– Building Your Brand Series VI - Tackling Lack of Canadian Experience

– Building Your Brand VI-

Tackling Lack of Canadian Experience

(Canadian Immigrant Magazine May 2012)

A standard tale of woe that many a newcomer to Canada faces.

And with exasperation, responds, “If I am a newcomer to Canada, how do you expect me to have Canadian experience.”

And that having been said, resign themselves into months of misery until they find a way to get a foot in the door.

Familiar sounds? Sure, we all have been victim to this.

My answer was to process the words differently. Rather than hearing the words as “But you don’t have any Canadian experience”, I heard them as “I don’t know who you are and what you can do”.

And that opened the door to a whole new world. A world of volunteering to build Canadian experience and using online media to showcase what you are capable of achieving.

In my case, I used these two routes to build my Canadian brand – writing articles and volunteering. Much as you read this article today, my articles have been published in several magazines and Dailies bringing salience to my written word. I also used online to advantage by running and contributing regularly to this blog called G Talks.

A simple Google search of your name will bring witness to how much you have achieved in the marketplace. If a prospective employer is considering hiring you, they almost always do a Google search of your name to see what the www says about you. So keep your brand alive by being active online.

The second route I used was to volunteer my time. In my case, as I had previous Board experience, I looked at volunteering at a Board level and was able to join and continue to contribute there. I like you, did not have any Canadian experience initially so this not only built my Canadian experience but also allowed prospective employers to view my capabilities. Do visit the Maytree Website at www.maytree.com if you have Board level experience for opportunities that you are suitable to volunteer for.

Everyone does not have to volunteer on a Board, select your level and an avenue that you are passionate about and can contribute positively. It will help showcase your talents and is something you can easily refer to in your resume as well as job application forms. Do not spread yourself thin but select one or perhaps two places to volunteer. But one thing is very important to remember when you are volunteering and that is to make your presence felt. Be active in your group and do things that can showcase your skill sets. 

These are things you can subsequently quote as Canadian experience.

Start volunteering literally from day one as every day that you volunteer; you are gradually building your Canadian experience and your network. 

The other thing that many newcomers tend to lose after coming to Canada is our self esteem. We had an image that we had built over time overseas but none of that transcends the borders so we find ourselves relatively a stranger in Canada. No one knows who you were and no one really cares leaving us with a sense of lost identity. This can lead to a downward spiraling of demotivation and at times depression. 

Volunteering is a great way to retain a degree of self esteem and over time, build it back to the high levels that it was. There is a sense of purpose, a sense of achievement and a sense of recognition when we volunteer. And it makes you feel good about being able to give back and helps you stand tall and proud. That shows itself when you attend a job interview or just go about your day to day life.