work world in America

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Work: Practice and Attitudes

·    Cross-Cultural Implications of the Job Search

“Job hunting” in the United States or in American organization is a challenging experience for American, but it is also challenging experience for people from other countries. A personal contact such as a friend or relative, can be help in informing someone of a job opening and possibly helping the job applicant obtain an interview. However, this kind of “connection” does not usually affect hiring call. Even you have many connections, it does not mean that you will get the job easily.  Most of immigrants in the United States put too much hope into the connections, therefore some of them shock when they have upon arriving in the United States. Because most of institutes in the United States such as the government, schools, and even job placement centers do not hand people jobs on “silver platters”. Or in other words, the institutes do not allow someone to get work very easily or without having work for it.

·         Step to Finding a Job

To find a job in the United States is not easy. The foreign visitors or new immigrants should receive some additional training if their skills are not marketable in the United States. After that, the job search consists of a minimum of four steps:

-          Preparation

Preparation is one of steps that should fulfill by foreign visitors or new immigrants if they want to find a job. Preparation involves identifying skills and the range of work one is capable of doing. This contains locating all possible sources for learning about job.  It seems like an exercise before they join with the company that they are interested in. From this preparation someone can learn about a job and know about their ability. If we translate, preparation is like doing volunteer work. 

-          Networking

Most of people usually find a job based on their education, work experiences, ability, and performance at an interview. In this step the job seeker should find people who have similar interest in job. In other words, the purpose of networking is to get a job easier through the acquaintance. If the job seekers want to know their ability, they should follow some activities such as participating in professional organization and doing volunteer work. Once again, having the contact makes the job seeker easier to get a job. However it does not ensure that they will get a job. 

-       Resume development

Resume development is one of steps for finding a job in America. It is the most important ways to “sell oneself” or to promote ourselves to the prospective employer. A resume contains the summary of professional goals or objectives, education, previous jobs, accomplishments and etc. Sometimes, it also include a little information about personal interest and hobbies. The content of resume should be attractive and factually. If there is someone who greatly exaggerate or lies on a resume can later be fired, especially if the worker do not has the skills claimed.

-                 The interview

The last step of finding a job is interview. Interview is a meeting in which someone asks you question to see if you are suitable for a job or course. Small talk in the beginning of interview is important, the answer from job applicant can show how easily the person can converse. The employer will not accept the employees if they looks unfriendly or unsociable even they are the most qualified. Not just a smile and handshake are expected in the interview, but also a good appearance is needed in this part. During the interview, a supervisor will give some questions to the job seeker. In some people from other countries, sometimes they have difficulty in answering the question because their cultural perspectives. In American interview, applicant must learn to present or promote themselves in the attractive way, such as asking some questions to the employer, it shows that they are interested in the job.

·         Employer – Employee Relationships

The relationships between the employers and employee in America is casual nature. For example subordinate often call their superiors by the first names. Many foreigners from other countries feel difficult with this costume. However, the usage of “Miss” or “Mr.” is very unfamiliar to American. This usage will convey a position of subservience which goes against the American cultural value of egalitarianism. However, subordinate is not equal to the boss, because the boss has more power, earns a higher salary and can make decisions about hiring and firing. 

·         On-the-job Communication Skills

The differences of culture can cause the difficulties of communication at work. Most of foreign employee especially Asian employees do not confess or deny if they do not understand with the explanation of the supervisor. In the contrary Americans will confess if they do not understand with the explanation of the supervisor. This is because the Asian culture is different with the American culture. The difficulties of communication also happen when Asian employees cannot convey their ideas or opinions. It is because the Asian employees consider that offering an opinion to person who has higher status is not appropriate. If an employee becomes passive in the meeting, it means that person is not contributing to the meeting or do not understand the material of the meeting. Usually, Americans use brainstorming to express many ideas on a given question or problem. This technique is used to collect the ideas of the group without stopping to discuss. In brainstorming, narrowing down and eliminating ideas are common happen. However for other people especially from other countries who do not like with blurting out ideas will feel uncomfortable with this brainstorming technique.

·         Time Considerations in The Work World

Time consideration in the work world is important, especially in American culture. Promptness and punctuality is expected in American work place. It means that people who keep the promptness is dependable or trusted and people that do not keep the promptness seems like unreliable or untrusted. In American business culture, arriving ten minutes late is considered rude. However, it is different with Latin America culture. In Latin America culture, arriving thirty to forty-five minutes late is not necessary seen as disrespectful. In many countries, employees feel free and can stop working if the boss is not around. It also happen in the United States but American (especially professional) is different. American (usually professional) does not waste the time.

Pleasantries is not part of American culture. However, it is contrast with other countries way. In American business culture, someone will know each other if they do business. In the contrary, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and Asian culture where social and personal relation often must precede business relations. American time has been characterized as a river flowing quickly away from people. In the other hand, in other parts of the world time is seen more as a pool of water that does not go anywhere.

·         Workaholic

Workaholic describes people who are as addicted to their work. This makes the employees have little time for leisure or personal relationships. There are some different point of views about workaholic. From some people point of view, workaholic is important in society because they are very productive. In other hand, workaholic will have problems of mental stress, because they do not much time to take a rest. Most of workaholic life style will have bad impact to personal and family life. Usually, workaholic people are in their twenties and thirties. However some of people in mid-life change their priorities and realize that they do not have to prove themselves through their work accomplishment.

·         The “Work Ethic” and Materialism

The attitudes toward work in the United States were influenced by the work ethic. Therefore. Most of people in United States do work hard and become successful. This ethic itself was from puritan colonist from England. Puritan is a member of an English religious group in 16^th and 17^th centuries who believe that self-control and hard worker were important and that pleasure was wrong or unnecessary. The puritan believe if they get success they are among God’s and will go to heaven. However, the main motivation for work today is achievement. The orientation of achievement is ‘to do’ or ‘to make’ which is the result of American materialism and the outcome of the work ethic. Success brings material rewards which can be proof of hard work.

·         Reaction Work

The main motivation of work is to earn a living. The rewards that people receive in their work influences the people attitudes. For example corporation president uses work to obtain material goods. In the contrary, a new teacher uses the job to look for intellectual stimulation and personal gratification at work, even she is not highly paid. In the United States, one’s job is an important faces of personal identity. Since American society places a stronger emphasis on doing that on being. In addition, what some “does” helps to determine that person’s prestige. Usually, people have two opposing feeling at the same time. Sometimes, they will glorified and belittled the people’s job.

Indonesian soap opera

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Soap Opera in Indonesia

Soap opera is a serial on television or radio that deals with the lives of a group of characters, especially in a melodramatic or sentimental way. In Indonesia, there are many soap operas that were show on television. Soap opera is one of entertainment that still exists. Many Indonesian people like to watch soap opera, especially older people. They like to watch it because of the plot and the actors. Even though people in Indonesia love to watch it, but it does not mean all soap operas in Indonesia have good quality. Some of Indonesian soap opera do not have good quality, and sometimes it does not give a benefit to the audience.

The first thing that makes Indonesian soap opera does not have good quality is; it does not educate. It means that Indonesian soap opera gives bad influence to the audience, such as the bad moral value which is showed to the audience. As we know, there are so many stories in Indonesian soap opera that tells about love story. Usually the love story in Indonesian soap opera tells about the love between teenagers in junior and senior high school. It really does not reflect how Indonesian students should be.

Sometimes, the producers of Indonesian soap opera do not filter which is the good and the bad one. They just think about how to earn money than think about the quality of the soap opera. Sometimes, it reflected by the sound effect or the graphic design that does not support the story. The sound effect and the graphic design will influence the quality of soap opera. If the sound effect and the graphic design do not have good appearance, the story in the soap opera also will be unnatural and boring.

In addition, soap opera in Indonesia become an arena to compete between the producers. As an example: if there is a soap opera that succeed to entertain the audiences or become famous, there will be another soap opera that imitate the successful one. However, other producer will imitate the plot, the character, or the setting in their story. This action shows there is no creativity between the producers, and it also create many soap operas without good quality.

 The next thing that makes Indonesian soap opera have low quality is the plot of the story. Plot is one of important things in soap opera because it is the sequence of the story. Some of Indonesian soap opera has confusing plot. It happens because there are many actors or characters in the story. Therefore, some of Indonesian soap opera have long story with confusing plot.

The last thing that makes Indonesian soap opera have no good quality is the setting in the story. It means, the setting of Indonesian opera is not good, especially the setting of place and time. As an example the setting of place in one of Indonesian soap opera, we often find one place that is used for many functions. Such as a house that is not only used as the place the main character live, but also it is used as a hospital, market, or disco place. Sometimes, the setting of time in the soap opera is not appropriate. We often find the differences in it. As an example, in the story there is an event that happens in the night, but the sky is bright.

From all the weakness in Indonesian soap opera, we know Indonesian soap opera does not have good quality. It is does not supported with many aspects which are have important role. We are as the audiences feel disappointed because we expect more from Indonesian soap opera. We always expect Indonesian soap opera does not just entertain, but also educate the audiences. It means Indonesian soap opera should give the positive effects to the audiences.

The next thing that we expect from Indonesian soap opera is the creativity. It is not just creative in making an interesting plot, but also creativity in making graphic design or sounds effect. In other words the plot must be not confusing and interesting, and also the graphic design and the sounds effect are appropriate and better than before.

Cross-cultural understanding (Verbal communication: the way people speak)

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Cross cultural understanding

(Verbal communication: the way people speak)

In communication, there are two ways to convey the message, they are verbal and nonverbal communication. This summary is about ‘verbal communication: the way people speak’. The communication or conversation between two people from different culture can cause misunderstanding. It reflects the culture influences the communication.

People who used to talk more, interrupt more, talk more loudly and quickly are called ‘high involvement’. The ‘high involvement’ people interest in a head discussion, this is because they like to convey what they thought or enjoy the argument. In the other hand, people who speak one at time, use polite listening sounds, refrain from interrupting, are called ‘high considerateness’. Russian, Italian, Greek, Spanish, South American, Arab, and African use ‘high involvement’ style in conversation. In general, the various communication style in Asian cultures are characterized as ‘high considerateness.

Americans use direct way in conversation. There are several expression in English that emphasize the importance of being direct: “Get the point”. “Don’t beat around the bush! ”, “let’s get down to business”. Those examples are used by Americans to convey what they thought directly. Many Americans believe that ‘honesty is the best policy’, and their communication style reflects this. However, Asians consider if people talk in direct way, they seem talk too rude. These differences cultures can cause miss understanding and incorrect judgment.

In America, the way American male and female are different. America female has traditionally been less direct than American male. Its mean Americans female are more polite and soft. In 1980’s there is a course that designed to help women communicate directly, especially in the office. In the 1990’s, there is more recognition of the ‘feminine’. Once again, there are gender differences: it has been observed that men tend to interrupt women than women interrupt man. However, Americans female use direct way to show their feeling.

In conversation, Americans use ‘Ping-Pong’ style. It does not mean people talk with playing ‘Ping-Pong’ ball. ‘Ping-Pong’ is parable of the way to communicate actively or not become passive. For Americans, even two or three seconds of silence can become uncomfortable. In the contrary, most of Asians use ‘bowling’ style in the conversation. Its mean Asian know when they have a turn to talk, the person bowls carefully. The others watch politely, and do not leave their places in line or take a turn out of order. No one else speaks until the ball has reached the bowling pins.

Those differences appear ethnocentric judgments. This is because Americans consider Asians are less interested in conversation. The Asians will have ethnocentric judgment of Americans. Asian feel the Americans are pushy and overly inquisitive. In conclusion, if we can anticipate differences in communication style, our judgments about people more accurate.