Words by Nethmee H. Goonesekera
Design by Emerson Domingo

As your average #trendy millennial, I too jumped on the Spotify Wrapped bandwagon and shared my most memorable listening moments this week. What surprised me was that, hidden among the host of indie, rock and alternative songs, my top song ended up being ‘Confident’ by Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper. Why? This is my hype song.

It’s the song I play whenever I need to summon that extra pizzazz when I walk into a room.

With the past year being a mix of multiple internships, graduating, networking events, facing MANY job interviews and navigating a new job—you bet I made sure to blast this song (anxiously) loud and proud. Each of these occasions required me to be seen, heard and somehow stand out all at the same time. I’ve slowly come to realise that being a woman, POC, non-native and when English isn’t your first language - this proves to be a bit harder than usual. To be honest, the struggles I thought I’d have to face when I moved to Australia 2 years ago would mostly revolve around maintaining a student budget and occasionally having a face-off with a magpie or another component of Australia’s world famous ‘wildlife’ (which did happen by the way, but that’s a story for another day).

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the struggles would instead be in landing a job in an environment where no one looked like me or in being understood for the minute intricacies of my culture, and sometimes - simply being ignored ;because I’m the only ‘different’ one in the room. How can one be expected to stand out, when there are limited opportunities/space for their story to be heard?

So naturally, us non-natives work more, do more, speak louder, and change our names, all in an attempt to simply be heard.

Let me explain with another example.

On my usual commute to work, I heard a very thick non-native accent through my train’s intercom. On a regular day, the intercom dude would say “Roma Street, platform on the right”. But what caught my attention is that he didn’t stop at the usual one-liner. In fact, he went on to talk about the platform we’re landing on, the city’s attractions, factoids about other stops, etc.

While I don’t know anything about this man, I am so used to seeing non-native individuals having to work twice as hard to prove themselves that my brain automatically pivoted to an internal rant. Why the heck do non-natives (be it first or second generation immigrants or international students/temporary residents like me) have to work twice as hard(er) (pun intended) in order to be good enough? Why is it that the ‘bare minimum’ is different?

According to Google, self-promotion is “the practice of purposefully trying to present oneself as highly competent to other people”. What Google failed to mention is that this purposeful presentation lies in 2 very different ends of the spectrum when you’re a non-native in an industry where representation is sometimes only limited to the screen. So as the queen herself would say;

In an industry that makes a profit from self promotion, you have to be the queen (or king) of standing out. They say if you’re not quirky, loud and a bit of a misfit, are you even an Ad person?

That’s the exact reason why this industry is so great, but also the reason it can be hard to stand out. The wonderful and colourful Ad world’s sole purpose is to preach difference. If you gave me a dollar for every time I saw an ad agency say that they’re “changemakers, trendsetters and disruptors”, I’d probably be able to afford my own house. We work with brands which surprise, surprise - caters to a multitude of people. But what’s the point of representation on-screen when there’s none off it?

For those of us who've had to learn the culture, language and behavioural intricacies of Australia from scratch, while maintaining a healthy academic, work, and social life - a lack of representation can be daunting. It’s a norm to work extra hours, do (many) unpaid roles and join multiple clubs and societies in an attempt to make ourselves ‘entry level’ worthy. I was typically a loud and outgoing person back in Sri Lanka (yes, Ayubowan to you too!), always ready for a good chat. But the curse of the introvert has plagued me since arriving in Australia. To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with ‘imposter syndrome’ until I had to study and work here. But I’ve learnt that it’s natural to be introduced to a series of insecurities when you’re in an unfamiliar environment.

To top it off, job hunting can be a very daunting process. The interview starts with: “Why should we hire you? English isn’t even your first language” And after landing the role, it's: “Why are you good enough to be here?” and: “What do you know about a country/culture you weren’t born into?” or: “Why should we promote you over someone who doesn’t have an accent?”.

We also find ourselves making a mental note of how multicultural a workplace is, before applying for a job. That’s because of the (wildly unspoken) unconscious bias, where the world’s Shu-juus, Renukas and Ahameds miss out on an opportunity because of their name. How can you be expected to make an impression when you're judged before you get the chance?

If you’re a non-native reading this article and think well... now what? I’ve gotchu. Remember, while standing out in a creative industry is tough, the best way to get your foot through the door is with good ol’ human connection. Go to networking events and make friends with people who are as nervous as you! Join some mentoring programs, societies, and volunteer organisations. If in-person conversations are a bit intimidating, reach out to people through LinkedIn. Comment on their posts and be supportive. LinkedIn also has a new feature where you can add pronunciation (or a small intro) to your profile - use this!

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is to reach out to someone who is doing the job you want to be in, and ask them to chat with you over a (virtual or in-person) coffee. There are so many kind and warm people who would happily oblige!

Self-promotion is tough for anyone, especially when you’re somewhere you didn't grow up. But it gets easier when we all stand together.

Being heard, empathised with, and accepted help us shine. Challenge the ‘created rules’ around self-promotion and representation. Our job in the ad world is to stand out - and I think being a non-native and bringing in cross cultural perspectives bring us a couple of steps ahead! So be proud of who you are and where you come from. Our culture, language, and perspectives – however different – are what makes us stand out, especially in such a dynamic industry. So OWN it. And to my local friends reading this, advocate for diversity in your environments - wherever that might be. We're all just looking to learn and be the best version of ourselves together.