More and more employers are committed to hiring a workforce who respect cultural differences and possess strong cross-cultural communication skills. Many organizations seek employees who are prepared to work well with diverse co-workers, customers, clients, patients, students, and/or constituents. Their diversity statements* reflect their stated commitment to diversity in their workplaces and suggest why they think intercultural communication experience and skill is a strategic hiring priority. Today’s employers often ask applicants questions on job application and/or in job interviews to assess their:
• Experience and skills working effectively with diverse populations, including cultures/ethnicities, women, LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, various ages, learning styles, etc.
• Self-awareness of implicit biases and attitudes about diverse populations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of how to reflect diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
More and more employers are committed to hiring a workforce that respects cultural differences and possess strong cross-cultural communication skills. For a sampling of examples, review some organizations’ diversity statements at the bottom of this page. Consider reviewing Forbes article titled “America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2019”.
Objective
To explain your intercultural communication competencies and goals
Directions
Create an Intercultural Communication Ability Personal Narrative, worthy of being attached to your resumé when you apply for a job. As you answer each question below, think about your real lived experiences, and current knowledge, attitudes, skills, as well as your future goals as a life-long learner.
Answer each question in a separate paragraph that starts with a topic sentence that reflects the point of the question. Do not write the questions and do not number your paragraphs. Start by writing your name, the title of this document and your career objective, as indicated below. Adhere to these guidelines.
Limit: 3-4 double-spaced pages.
Include the heading below at the top of your page!
Include an APA citation for any sources used.
Objective
To explain your intercultural communication competencies and goals
Directions
Create an Intercultural Communication Ability Personal Narrative, worthy of being attached to your resumé when you apply for a job. As you answer each question below, think about your real lived experiences, and current knowledge, attitudes, skills, as well as your future goals as a life-long learner.
Answer each question in a separate paragraph that starts with a topic sentence that reflects the point of the question. Do not write the questions and do not number your paragraphs. Start by writing your name, the title of this document and your career objective, as indicated below. Adhere to these guidelines.
Limit: 3-4 double-spaced pages.
Include the heading below at the top of your page!
Include an APA citation for any sources used.
Name
Intercultural Communication Ability Personal Narrative
My career objective: information
Throughout your life, how much experience have you had communicating and working with people across cultures? Tell us about it. How have you been shaped as a communicator from those experiences (or lack thereof)?
What are your strengths as an intercultural communicator? What do you know about culture, race/ethnicity and intercultural communication that will help you work effectively with your diverse co-workers and clients? (Change to “customers,” “patients,” “constituents,” “students,” “community members,” or whatever is appropriate for your future career).
Describe the ethical position you take as it relates to ethical violation situations in diverse cultural situations. (Be sure to read the section on “Multiple Ethical Positions” in Chapter 12 before answering this question).
Tell us about one way you plan to strengthen your intercultural communication skills. Explain why this matters to you.
Why do you think there is a need for intercultural competence in our profession, in particular? (In your answer, specify your future profession—e.g., health care, firefighting, business, law, education, law enforcement, etc.)
Reflect about your responsibilities as an interculturally competent professional. What expectations do you have for yourself? Identify and explain two such expectations that can help you become a more interculturally competent communicator. In other words, how will you contribute to bringing cultures together, increasing intercultural understanding or promoting fair-minded intercultural interactions?
* Sampling of Diversity Statements
College of Southern Maryland
The Equity and Inclusive Diversity Office works to nurture an environment at CSM that is welcoming, inclusive, and respectful of all students, staff, faculty, and visitors—a college community that is free from discrimination, intolerance, and harassment
T-Mobile
Uniqueness is powerful. Be yourself. We like it that way.
Diversity fuels the Un-carrier spirit. Our commitment to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience drives us forward every day.
Kellogg’s
A Competitive Advantage
Our focus on diversity enables us to build a culture where all employees are inspired to share their passion, talents and ideas. They become part of a team that works to better serve the needs of our diverse consumers by delivering fresh thinking, product innovations and quality brands.
In addition, thanks to technology, demographic shifts and worldwide connectivity, we live in a world where change occurs at a rapid clip. For Kellogg to be part of, and ahead of, that change, we know we must continue our progress in diversity and inclusion – allowing us to bring our best to people all around the world every day.
Stanley Black and Decker
Diversity & Inclusion
To be engaged, you must feel included and valued. We strive to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is a reflex, not an initiative. Where there is a deep sense of pride, passion and belonging that transcends any role, business unit, language or country and is unified in our shared commitment to excellence, innovation and social responsibility. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better results. To support an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their experiences and ideas, we’ve encouraged the creation of a variety of Employee Resource Groups, including groups for Women, Veterans, LGTBQ (Pride & Allies), African Ancestry, Developing Professionals and more.
GoDaddy
A Culture of Creativity is life at GoDaddy
A Culture of Creativity is life at GoDaddy. We hire the best, give them first-class training and set them loose. If you’re driven to perform, you’ll fit right in. We approach our work fearlessly, learn quickly, improve constantly, and celebrate our wins at every turn. Everyone is welcome—as an inclusive workplace, our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic whole selves to work. Be you.
HubSpot
Bring Your Whole Self to Work
We’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Companies that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective are proven to be better companies. More importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is the right thing to do.
Google
Our accelerated approach to diversity and inclusion
Our accelerated approach to diversity and inclusion Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. When we say we want to build for everyone, we mean everyone. To do that well, we need a workforce that’s more representative of the users we serve. That’s why we’ve embraced a refreshed and accelerated approach to diversity and inclusion.
Johnson & Johnson
Diversity at Johnson & Johnson is about your unique perspective. It’s about you, your colleagues and the world we care for—all backgrounds, beliefs and the entire range of human experience—coming together. You view the world from a unique vantage point; a perspective that gives you problem-solving potential ideas, solutions & strategies that, when mobilized, can bring health to billions.
Inclusion at Johnson & Johnson is about creating a deep sense of belonging. It’s about a culture where you are valued, your ideas are heard and you advance this culture for everyone.
Diversity & Inclusion at Johnson & Johnson means – You Belong.
Oath
It takes all kinds
Diversity. Inclusion. They’re more than just words for us. They’re the hard-and-fast principles guiding how we build our teams, cultivate leaders and create a company that’s the right fit for every person inside of it. We have a global, multicultural following—we want to reflect that inside our walls.
Comcast
Diversity & Inclusion: Our Foundation for Innovation
At Comcast NBCUniversal, diversity and inclusion are part of our DNA. Together, we continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. It fuels our innovation and connects us closer to our customers and the communities we serve.
Genentech
We’re On a Journey
We are inclusive. We celebrate multiple approaches and points of view. We believe diversity drives innovation. So we’re building a culture where difference is valued. We take a holistic approach. We’re always growing our network of people, programs and tools all designed to help employees grow and manage their careers. We foster both a top-down and grassroots approach. This gives us the freedom to address the broadest set of initiatives.
News Corps
At News Corp, we appreciate the importance of creating an environment in which all of our employees can feel valued, included and empowered to bring great ideas to the table.
We recognize that each employee’s unique experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints across our various companies are critical to creating products that engage and inspire customers all over the world. Therefore, our goal is to foster an environment that is an incubator for great ideas, is attractive to the best talent, and that creates a profound sense of pride across our Company.
Our diversity and inclusion efforts will therefore focus on:
Leading and managing inclusively – embracing different cultures, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations
Creating a work environment that fosters growth and advancement. Engaging with our audiences in a way that reflects and respects their unique perspectives and experiences
Our diversity and inclusion objectives, and progress towards achieving them, will be assessed annually to ensure they align with our business and talent objectives.
Consider reviewing Forbes article titled “America’s Best Employers for Diversity 2019.” If necessary, paste the link into your browser:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/vickyvalet/2019/01/15/americas-best-employers-for-diversity-2019/#2b1961a22bda.
______________________________________
Intercultural Communication Ability Personal Narrative
My career objective: [state your career objective]
Throughout my life, I have had numerous experiences communicating and working with people from different cultural backgrounds. Growing up in a multicultural family, I learned to navigate different communication styles and cultural norms. Additionally, I have traveled to various countries and interacted with people from different cultures. These experiences have shaped me into a communicator who values and respects different cultures and communication styles.
One of my strengths as an intercultural communicator is my ability to listen actively and empathetically. I understand that communication is not just about speaking, but also about actively listening to understand the perspectives of others. I have also developed knowledge about different cultural norms and communication styles that will help me work effectively with diverse co-workers and clients in my future career as a [state your future profession].
In ethical violation situations in diverse cultural situations, I take an ethical position that recognizes the importance of cultural sensitivity. I understand that what may be considered ethical in one culture may not be viewed as ethical in another. Therefore, I approach ethical situations in a way that takes into account the cultural context of the situation while also upholding ethical standards.
One way I plan to strengthen my intercultural communication skills is by immersing myself in cultural experiences that challenge my assumptions and biases. For example, I plan to volunteer in my local community and participate in cultural events to learn more about different cultures and communication styles. I believe this will help me become a more effective communicator and better serve diverse communities.
Intercultural competence is essential in my future profession as a [state your future profession] because it involves working with people from diverse backgrounds. To provide effective services and meet the needs of my clients, I need to have a deep understanding of cultural norms and communication styles. By having intercultural competence, I can better communicate and build trust with my clients, which will ultimately lead to better outcomes.
As an interculturally competent professional, my responsibilities include promoting intercultural understanding, building bridges across cultures, and fostering inclusive and equitable environments. Two expectations I have for myself are to actively seek out diverse perspectives and to approach cultural differences with humility and openness. By doing so, I can contribute to creating a culture of respect and inclusivity in my workplace and in my interactions with clients.
