Job Search? Passport First
Looking for a job when your passport is already a disadvantage.
‘I’m a Colombian journalist, trilingual with a PPA accredited MA and vast international background.’ This is the way I usually start my cover letters; I was told to sell my internationality and language proficiency as an asset to look for jobs. But claiming that also exposes my passport to be evaluated.
As a Latin American young professional, we have it rough in our home countries. Education is a luxury, not a choice. Conditions for starter positions are less than ideal. So, we try our luck elsewhere.
Like me, a lot of young people travel to get a higher education level and look for a job. A simple plan. We know from the start it won't be easy, but there is hope. When applying for jobs in London, as a non-British and non-European, you have to show why you are a better fit than anyone from those other groups.
The realisation that my nationality puts me on a tougher spot was heartbreaking. I knew it was something employers will take into consideration but never consider it could be a reason to eliminate me from an application process. Yes, needing a visa sponsorship is a job criteria and it is also a decision-making point for HR.
It happened while applying for a job for the press team of a well-known NGO. Filling in the online form I said ‘yes’ when asked if I needed a visa sponsorship. I clicked continue, ready to upload my CV, cover letter and portfolio. Then the screen showed me a message, –there had been an error with my application because I did not meet the criteria for the job.
I felt confused and wondered why. I refreshed the page, filled in the information again: Name, Date of Birth, Email, Phone number, Which position are you applying to, Do you need a visa sponsorship, continue. Again, an error.
I was being kicked out of the race before it started. I looked at the job description, no mention of having to be British or European citizen. No requirement on citizenship. Disappointed, I moved on, kept looking for more jobs. I won’t lie, it bothered me, it still does. We are being denied the chance just because we were born out of the rich countries club. Might sound bitter after one rejection, but there have been more. Many, many more. A reminder that my future depends on a visa.
Starting an application always has my heart racing, because I fear being asked that on the very first stage. It doesn’t seem fair. Knowing that I need a visa sponsor to stay is already stressful. It feels as if my professional development has an expiration day. It becomes a cruel cycle: Need a work visa to stay, can’t get a job because I need a visa.
Why not go home then? Well maybe it's because we are hard on ourselves and going home means accepting defeat. Sounds crazy, but when a Latin American leaves to try their luck elsewhere it is with the expectation of not returning empty-handed. Yes, I had a Masters but why go all the way to London to study and come back unemployed whilst I could have stayed and worked, gotten experience, and applied for better jobs, right?
It all starts with a generation of young adults that are prepared and ready to take opportunities and risks on our professional paths. Sadly, the job market wasn’t ready for us. As more young people graduated and started looking for a job the higher the standards got.
The first wave of graduates was overqualified for the positions; they got bored and jumped quickly to other places where new challenges awaited, the following waves ran into a wall. The new criteria demanded an excessive amount of experience, not reflected on the salary, and extra qualifications. So, our generation steps it up, we are overqualified again and done with unemployment.
Alternatives
During my MA I had to describe my action plan to get my dream job. I remember my teachers selling the freelance lifestyle as an option, and the only thing I could say to that was ‘Not a chance’. I need the safety net of a contract. Not because I’m old school or lazy to be freelancing, it is because to the immigration office, being a freelancer is not good enough to stay in the country. No full-time contract, no visa. No visa, go home.
But life has a twisted sense of humor, I have refused to stay put and feel sorry for myself so I've joined the free spirit and ‘be your own boss’ mood and have freelanced for six months. Emphasis on the free: since I need the experience and a bigger portfolio, and I can’t get a job because of my visa, I have worked for free. Not entirely, though. Somehow, I have managed to cover transportation expenses, and bagged a couple of articles which paid according to the word count but that is not enough to live on, especially in London.
Being a freelance journalist means I need a side hustle. I’ve been a nanny. I love kids and it is an easy job, but it was not the plan, and after a year of doing it, I want to be focused on my field. I have had amazing opportunities, practiced, and have proven I have what it takes but once again bureaucracy meddled in and ruined everything. Yes, even Brexit managed to make it even harder on non-Europeans.
As a freelancer it is up to you how much you want to do and when, I have reported on protests and developed my social media skills. I have a rich and diverse portfolio; I get interviews and my current employers keep telling me they wish they could help but I'm tired of hearing how my visa situation is a complication. I know it is.
After asking for extra time due to the pandemic my luck has run out. I have returned to Colombia. I’m freelancing with UK companies but stuck in a place where chaos is running loose. I have come to peace with it because I know I tried, I have work to show in my interviews and I’m proud of taking advantage of the pandemic to do different things, now I’m only left with hope. Hope that someone will see my passport and judge me as if it didn’t matter.
