Upwardly Global Chicago Summit

Upwardly Global Chicago, in partnerships with the State of Illinois Office of New Americans, celebrated its public debut with the first of four Career Summits scheduled in the greater Chicago area for 2009. The two-day Summit brought together 39 Upwardly Global jobseekers from 16 different countries with more than 110 volunteers from 36 companies.

Upon immigrating to the U.S., skilled immigrants often face challenges in adapting to a new culture, learning a new language and trying to rebuild their careers. In addition, skilled immigrants face misperceptions related to their working status and U.S. employers' lack of knowledge regarding foreign higher education systems. When these factors are combined with cultural differences in communication styles and workplace norms, it is not surprising that skilled immigrants have such a difficult time rebuilding their careers.

The Summit helped Upwardly Global jobseekers to address those barriers. During two days of intensive meeting, Upwardly Global jobseekers had the opportunities to work with volunteers on a one-on-one basis to develop their resumes, practice their interviewing and networking skills, as well as to gain insight from volunteers during the industry roundtables.

Several jobseekers were at the end of their rope in trying to find work in the U.S., but learned from the Summit that they actually have hope. "As a professional, I thought that it would be an easy task to rely on my own skills and experience to find employment and I didn't realize that the process could be so frustrating or disheartening. I know that the Summit is only the beginning, but am now approaching this process with confidence and vigor, armed with fresh insights and tools," said a jobseeker from the Philippines.

Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight program profiled three Upwardly Global Jobseekers in advance of the Summit. Guiding Immigrants in the Job Search aired on Friday, February 6th. Click here to listen to the full interview.

Upwardly Global Chicago followed up this first Summit with a highly successful Employer Network Breakfast on February 25. The 32 employers in attendance learned about the benefits of becoming an Employer Partner with Upwardly Global and were exposed to 22 Upwardly Global jobseekers that are part of the emerging talent pool that can help create a diverse pipeline for companies in Chicago area. This networking event also gave employers the opportunity to see the caliber and skill of the immigrant talent pool first hand.

Upwardly Global is thrilled to have received an incredibly warm welcome from Chicago community who are ready to embrace our mission. We would like to thank our partners, supporters and volunteers who made this event a successful one.

PARTNERS

• The State of Illinois Office of New Americans: a strategic partner in improving immigrant career integration, including access to professional licensing for immigrant professionals in Illinois and nationally
• JPMorgan Chase: a national Premier Partner of Upwardly Global

SUPPORTERS

• The Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation and the Nelson family, providers of generous and visionary support to Upwardly Global Chicago

The next Career Summit will be held on May 3-4, 2009. To learn more about the Summit and how you can participate, please contact Rebecca Tancredi, Program Manager at rebecca@upwardlyglobal.org or Marjan Farshchiha, Volunteer Coordinator at marjan@upwardlyglobal.org.