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Playbook helps small businesses retain and develop employees

The Right Honourable Paul Martin was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006, Minister of Finance from 1993 to 2002 and he served as the Member of Parliament for LaSalle-Émard in Montreal, QC from 1988 to 2008. He graduated in honours philosophy and history from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Domestically, Martin founded the Martin Family Initiative (MFI) focusing on elementary and secondary education opportunities for Aboriginal students and the Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund, an investment fund developing business expertise and mentoring for Indigenous business. In December 2011, he was appointed as a Companion to the Order of Canada. He married Sheila Ann Cowan in 1965 and they have three sons: Paul, Jamie and David, and five grandchildren.

1. In one sentence, describe why career development matters.

Career development matters because it is integral to achieving a fulfilling future for each of us. Furthermore, the future of a country depends on the way in which its younger citizens approach the years and decades that lie ahead.

2. Which book are you reading right now?

I’m currently reading The Orenda by Joseph Boyden.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to work in Africa on economic development.

4. Name one thing you wouldn’t be able to work without?

The support of Therese Horvath, who has been my assistant since 1988.

5. What activity do you usually turn to when procrastinating?

Exercise. It also helps keep my back healthy.

6. What song do you listen to for inspiration?

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” … sung by the composer or kd lang, a Canadian singer and songwriter.

7. Which word do you overuse?

“Essentially” or “basic.”

8. Who would you have liked to work with most?

Nelson Mandela.

9. Which talent or superpower would you like to have?

The ability to foresee the future.

10. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

The Kelowna Accord. Although it was rejected by the government that followed mine, it nonetheless established the only process that can work because it sustains the partnership that is so essential between government and the Indigenous people of this land.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Martin)

Patterns and Determinants of Immigrants’ Sense of Belonging to Canada and Their Source Country

This 2016 study by Statistics Canada assesses immigrants’ acculturation profiles as measured by their sense of belonging to Canada and their source country by looking at possible acculturation outcomes and determinants as well as data from the Statistics Canada’s 2013 General Social Survey.

statcan.gc.ca/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2016383-eng.pdf

Literature Search: Career Development Challenges Facing Immigrants

This CERIC literature search updated in November 2016 covers topics such as: Educational attainment; Post-secondary education; Bridging programs; Gender, class and race; Immigrant skills; Immigrant women; and more.

ceric.ca/literature-searches

Refugee Career Jumpstart Project (RCJP)

The Refugee Career Jumpstart Project (RCJP) is a Canadian non-profit focused on streamlining the process between the arrival of Syrian refugees and their employment.

rcjp.ca

Webinar Recording: Best Practices Working with International Students

In this webinar recording from the National Career Development Association (NCDA), learn strategies of engaging employers in the benefits of hiring international students, gain tools to working across campus to address the needs of international students and develop resources to expand global opportunities for international students.

bit.ly/2ixhq81

Globalization and Canada’s PSEs: Opportunities and Challenges

A new Conference Board of Canada report finds that between 2004 and 2014 the number of international enrolments expanded by 122%, compared to only 24.5% in Canadian enrolments. However, to make the most of the opportunities, Canada needs to effectively settle and integrate international students.

conferenceboard.ca/e-library

Immigrant Access Fund

The Immigrant Access Fund supports immigrants, including refugees, who arrive in Canada equipped with professional skills but face barriers to employment. IAF provides micro loans of up to $10,000 so they can obtain the Canadian licensing or training they need to work in their field.

iafcanada.org

By Ben Yang

How cultural values and assumptions influence international students and newcomers’ career choices and job search behaviour

In his bestselling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey advocates the habit “Seek first to understand, then be understood.” This is a motivational message that has inspired immigrants to overcome culture and language barriers to integrate into the Canadian workplace. However, when it comes to understanding immigrants, there seems to be a lack of reciprocal awareness for learning other cultural values and behaviours on the part of the host community. Often career practitioners focus their efforts on teaching Canadian norms and expectations.

Culture, the ‘lens’ through which we view the world

As a former international student from China, I remember my uneasy feeling at the “assertiveness training” offered at my university’s career centre. Rationally, I understood that communicating confidently was an important skill for my career success in Canada. But, emotionally, I felt that the assertiveness, promoted in the workshop, came across as impolite and selfish. It contradicts the Eastern virtue of being humble and modest; the cultural value I was brought up. As a result of this internal conflict, my assertiveness act, in the workshop role play, was unconvincing and lacked authenticity. After nearly 30 years living in Canada, putting on an assertive persona is still awkward for me, similar to wearing someone else’s jacket.

Cultural values are instilled in people by a dominate social norm during the formative years. Once they are formed, cultural values are deeply rooted and carry a strong inertia. They profoundly impact on an individual’s attitude and behaviours towards communication, relationships and decision making. Kevin Avruch and Peter W. Black, two scholars at George Mason University in Virginia, define culture as « the ‘lens’ through which we view the world; the ‘logic’ by which we order it; and the ‘grammar’ by which it makes sense.”
In the area of career development, cultural values significantly influence individuals’ approach in finding work and workplace behaviours. What information can be shared or kept private in an interview; how punctuality is understood; how to relate with people in authority; what is considered ethical and unethical at a networking event; to what extent people can negotiate their salary; whether a conversation with a co-worker should be formal or informal; and even what is viewed as formal and informal are all interpreted through a particular cultural « lens », « logic » and « grammar. »

« High-context culture » vs. « low-context culture »

Since culture is complex, it is impossible for any individual to learn all aspects of one culture, let alone to know everything about many cultures. The « high-context culture » and « low-context culture » framework developed by the American anthropologist Edward Hall in the 1970s provides a valuable tool for career professionals to understand communication styles and cultural values that are different from their own.

According to Hall, high-context cultures rely more on non-verbal and contextual cues to convey a message. The responsibility for comprehension lies mainly with the receiver of the message, who is attuned to subtleties conveyed by markers such as body language, silence, a person’s status, tone of voice, and the presence or absence of significant individuals. People from high-context cultures regard the emotional quality of communication as more important than words. Maintaining social harmony and « saving face » by avoiding open conflicts are paramount for high-context cultures.

Countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America are considered high-context cultures. Indigenous communities in North America also share high-context cultural characteristics.
In contrast to high-context cultures, low-context cultures communicate information in a direct manner that relies mainly on words. There is little or no implied meaning apart from the words that are being said. Cohesiveness is less important and emphasis is placed on persuasion and logical argument. The responsibility for communication lies mainly with the sender of the message to provide clear reasoning and facts. In low-context cultures, evidence is more important than intuition in decision making. Individuality (personal space and privacy) and independence are valued in low-context cultures. Social conformity and behavioural expectations are not emphasized to the same extent as in high-context cultures. Countries such as the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland are considered low-context cultures.

The impact of cultural differences

Some years ago, I was a part of a group that developed a mentorship program to match Canadian lawyers with internationally trained lawyers. The objective was to help immigrant lawyers to enter the legal field in Canada. A female attorney at a law firm in Toronto volunteered to mentor a female lawyer recently immigrated to Canada from Iran. The mentor was enthusiastic and eager to help but she was very upset when her mentee, the Iranian lawyer, stormed out during their first meeting.

« How did it happen? » I asked the mentor. « I don’t know, » she replied. She explained, « Right after I asked the question ‘Why do you want to stay in Canada?,’ her face changed and she stood up and walked out. » For most Canadians, « Why do you want to stay in Canada? » is a value-neutral question without any implied judgement. From a low-context culture background, the Toronto lawyer was totally surprised to learn that according to the « logic » and « grammar » of a high-context culture, the question was interpreted as a sneaky way of degrading the immigrant’s home country and challenging the legitimacy of the mentee’s intention to immigrate to Canada.

In another interaction, a Chinese student tried to give an expensive watch to a manager of an IT company at a networking event. In China, the concept of « networking » is more than getting to know each other and exchange information. Fancy banquets, gift giving and even passing « red bags » (red envelopes with cash that symbolize good luck) are not uncommon at networking events. However, viewing from the « lens » of the low-context culture employer, the gift giving symbolized an expectation of a favourable hiring decision. In his mind, it was bribery and unethical. What frustrated the manager even more was that when he criticized the student, she kept smiling while she was saying « I’m sorry. » In East Asia, there are many types of smiles that have nothing to do with humour. Certain types of smiles actually express embarrassment, apology and guilt. The non-verbal cue was completely missed in the exchange between the high-context culture student and the low-context culture manager.

Understanding differences for more effective career counselling

There are countless examples where behaviours are considered perfectly « normal » in one culture, but unacceptable and even unthinkable in the other. Sometimes people personalize an unfamiliar intercultural encounter and become suspicious about the other’s integrity and intention. But when people examine the unfamiliar closely, they realize that the parties involved simply conducted themselves using a different “lens », « logic » and « grammar » without any sinister intent.

Based on Hall’s framework, most of the career strategies such as « assertiveness training » and « self-directed career decision making » are developed according to the « logic » and « grammar » rooted in low-context culture values. Since Canada plans to welcome 280,000 to 305,000 new immigrants in 2016 (2015 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration) and the majority of them are from high-context cultures – a trend that is forecasted to continue – it is critical for career professionals to gain a deeper understanding of the clients they serve and develop culturally effective and appropriate strategies to assist immigrants to succeed in the Canadian workplace.

Ben Yang came to Canada as an international student from Beijing, China. Currently he serves as the Director, Global Engagement at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON. Prior to this, Yang worked at the University of Toronto for 19 years as a Career Counsellor and then as the Director of the International Student Centre. He is a frequent presenter on cross-cultural communication and career development to international students and immigrants in Canada.

References

Avruch, Kevin and Peter W. Black. 1993. Conflict Resolution in Intercultural Settings: Problems and Prospects, in D. Sandole and H. van der Merwe, eds., Conflict Resolution Theory and Practice Integration and Application. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press. Pp. 133.Hall, Edward. 1976, “Beyond Culture” Anchor Books, A division of Random House. Inc. New York

Overview of the economic benefits of the internationalization of the primary and secondary school sectors

By Jeff Davis

This article will briefly discuss the importance of international students within K to 12 schools, and also the impact on the Canadian economy and local communities. This first section of this article explains how international students enrich school communities and support the internationalization efforts of K to 12 school districts. The second part of this article provides an overview of the economic benefits related to hosting international students in Canadian K to 12 schools in British Columbia.

According to the data from the Canadian Association of Public Schools International (CAPS-I), there are 127 public school districts hosting international students who are members of CAPS-I. Table 2.1 provides a breakdown of international programs by province.

Table 2.1
Canadian Association of Public Schools International: Members by Province

* The Province of Nova Scotia administers a provincial international program

Between 2007 and 2013, the top ten source countries for K to 12 school districts in Canada were: China, Korea, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nigeria, and France (CAPS-I, 2015). BC and Ontario continue to be the most active provinces with regard to the number of students and international programs.

Learning opportunities

Knight (2004) defined internationalization “as the process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions, or delivery of post-secondary education” (p. 2). Recently, Kootenay Lake School District recently conducted a strategic internal review to support the development of an internationalization strategy at the K to 12 school district level (Kootenay Lake School District, 2015).

There is growing recognition in the K to 12 sector that international students enrich school communities by creating intercultural or global learning opportunities for local students and communities. These opportunities may also enhance what OECD (2016) describes as global competence which is defined as:

The capacity to analyse global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity. (p. 4)
In Canada’s K to 12 school districts there is a movement towards creating structured learning opportunities to support global competency. International students in Canadian K to 12 schools support these initiatives.

The Ottawa-Carleton and Calgary School Board’s International Certificate Programs are examples of successful initiatives which support the development of global and intercultural competencies. International students create opportunities for our local Canadian students to develop long-lasting friendships with individuals and groups coming from cultural origins that are different from their own. This may support the development of global networks and more peaceful and harmonious relations between countries. The majority of students in the K to 12 system live with home-stay families and this creates another avenue for local communities to develop global competence as international students live with host families for the duration of their studies in Canada.

Economic impact

The economic impact of international students at the post-secondary and K to 12 level in Canada cannot be understated. According to Global Affairs Canada (2016),
In 2014, expenditures in Canada associated with international students (all sectors) amounted to $11.4 billion, which in turn contributed $9.3 billion to Canada’s GDP and provided significant economic benefits to every region of the country. It also helped sustain some 123,000 jobs across Canada and generated $2.1 billion in tax revenues for all levels of government. To put this in perspective, $11.4 billion in educational service exports was equivalent to 11.9 percent of Canada’s total service exports. In 2014 this was greater than Canada’s wheat, lumber or financial services exports, and was roughly equal to Canada’s exports of auto parts. (p. 1)

International students are acknowledged as generating considerable funds that subsidize public spending in K to 12 school districts (Kunin, 2010, 2013). The economic benefits to the hosting school district are significant—the fees that international students remit enhance existing school district programs and create jobs for teachers and support staff. According to Kunin (2013), during the 2011-2012 school year international students in the K to 12 sector in British Columbia spent $182,363,821 on tuition fees.

International students in British Columbia

Currently, 47 of 60 school districts in BC host international students (BC Ministry of Education, 2013). BC’s K to 12 international education sector serves 18,711 international students (BC Ministry of Education, 2016). BC school districts still have the operational capacity or space available in public schools to host international students. International programs help maintain the K to 12 public education system in BC by filling spots in school districts where space is available.

In summary, international students in our K to 12 schools support learning opportunities and the development of global and intercultural competencies. This presents tremendous opportunities for our local students to have international experiences in their own communities. The economic contributions of international students to Canada cannot be overlooked. These contributions promote job growth and prosperity for our local communities which occur because international students choose Canada as a destination for their educational endeavours.

AUTHOR BIO

Jeff Davis is the Director of the International Student Program for the Greater Victoria School District and the Vice President of CAPS-I. He has worked in Greater Victoria School District’s International Program for the past ten years. Prior to that, he was an educator in Japan for five years and also worked at the Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion of Peace. He started his career in education as a teacher in the Maple Ridge School District.

References

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2013). K-12 international education regional roundtables. Victoria, BC: Author.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2016). International education and home-stay in BC. Victoria, BC: Author.

Canadian Association for Public Schools International. (2015). A comparative market assessment of international K to 12 students in Canada. San Carlos, CA: The Illuminate Consulting Group.

Global Affairs Canada. (2016). Economic impact of international education in Canada – 2016 update. Retrieved from: http://www.international.gc.ca/education/report-rapport/impact-2016/index.aspx?lang=eng&utm_source=TCS&utm_medium=inContent&utm_content=&utm_campaign=TCSKuninEng

Kootenay Lake School District. (2015). International program review. Paper presented at the British Columbia Council for International Education, Summer Seminar, Whistler, BC: Author.

Kunin, R. (2010). The economic impact of international education in British Columbia. Report of the British Columbia Council for International Education. Vancouver, BC.

Kunin, R. (2013). An update on the economic impact of international education in British Columbia. Report of the British Columbia Council for International Education, Vancouver, BC.
OEDC (2016). OECD: Global competency for an inclusive world. Retrieved from: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/Global-competency-for-an-inclusive-world.pdf

How can career professionals ensure international students’ career success?

By Anna-Lisa Ciccocioppo and Martha Liliana Gonzalez

Many post-secondary campuses across Canada have seen a rapid increase in the number of international students in recent years, and this has led to the development of many targeted support services and programming for these students (Browne & Russell, 2014). At many universities including the University of Calgary, internationalization strategies have been developed, and attending to the growing percentage of international students is a major focus (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 2014). As counsellors and career development specialists who are just two of many international specialists working in various departments across our campus, we wanted to share what we have learned. We will briefly review pertinent literature on international students’ career development, followed by an outline of the various services developed at the University of Calgary and recommendations that follow from our experience.

It is important that career practitioners are aware of the challenges encountered by international students due to differing cultural values regarding career development (Yang, Wong, Hwang, & Heppner, 2002) and collective cultural orientation (Arthur & Popadiuk, 2010). Arthur (2016) recommends the following best practices for career practitioners working with international students: (a) Explore factors leading to being an international student (e.g., lack of opportunities in their home country); (b) Minimize assumptions re: students’ decidedness and the level of information and choice they have regarding their options; (c) Assess perceived influences on career decision making from both their home culture and host culture; and (d) Educate students regarding the nature and potential helpfulness of career counselling and advising.

Both the Students’ Union SU Wellness Centre (Counselling) and Career Services at the University of Calgary have greatly increased and enhanced the services they offer to international students (all services are free). In the SU Wellness Centre, we have hired a Student Support Advisor that specializes in international students, and we have hired two counsellors who specialize in working with international students and who develop programming as needed to support the needs of international students. Career Services has created the author’s position of International Career Development Specialist, who has developed many workshops and services to enhance the experience of international students. Services include: (a) Individual appointments for cover letter and resume review; (b) Interview preparation and mock interviews; (c) Job search and networking; (d) Canadian workplace culture; (e) Career options for your degree; and (f) Career planning and exploration. Workshop titles include: (a) Working in Canada; (b) Canadian Workplace Culture and Your Career Success in Canada; (c) Canadian Interviews and How to Prepare for One; (d) Writing a Canadian Resume and Cover Letter; (e) How to Prepare for a Career Fair as an International Student; (f) How to Gain Canadian Experience and Find a Job in Canada; and (g) Connecting with Other People in Canada. A Workplace Essential Skills program was offered to international graduate students last semester, and recent events have included “What to Do After You Graduate” and “Canadian Employer Perspectives on Hiring International Students”.

What have we learned from our work with students? Here are some recommendations:

1. Provide opportunities for international students to express their identity and to talk about their own experiences. The opportunity to share their uniqueness and hear about others’ uniqueness related to their cultures will make them more open to learning about Canadian culture. For example, ask international students to demonstrate how they introduce themselves to someone they are meeting for the first time, according to their culture (e.g., handshake).

2. Commend students on their language skills, as many international students often think they are not competent with their language abilities because they have an accent, even when they are fluent in the language. This can instill confidence.

3. Explore parental pressure and the conflict they may be experiencing between what their parents want for them and what they want. Parents’ wishes can sometimes reflect an emphasis on traditional roles – e.g., an expectation of choosing a career in the STEM fields – and so there can be guilt about exploring options in other fields that may not be endorsed, such as the liberal arts.

4. Encourage a balance between academics and other extracurricular activities both on and off campus. Some international students’ home countries have a sole focus on having a really high GPA and this may suffice for getting a good job back home, whereas in Canada it is also important to develop soft skills, seek out extracurricular experiences (e.g., being on the executive of a student club), and work experience. Some students may need extra encouragement to engage in these activities due to the fear of compromising their very high GPAs.

5. Educate students about the Canadian workplace culture. Many international students come from countries where the workplace culture is very different, and this lack of understanding may prevent them from presenting themselves appropriately for job opportunities.

6. Work closely with the international student services office and with regulated immigration consultants (sometimes based in the same office). Developing a good working relationship with them will enhance your ability to support international students, and will help you to know when to refer international students to regulated immigration consultants when they are investigating their eligibility to work in Canada.

7. Offer services in easy to understand language, with minimal jargon, when creating titles and content for workshops and services. For example, as “networking” means a computer system when you look this up in a dictionary, it can be quite confusing for international students. To avoid confusion, Career Services uses words such as “connecting” in lieu of “networking” when creating workshops for international students, as it conveys the meaning but in a way that is clear.

8. When preparing presentations for international students, consider using an appealing graphic image and/or key words for every idea being discussed. This can result in many slides, but it can be very helpful for students who are not fluent in English. It is also helpful to emphasize the international component of the presentation by including images of many world flags and photos representing people of various ethnicities. Including the translation of “Thank You” in many languages at the end of the presentation is also appreciated by international students.

Through reviewing the literature and our subsequent improvements to our service delivery, we have been able to enhance our facilitation of international students’ career success. We hope that our experience is informative to other career practitioners working with international students in Canada.

AUTHOR BIOS
Dr Anna-Lisa Ciccocioppo is a Registered Psychologist, Counsellor and Career Development Co-ordinator at the Students’ Union Wellness Centre at the University of Calgary. She has worked at the university for over 14 years. She works at Career Services on Wednesday afternoons to offer “Wellness Wednesdays,”including individual counselling sessions and workshops.

Martha Liliana Gonzalez is the International Career Development Specialist at Career Services at the University of Calgary. She has worked at the university for over eight years, including advising roles at the Career Centre at the Haskayne School of Business and Enrolment Services. She is currently completing her Master of Counselling degree.

References

Arthur, N. (2016). Counseling international students in the context of cross-cultural transitions. In P. B. Pedersen, W. J. Lonner, J. G. Draguns, J. E. Trimble, & M. R. Scharron-del Rio (Eds.), Counseling across cultures (pp. 01-321). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Arthur, N., & Popadiuk, N. (2010). A cultural approach to career counseling with international students. Journal of Career Development, 37, 423-440.

Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (2014). Canada’s universities in the world: AUCC internationalization strategy. Ottawa, ON: AUCC.

Browne, J., & Russell, L. (2014). The practice of postsecondary career development. In B. C. Shepard & P. S. Mani (Eds.), Career development practice in Canada: Perspectives, principles, and professionalism (pp.361-382). Toronto, ON: Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling.

Yang, E., Wong, S. C., Hwang, M., & Heppner, M. J. (2002). Widening our global view: The development of career counselling services for international students. Journal of Career Development, 28, 203-213. doi:10.1023/A:1014070305879

By applying these eight recommendations, I have helped countless newcomers to Canada build their careers – in their chosen fields

By Joanna Samuels

Client: Is Canadian experience really required for getting a job in my field in Canada? I am new to Canada and am looking for work in accounting. I have been interviewed several times, and the feedback is that I do not have enough Canadian experience. My Microsoft Excel, QuickBooks and other technical skills are top-notch. These are required for the jobs. What is going on here?

Over the years, I have discussed this common complaint of our newcomer clients with other career professionals, job developers and coaches in community agencies as well as several employers from all industries with whom I collaborate. The general consensus from the front-line is that Canadian experience is not vital to getting a job in one’s field in Canada, other than a few cases in highly regulated fields such as engineering, medicine, law, chartered accounting and architecture. However, the staffing employment agencies who have a fee-for-service business model often require Canadian experience as demanded by their “clients” (employers).

To support this consensus, I have heard from countless hiring managers that they recognize and value international experience. Of course, as with every selection process, add the recruiters, it is critical that the client have the skills and qualifications required for the position. There are some cases in which I have read a job description that requires Canadian experience, and I have spoken to employers who are specific that they are looking for candidates with Canadian experience.
Some employers have explained to me that the phrase “lack of Canadian experience” is often code from the interviewer that the candidate will not fit into the workplace or team culture. In addition, this feedback can also be code for “you do not have the technical or soft skills we are looking for.” Often this means that the candidate is not communicating (verbally and non-verbally) and not properly prepared to handle the interview questions, especially the behavioural interview. Another employer remarked that Canadian experience was important because his company’s projects required extensive teamwork as defined by the Canadian workplace cultural norms. He felt that newcomers were used to a different way of working together. It is challenging to figure out the workplace culture. This applies to everyone looking for work in the job market. This is a subjective criterion for hiring a candidate, but research demonstrates that likeability is key when interviewers make hiring decisions.

Here are eight suggestions for career professionals on how to tackle this obstacle facing your newcomer and/or internationally trained clients with their efforts to build their careers in Canada:

1. Prepare.

Together with your client, prepare a sector-specific and targeted resume and cover letter, and interview presentation and social media profile, especially on LinkedIn. Research the company, their website, the job descriptions, and identify the hiring managers who would be interested in your client’s skills, experience and education. Learn the values, the workplace culture and the nature of the business by helping your client arrange information interviews, connecting with a mentor and engaging in sector associations. Use social media resources such as LinkedIn and Twitter to do this.

2. Communicate.

Teach your client how to articulate his or her skills, experiences, projects and talents in a clear, concise and effective way for both networking and interviewing purposes. Role play with your client so he or she can practice interview skills. There are government-funded specialized employment programs for newcomers to Canada such as Enhanced Language Training programs that might be worth exploring for your clients at sector-specific employment programs for newcomers.

3. Look for internships or placements.
Some newcomer jobseekers report that taking an opportunity to get Canadian experience, even if it’s nominally paid (or even unpaid) may be worth it. They are able to acquire hands-on experience that is critical for their resume and LinkedIn profile, keep their skills fresh and updated, build a professional network and hopefully obtain references and sometimes even paid employment, eventually. One source of local placements for newcomers is provided by Career Edge in Toronto. Some Enhanced Language Training (ELT) programs offer co-op placements.

4. Secure a mentor.
Linking your client up with a professional in their field can be a very effective way to make contacts and learn about the local labour market. TRIEC’s The Mentoring Partnership, is a great resource for this.

5. Consider evaluating your credentials and degrees.
Figuring out how your client’s credentials are evaluated in Canada can help to add to their credibility and competitiveness. Information on this process can be found at Settlement.org. This evaluation can be included in the resume under “Education” as: “evaluated by…. as equivalent to a Canadian Master’s degree…”

6. Build a professional network.
Since over 80% of the jobs in the labour market are hidden and can only be found through connections. It is critical that new immigrants (or any jobseeker, for that matter) network as much as possible through social media, associations, trade shows, conferences, career fairs and employer events, so to learn from and mingle with professionals in their field. Be sure to advise your client that the networking continues even after he or she secures employment!

7. Volunteer.
Although many of the newcomer clients that I worked with were hesitant about working for free, in our culture, giving back to the community is a value. It shows good citizenship to the employer in addition to helping your client help others, build his or her network, and sometimes gain a reference and experience. If possible, the client should find volunteer opportunities in his or her field (or close to it). If that is not possible, advise your client to spend time in a meaningful environment and meet people who might be in a position to refer them to others or to jobs. Once you come to an interview with a recommendation, your lack of local experience is less likely to be an issue.

8. Seek out Canada’s best diversity employers.
In an article in The Globe and Mail’s Ask a Recruiter column, Julie Labrie suggests that newcomers do research to identify organizations that lead the way in hiring diversely, such as the annual list of 100 companies that are Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. “See if companies in your field made those lists. Explore companies that market their services to the new-to-Canada segment, too. Many industries, including the financial and telecom sectors, are serving the immigrant population as a key part of their business strategy. Also consider applying for relevant government jobs related to your past experience,” she explains.

By applying the above eight recommendations in my practice over the past 11 years, I have helped countless newcomers to Canada build their careers here in their chosen fields. Further, I have educated many employers to focus on the strengths of the candidates regardless of their background rather than the lacking as good business drivers. I consider this as best practice and the strategies can be applied to any client looking for work in this competitive and complex labour market.

AUTHOR BIO
Joanna Samuels, MEd, CMF, RRP, is an Employment Resource Specialist at www.reena.org. She has over 11 years of experience providing supported and customized employment/career coaching, job development, facilitation and program co-ordination to diverse unemployed and underemployed jobseekers in the community. Samuels is also a certified Life Skills Coach, certified Personality Dimensions Facilitator, and part-time instructor of employment counselling with George Brown College’s Certificate of Community Mental Health program.

The Career Internship Program re-imagines the way we deliver career education, connecting students to their vast potential – and provides a replicable model for other high schools

By Adriano Magnifico

High schools often proclaim graduation as the key measure of high school success. Overall grad rates continue to rise throughout the country. The Government of Manitoba reported that the provincial rate has steadily climbed over the last 10 years from 71% to 87% and continues to inch ahead. In May, the Toronto Star reported that Ontario’s graduation rate increased from 68% in 2004 to 85.5% in 2016. But too many students meander towards graduation with a sole focus on accumulating credits, rather than on building a strong base of knowledge and skills that will help them thrive in post-high school life. And most schools don’t like to admit it, but they drag a lot of kids over that finish line.

While graduation is an important milestone, it is NOT the finish line. In an ultra-competitive global economy with ever evolving work cultures, the high school experience must be a springboard for life and career possibilities. Too many high school graduates today have no idea what to do with their lives and have done minimal prep for life after grad. High school students generally turn to the guidance counsellor for career advice. Trouble is, those university/college talks, online assessments and career symposiums have a needle-in-a-haystack effect. Pick something and go for it? What if it’s the wrong call? What if a student simply can’t decide what to choose?

Back in 2000, Christine Esselmont, a student at River East Collegiate in Winnipeg, wrote an editorial in the school newspaper that defined a student’s career conundrum: “All high school students would benefit greatly from a program where you’re able to try a variety of different careers throughout the year…. Fully understanding what future careers involve is the only way to make a decision about what you want to do with the rest of your life.” Christine’s insight is especially apt in 2016, with work and careers in a continual state of upheaval. Now, more than ever, schools need to offer career programming to help students make proactive and intelligent decisions about their proper fit in the world.

Adapting to a changing world

The single path to a single career is becoming a thing of the past. Career pundits and economic think-tanks prognosticate that today’s worker will likely change career paths at least a dozen times as jobs evolve and others die out. Digital applications and technologies, artificial intelligence, automation, The Internet of Things and global competition are changing the way people explore, seek and land jobs. Any journalist, postal worker, lawyer, teacher, financial advisor, professor, factory worker or truck driver can speak to workplace tensions over job security, pensions, global competition, living wages or precarious employment.

The Google-sponsored Economist Intelligence Unit report, Driving the skills agenda: Preparing students for the future, details problem-solving, teamwork and communication as high-in-demand skills at workplaces and frequently lacking in young workers; and also identifies digital literacy, creativity and entrepreneurship as essential skills for the network-filled world of the future. Sitting in rows, staying in one building, reading obsolete textbooks or putting away distracting smartphones upon entering a classroom do not address these needs.

Serious disengagement out there

Research reveals that half of Canadian high school classrooms are intellectually disengaged. Winnipeg’s Louis Riel School Division’s 2014 and 2015 Tell Them from Me surveys follows this disturbing trend – just under 50% of its high school students are disengaged in their studies. Disengaged students become disengaged employees.

When students connect to experiences and opportunities that help them figure out who they are, what they’re capable of becoming, what skills they have and who values their skills beyond school walls, school work becomes powerfully relevant and, not surprisingly, extremely engaging.

Everyone is eligible

Since 1995, the Career Internship Program (CIP), located at Windsor Park Collegiate in the Louis Riel School Division, has earned local and national awards for its innovative curriculum design, student-centered pedagogical format and personalized career focus.

CIP is inclusive – any grade 11 or 12 in the regular academic program is eligible. When schools develop new programs, organizers usually target resources towards a particular demographic, often at-risk or gifted students. CIP targets the average student who makes up the vast majority of every school population and for whom no unique or specialized programming exists.

CIP systemically injects innovative career-visioning into traditional high school timetables. The program targets any grade 11 and 12 student and is not prescriptive. Each student chooses courses and activities that meet his/her need, all intertwined within a traditional academic timetable.

Since 1995, 97% of the 2,000+ graduates have recommended the program to peers. Kaila Reger, 2005 CIP grad and current Project Manager at Eccol Electric, says that “CIP was the best decision I made in high school. So often schools focus on academics and fail to teach students about important soft skills. CIP bridged important skill gaps that helped me end up with the career I have today. »

CIP has many classrooms

CIP students participate in many out-of-class experiences for course credit: designing a hovercraft to compete in a CME competition, joining a Junior Achievement Chapter, completing job shadows and internships, participating in Toastmaster’s training, volunteering everywhere, coaching a community club hockey team, attending Chamber of Commerce/professional association meetings or implementing lean start-ups – any activity that ignites personal curiosity and engagement with the community. All students are encouraged to step off the beaten path and explore the unknown. Neuroscientist Gregory Berns discovered that the brain grows and rewires its potential for creativity and new possibilities when people attempt novel challenges and engage in new activities.

The Internet becomes a space to develop a personal brand, and to discover the potential of digital tools to aid assignments and community projects. Students persevere through challenging interdisciplinary partnership projects that test their mettle. Curiosity, diminished through a compartmentalized school system, re-emerges with a veracity that builds confidence and character.

1998 CIP grad Michael Wasylyk recalls that CIP allows “you to paint a picture that you can leverage and understand throughout your life. In CIP, I wrote a biz plan and started a skating school called Canadian Bladex that was successful and revealed to me that I could do anything. »

The CIP model has evolved into four other high schools in the Louis Riel School Division. One CIP hybrid, The Imagine Program, has taken off in Nelson McIntyre Collegiate. A participant and 2016 Loran Scholar, Bilal Ayyache, says, “I’ve learned how to lead, work on teams, be creative and come up with innovative ideas, things you don’t get in the regular courses. Imagine helped me discover things about myself I never knew; I created an amazing story that caught the attention of the Loran Scholar interviewers. It has changed my life.”

Re-imagining career education

Life and work are experiencing a cultural and technological shift at a breathtaking pace, the type of global transformation we have not seen since the last century’s Industrial Revolution.

Strategic, systemic career development can be a powerful catalyst for linking school to self-awareness, skill development and professional networks. Only when students authentically experience a multitude of career possibilities and understand the evolving demands of workplaces, can they truly envision possibilities for life and work, what Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee dub the“second machine age.”

The Career Internship Program offers a way to re-think the way we deliver career education, connecting students to their best selves and their vast potential in a hyper-connected world. And, the program’s longevity has allowed it to iterate and pivot into a replicable model for high schools.

It’s time to re-imagine the way high schools do career education. Our students are depending on us.

AUTHOR BIO

Adriano Magnifico is the Career and Entrepreneurship Consultant in the Louis Riel School Division located in Winnipeg, MB and the creator of the Career Internship Program. He can be reached at adriano.magnifico@lrsd.net.