when necessary · The ability to express intimate emotions in close, personal relationships Read the full article here to learn ways to increase your Emotional Intelligence Quotient. Thursday July 22, 2010
Two Steps Forward for Asian America, One Huge Leap Backwards?  Whether the developments of the last few weeks indicate that we've made progress in society is debatable. For one thing, it's great to see an Asian guy getting hired into the top spot of a major sports franchise. We thought Norm Chow might be that guy, to be the first head coach of a National Football League team, but he hit his ceiling as the offensive coordinator. We thought Kim Ng might make the jump to General Manager with the LA Dodgers or some other team. She's moved from team to team, garnering respect in heaping amounts along the way, but she hasn't been able to climb the ladder to the top rung yet. So it's with a mixture of relief, pride and just a touch of resignation (does it always have to feel like we're climbing a mountain?) that I'm excited to see an Asian American get hired to lead the operations of an NBA team. Jeremy Lin is a great story as well. His previous coaches praise his leadership on the floor, tenacity and smarts. I can deal with the latter two near-model-minority attributes, since it's rare to hear praise for an Asian guy in sports revolving around leadership. Then again, it's rare to hear praise for an Asian guy in sports, generally. And then K-Town. I just don't know what to say. Does this give us more color? Does this make us less "boring"? Any publicity is good publicity? Watching the trailer below is like camping out on the banks of a railbed to watch a train wreck. Without further ado: Rich Cho, an Asian American with Burmese roots, was the first Asian American to be hired as a general manager of a major sports team when the Portland Trail Blazers announced that they were hiring him to replace the departed Kevin Pritchard. Then the undrafted Jeremy Lin, fresh out of Harvard, became a Summer League sensation when he matched first overall draft pick John Wall. Throw it down, Asian man! Lin's efforts earned him a contract with the Golden State Warriors this week, making him the first Asian American in the NBA. But now comes word that MTV has picked up K-Town, the Asian American answer to the Jersey Shore. And that can be arguably described as one giant leap backwards - I'll leave that up to you to decide. Thursday June 17, 2010
"We just give you a knife and ask you to commit harakiri"  Joseph Cao, the Vietnamese-American Republican Congressman who represents New Orleans, told BP America President Lamar McKay that while "Mr. Stearns asked Mr. McKay to resign, in the Asian culture we do things differently. During the Samurai days, we just give you a knife and ask you to commit harakiri." Never mind that Cao is Vietnamese and Samurai are obviously Japanese, and never mind that there is no way to define "the Asian culture." This was a bad-ass move by the Congressman. Friday May 21, 2010
Around the world  China has seen an epidemic of slashing attacks against schoolchildren. A Maoist terrorist attack on a bus in India killed at least 23 people. Taiwan's Foxconn factory needs to improve something, because they've seen 9 suicides among their workers. The fragile cease-fire between North and South Korea looks even more tenuous than ever with the sinking of the Cheonan by a North Korean torpedo. Dozens of Thai protestors have been killed by the army in Bangkok as political and social unrest threatens the usually peaceful city. Depending on who you believe, Japan's economy is either totally screwed or showing signs of recovery. China is either in the middle of an enormous and potentially devastating real estate bubble or it's enjoying a fantastic period of real estate investment, among other things. The Thai stock exchange was set on fire during the fighting. Europe just went through its own pre-emptive bailout/stimulus. The BP oil spill might be spewing 95,000 barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico a day. And that volcano in Iceland just keeps on going. Is it just me or do we need some healing in this world. Or maybe just a cute kitty to take your mind off things. Thursday May 13, 2010
Glad to see they're playing hardball...  Gus Lubin, take it away: It looks like there won't be any war in Korea. After weeks of jingoistic headlines in Korean newspapers and vows of retaliation, South Korean released its planned response in the event that North Korea was behind the torpedoing of the Cheonan. The government has prepared a wimpy package of sanctions, according to Chosun Ilbo: A senior government official on Wednesday said the sanctions formulated at the initiative of the Unification Ministry include banning sand imports from the North which were worth some US$70 million to the North in 2008. The imports were banned after the North launched a long-range rocket in April last year but were resumed in October. South Korean firms that have already paid can proceed but no fresh deals can be struck. Another target may be fisheries products. Of the total W1.06 trillion (US$1=W1,142) worth of worth of imports from the North last year, fisheries products were second with W173 billion or 16.3 percent after textiles (W477 billion or 44.8 percent). A ministry official said, "Fisheries products are sold by companies under the North Korean military or government that specialize in earning dollars, so a ban would deal a blow to the regime." Perhaps South Korea's response would have been more severe if they could claim international support. However, China turned a cold shoulder to President Lee Myung-bak, and America has been notably silent. North Korea is too dangerous to take on alone. Now what happens if Kim Jong-il keeps pushing? Thursday May 6, 2010
Nielsen Launches Sites For Ethnic Audiences  From Media Daily News (picture courtesy of Nielsen): "Nielsen (the world’s leading information and measurement company), which has faced charges that it under-counts minority viewers, has extended the campaign that informs African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans about its data collection processes and diversity efforts. In a series of microsites, Nielsen acknowledges recruiting minorities for its audience panels can be challenging, but says it "takes great pains to ensure we have diverse representation" in information gathering. Separately, it touts internal efforts to hire a diverse workforce and build a corporate culture that "embodies and supports" multiculturalism." So Nielsen's goal is to "better educate and inform our ethnic communities of Nielsen's outreach initiatives and services as well as why their opinions and preferences matter." They are also making efforts to hire a diverse workforce. Is this laudable? I look at their senior leadership and count 14 white men out of 20 spots. 2 women. 3 Latinos. 1 black man. I'm torn on this one - thumbs up for effort or thumbs down for execution? Mine's to the side right now. Thursday April 29, 2010
A thought on the D word  D***. To some, it's a breath of cool, fresh air. To others, it's a politically correct way of saying reverse racism/sexism. It's a loaded word, a powerfully polarizing word. It is publicly revered in schools and the professional world, but often castigated and mocked in the safety of private circles. It's a tool for some, an obstacle to others. The concept is noble, but the execution is often as flawed as the humans who create and implement its initiatives. There are moral questions of justice, power, equality and fairness. None are simple and all are legitimate. And we have yet to find convincing arguments that close the case with authority. Trying to balance historical violations rendered by previous generations that created, and now within, social structures that have caused (and still cause) systemic injustices affecting either several groups of differing colors or hundreds of ethnic/racial groups (depending on your perspective) with the concept of personal responsibility (or lack of) for one's ancestors' actions and attitudes within and despite the fact that the previous generations created the system and the spirit of division that is continually perpetuated today in many spheres of influence is only one of the tricky tasks. And is it even fair to punish the children for the father's wrongdoing? Inherent in this framework are the assumptions that those who are being "helped" are somehow less qualified. Many point to statistics and facts, GPAs and standardized test scores to prove this point. Others respond by pointing to childhood and socioeconomic disadvantages and the need to balance those out. But maybe we need to find different ways to qualify each other. Many schools do their part as proponents of diversity by allotting a certain portion, though few will call it a quota, of their incoming classes to specific minority groups, but some groups and individuals receive the proverbial shaft as a direct result of this principle. Maybe it's progress - or maybe it's actually as debilitating to its recipients as it is beneficial. Many companies do their part as proponents of diversity by hiring large numbers of women and minorities, but few promote these women and minorities to high-level management positions. Maybe there's an old boys culture - or maybe it is competition at its cruelest. I don't know. I think that the answer lies somewhere in the balance of all of these hard questions. Or maybe it doesn't. But I've come to the point where I wonder if diversity has been commoditized. To make an analogy from beyond the fence out in left field, when Christianity was "legalized" by Constantine in 312 AD, it became politically and socially advantageous to be a Christian, some scholars argue. The argument continues that the practice and spirit of Christianity proceeded to get watered down and corrupted, as people had alternative reasons to join the religion, aside from a passionate belief in its tenets, and Christianity has yet to regain the purity and passion that existed before it was "accepted" and exempted from persecution. At the least, maybe we need to consider what we want from the diversity movement. Are we happy with the end goal of seeing people of many colors populating the upper echelons of management or Ivy League schools? Or do we want a society where people are appreciated for who they are, and how and why they are who they are? Because, if that's the case, cutting people to the front of the line isn't necessarily the best way to accomplish this. Though it may be the fastest, maybe it only achieves diversity that's actually paper-thin. Wednesday April 21, 2010
If you like Asian culture or cuisine...  And you're in the NYC area the last weekend of April, check out the LUCKYRICE Festival, New York City's first celebration of Asian cuisines and cultures. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Asian American Federation. There's a megastar lineup of chefs, including Jean-Georges, Morimoto, Ripert and Chang, and a variety of events from a night market to cooking demonstrations. Check out the link for more information. Wednesday April 14, 2010
Two Celebrity Asian Chefs  Any self-respecting foodie knows who David Chang is. After descending on the NY food scene with Momofuku Noodle Bar in the trendy East Village, he's gone on to win a James Beard award, expand his Momofuku empire (with the popular Ssam Bar, delectable Milk Bar and the exclusive Ko), write a cookbook (with amazing pictures and impossible recipes) and expand his reach into the bowels of corporate America with Má Pêche in midtown Manhattan. On the left coast, Roy Choi has been making national headlines with his Korean taco fare served out of a food truck. Recently, he was named one of Food and Wine Magazine's Top Chefs of 2010. Take a look at that picture and tell me your mouth isn't salivating. All of which is great - I'm happy for both of them and more than glad to consume their fare. But - and I'll admit that I haven't had the pleasure of heading out to LA to try the Korean taco yet - I've had a lot of Momofuku Ssam, Noodle and Ko, and well... it's creative, it's delicious, but as an Asian, I often feel underwhelmed by too many of his Asian dishes to grade his food as consistently spectacular. It makes me wonder if broad acclamation for Chang's "novel" creations has some roots in cultural novelty as much as the pleasure on the palate and the same question would apply to the food truck craze through which Choi was discovered. And if it does, does that lessen their accomplishment? But that's just a thought and I think it's unfortunate that such thoughts even come to mind. But that's the life. Wednesday April 7, 2010
Opening up the floor to You  You, dear reader, are likely an Asian/Asian American/Asian in America. What is it that you hope for? Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have A Dream speech was an epic moment in American history, but it was a widespread, if not common, desire verbally gift-wrapped in elegant passion. Forty-seven years later, we have a black president and have come a long way from the segregated America that King knew. The Civil Rights movement was momentous for the black and white communities, but Asian Americans have been, in my young lifetime, saying, "Hey, wait - me too." But not too loudly. Take a moment - what is it that you hope for? Do you hope for genuine social equality? Do you hope for political power? Do you simply hope for acceptance for you, not you-as-an-Asian? Or would you simply be happy with equal economic opportunity, a family with 2.5 kids, minivan and white picket fence? A cliche, but a very satisfactory one. Or do you think that we're doing just fine? Let's hear what you have to say. |
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