ChallengesOfBeingAnInternationalAsianMale #DiversityInFinance #OvercomingRecruitmentBarriers
As an international Asian male attending college in the US and aspiring to break into the finance world, you might feel like the odds are against you. From struggles with securing job sponsorship to facing biases in diversity initiatives, the journey can seem overwhelming. Let’s break down these challenges and explore strategies to navigate them. 🚀
Understanding the Context: The Struggle is Real
Various barriers can make it challenging for international Asian males to advance in specific sectors. Here’s why:
- Diversity Initiatives: While diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs are meant to enhance workplace diversity, sometimes they inadvertently marginalize certain groups like Asian males.
- Sponsorship Issues: Many banks and firms are reluctant to sponsor work visas, limiting your job options significantly.
- Economic Background: Coming from a low-income household and attending a less prestigious college can further hinder your chances of being noticed by top employers.
So, what can you do now?
ProactiveNetworking #SkillDevelopment #StrategicApplications
Leverage Networking 📞
One of the most potent tools in your arsenal is networking. Here’s how you can make the most of it:
- Alumni Connections: Connect with alumni from your college who are in the finance industry.
- Professional Events: Attend finance-related seminars, webinars, and conferences to meet industry professionals.
- Informational Interviews: Request informational interviews to learn more about the field and make an impression.
Skill Development and Upskilling 📚
Enhance your skillset to stand out in a crowded job market:
- Certifications: Consider obtaining relevant certifications such as CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) or FRM (Financial Risk Manager).
- Online Courses: Platforms like Coursera and Udemy offer valuable finance courses.
- Language Skills: Being bilingual can be a unique selling point.
Strategic Applications 📝
Apply strategically to improve your chances of landing a job:
- Target Smaller Firms: Smaller firms may have less stringent hiring policies regarding sponsorship.
- Tailor Your Resume: Customize your resume for each job application to highlight relevant skills and experiences.
- Use Specialized Job Boards: Some job boards cater specifically to international students and visa sponsorship jobs.
EmotionalResilience #SelfCare #PositiveMindset
Maintain Emotional Resilience 💪
Facing repeated rejections can take a toll on your mental health:
- Mindfulness Practices: Techniques like meditation and yoga can help manage stress.
- Support Groups: Join support groups for international students or professionals in finance.
- Counseling Services: Utilize college counseling services for mental health support.
Embrace Your Unique Perspective 🌟
Your diverse background is a strength. Here’s how to leverage it:
- Cultural Insights: Highlight how your international perspective can bring valuable insights to global finance.
- Language Proficiency: Your language skills can be an asset in multinational companies.
AlternateCareerPaths #BroadenHorizons
Explore Alternate Career Paths 🌐
Sometimes a slight pivot can lead to greater opportunities:
- Consulting: Management consulting firms are often more open to international hires.
- Tech Finance Roles: Fintech companies are burgeoning and might have less rigid hiring policies.
- Academic Research: Consider roles in academic finance that can serve as stepping stones.
Remember, the road to success is rarely straight. While the barriers are undeniable, with perseverance, strategic planning, and leveraging your unique strengths, you can carve out a rewarding career in finance. 🌟
Be warned you’re going to get a ton of cope replies about how DEI-based recruiting isn’t a big deal and that you just need to work harder
Identify as a transgender black or Latino and your applications will be at the top of the stack
America is deteriorating in its value system. That’s what has led to this mess.
Everyone complaining about diverse hiring are extremely insecure. If you don’t get hired that’s on you …
The sponsorship part is rough. Maybe look international banks or financial firms are more willing to sponsor in a less attractive role.
Getting your feet into one of those firms is much more important than getting the ideal starting job or internship. Smart/competent people have no problem lateraling internally, even if it’s “hard” at larger firms — it is very obvious when someone is performing above their job responsibilities.
Have you tried to become gay?
Sponsorship is probably what’s killing you, and that’s outside of your hands.
>What to do now?
Keep on doing what you are doing, and look at other opportunities. Maybe if your home country has a bank, you try to leverage doing a stint there. Maybe looking at other jobs, and if you have the work ethic/grind you have, re-apply to a top MBA later. Be focused on your long term goals, and find avenues and paths to get there. It won’t always be straight forward. Personally, I found the “college and networking grind” the easiest part of my career; it was staying employed and performing that was 500x harder.
The issue mostly is you don’t have a VISA for that kind of job that there are enough people from America to do it and probably with experience or without dealing with VISA issues.
Plus aiming to get into buy side or sell side straight out of undergrad doesn’t help if you don’t go to a ivy or target alike college. There are international students with the same issues but with experience in their back and a MBA from a prestigious business school.
I think aim lower then move from there to more prestigious job / get a top MBA eventually.
The diversity blaming is just totally bs, sorry.
Do you speak any other languages than English? I ask as some job roles request some major Asian languages as essential.
If you happen to speak Japanese for example, it could be worth finding Japanese banks/asset managers, or a sales position relating to/in Japan that asks for both Japanese and English. This would put you at a major advantage.
Yea that’s an issue you need to reconcile with yourself. I know it’s easy to go into woe is me about so hard being Asian male. Let’s put it this way…if you get pulled over the chances of the cop just empty their clip in you is much lower than your other minority counterparts. From one Asian male to another…you’re on the friendlier side of minority spectrum.
Now being poor and international…that’s a different can of worms. Ya you got no generational support like paying into name or leverage some relationships to get your a job. Then the system is stacked against you to make it as unpleasant as possible for the whole process (it is by design).
What do you do now? What choice do you have? You do whatever it takes. Your top choice don’t pan out, second choice, third and to tenth, twentieth….as long as the job qualifies for sponsorship. I have friends took lower than expected positions, pay, but they ultimately got sponsored. Even one went down the sugar mom route. You spent a lot of energy on it already, clearly it may not be enough or your approach needs adjustment. Again what choice do you have? You keep going because there is no alternative.
Oh yea….and stop making Asian males look bad
DEI discriminates against asians in general. You could be a citizen and they would still do the same thing simply because asians are not the target people they’re looking for.
DEI = black, hispanic people. Anyone else you’re out of luck and have to show you’re extroadinary even if you have the same qualifications as everyone else.
There are studies that show that employers do discriminate against people with foreign asian sounding names as well.
You won’t be able to get sponsorship at this stage in your career unless you’re a prodigy or have the family/school connections that most do.
It’s very cheap to outsource your-level work to India or the Philippines for a fraction of the price of a newbie in the US. You have no power in the labor market YET.
Specialize in something to make you stand out from someone getting $12/hr in another country
I already DMed you in case you don’t want anything too personal out here.
Why do you feel entitled – as a foreigner – to be employed in the most prestigious sector within another country?
So DEI won’t matter here because most banking roles are not sponsored: that is the issue. Getting sponsored will be hard without networking. Go to smaller shops and you have a greater chance. Smaller shops will sometimes sponsor if you have a skill they need. Figure out what that is: another language, tech, or CFA
You are international without visa. The bag you are placed is not into diversity pool but into the international one. DEI only applies to domestic students (green card and citizens).
> Asian males are on the lowest scale of diversity (even lower than white males).
Why would you think that?
lol 90% of our quant team is Asian male that barely speaks English. I don’t think it’s an Asian male problem, it’s a you problem
I think your issue is more that you’re a foreigner and would need sponsors ship. When a bank could just higher one of the 500 applicants they won’t need to go through the hassle of sponsorship for.
You obviously aren’t from that low income a household if you were able to come to the states for undergrad
There are lots of sponsored non-bank finance jobs out there looking for summer interns. Take a look at those alternatives.
Don’t play the victim
What kind of Asian are you? South/south East/East/central Asian, etc.
International Asian here, grew up halfway between East Asia and Europe, got EU passport. I think it is pretty normal that if you don’t have a local passport you will be at a disadvantage
This world is full of competitive Asians, there are billions of us and we are consistently overcrowding every lucrative business/job out there, anywhere. Hell, we ARE the majority in many places outside of Asia. It doesn’t help that Asians tend to be cutthroat when competing against others, maxing out on everything that can be maxed out post-natal
There are tons and tons of Asians in finance, high tech, academic research, you name it. It is only normal that “locals”/”ethnic majorities” take away the diversity and inclusion benefits for Asians. If anything they should deduct points to Asians, because their sheer number and competitiveness massively distort diversity
There is no reason you should be experiencing a good time looking for opportunities, the circumstances are staked against you. The only thing you can do is to just become more competitive/distinctive (most successful Asians tend to have traits that the asian majority doesn’t have, such as sociability, creativity, outspokenness)
Mình ở mỹ cũng học finance mà mấy cái Buy side – sell side khó vô lắm. Cộng thêm bạn học trường non target thì càng khó. Còn về DEI thì nằm mơ đi lol, Asian Male không nằm trong khu vực đó. Bạn xem apply vô mấy cái corporate finance xem có được không. Muốn vô buyside sellside thì phải có connections chứ không thì hoi chua. Goodluck.
I’d consider maybe checking out some Broker-Dealers. I know there’s a lot of need for brokers and account representatives. Definitely not the best job, but I got a years worth of experience and saw how desperate they are at times to hire. Fidelity, Schwab, Etrade, etc. I’d consider at least applying and seeing how it goes.
Sponsorship will be difficult but if you can get your foot in the door somewhere like that, could be worth. They also don’t require degrees so you can work there during school too.
Sponsorship is mostly a thing for quantitative or developmental roles in finance. You’ll likely need to get into Quant finance or development
Realistically most jobs in finance aren’t super rigorous or require extreme intelligence. They require soft skills which are more subjective and natives are better at because it’s home field and they can navigate easier culturally
Note: don’t believe anyone who tells you they’re impressed. The people you network with are always being nice because there’s no incentive in tellingv the truth if it’s bad. Believe me in your results and it’s not doing too well