Vancouver City Hall’s council chamber was the setting for the official launch of a new pilot program that matches new immigrants with city employees in career-focused mentorships. ISSofBC’s Mentoring Connections has been working diligently with SUCCESS, MOSAIC, the Immigrant Employment Council of BC, and the City of Vancouver to launch this pilot program.One of the program’s mentees, Karla Claros, was among the speakers at the event. In the presence of the Mayor and a handful of city councilors, she shared her personal experience and what she hopes to gain through the program. [Continue]

"I think everyone who is coming to Canada needs to be given a chance to put their skills to use so the country can develop. I feel good now that I have my professional job. I feel now that I’m somebody; I can pursue my career...I am very thankful to this program, my mentor and the staff." [Continue]

Once in a while I will get the question, “What do you remember about the Philippines?” I remember the walk from my grandparents’ house to the beach where the sand would get so hot that it burned my feet. I remember the fiestas and the great feast with enough food to feed the entire neighborhood. I remember waking up to the smell of freshly cooked bread in my great grandparents’ house which was attached to their bakery. [Continue]

Oh boy…here it comes! The excitement you get when you find a job posting that promises tons of money with little effort on your part. But job searcher beware, you may have just stumbled upon one of the many scams proliferating the online world that will leave you with less money than when you started! [Continue]

"Personally, I believe the main gaps are a lack of understanding of Canada-specific communication styles, the Canadian taxation system, as well as the industries that are unique in Canada," says Vishwa. Vishwa Mootooveeren obtained his MBA, majoring in Finance from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He also holds Diplomas in HR and Export Management and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from Canada. [Continue]

On November 9th, Mentoring Connections welcomed eight members of PricewaterhouseCoopers' HR team to co-host a Mentoring Day with our mentees. To start the morning off, PwC hosted panel discussions about Recruitment & Selection and Workplace Culture & Career Development. In the afternoon, the PwC team broke off into individual mentoring sessions with our mentees. Here are some highlights... [Continue]

Do you know about the psychology of colour? I’ve thought about it in passing before, but not until recently have I realized that the darker the colour, the more in-control you look...First impressions are crucial; think of them as an instant message that you are sending that indicates how you feel about yourself, your surroundings and the company. [Continue]

Is it better to treat everyone in the way in which you are accustomed to or are you better off being aware of these cultural differences? Sharing about each others cultures always brings liveliness to group discussions that I’ve been part of and what is apparent is, as much as there is a theme, individuals have different experiences of their own cultures. Here are some typical cultural observations you might have heard of... [Continue]

“Who has done cold calling?” asked presenter, Yan Liang. The audience out of shyness did not put up their hands. All the way from the back of the room, the two previous presenters, Kai Mark and Paul Kernan raised their hands. Yan cited cold calling and personally going to companies to be effective alternatives to emailing dozens maybe hundreds of resumes to potential employers. From his experience, Yan finds that these methods allow people to get to know you and not just your resume. [Continue]

People often tell me I’m Canadian. They tell me that I don’t speak with an accent; therefore, I am Canadian. I’m told that because I was educated here, I am Canadian. When people learn that I have been in Canada for 18 years, they tell me that makes me Canadian. Am I? Is that what makes me Canadian? [Continue]