I have applied for multiple positions at my company for which I’m qualified, but I haven’t been selected for any of them. How do I know if race or gender is playing a factor?

If you have the experience the position requires and good performance reviews, it may be tempting to wonder about the factor diversity dimensions play in the selection process, particularly if your company has a diversity initiative. Before going there, I’d ask a few questions — Am I being selective in applying for the right positions that truly play to my strengths? I’ve seen many instances where employees put in for jobs using the “shotgun” approach, hoping that after expressing interest in many opportunities, one will stick. You don’t want to be known as a “serial applicant.” It sends the message you may be desperate and trying to get out of a situation rather than strategically move to a new one where you can have the greatest impact. I’d also ask if my resume strongly reflects the background and skills I have that are required for the job. How does it read to someone who may not know anything about me?

I once counseled an employee who had a great background in sales, but over a period of several months, applying for every sales position that came up, had no luck.  We worked together on the presentation of his experiences via his resume and two weeks later, he landed a sales-training role, which was perfect for his background.  Hiring managers were having a difficult time understanding the strength of his sales background due to the presentation of his resume. Make sure your resume reads in a way that speaks strongly to the attributes required for the job.

Last, how are your interviewing skills? Are your answers relevant, and succinct yet impactful to the questions being asked?  Practice interviewing with a co-worker, spouse or friend. Video yourself. There are a number of ways you can assess your interviewing skills. Once you have done all these things and still find you’re not landing the opportunities you want, talk to Human Resources. There could be other issues with the organization you are pursuing that you may not know about, such as an imminent change in leadership or a re-organization. If race or gender is playing a factor, a good HR professional will sniff that out, without you having to ask them to check into it. However, bringing up your concern to HR is fair game as well. Just make sure you’ve done your homework in advance and polished the presentation of your skills so that your not being selected is tough to attribute to other factors.

I do a good job at work, but no one knows me. How do I raise my profile inside my organization?

One of the most common misperceptions diverse employees have is,” if I just keep my head down, work hard, and do a good job, eventually someone will notice me and opportunities will come.” Wrong. In today’s dynamic, fast-paced environment, you have to work it. Continue working hard and doing a good job, but pursue projects at work outside of your day-to-day job that will lend itself to greater visibility. Sign up to work on that project presented in the department staff meeting, for example. If you’re not sure where to start, let your manager know you’re interested in contributing your skills to an initiative outside your everyday role. Cross-functional projects are great for building your visibility; your skills can be observed not only by those in your department, but throughout the company.

It’s great for your profile to have positive buzz about you coming from outside your immediate workgroup or business unit. Do you have some suggestions for how to improve the annual sales conference? Find out who’s responsible for organizing the event and write he/she a letter with your suggestions, emphasizing that you would be happy to help implement them. You may just open the door for yourself to work on the sales conference committee, or better yet, lead the group responsible for implementing your ideas.

Other options may include volunteering your time for one of your company employee-affinity groups or signing up to work with your employee activities association. Involvement with organizations outside the company helps raise your profile inside the company as well. If your time allows, don’t be afraid to take an officer role within your local chapter of a professional association or sit on the board of your favorite non-profit, asking your company to make a donation.

By doing some of these things, you will position your skills to be seen by many others from inside and outside the firm, further increasing your visibility. By distinguishing yourself this way, you’ll find yourself stronger networked and better informed about the various opportunities available.

There’s a vicious cycle of disappointment from each passing generation. Hopeful Asian- Americans face the dissatisfying reality that their dreams of corporate-management success are being overlooked by the outspoken and eccentric. Corporate America is playing a different game and most Asian-Americans aren’t even aware of the rules.

While Asian-American males are strongly represented as professionals in the workforce (23%), they’re underrepresented in executive managerial positions (14%). Asian-American females represent 17% of professional jobs, but are less likely to be represented as executives or managers (12%). In Silicon Valley, CA, where Asian-Americans comprise 30% of technology professionals, a 1993 study showed that they only make up 12.5% of managerial positions.

In a 1999 study by the University of California at Santa Barbara, psychologists identified 14 Asian values that come from Confucius’ teachings. They include collectivism, deference to authority figures, self-control, self-effacement and avoidance of family shame. Although these values do have their strengths in a team setting, they have also limited characteristics that conflict with career advancement. The study also revealed that these values were not found to significantly differ across each passing generation. This means that unless there is a new shift in thinking, the disappointment of the past will continue to dictate the future.

Education isn’t the only key

According to the 2002 data from the US Census Bureau, 44% of Asian-Americans over age 25 have graduated from college, compared to the 27% average for the U.S. population. About 25% of Stanford University undergraduates are of Asian descent, and Asians make up more than 40% of undergraduates at the University of California at Berkeley. In California, while Asian-Pacific Americans comprise 8% of all elementary students, they represent 17% of those in schools in the top 10%. Only 4 percent of Asians in those schools are in the bottom 10%. Far too often, Asians are pressured so heavily to enter certain professions, it may be at the expense of completely neglecting their own aptitudes, personalities, and, most importantly, passions.

Dan Goleman, in his book Working with Emotional Intelligence, calls “emotional intelligence” a greater value in American companies. Unfortunately, the unwavering emphasis on education in Asian culture overshadows the need to develop emotional intelligence. The American values of assertiveness, networking, and self-promotion by Asian-Americans are overwritten with “the loudest duck gets shot” Confucian way of thinking.

Bamboo Ceiling

There is some good news, however. In her book Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, author Jane Hyun gives deep insights on how Asian-Americans can finally get the well-deserved spots in the corner offices.

“The bamboo ceiling is clearly a nod to the term glass ceiling, a term that has historically been used to address barriers that women and multicultural professionals have faced in the workplace,” she says. “It is the combination of personal and organizational barriers that keep someone from advancing inside an organization. For organizations, it is both the lack of awareness about these differences and the resulting subtle biases that may occur. Another aspect of the bamboo ceiling is deeply imbedded cultural values and norms that impact Asian professionals’ interactions with others and cause others to make judgments about them.”

In many Asian countries, too much eye contact is a sign of disrespect and can come off as rude. The lack of consistent eye contact and a firm handshake may be misunderstood by recruiters and hiring managers.

Hyun suggests finding an experienced mentor. This cannot be stressed highly enough. Great mentors are very much linked to having a great network. As cliché as it sounds, in order to reach the top, it really does matter more who th

Speak your way up

To win more clients, gain recognition, and be selected for more interesting topics, you must be constantly looking for ways to make your accomplishments known. This can be done by taking on high-visibility corporate tasks overseen by senior management or by speaking up in meetings to establish credibility and connect you with others in the company.

Traditional Asian influences such as respect for authority (reluctance to question an expert), emphasis on harmony (backing down when challenged), can profoundly impact Asians’ effectiveness at work with co-workers, clients, managers, and subordinates. Asians need to ensure that their workplace behaviors aren’t being misinterpreted.

For example, the Asian employee’s deep-rooted value of respect for authority may lead colleagues to view him as a “yes man.” While you don’t want to be known as the perpetual devil’s advocate either, you should be able to question someone’s decision without disrespecting his or her authority. If you know the meeting will be a difficult one, you should prepare double-time by checking your sources and prepping the key participants prior to the day of the meeting.

Missing Out

Hyun thinks corporate America is missing out if it doesn’t figure out how to work with Asians. “If there are Asians opting out of firms before they reach their full potential because of a bad manager, or other cultural workplace misunderstanding, we lose out because we miss out on the unrealized contributions they could have offered,” she says. “As more young Asian- Americans enter corporations, I’d like to see more Asians use their cultural attributes as assets in their leadership — to be impacting their organizations positively with their skills, knowledge, and leadership capabilities.”

Perhaps, the future generations of Asian-Americans will be able to leverage the best of both cultures embedded in their upbringing and America to give Asians a chance. You can’t change your skin color, but you can disprove any preconceived prejudices by outwardly living up to your full potential. Some pioneers are already leading the way. It is up to the upcoming generations to break the unkind cycle of the past.

“The key to upward career mobility is self-awareness, recognizing what leadership gaps you need to fill in order to advance your career and taking the time to fill those gaps, and developing relationships with mentors who will help you navigate inside your organization,” says Hyun.