ethnicity special edition

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www.realworldmagazine.com

» Winning the race Who are putting skills first? P12

» Helping hands P8

» Words of advice Talking the talk in interview P152011

E T H N I C I T Y

make a life not just a living

DWAYNE FIELDS

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

EXPLORING THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE BOX

CONTENTS

Careers magazine for ethnic minority students and graduates

EdiTOrial

Publisher: Johnny rich

Editor: Jon Madge

Consultant Editor: Karen Chouhan

reporters: Maxwell Ward,

Sam Passmore, Tom Brookes

Graphic designer: angela Wozniak

SalES

andrea Moretti

MarKETiNG aNd diSTriBuTiON MaNaGEr

James Munday

CliENT SErviCES MaNaGEr

Marie Tasle

FOuNdEr

darius Norell

rEal WOrld

22-26 albert Embankment, london SE1 7TJ

Tel: 020 7735 4900

[email protected]

www.realworldmagazine.com

CarEErS

For job vacancies, careers advice and case

studies. Copyright © 2010 Cherry Publishing.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher. We cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs or for material lost or damaged in the post. The views in this publication or on our website are not necessarily those held by the publisher.

As we hit the

shelves, diversity

is the word on the

street. There have

been some big

changes to the world of work in the

last year, not least of which is the

Equality act is now full in force,

hopefully putting an end to

discrimination.

With that in mind welcome to

the real World ethnicity special.

inside you’ll find the inspirational

story of dwayne Fields, fresh back

from the North Pole. We’ve also got

a guide to the organisations

offering you support as you make

in the world and we’ve spoken to

graduates keen to tell you their

stories from the frontline of

employment.

So what are you waiting for?

Enjoy.

Jon, Editor

[email protected]

EdiTOr

06

12

05up front

Editor’s Letter 03

Profile: Karen Chouhan 05

features

Inspiration: Dwayne Fields 06

Who you gonna call? 08

Case studies 10/14/16/18

What does a good company look like? 12

Talking the talk 15

Make a life, not just a livingat real World we believe you should have a job that you want to get out of bed for. You should be doing something that’s going to inspire you, reward you and challenge you for the next 50 years. We help you do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do. We want to be the ones to tell you about the job opportunity that’ll change your life. and we want to help you to get that job and then succeed without limits.

real World is more than just a magazine. We’re leaders in graduate employment research. We train people how to raise their game. Everything we do is about helping you understand your career, kick-starting it and developing it. after all, apart from sleeping, you’ll spend more time working than doing anything else in your life.

We want you to make a good living, but we also want you to make a good life in the process. No sugar-coating and no dry job jargon – real World tells it like it is. Just the best facts, advice and opportunities.

A Career in Law

www.allenovery.com/careerukAllen & Overy means Allen & Overy LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings

2010

New frontiersThe world’s financial markets are under closer scrutiny than ever before. In the wake of the financial crisis, some governments have moved to restrict short selling – betting that prices are going to fall. As a lawyer at Allen & Overy, what will that and other changes mean for your clients?

It will be down to you to help your clients negotiate the evolving regulatory environment – to structure products and transactions that continue to deliver commercial advantages within a legal framework that is itself changing. You will be their guide, providing ideas and solving problems at the frontiers of business and law.

Careers at Allen & Overy are about providing clear, insightful legal advice, working collaboratively – with colleagues and clients – and striving to deliver outstanding results. Your role will be to bring clarity to complex issues and support decision-making at the highest level, enabling our clients – some of the most ambitious companies in the world – to address challenges that will define their futures. In today’s legal and business landscape, our clients expect intelligent commercial advice delivered consistently and globally. Join us and be part of our success.

Start at the top.

Graduate Realworldmag 210x297mm_Ad.indd 1 4/11/10 17:29:49

PAGE 2

The correlation between race and poverty is more direct than it should be. This fact is what motivated Karen Chouhan to found

Equanomics, an organisation dedicated to promoting equality through fairness in careers and economics. Real World spoke to her about why an organisation like Equanomics is so important now.

Karen’s explanation of the organisation’s aims is to the point, “Equanomics is an organisation addressing race equality in the UK from an economic perspective.” It aims “to achieve genuine race equality and economic justice in our lifetime by reconnecting economically and politically disenfranchised communities across the UK.”

So why is an organisation like this important now? “The banking and financial crisis has put some of the poorer people in the UK at greater risk of losing housing and jobs,” says Karen. “This double whammy of financial hardship and potential lack of attention to discriminatory practice especially in employment and financial matters means that BME communities could be worse off in the longer run than they

would have been before the ‘economic downturn’.”

Launched in August 2007, Equanomics has worked with over 40 UK race equality organisations to create a community-based voice. The organisation was one of the bodies which created the Black Manifesto, which included, among other points, a plan of action on racial equality in both education and the workplace.

Not content with making suggestions, Equanomics has made interacting with graduates and young people a key part of what it does. Any graduates keen to get involved could train to become one of their volunteer workers. As Karen points out, the organisation “is not about creating a single voice; it is about enabling and empowering a diversity of voices.”

The Equanomics message is delivered around the country on the organisation’s bus, dispensing advice on employment and economic issues.

To get involved check out the organisation’s Facebook page.

‘ Launched in August 2007, Equanomics has worked with over 40 UK race equality organisations to create a community-based voice ’

Karen Chouhan

Karen Chouhan is the founder of Equanomics, an organisation promoting equality through economics

Consultant editor on ethnicity

WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM RW 5

There are sceptics that might say being black and from a housing estate gives you a bad start in life. Dwayne Fields isn’t one of them.

Fresh from becoming the first British black man at the North Pole, he told us why the secret to getting what you want is to make it happen.

Born in Jamaica, Dwayne Fields came to England at the age of six. He spent his childhood in some of the most violent housing estates in the country, in Palmers Green and Hackney - areas of London where young black men are most likely to fall victim to, and commit violent crimes.

“I was never in a gang though, just

a group of friends,” he says. “I can understand why people would think differently. There were a lot of violent gangs in the area and we were dragged into fights and arguments sometimes. There was nothing to do after school, literally nothing, so the estates were always going to be trouble.”

After leaving school and college, Dwayne took a three-year apprenticeship with the London Underground, before deciding that it wasn’t for him. He worked for Boots for “a year to the day” afterwards, before leaving that as well.

“My problems were never from work, but what I did each day after work,” he says.

The levels of threat that Dwayne

‘ There was nothing to do after school, literally nothing, so the estates were always going to be trouble ’

iNSPiRED Dwayne FielDs has gone From housing estates to the north Pole anD tolD us why he never let anything stanD in his way

6 RW www.realworlDmagaZine.Com

ETHNICITY | DWAYNE FIELDS RW

was encountering in the estates were increasing all the time. Having been stabbed because of his association with a friend, who had been involved in an unrelated argument, Dwayne then had a gun pointed at him in another confrontation.

“I was with my brother when it happened and I began to realise that things had to change. Seven months later my friend was murdered on the exact spot where my incident had happened. If things had stayed as they were then it was only a matter of time before something terrible happened.”

So what did happen next? Well actually, something pretty remarkable.

“I was watching BBC News and saw

‘ He may be seventy-one but he just beat me in the Chara Challenge, a 45-mile endurance race across Dartmoor ’

that James Cracknell and Ben Fogle were on, having just rowed across the Atlantic. They were talking about their new project, which was to take part in the South Pole race, but they said they needed a third team member. I was inspired by it and I wanted to do something to inspire people around me too, but, me being me, I left it for about a month before I sent an email. Eventually I got an email back saying that the third place had been taken, but if I was really interested then I should apply for the Peary and Hansen Race to the North Pole.”

Dwayne decided to go for it and was accepted for the challenge. His aim was to disprove the notion that “black people don’t do snow”, as much as to push himself further than he had ever before. His role model was the American, Matthew Henson, the first black man to make it to the North Pole, in 1909. To be the first British black man to go to the North Pole himself, Dwayne’s training

would have to be rigorous.“I would run from Stoke Newington

to London Bridge, I boxed three times a week, and then did skiing training in Norway. I trained with Edmund Shillabeer, a British race-walking record holder [and the oldest person ever to debut for Great Britain, at the age of 51] in Plymouth too.”

The 320 miles nautical race, which starts in Northern Canada, was originally due to take place in 2009; 100 years after Matthew Henson had completed the trek, but it was delayed until the 29th April 2010. When it did take place, Dwayne’s team trekked for twenty-one days – five days to get to the start line, then sixteen to the finish. There were occasions when the temperatures dropped as low as -50C.

“On some days I would have five pairs of gloves on and my hands would still be frozen. One day it took twenty-five minutes to put up the tent with our numb hands. Then our fire wouldn’t light. I almost gave up hope. When it lit it was a great moment.

“On the last day, when we were running out of food, a team that was racing alongside us suggested we eat with them, to slow us down really. My teammates encouraged me to keep going, so we did, but along the way I got pretty angry with them. That was a low moment.”

However, reaching the end of the race is what Dwayne describes as “the greatest feeling” he’s ever had.

There was no finishing line, and it looked like a patch of snow that we might have passed twenty days earlier, but it felt amazing.”

Now that Dwayne is home he is working with young people across different associations, acting as a mentor and inspirational figure. He is currently in the process of writing a book about his experiences, and hopes to carry the Olympic torch during the torch relay before the 2012 games.

“I want to carry the torch with Edmund [Shillabeer] really, we’re as untypical a team as you can get, but that is what the Olympics are all about. He may be seventy-one but he just beat me in the Chara Challenge, [a 45-mile endurance race across Dartmoor] although I did have an injury...”


We live in pretty

enlightened times.

We’ve made it to

the 21st century

and, on the whole,

can be quite proud of the fairness in our

society. But that doesn’t mean

discrimination is no longer an issue.

This is seen all too clearly in the world

of job applications, which if anything

is becoming more competitive and

occasionally brings less favourable

biases to come to the surface. Graduates

from minority ethnicities looking to enter

the world of work could be facing more

than just a dilemma over interview

outfits and fonts on their CV. On average

a white job applicant gained a positive

reply after 9 attempts while other

candidates that appeared to be of a

different ethnicity needed 16

applications, according to the results

of a government study.

And it’s not just new starters who

are seemingly discriminated against.

Only 1% of directors are from ethnic

minorities, according to race equality

think tank the Runnymede Trust.

Given these sobering statistics it’s

good to know that there are places

ethnic minority graduates can go to

for help.

Some take a more holistic

perspective, such as The Windsor

Fellowship (www.windsor-fellowship.

org). It was founded in the 1980s to

RACISm – COnSCIOuS OR nOT – STIll ThRIVeS When IT COmeS TO The WORld OF ReCRuITmenT. IT’S GOOd TO knOW TheRe’S help And AdVICe OuT TheRe

WHO YOU GOnna CaLL?

8 RW WWW.REALWORLDMAGAZINE.COM

ETHNICITY | WHO YOU GONNA CALL?RW

help improve academic and career-

based attainment from diverse ethnic

backgrounds. It heads up a number

of programmes that provide help

from student to executive level.

The Race for Opportunity campaign

(www.bitc.org.uk/workplace/diversity_

and_inclusion/race), has been running

for 15 years and according to its website

is “the only race diversity campaign that

has access to and influence over the

leaders of the UK’s best known

organisations.” It has conducted a

wealth of studies and provides a decent

overview of today’s employment

situation. It makes it easy to see which

areas are moving towards integration,

and those that still have a way to go.

For more job-specific assistance

there are several places graduates can

look to. For those of a creative yet

practical disposition, the Stephen

Lawrence Charitable Trust has been

created to promote minority graduates

who are looking to go on to careers in

architecture and related fields.

It offers a variety of assistance

from bursaries, fundraising and

networking events to work placements.

If however, you’re looking to immerse

yourself in the heady atmosphere

of the courtroom, the Association of

Muslim Lawyers (www.aml.org.uk)

provides a helping hand in getting into

the legal profession. It was instrumental

in establishing the Minority Lawyers

Conference, a prestigious annual event

exploring the issue of cross cultural

legal issues.

In addition, the Society of Asian

‘ Only 1% of directors are from ethnic minorities.’

Lawyers (www.societyofasianlawyers.

org) provides a well established support

network. In the twenty years since it was

first formed it has become the UK’s

largest independent legal society. It is

currently encouraging FTSE 250

companies to procure services from

law firms committed to diversity.

Getting on the path to your desired

job or career is never easy and everyone

needs guidance from time to time

– and there is a wealth of information

and support out there at your disposal.

[ www.windsor-fellowship.org ]The Windsor Fellowship

[ www.bitc.org.uk/workplace/diversity_and_inclusion/race ]The Race for Opportunity campaign

The Association of Muslim Lawyers [ www.aml.org.uk ]

The Society of Asian Lawyers [ wwwsocietyofasianlawyers.org ]


ETHNICITY | WHO YOU GONNA CALL? RW

You’ve got Your degree, spent hours finallY honing that Cv and twiCe as long traCking down that dream job, You Can safelY saY You’ve put the effort in. that should be what Counts, not Your raCe, and we spoke to the Companies making sure it staYs that waY

A ROUTE FOR EVERY RACE

12 RW www.realworldmagaZine.Com

Britain can proudly acknowledge itself as a multicultural society but minority groups still fare less well in the labour

market than their white counterparts. Previous legislation is partly to blame. As the Equality Act 2010 comments, “...[previous] legislation was complex and, so despite the progress that has been made, inequality and discrimination persist and progress on some issues has been stubbornly slow.”

The Equality Act 2010 attempts to put an end to confusion by creating a framework to “protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all.” In simplified style the Equality Act 2010 defines race as: colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins.

These characteristics are described as protected characteristics, aspects which an employer, for example, may not discern between two job applicants: “A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if, because of a protected characteristic, A treats B less favorably than A treats or would treat others.”

As straight forward as this may be, Equality Acts of this nature mean relatively little if employers are not embracing diversity too. In order to demonstrate that some companies really do care about equality in the workplace, the Diversity Careers Show has been presented across the country. With dozens of major exhibitors at the London event, and the same occurring in Edinburgh on the 16th November 2010, and in Manchester on the 30th of November, there are reasons to be optimistic.

Linda Riley, the Managing Director of the Diversity recruitment company, said, “The London Diversity Careers Show, now in its second year, has proven the

commitment to diversity of some of the largest organisations in the UK. BSkyB, Microsoft, Credit Suisse and the RAF were among some of the recruiters to attend.”

Commenting specifically on race and ethnic minority equality in the workplace, several other companies which contributed to the Diversity Careers Show described measures that they have taken to ensure diversity in their workplace.

“We have a range of diversity measure in place,” said Jennifer Barrow, Head of Diversity and CSR at Baker & McKenzie, London. “A significant number of which are aimed at the Graduate Recruitment programme. We were one of the first law firms to remove names from CVs, and have totally reviewed our Graduate Recruitment process to ensure it really does provide a level playing field. As a result of our progress in this area, we were recently nominated for a Race for Opportunity award.”

Rajan Lakhani, a Public Affairs and Media Relations Assistant at EDF Energy mentioned their long term ambitions to be recognised as a diverse working community. “As a company, EDF Energy has made a public social commitment to achieve gold standard in Diversity & Inclusion by 2012. At EDF Energy, diversity is more than a good intention. It’s a powerful business tool that enables us to harness different skills, personalities and points of view to the benefit of the company.”

In a similar manner, Thames Valley Police looked to emphasise the importance of reflecting the diversity of British society it their own workforce, not only as a matter of principle, but as a way of improving performance.

“We warmly welcome people into Thames Valley Police from black and minority ethnic groups. Recruiting people from black and minority ethnic groups is a high priority for the Force. We strive to be an employer of choice for all sections of the community. We recognise that having a diverse organisation makes us more approachable and relevant to our communities. There are many ethnic groups across Thames Valley and it is important that we reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve and represent the six strands of diversity.”

For more information on diversity and jobs go to www.realworldmagazine.com, or visit www.ethnicjobsite.co.uk or www.equalities.gov.uk.

‘ Minority groups fare less well in the labout market than white applicants ’

The Government Equalities Office is one of many websites to help you find work


RWDISABILITY | KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

The interview is the finish

line for any job-hunt, the

‘make or break’ chance to

impress an employer. “In

today’s competitive

graduate job market,” says Marc Fels,

director at video recruitment specialists

meettherealme.com and overall

interview guru, “employers are

increasingly ruthless. It is not enough to

rely on a degree or a couple of weeks

work experience to impress the hirers

and firers: if a candidate fails to perform

at the interview stage, they won’t be

called back, no matter how perfect they

might seem on paper”.

It’s nerve-racking enough having to

promote yourself one-on-one with your

prospective employer, but studies have

shown that for ethnic minorities, the

interview stage is not a level playing

field. Celia Roberts is a senior research

fellow at the Department of Education &

Professional Studies at King’s College

London; she is concerned that minorities

are not getting a fair deal, “our research

found that, surprisingly, current practice

to make job interviews fairer unwittingly

disadvantaged foreign-born ethnic

minorities”.

Regardless of their experience and

job skills, it’s disheartening to know that

those from minority backgrounds,

especially those for whom English is not

their first language, are at a

disadvantage compared to ‘native’

English speakers. Roberts’ research at

King’s College has shown that it is

predominantly first generation ethnic

minorities that fare less well at

the interview stage because they are, in

Roberts’ words, victim to a ‘linguistic

penalty’. This disadvantage occurs less

from a lack of fluency in English but

more from candidate’s being unaware

of the need “to talk in institutionally

credible ways and from a mismatch

of implicit cultural expectations,

evidenced by mutual misunderstandings,

protracted attempts to resolve them and

Don’T LET InTERvIEw ChaT gET you Down. wE bRuSh uP on ThE LanguagE oF SuCCESS

The InTervIew: TalkIng The Talk

‘ Remember, an interview is not a test but a chance to show what sets you apart from the competition ‘

negative judgments by interviewers”.

The language used in the interview

process can often confound the most

confident of English speakers, let alone

those who speak it as a second

language. “Job interview English is

different from the day-to-day

communications you need, for example,

for a manual job in a factory

or doing delivery work” explains Roberts.

For this reason, Roberts thinks

employers should look at different

methods of recruitment for certain jobs.

“organisations need to consider

alternative methods to interviewing,

which test job skills more directly, such

as work experience - especially for

entry-level jobs”.

Marc Fels, however, thinks that ethic

minority graduates can help change

their own luck in the interview. being

fluent in a second language can

obviously be beneficial to your job

prospects, as Fels explains.

“The first step is to recognise the areas

that distinguish you from the rest of the

interviewees and then learn how to

express them in the interview. For

example, if you are fluent in a second

language, stress how being bilingual

improves your communication skills.”

he says that it’s important to play

on these differences as strengths and

challenge any preconceptions the

interviewer may have on what is required

in terms of qualifications or experience,

“Remember, an interview is not a test

but a chance to show what sets you

apart from the competition, and how

these strengths can be transferred to

a working environment”.


RWETHNICITY | TALKING THE TALK RW

The NCYPE is the leading national charityproviding specialist services for children andyoung people with epilepsy and relatedneurological conditions. Our inspiring campus inLingfield, Surrey, provides a residential specialschool, FE college and a medical andassessment centre. In addition, we provide highquality information, training and support onchildhood epilepsy for professionals, parents andyoung people across the UK.

Better futures for young lives with epilepsy

Being part of the life of young people withepilepsy is not easy. It requires a special personwith special qualities – are you one of them?NCYPE aims to provide stimulating and rewardingopportunities where you can contribute, develop and perform to your full potential.

The work is challenging, but if you wish to develop a career insocial care or use this valuable experience to springboardyour career in working with children and young people, this isjust the opportunity for you.

What the staff say:“The atmosphere at NCYPE is amazing, everyone is really helpful.”“The organisation is very committed to staff development and allstaff are very supportive of each other.”“Each day provides many worthwhile challenges.” For further information about our work and career opportunities,visit www.ncype.org.uk

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and guarantee tointerview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria. We arecommitted to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.An enhanced police disclosure will be required.

Charity No. 311877www.ncype.org.uk

Name: Funmei Samuel age: 23Degree aND uNiversity: BSC (HonS) iT & new media. (univerSiTy oF manCHeSTer)Job title: ProduCT managemenT inTern

What is it you actually do? i have been involved in user acceptance Testing for software projects which involve writing test cases with the actual or expected result of the test. i’ve also been working on implementing the Portfolio & Project management tool (PPm) to various departments within the business.

How did you get into the industry? i saw the Pearson diversity Summer internship on the careers website in my final year and i decided to apply. The most interesting part of this internship is the opportunity given to be responsible for your own work. working as part of the Product team has helped me in understanding the software development life cycle and how the team gathers and analyse requirements.

People are very friendly here and i have been able to meet with various people within the business to ask questions and how they got to where they are all of which are very motivating. my time spent in the company has been packed with huge experience and has given me an insight to the business and the industry. The internship has also helped in building my communication, team work and planning and organisation skills.

Why did you decide on this job? when i was applying for jobs, i did not have a specific sector in mind as it was just a case of having something in line with what i studied. Fortunately, i came across Pearson PlC and being in this sector has given me a platform for my career and how to progress.

What do you most like about what you do and are there any downsides? Pearson is a company i would recommend to anybody as they value their employees irrespective of what you do or the department. what i like most about what i do is that there is constant support from people around and they are always ready to go the extra mile to help.

What advice would you give to other graduates? i would recommend this sector to graduates as the experience you get from it is invaluable and that they should make the most of every opportunity they have.

18 RW www.realworldmagaZine.Com

RW

IT, Internet, ICT Research, Information Assurance, Mathematics, Language and Culture specialistsCheltenham | c.£25,000 + benefits With its different languages and cultures, belief systems and viewpoints, the world is a diverse

and interesting place. As one of the UK’s intelligence services, so is our world of work. From helping stamp out cyber-crime and the illegal

drugs trade, through to helping prevent acts of terror, we’re here to help create a safer, more democratic world for everyone. But while we use

the latest and most exciting technology to counter those threats, it’s our people who really make the difference. So it’s not just your skills

and qualifications that count. We’re looking for people from a variety of backgrounds - people who think differently, and who can bring a range

of new perspectives to our work. In return you’ll enjoy unique opportunities for development, tailored to your individual needs. Get under the

skin of our work. Find out more and apply online: www.careersinbritishintelligence.co.uk

Applicants must be British Citizens. GCHQ values diversityand welcomes applicants from all sections of the community.

it’s an interesting world

Get underskin of it.the

TOPGOVERNMENT

EMPLOYER

Date: 1.11.10 Op: SGRevise: 1.11.10 2: SG Esend:Size: 297x210mm SET + Bleed AH: Theresa Pub: Real World Diversity

BRI

877991c GCHQ 297x210 1/11/10 11:43 Page 1PAGE 2

Enterprise Management Training ProgrammeIf you’ve got your sights set on becoming a big name in business, you shouldcome and see us. After all, with a global turnover of more than $12 billion, plus3,400 people in the UK and Ireland alone, we’ve plenty of tips and pointers tohelp get you off to a flying start.

Upon joining, you’ll be assigned to a branch to learn all about our business.We’ll make sure you’re given an excellent level of training and support as youdevelop management skills across all areas, from sales and marketing tocustomer service and finance. Throughout, we’ll give you plenty of opportunityto show your stuff as we evaluate your growing skills, and recognise and rewardyour development with pay increases and all sorts of opportunities for promotion.

We won’t expect you to do it alone, either. You’ll be part of a team of like-mindedpeople in the branch, each of whom will want to meet targets just as much asyou. And while the challenges can be tough, we believe in having fun too.Because when you feel good, we know you learn more and progress faster.

Start getting ahead of yourself by visitingwww.enterprisealive.co.uk/RealW2010 or calling 0870 850 1232.

With training and support ascomprehensive as ours, it’s easyto start getting ahead of yourself.

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