Why is it so difficult to get a job here?

[pennybarry]

I have not been on for a while but maybe my experience will give a bit of hope to filipinos...Like most of you I have a bachelor's degree in accounting back home, never took up CPA exam, 1 year audit experience, 3 years finance & admin assistant experience in the Phils., 2 years in Saudi as executive assistant plus 14 units of MBA which I didn't finish back home in Ateneo.

I came here with the heart to start as a crew at Mc Donald's. As soon as I got my FLR, I thought It won't hurt to try applying for jobs which I know quite well. Just a try, I thought. I applied for any jobs I see on newspaper, internet...etc. I managed to get a job as finance assistant in 1 month at a local government, worked hard, closed my ears and eyes to office politics i.e. gossips and monsters in the office. I tried to apply for promotion after 5 mos but was turned down due to lack of enough experience for the higher post. I was tasked to do a high level job but being paid as assistant until I realised they were just taking advantage of me. I tried applying again within the same organisation when a vacancy came up, but this time I was turned down for office politics again i.e. could be racial but I can't tell. They're usually very good at cover up. Anyway, I tried again for 3rd time by applying in another team as finance officer in the same organisation but this time I brought home the bacon! It was my moment! When the boss in my team knew about it, he offered the same level of job but I refused. In my mind, I said, too late, bitch!

I'm taking AAT and I will finish it next year and of course it's for free. I am looking forward to applying for my next promotion and do higher level studies.

I know discrimination exists either for real and sometimes simply in our mind...WE SHOULD NOT LET ANYBODY PUT US DOWN BECAUSE OF OUR RACE.

- Practise developing your English language, accent, and confidence which are vital in this day and age. They judge people by how they speak and look, so make sure you are very smart and confident or at least appear to be like it during interviews.

Don't give up, keep fighting, we have a degree. Show that you know what they ask and that you are the right person for the job.

Smile (which is our mark as Pinoys) and show you have a positive attitude which will take you farther in your career.

WE CAN ALL DO IT!

Rands

We have same degree and same feeling. That's why I enrolled my courses.I tried to enrol ECDL computing but according to our local college, I need to finish first the Intro to Computing. I feel boring and silly because I'm always the first one who finished our works. My classmates are almost all elderly and first time in PC. My teacher said, she will talk to the higher-ups if I can be assessed early and jump for a higher level. Will wait for that

[gadgets]

try temping also as this can get your foot in the door. the company i work for employs so many temps and some are converted over to regular employees.

good luck

[andypaul]

try temping also as this can get your foot in the door. the company i work for employs so many temps and some are converted over to regular employees.

good luck

Good advice also gives you a chance to try out different work enviroments. So you can get an idea of good and bad employers.