Recently I began to look for a job in Boston and have seen a few more differences between Russian and American cultures.
Questions “are you married?” or “do you have children?” are very common when you talking to your future employer in Russia. Such questions are used especially when interviewing female employment candidates; it helps the employer to anticipate whether potential staff will be focused on the work at hand or instead be distracted by family obligations.
On the other hand, people in the US have fought for equal rights since the founding of the country. Therefore, any discrimination against gender or marital status can cause a huge scandal and even problems with the law.
Furthermore, I realized that connections are not more important than skills and knowledge in America. Employees from all over the country send their CVs to show that they will meet employers’ expectations better than other job seekers. After an objective comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of each job applicant is the perfect candidate chosen. That, I believe, is evidence that the principle of equality works in the US.
Unfortunately, in Russia the more prominent priority is that of personal relationships; even in the business world. I heard and have seen many times how well-qualified people were unable to find a job because someone else’s son or friend (who got his degree with all Cs and didn’t have any experience), simply needed it. Such circumstances are often very predictable in my country!
I hope that my nationals will learn how to implement the American attitude towards employment very soon…
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