Makati, Philippines – For someone who loves to chase a fast-paced career, a quote from a movie starring Nicolas Cage entitled Family Man, might seem appropriate. From that movie he said, “If I’m in US, I’d stay in New York. If I’m in England, I’d stay in London.” And did I hear someone say, “If I’m in the Philippines, I’d stay in Makati?” Apparently because these places are the main business districts.
Most people who struggle to find a fairly good job may think that Makati is a perfect place to land. Sure, there are plenty of opportunities available. Opportunities flow like milk and honey. But getting here is not that easy. Because there are plenty of people to compete with as well. And you’ll encounter the discriminating, the high-hats, the prestigious, and tough interviewers.
Let me just confirm some simple discriminating truths that you may so often hear when you scramble for that dream career. These are just my observations, true not only here in Makati, but in many Metro Manila places as well.
1. That Visayan accent
Makati skyline on a fine weather day.
If you want to go first base, improvise your Tagalog. I’m referring to the accent. Because the intonation is simply different. But having various groups of friends from different places who speak the Cebuano or Visayan language, I’ve learned that, Davaoeños speak fairly good Tagalog, and more adaptable to the so-called ‘malambing’ intonation.
But there are those, who, no matter how confident in the terms and words to be used, are distinctively Bisaya in nature. If you don’t strive to improve on this, it could be a ground to put you off the list. You know why? The discriminating line draws from the simple fact that the interviewer may simply not like the sound of it. ‘Cause guess what, that distinctive Visayan accent may have associated you with her helper or yaya at home! And so, if one finds this as a problem, better speak English!
We never want to lose our identity. Forever, we are Davaoeños at heart, and pink blooded UICian. But we must adapt on the proper use of the language, not so as to impress, and not so as to forget where we came from. But for them to better understand us, that like them, we are decent people as well. And for
them to realize, that hey men, we’re just as kewl as anybody could be!
2. Where did you graduate?
For all of us who have been about 5 years in the IT industry, this may no longer be important. Most interviewers scrutinize more on our employment record. Still, there are a few who manage not to get away with this. I have dropped my resume to one of the companies I found here in Makati, because I saw their ad on a newspaper. I wondered why I was never called for an interview. Next thing I found out, they reposted on the same newspaper, and added, “for Ateneo and De La Salle graduates only!” Believe me, I’ve read it with my own eyes! Well, fine! They haven’t heard about our beloved alma mater, UIC!
It all dwells down on questioning on who we really are. I realized that maybe we can do a little something for our school too, for it to be recognized as well. By keeping the right attitude in our workplace, and become assiduous in our work, striving to reach our own best….and by proving ourselves really well, we eliminate the discriminating walls. And sure to find, that if you do good, it becomes a high scoring ground for another kababayan out there who marches on the line of interview as well.
3. Don’t be intimidated
So you got the job you want. And you’re on high spirits for a new start. You start to win friendship among colleagues. And you’ve gotten over or have not ever experienced discriminating behaviors from the selection of candidate employees. Yet there are those who will really try to knock you down, and think they got the hippies, the advanced knowledge, and technology savvy. Believe me, they are really good in that. All the blah-blah so to speak, because that’s the way their elite schools have trained them to be. My word of advice, never be intimidated. Just do what you can, and strive for excellence. A few weeks later, they’ll recognize your capabilities. And everything will just change. I’ve known a number of friends who have been through with this, but they turn out to be the most trusted, dependable employees.
Other people came here because they were relocated. Others got good recommendations from someone they knew who already worked here. These were the cases for Rizza and me, so maybe it wasn’t really that hard. Some have worked their way up through exam and interviews like Raul, Gary, Cres, and Flint. Probably with no depressing experiences in the beginning as well.
Makati is the cleanest city here in the metropolis, and probably that place up here with the most orderly traffic. And several benefits for residents who are young children and senior citizens. But this also is where a lot of women step down from the building for a yosi break, where a lot of women give in to the most expensive vanities and material things, where apartment rents are soaring high just like the PPA, and where taxi drivers knack the hell out of you!
But no matter where we are, in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, or even beyond foreign seas, we in our batch, have a beautiful place where we came from, that molded us on who we came to be. We had classmates and batch mates who, through friendship, have influenced us in a more idealistic way. And so though in a fast-paced environment, we all manage to become strong to keep our own identity. Fully aware to stand up for all the things we believe, yet keeping an open mind to learn new things.
