This has nothing to do with the US or its policy, but since governments have become more strict on the employment of employers worldwide, I thought this will be a good question.
If you are a local, would you mind working for a company that don’t hire foreign talents? Please just consider only this factor and disregard others like salary, benefits and so on.
It sure isn’t the ideal policy but how far can it go before you say no to it?
I don’t know if this sounds bad, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind either way. You’ll no doubt get a sleugh of people shouting that workplace diversity makes things more interesting, inspiring, etc. I always try to think of it in terms of qualification. If someone is the best qualified candidate then that’s who I want to be working with no matter where they’re from.
Good question and quite relevent. I’ve worked in studios with a truly international cross-section and in ones with only local talent (basically american white guys).
I found that the international studio was more likely to question assumptions and bring other viewpoints to the projects. So, in my view, it’s not a political statement that I would leave a company that doesn’t hire foreign people, I would just gravitate away from such a limiting environment.
Others may have a different view.
Earlier in my career, I traveled and worked in several countries in asia and europe, even married a foreign woman and hold a European passport. It was thrilling to work with foreigners in US offices and abroad. hearing about their exotic lifestyle. Something changed though…
some of the foreigners that I worked with at my last corporate gig were VERY cocky, arrogant even, and full of negative views about the USA. Im NOT defending the obvious foreign & domestic policy crap that Bush is dishing out, but it started getting very abrasive.
It was common to hear them criticising what was served in restaurants, correcting americans with their english (incorrectly considering the local slang in that area), bashing local trends and maybe rightfully foreign policy. One got pulled over for speeding, made a big deal about it at work that it was racisim - was he actually speeding? yes. They looked at local southerners as dangerous and “out to get them”… they were even calling a designer at a nearby Sony-Ercisson site “RN” short for “redneck,” why? because he lived outside of the city on big property so he could host afterparties for local bands - cool in my book, but because he was outside the city, “RN.”
Even recently, I was working with a french engineer from Les Arts et Metiers, the first thing he mentioned when he arrived was that he heard there was a french grocery in the area and he had to make sure to go over there so he could have “proper” food!!! he knew what he was saying…
Why were these italians spanish and french soo cocky? because they were making a ton of money compared to home and living an exciting life in another country. They were valued for their foreign lifestyle experience, but as designers they were inexperienced. maybe they even felt a little like outsiders, and decided to go ahead and pre-emtively segregate themselves - I don’t know.
All this happening while great designers with tons of awards from other divisions were all scared of being laid off, and plenty of american designers fresh out of school might have to take crappy jobs to gain experience. I felt it was a hostile work environment, and took another job with better dynamics between their workers.
…and, I gotta ask myself, all these foreign guys want to flee their homelands for the “riches” of america, which may or may not be a reality. Why don’t they invest in their own countries economies and markets? somebody has to do it, or does American have to make their countries OK for them?
rant finished
I work in an office with a german, first generation Mexican, and a Frenchman in Montréal… we all get along fine and I think its pretty interesting. I have seem some friction elsewhere though…
one other thing too… as some of the footwear designers pointed out on another thread, markets change dramatically even around one continent, let alone around the world - one style might rock in one country but end up a complete failure in another
maybe specialists homegrown in our own market have as much or (horror!) more relevance than someone from aroad who questions everything. And I am talking about products that sell like crazy due to styling, not critically acclaimed products that people don’t buy. (for example, Stark… though I personally like alot of his stuff, in Target he didn’t seem to do half as well as Graves in terms of sales)
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some of the foreigners that I worked with at my last corporate gig were VERY cocky, arrogant even, and full of negative views about the USA.
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That is a common and normal syndrome everyone will go through when living abroad. Nothing is better than home. I used to complain about stuffs all the time too and looked down on the locals and their culture, but after a while(may take years), I realized that they are not better or worse, they are just different. I have also learnt to try to experience as much local culture as possible and make good local buddies. What’s the point of sticking around with fellow countryman all the time when you are in a foreign country? Experiencing foreign culture in a privilege to me. If I prefer to stick with fellow countryman, when I should just stay in my own country.
Diversity is great.
But having a job is ten time better.
So do I care what the hiring policy is NO.
Diversity is great.
But having a job is ten time better.
that about sums it up
That is a common and normal syndrome everyone will go through when living abroad.
i agree, especially if there is a markedly different culture, environment; no matter where you from there is nothing like the comfort of home. it does not really help that once people know you are a foreigner, you get the comparison ?s and everyone is asking you what you think of their country/town…
i have enjoyed working with adiversity of foreign designers and feel enriched for having done so. i think working with a company that prohibits this to be against my values. values may not pay the bills, but if it gives me a clear conscience, i’ll take that.
i don’t think it’s a pint that is made apperently clear during an interview. i mean, beside the fact that companies won’t hire people who aren’t legally cleared to work there, i don’t think it would be brought up. if ifound out later, after i was hired, it would give me concern to look for another position.
i wonder if i’ll encounter this. i have dream/goal to move to australia to work.
i think United states is at a cultural crisis and i’m not saying this has anything to do with jobs in a local sense (meaning american local) but the issue is global.
it’s just that the majority of americans have been isolated for a long time from the rest of the world and now they find themselves in a global situation where they have to somehow keep their own identity, create some cultural leverage, and remain a democracy. with current understanding/philosophical/political view point of the world they’re either able to adjust, calibrate, streamline or find themselves in a maze. the only people who benefit from the latter choice are those who can create their own control system like big companies with lots of money.
this is an interesting turning point. would they succeed in keeping it up for a long time or eventually they find themselves adjusting bit by bit, piece by piece into something that is less desirable.
history has shown that a system has to either isolate itself and remain isolated or give in to progress and change.
i know it would no longer spell home sweet home for americans because they need cheap labor at the same time that they need time for adjustment. whether it’s highly specialized at phd level (like indian computer programmers who are willing to work at half the salary an american citizen demands) or physical hard work (like people who migrate from south american border countries) that no american wants to do, there is no choice for americans to accept the reality that we live in world that is changing and growing with technology no longer in hands of the few.
imo we should seek the answer in what works best in a progressive, lawfull manner not in a local, obsecure, conservative, and stringent way that is more in line with lawless, do it yourself, homeboy attitudes and trying to portray it as a working model for the entire galaxy!
we’re not kids in high school anymore but american leaders whether in the private sector or government push this idea that there’re two sides to america. the wild and lawless homeboy type and the lawfull democratic tolerant one and the former being the decision maker and the latter the punishment taker.
it’s brilliant bullshit!! because other people in the world with immense power, and americans with a clear sense of reality are not sitting idle watching this happen to individuals who want to live a normal life in this world.
I’d have to say that I’d want to work with people that epitomize what community is - regardless of background. Like the famous Harry S. Truman quote “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” So hard it is for a group to do sometimes, but so rewarding when it is accomplished. You make your own happiness, negative attitudes aren’t helpful. And negative attitudes come from any country. Each person judged by their own actions, I certaintly don’t wish to lumped in with the “stupid American” merely because I am from here. So I’d say that the place of origin matters less than the attitude and integrity of the individual.
I would mind!
I believe that at times when we are working with products and brands from all around the globe, is fundamental to have more than one point of view and more experience from workers that are also consumers.
As a designer I try to reach consumers from many countries, and the more diverse my work environment is, the closer to hit a variety of target markets I feel that I am.