CULTURAL DIFFERENCE

Impact of cultural differences in the Job Application Process

Impact of cultural differences in the Job Application Process

Introduction

Culture is one of the most commonly discussed concepts in contemporary society while expressions such as cultural differences, cultural diversity, cross-culture, etc. appear quite frequently in discussions as well as studies (Samover, Porter & McDaniel, 2010, p. 10). Culture has an important role to play in all aspects of life and in our everyday activities and is a concept that exerts a pervasive influence on every aspect of life. Culture though comprises of a lot of components in terms of which one culture can be differentiated from another. These cultural differences or variations in culture with respect to the context and setting are important to understand for effective intercultural communication. Today's global market requires from people to understand these cultural differences and act appropriately in various contexts. When applying for jobs, cultural differences may also have an impact on the job application process. The paper after an overview of the concepts surrounding cultural differences, thus attempts to show how cultural differences might impact on the job application process.

Discussion

Cultural Differences

For an understanding of how might cultural differences impact the job application process, it is essential to first understand what actually comprise culture and in what ways differences exist across cultures such that it influences the intercultural communication that takes place in the context. Various concepts are central to the manner in which culture influences intercultural communication.

One of the most important components of intercultural communication is the perceptions that people hold. People conduct their lives according to how they perceive the world, and hence people from different cultures have different perceptions of the world around them. In this regard, the beliefs, values and attitudes have a central role to play in how meanings are assigned to various things and actions. Beliefs are actually the subjective views held by individuals about the nature of some object or an event. These views are largely defined by culture and influence the behaviours that we exhibit (Zhu, 2011). For example, bullfighting is considered as a cruel and inhumane event in some parts of the world while for Spain and Mexico, it is the sport they enjoy and love. Other differentiations in various aspects also exist that are defined by religious beliefs. On the other hand, values are those things that are held as important by people either in terms of personal values or some values that culture brings to them (Markel, 2009). Cultural values are primarily those that are established for providing a structure to the interactions and for reducing the chances of the emergence of a conflict. These cultural values shape the behaviours of individuals in a significant manner. For example, in some cultures, such as in Japan, value is placed on harmonious social relations, and hence the communication style tends to be a kind of indirect one. Contrastingly, some other cultures would prefer using a more direct style, due to more value placed on openness and ...