Looking for the best detours to roadblocks in international professional transitions

November 18, 2013By
Take a walk in the major Canadian cities and you will undoubtedly notice the burgeoning diversity. It is a trend that has been covered in the media, politics, and beyond. What is interesting is that this diversity is now increasing outside the traditional top destinations of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and into cities like Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax, Saskatoon, and more. This makes sense, given the Canadian government’s successful economic policy to attract skilled immigrants. As well as supplementing the Canadian workforce, employee diversity can bring a myriad of experiences and ideas to create a more creative and competitive economic environment. Unfortunately, immigrants remain the largest group within Canada that experience unemployment or underemployment. There has been a focus in identifying the roadblocks that immigrant-workers face in not only transitioning into the workforce but in gaining positions congruent with their education level. What is not as discussed is how employers are acting to diversify and help immigrant-workers successfully transition into professionals in Canada.

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The importance of understanding cultural and familial influences on career development: Through a Chinese-Canadian’s experience

November 18, 2013By

By Danni Lei (Cannexus14 GSEP Award Winner)

Canada is well known throughout the world as a country of multiculturalism with a diverse population. Within the counselling context, it is important to explore and understand an individual’s unique cultural influences. A cultural lens is important for understanding people’s career development, including career planning and decision-making. Within an economically and status driven society, taking an inclusive perspective means gaining appreciation for the process of career decision-making that incorporates the experiences of Canada’s diverse working population. From an applied perspective, having a greater understanding of the influences on such a process may prove invaluable within the specific context of career counselling. From a personal perspective, the career decision-making process is one that has been central to my own life and has been often complicated and stressful, as there have been important influences that are embedded within my cultural milieu of being a Chinese-Canadian immigrant.

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The power of mentorship – a personal reflection

November 18, 2013By

By Angela Katsamakis (Cannexus14 GSEP Award Winner)

Four years of all-consuming post-secondary study, student debt, a baccalaureate degree in hand, and unemployment staring you in the face. Three years related experience needed to apply for work in ones field of study is a daunting reality for most new graduates. Having dedicated ones former years to earning good grades and working entry level, minimum wage, jobs to pay rent or ones cell phone bill just doesn’t cut it in the job market today. This puts our graduates in a very vulnerable state. In fact, a recent Statistic Canada report shows youth unemployment has increased to a 14.1 per cent high, double the unemployment rate of the general population, with more than 400,000 young adults (ages 19-30) unable to find work. Youth need organizations to take a chance on them, how can one gain professional experience otherwise? From my experience, I believe a need for mentors is the key to a successful career starting point, for youth as mentees.

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Theory corner: The need for ‘positive uncertainty’ in the globalization era

January 19, 2013By

By Barbara Smith (Cannexus11 GSEP Winner)

Over the past 40 years, there has been a dramatic increase in global connections within technological, economic and cultural spheres, which have in turn affected the production, trade and finance that shape the world of work. Looking closer, globalization is characterized by: the emergence of a single global market for credit and money; growth of strategic international cities where services infrastructure of the global economy is located; establishment of enforceable regional and global trade and a push towards financial deregulation and liberalization that restrict the flexibility of domestic economic, environmental and social policies; development of global bureaucracies and emergence of new political entities; and compression of time and space as a result of technologic developments (Spiegel et al., 2004; Huynen et al., 2005).

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The loss of a professional home and the search for career adaptability: The disequilibrium of immigration

December 12, 2012By 0 comment

By Lorraine Godden (Cannexus13 GSEP Award Winner) 

In July 2009, my family and I immigrated to Canada from England. As a woman in my forties, I had built a career in education in England where I felt I was making a useful contribution to society. My skills and experience were, it seemed, of value, and I had a sense of belonging within my professional environment. I felt I had achieved a professional home. Throughout the planning stages of immigration I looked forward with anticipation to the experience of working in a new, different educational milieu. One where I could use my existing expertise, embrace new challenges, and find an even greater sense of professional fulfillment. I greatly misjudged that in moving across the Atlantic; my professional home would be left behind.

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The intersection between mental health and career counselling: An ongoing discussion

October 23, 2012By

By Barbara Smith (Cannexus11 GSEP Winner) 

The relationships between unemployment and mental health are well documented (Herr, 1989). Okasha (2005) notes that the rate of mental health disorders has been closely related to economic, social and cultural conditions. The World Health Organization (2004) states that “economic instability [has] been linked to increased levels of psychiatric symptomatology and psychiatric morbidity” (p. 22). A 2009 survey in the United States found that unemployed individuals were four times more likely to report mental health related symptoms including thoughts of self-harm (MHA, 2009). Herr (1997) states career counselling may be a preferred form of counselling. Clients may come not just for career guidance, but also to deal with issues ranging from retraining to mental health issues that co-occur with and confound career issues, including depression and substance-abuse.

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One stride closer: Psychological considerations of the immigrant career transition

October 19, 2012By 0 comment

By Basak Yanar (Cannexus12 GSEP Award Winner) 

Each year Canada welcomes some 200,000 immigrants – over half of which are “skilled” – eager to develop successful careers in their new country.1 Government initiatives and settlement agencies provide a wide array of programs designed to facilitate their entrance into the Canadian labour market. Although 80% of Canada’s immigrants succeed in finding full-time employment after two years of arrival2, this career transition is often defined by underemployment, casual and part-time positions, forced occupational change, and/or lower levels of income.

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New programs and initiatives: Professional skills development for international students

October 19, 2012By

By Lynn Walsh and Jennifer White

International students often have culturally different approaches to job search, and combined with language barriers, job search can be frustrating and cause anxiety. Providing adequate support to this population and fostering relationships for students with industry representatives and the employer community resulted in the creation of the Professional Skills Development Program at Memorial University.

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