Every year, thousands of immigrants arrive in Canada hopeful to find the right job waiting for them. Some of them have little or no employment barriers at all, and have less difficulty blending in with the Canadian labour force in no time. However, there are those with valuable experience and skills but still cannot find suitable employment because they don’t even know where to begin.

Some of these newcomers feel trapped when replying to ‘local Canadian experience’ in resumes and end up getting frustrated and finding themselves trading their expertise and educational achievements for a survival job.

Not being able to enter the workforce because of language limitations, lack of familiarity with the values and norms of Canadian living and workplace culture are only some of the issues that a Mentor can help a newcomer overcome.

The provincial government recognizes these problems and has therefore funded several programs to help immigrants overcome the stress of finding work in a new country. Local professionals or resident Canadian VOLUNTEERS who have specialized or occupation-specific knowledge can help newcomers better understand the job search process, effective networking skills and workplace norms.

These Host Mentors can share their knowledge on how to access community resources, government-funded programs, exchange cultural information, learn about different cultures, foreign languages and build confidence, trust and friendship.

If you are interested in helping a professional newcomer, be a Host Mentor.

 Mentor Ad                        Newcomer Information                      Host & Host Mentoring Program Information

For more information:

hm@success.bc.ca
Tel: 604.936.5900
Tel: 604.468.6064

Article submitted by Effie Garcia, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Host Mentoring Program