AN AUSTRALIAN workplace survival guide Do you sometimes feel like you are speaking a different language, even when you communicate with your employer in English? Like they speak a different language? Do you feel others just don’t quite get you? Or are you trying to understand them, but just don’t seem to connect? You are not alone! Frankly most of us feel like this on a regular basis, especially if you immigrated from a different country or speak a different language at home than at work. You may even have been born and raised in Australia, but with different cultural values than those in your workplace. If you are job seeking you may have thought you went well, but the ‘thanks, but no thanks’ letters keep rolling in. This can lead to frustration and self-doubt. We all need some form of validation from those around us and if we feel that we don’t fit in, it can be very lonely. This in turn often leads to us performing worse as we withdraw from stressful situations and sometimes completely give up. What can you do to fit in better? What can you do to show others your inner awesomeness, without feeling judged because you speak a different language, look different or have different values? First of all, get help. Ask for it. In many cultures it is important to save face or you just don’t want to appear weak. You may just be surprised at how many people would be willing to lend a hand. But its important to ask the right person. Would you go to the hardware store to buy bread? Probably not. It is important to pick the right people to assist you. Sometimes we lean on a partner or a friend who does not have the expertise we need. This is the same as going to the hardware store for bread.

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