Hey, it's Elena with the Daily Elena Podcast, bringing you another episode of the Daily Elena. I'm your host, Elena, and I'm excited for you to come on this journey with me of getting inspiration and motivation as you navigate school, work, and life in general. Before I get into today's episode, I would like to share some stats about how this podcast is doing. We've had two amazing guests so far, Eduardo Ramos and Cus della Cantarón, and I just want to give them another big shout out again and thank them for sharing their story and their time with our listeners.
And I'm currently working on interviews with our next guests for the show, and we might even get a few Spanish episodes, so stay tuned. So here are some fun facts about the show. This podcast is being hosted on Spotify and currently has 21 followers, and I think that's amazing to know that there's people out there who follow the show. It just means a lot, so thank you everyone.
And based on Spotify analytics, I learned that we have listeners in the United States, in Mexico, in the United Kingdom, in Germany, and Russia. So like people, this podcast is also worldwide. In today's episode, I'm going to be talking about tips for finding the right job, something I've been after for a long time, ever since I started working, and each job that I've had has taught me important lessons about leadership styles and what I want in a job. And actually this weekend, I recently ventured into the land of unemployment, so I'm in the process of applying for roles that I think will be a good fit for my own values, and that includes work-life balance, good pay, good compensation, and a place that values people of color.
I also realize that I've only ever been in the professional workforce since 2013, and professional like office studying, not that other jobs are not professional, but that was my first time venturing into that type of environment, and that was because I had graduated with my undergraduate, I was starting a job as a grad student for my master's program, and I had DACA, so I was actually able to work. But I had the opportunity to have my first actual job on campus at Eastern Washington University. I remember at first when I shared my DACA card, it's like the work authorization card, because when you're hired, you have to have HR either scan it. For every job you have, they'll most likely ask you for your work documents either on your first day of the job, or maybe they'll have you send in copies beforehand.
But for those first jobs at Eastern Washington University as a graduate student, I handed in my physical card to have them make a copy, and there were a few moments of the people scanning the cards where they looked at it, and just kind of questioning the document, and I was like, this is my work permit, this is what I used to work, because I don't think they previously had students with DACA working, but I was like, yeah, I don't work, go ahead and scan it, it's going to work. But just know that if you have DACA and you're just starting to work, that might be something someone has a question about. And I also remember when I started working at Arizona State University, that you're actually considered an international employee for one part of their paperwork hiring process, and you have to fill out online forms that ask, it asks you a question like, when do you plan on leaving the country? And this is for people who have DACA, and I'm assuming probably for international employees, too.
But people with DACA get this because DACA is temporary, it's not a permanent working document, so their system at ASU treats you as if you were going to eventually leave the country, like you have to put an end date there. This whole system is actually to determine if you need to pay taxes, which DACA recipients do pay taxes, but you still have to go through this system because of the way ASU, their HR operates, but that system scared me so much. And I remember as I was doing it, like filling it out, I remember thinking, I might get deported if I add a date to this form that says I'm going to leave the country by this date, even though I had no plans of leaving, and again, you're not allowed to re-enter the country unless you have advanced parole. But at that time, I didn't.
So anyway, I was just scared to actually put an end date on there, like, what if I get in trouble? Like, I didn't know what to do, what to fill in, and I actually started crying because of how stressed I was. That is a situation that just causes fear, but I ended up calling someone from HR and they confirmed to me that that date that I put in can be any random date, like 50 years from now, literally just a random date, and that there would be no repercussions because the system was not tied at all to my legal status. And I share this in case anyone comes across similar experiences, but go ahead and reach out, ask them questions because that was a really scary thing, and I didn't know anyone else at ASU at that time who maybe also had DACA and who was in a similar situation.
So it was also just like kind of like a lonely experience of not knowing what to do and feeling scared because I had just moved from Washington to Arizona to start like that first out of state job. But go ahead and contact your resources to ask for additional information. So back to finding the right job. That can mean different things for everybody.
And one thing I have now been looking at for jobs is what are the benefits? Do they offer dental? Do they offer retirement? Do they offer medical insurance?
Are there tuition reimbursement benefits or like qualified tuition reduction? And one thing I really enjoyed about working for both ASU and U of A, both universities in Arizona, is that they have qualified tuition reduction. And I was able to take classes at both of those different universities at different times when I was working there, but I paid very little for tuition. And then those benefits also extended to family.
So spouse, kids, if you have them, so that was one way that you're able to get a master's degree or just additional education or another bachelor's degree, but also support your family without having to take out loans for that. So yes, it's super important to look at the benefits of the different jobs. Another important benefit for any job is retirement. And in my most recent job that I had, I actually did not have retirement benefits.
So instead, I set up my own Roth IRA account. I previously had retirement funds in Washington state from my time when I worked there. So I set up a Roth IRA account with Fidelity, and then I rolled over my previous funds from my Washington job since now I had to fund my own retirement. And most jobs will offer a retirement plan, but this last one didn't.
So I had to take those steps myself. So again, that's something important to look at for any jobs that you're currently looking for or a future job as well. Another thing I look for in jobs is if there's an option to do remote or hybrid work. I personally loved working from home when one of my former jobs had us all worked from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I was very fortunate to have that opportunity, as I know a lot of people within our community still have to show up in person for work, especially our essential workers who were primarily people of color. But during that time of remote work, I found I really enjoyed doing online teaching, online presentations. I was doing orientation presentations for incoming freshmen, but I really just enjoyed that type of work setting. And I was really productive too.
And it gave me a really good sense of work-life balance. There wasn't a commute every day. So I was saving money on gas, on parking. Most colleges and universities, well, I know universities for sure.
They charge you for parking. So not having to have a parking pass does save you some money. And then I would also make my lunch at home. So I would also save money because sometimes at work, if you didn't have time to pack a lunch, you would have to buy something on campus.
So I was saving money there too. And there's benefits to both working from home and working remotely. Some jobs might also allow you to do a mix of both. But those are some things that you can look for in case you're also looking at jobs and considering what kind of work setting do you want to be in.
So as I think about the ideal environment for my next job, I'm also considering the type of actual working team environment I want to be in. And when I wasn't documented, these were not at all things I would consider. So when I wasn't documented, if a job was mentioned to me that I should do, whether it was something I enjoyed or not, I would take it. I was taught that work is so important and we shouldn't turn down opportunities to work because it was hard to come across jobs.
So I understand why it is that I had that mindset. So this is that mindset that I had as I was going into job interviews. I would think they're interviewing me for a job. I'm the one who will be getting asked the questions.
I didn't think about it in how I could also interview them. Like I'm also the one who can be thinking, do I want to work for that employer. I had never thought about that before. I said, if the job opportunity came up, it's like, hey, this is what we're doing next.
Okay, cool. I'm going to go ahead and take that job. No questions asked. But now as a professional, you have the opportunity to also interview a potential employer.
That's kind of the phase that I'm in right now is like, what is the ideal organization that I would like to work out? And I remember when I was at Eastern Washington University and I was graduating with my master's degree that my professors would tell me like my mentors, they would tell me Elena, as you applied to jobs, remember that you're also interviewing them. But I couldn't grasp that. I would think, no, I just want any job since I want time in my life.
I couldn't work because I wasn't documented. So I just thought like, I can't really be picky or try to be selective about what jobs I want. But that right there is representative of this idea that immigrants and undocumented communities are only worth what they can offer through their labor. We were not taught to value ourselves as people independent of the work that we do.
So that's what I've been trying to unlearn to that as an immigrant community, we deserve to be in this country independent of our educational attainment or labor that we provide. I'm now a citizen of this country and I'm no longer at risk of getting deported. But those ideas I grew up with are something that I still work through like for most of my life that had been that mindset that I had. But as I go through the space of looking for and applying to jobs, I'm working on remembering that I'm also interviewing the work of employment.
And I also need to see that, you know, I'm not just a good fit for them, but are they also a good fit for me? I want to share some resources that I came across yesterday that I found very helpful when it comes to the actual interviewing process. And this comes from a blog post from the career development team at an organization called Merit America. And in this blog post, they share, while we cannot deny the power imbalance that often exists in the hiring process, where the employer tends to hold more of it.
Candidates too, have the agency to opt in or out of a hiring process, for example, accepting an interview or an offer for the role, declining an offer for the role, and interview the potential employer back, also known as the reverse interview. So what this says is employees also hold that power. And examples of how you hold power during the interview process is whether you decide to follow through maybe a second round interview or even declining a job offer. And within the blog post, they further share the importance of asking well thought out questions that align with your values and non-negotiables, which will help you assess how the potential job and employer meet your needs.
And some tips that are shared for candidates in the hiring process are reflect on what helps you thrive and succeed in the workplace. And what does not? Think about your own values engaging alignment with the potential employer's values. Avoid close ended questions that might yield generic or vague responses.
And practice active listening and taking note of who responds and says what, or maybe taking note of who isn't responding. And I really like this blog post because they also include examples of questions that you can ask. If you find out more about work, life, balance, you can ask. Can you share examples of how you role model and promote work, life, harmony within your team?
What strategies or approaches have you taken to ensure your team feels supported and avoids burnout? And I love those two examples of questions and I think I'll use them for sure in the next interviews that I do. And examples about asking questions for flexible work culture include how do the organization manage the transition to remote work and what are the current policies regarding flexible work options? Another question is can you share any success stories of employees who have thrived in their roles while taking advantage of the company's flexible options?
And here are examples of questions you can ask to learn more about the team environment. So these include can you describe a situation where your team had to partner cross functionally to achieve a common goal? What strategies were used to ensure effective collaboration? How does the organization encourage and facilitate collaboration among team members who have different working styles or come from diverse backgrounds?
To learn about transparent and empathetic management, these are some of the questions that they share that you can ask. What are some examples of involving your team in the decision making process? Can you share an example of a collaborative decision made recently? How do you empower employees from diverse backgrounds to use their voice, agency, and expertise?
And the last question, how do you honor people's different perspectives? And I really like these questions too since they touch on different examples of management and could really help you see if there's empathetic management within that organization. And if you're someone who wants to make sure there's room for creativity, for innovation, for trying new ideas, maybe taking on new tasks, they also shared examples of questions that you could ask. So these include can you describe a time when an employee's innovative ideas significantly impacted the organization?
How was the idea received and implemented? How does the company encourage employees to think creatively and propose new ideas? Can you share an example of a successful creative initiative? So I think these were some great examples of asking well thought out interview questions.
And again, this is from a blog post within the organization called Merit America. And if you would like a copy of that actual full blog post, send me an email at thedailyelena at gmail.com and I'll send you a copy. And there's a lot of other great resources and examples of questions within that post. So I just highlighted some of the ones that stood out to me, but it's definitely a good blog post to check out.
Another resource I want to share about is a career center. So for example, if you graduated from a college or university, usually each campus will have a career center where they can help you review cover letters if the jobs you're applying to require a cover letter or help you review resumes or make any changes or updates. So that's another resource that I will be using myself as I go through this job search is using career services and making sure my cover letters look good in my resume too. In the past, I've had the career center at Eastern Washington University giving me feedback on cover letters.
That's when I was trying to go out of state. They help review my resume for specific jobs that I was applying to and I found them really helpful. And I don't remember how I thought like, hey, I should reach out to the career center because I would seek them out as an undergrad, but probably not as much as I should have. But if you're currently in a similar situation and you have access to a college or university that you were a student at, go ahead and reach out to the career center.
There might also be career resources at your local library or different community based organizations too. So that's another area that you can go to if you're looking for maybe resume or cover letter tips. And if anyone who is listening right now would also like to share some advice or resources or any articles, feel free to send them to the dailyelena at gmail.com and I can expand on them or read them out loud in the next episode. Thank you all for tuning into this episode of the daily Elena and in today's episode, I covered some tips on how you can ask meaningful questions during the interview process, consider where you can go to get help like a career center, whether that's in the community or maybe a college or university.
I also want you to think about the mentors like people in your life, maybe it's your high school teachers or it's your college professors who would be able to guide you through that process to like reviewing a cover letter, maybe taking a look at your resume. I'm pretty sure they've had that experience already with other students. So that's also just a really good resource, someone that you can reach out to. And as a final reminder, remember the importance of happy and hope of knowing that there are good employers out there who will value all of our skills, our diversity, our backgrounds and who will see the value that we can add to an organization.
And that's my goal with wherever I end up next. And I'm hopeful it will be a role worth waiting for. If you're also experiencing unemployment, remember stay hopeful, but also make sure that you're connecting with your community and your network at this time. Seek out your mentors, career centers and friends for advice and your family too.
That's something that I've been doing. Another thing I'll share is to continue to get involved with your community and your hobbies if you're able to. Like mine is school. That's one of my biggest hobbies, although it takes on a way bigger role than just a hobby.
But I've really enjoyed learning and in a few weeks I'll be starting my fourth year in the PhD Higher Education program. And I've been working on some things too before school starts. So it's just a really good way to also keep busy, but keep going. Another thing that I have found that's very meaningful for me is to mentor students.
And I do this by helping students find internship opportunities, research opportunities, supporting them with their resumes, cover letters and helping them do email outreach if they're wanting to work in a lab on campus or maybe get scholarships. But those types of things I really enjoy doing. And it's something I've done whether I'm working within that sector or not. It's just something I like to do on the side.
And because I know the importance of supporting our communities with that type of outreach and support. And these things keep me energized as someone that, you know, centers students and a lot of the things that I do, especially our first generation Latino community. So that's one thing that I'm going to continue doing is mentoring others. And if you're a student listening to this and would like some more advice on anything I've just mentioned, please reach out and connect.
I'm happy to help. Thank you all for listening to this episode of the Daily Elena. I'm your host, Elena. And it has been a great time sharing resources with you today.
And if you're also in a similar situation where you're looking for roles or considering making a career change, I hope that you found some of the information I've shared here helpful. And I'm excited to continue sharing updates on whatever my next professional role is. I'll make sure to keep everyone updated. I wanted to add some information to this episode that I thought would be really important.
So I mentioned career centers, career services and how for me specifically they had been helpful. For me, when I went to a career center, I did have DACA. But for students who don't have DACA and are undocumented, that experience might actually be way different than it was for me. And it's important to share that because not all career centers acknowledge that some other student population might not have a social security number which they can work with after graduation.
So seeking out internships or jobs will be a way different experience than for someone who can work with a social security number. And it was opposed by the Instagram page on Doki Professionals, which made me double take and say, yes, career centers are not all equipped with the knowledge to support our immigrant community. Almost the way I never went to a study abroad department or office or study abroad fair when I was undocumented because that was not an option for me. So I would kind of just ignore that department.
It was frustrating to even walk by. But as an undocumented student, those services were really not an option. And I hadn't realized that, again, as I was sharing my own stories, acknowledging that some students, you know, that experience is going to look different, like trying to go to a career center and if the people there are not aware about your legal situation. So as I recommend career centers as a resource, I share it with the note that it might not always be the best resource for our communities.
And there are people who are drawing more attention to this with the intent of changing the way they support undocumented students. And I definitely recommend that you follow undocumented professionals on Instagram as they're currently working on creating more resources and initiatives like career services for our undocumented populations. Thanks for tuning into this extra portion of the podcast. Gracias.