The Career Mentorship Program (CMP) matches newcomer immigrant professionals (mentees) in the Edmonton region with established professionals and local business leaders/employers (mentors) who share a similar occupational background and create networks through real-life connections and experience.
Eucharista is a Project Management and Business Analyst Professional with over 12 years of experience from her home country of India. She and her family arrived in Edmonton half way through 2021. As she patiently waited for the pandemic to reduce its grip that year, she signed up for pre-arrival programs that were funded by IRCC. “Trust me, they really prepared us for our life in Canada. This type of programming I suggest should be a must-do for all immigrants!” Eucharista stated.
“In November 2021, my husband and I were eagerly applying for jobs through LinkedIn and being connected to recruiters by our friends in Canada. We were fully aware that we were headed into the holiday season and hiring could be slower than usual. We received regret mails or no responses at all. We signed up with ERIEC and had a call with April Zhang, the Connector Program Coordinator, she also connected us with Sarah Tangan, the Career Mentorship Program Facilitator, and advised us on what steps we needed to undertake in order to be connected with mentors”, Eucharista shared.
“We were both immersed into the application process and interviews for the CMP program. We would later receive the confirmation that we were both accepted into the program”, she recalls. Eucharista has a word of advice for all newcomers, “We need agencies like ERIEC/CRIEC, EMCN in our integration to Canada. Definitely sign up with them in order to thrive in the professional world in Canada”, would be her recommendation.
She continues recounting her Canadian career journey. “In January of 2022, we attended two events, a networking session with TD for women in banking and RBC's Speed mentoring sessions in partnership with ERIEC. The event presented information about the banking industry and they also presented us with some amazing networking opportunities. We could not only connect with all the professionals on LinkedIn and grow our professional network, but they also took time to advise on whatever questions we had from a recruiting perspective. The advice we received would prove to be helpful with respect to adjusting our resume format and ultimately on how we presented ourselves at interviews. We become more aware that we have some cultural barriers and some of the employers themselves are living examples themselves and are grateful to share these past experiences. The ERIEC sessions were a definite boost to my confidence in establishing my professional presence. I leveraged this boost in confidence when April Zhang, the Connector Coordinator, shared a job posting that matched my skill set.”
“Both April and Sarah were so very encouraging, for me personally, a mom who was returning to the workplace and having had a break in her resume and living in new in the country, I was flabbergasted by the guidance they provided. ERIEC has been this organization that kept assuring me that I was amazing and the barriers I see myself aren't going to stop me from being an achiever - they totally instilled a level of confidence in me. I have signed an offer with CWB, for a term position, and a few weeks after found an internal Sr. PMO Analyst role within Canadian Western Bank. I was interviewed and was offered the role. I moved from a term position with HR at CWB to a full-time position with the Project Management Office”.
I'm so grateful that you connected me to this amazing organization. And so grateful that you connected me to my mentor Niyi. We both connected a little before my interview and shared with me some tips for preparation. I was able to ace the interview with the confidence instilled!”.
“While it took me some time to find my calling in Edmonton, Niyi was able to guide me in a way that helped me realize what I wanted to do here in Canada and all the different avenues to approach my goal in a Project Management role. I'll ever be so grateful for this mentorship program and Niyi's mentoring”.
My advice to everyone who is new here in Alberta, connect with ERIEC to learn more about the Canadian Professional world and get yourself connected to the right workplaces.”
If you are an immigrant professional, Permanent Resident, currently in Edmonton, and interested in ERIEC’s Mentorship and/or Connector Program, please contact [email protected]
If you are an established professional or business leader looking to volunteer as a mentor or establish corporate partnerships, please contact the Program Director – Sarah Tangan at [email protected]