When I arrived in Canada at the end of April 2022, I was excited about this whole new life chapter. After settling down, I started searching for a job related to my profession which turned out to be quite frustrating. I applied for a lot of positions but didn’t get any of them. One day, my friend recommended that I should connect with ERIEC. I then went through the ERIEC website and signed up for Career Mentorship Program (CMP).
The Career Mentorship Program includes a lot of different workshops. By joining these workshops, I was able to learn more about Canadian workplace culture and effective communication styles. In addition to the workshops, ERIEC provides many opportunities for mentees to build connections with professionals and companies. The most impressive event that I attended was the “Deloitte Impact Day” event, which was an eye-opener for me and gave me a chance to meet excellent people.
I was then matched with my mentor, Tatiana. She is an expert in communication and building relationships. During our first meeting, she navigated me through the most important milestones in finding a job in Canada and then we set our mentorship goals. In our follow-up meetings, Tatiana taught me how to build an impressive modern resume and provided useful tips on how to tailor my cover letter to job postings. When I was called for an interview, she spent a lot of time helping me go through different types of interviewing questions and did a mock interview with me the day before the real interview, which gave me much more confidence.
At the end of November 2022, I landed my first job in Canada, in large part because of the incredible interview preparation with my mentor. I really appreciate the kindness and thoroughness of the ERIEC team and my mentor, and I will always be thankful for what you guys have done for me! Thank you, ERIEC!
January is National Mentoring Month making it the perfect time to reflect on what it means to be a mentor and how mentors help us to learn, grow and achieve our goals.
This month, ERIEC celebrates the impact our mentors have and how they enriched the lives of many professional newcomers. So, let's also hear a testimonial from Vicky Chen under the ERIEC’s Mentor Appreciation Series.