New Canadians frustrated by career obstacles and chronic underemployment have good reason to be optimistic after all three levels of government recently pledged to break down barriers and create more opportunities for development and employment.  At the federal level, the Prime Minister has said,  All of us have heard stories of highly trained immigrants who cannot get a job because their credentials are not recognized.  We have heard stories of Canadians who cannot get their credentials recognized when moving to another province.  Neither is acceptable.  I raised these issues with the Premiers and all agree we must work together to achieve demonstrable progress as soon as possible.  In the same vein, the Ontario government and Toronto Mayor David Miller have also acknowledged that employment issues that affect new Canadians is a major concern and are taking steps towards solving the problem.  To learn more about the provinces’ support plans, see the News and Views section below.  The Prime Minister’s throne speech is available from: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/sft-ddt.asp.

Electronic Resumes: Protect Your Identity!
E-resumes are one of the most popular job-hunting tools used today.  However, it’s important to remember there are risks attached, and you need to protect yourself.  Last year, the popular Monster.com job site discovered fake job postings were used to steal personal information from unsuspecting job seekers.  Here are a few tips to stay safe when using e-resumes:

Select job boards that have a comprehensive privacy policy and take time to read it.

Be careful with your personal information by removing your name, address, phone number, and home email address.  Instead, use a separate e-mail account for employers to contact you. 

Don’t list your current employer(s).  Instead, describe the type of business or sector you work in.

Beware of any site that asks for fees, credit card information, or your social insurance number. 

To learn more about electronic resumes, read Susan Britton Whitcomb’s book, e-Resumes: Everything You Need to Know About Using Electronic Resumes.

Mentor Turns Personal Struggle into Positive Way to Help Others
Peter is a CanadInfoNet mentor who knows what it’s like to struggle as a new Canadian.  A Mechanical and Industrial Engineer specializing in Sales & Marketing, he went through a lot of trial and error during his first five years in Canada.  I joined this program because I was once an immigrant and went through my share of problems  there was no one to help me then.  When I look back...I would have done things differently if I had some guidance available, Peter says.  He used the lessons learned from this struggle and applied them to helping his protégé Lamat: I helped with his cover letter, talked about following up consistently, how to use references and suggested some websites for research.  I feel he learned a few things and developed confidence for a more effective job search.  Lamat got another very important piece of advice:  I encouraged him to be more assertive in communicating with prospective employers.  Peter has found mentoring a very satisfying experience:  I signed up immediately when I heard about this program.     

A CanadaInfoNet Success Story: from a Protégé’s Perspective
Marco came to Canada from Colombia in 2002.  As a Civil Engineer with over 20 years of experience in construction, he struggled to launch a career in Canada.  His goal was to land an entry-level position in the construction management field for which he was well qualified, but met with little success.  Marco attended ESL classes to improve his English skills, took the Mohawk College Construction Estimating program, and joined the CanadaInfoNet mentoring program.  Kathy, his mentor, communicated regularly via email and helped polish his resume.  Kathy also helped Marco deal with the discouragement and frustration he experienced during his job search.  After sending over 300 resumes, Marco interviewed for an Estimator position and was offered the job over four other candidates.  Marco’s dedication and persistence paid off with the assistance from his mentor and CanadaInfoNet.  Today, Marco is the Business Development Representative for Bond Education Group, dealing with Latin American clients to deliver ESL programs.  He is pleased to have found a position that is a good fit for his skills and interests. 

News & Views

CanadaInfoNet’s Manager Making Connections
Amanda Harris, Manager of CanadaInfoNet, will be presenting at the second national Mentoring Connections conference that will be held March 4, 5, and 6 at the Toronto Marriott Hotel. Amanda will be presenting Mentoring Across Borders.  For more information, visit http://www.mentorcanada.ca/.

McGuinty Government Commits to Creating Opportunities for Newcomers
The Ontario government is expanding opportunities for internationally-trained professionals to practice in Ontario by investing more than $4 million over 3 years, Mary Anne Chambers, Minister of Training, Colleges & Universities announced in January.  We are committed to real, positive change by removing barriers to employment for internationally-trained professionals and skilled trades people, Chambers said.  We are taking positive steps to help internationally-trained professionals work in their field of expertise.  To find out more information, click on opening doors at www.edu.gov.on.ca.

Ontario government ending 60 hour work week
Ontario Labour Minister Chris Bentley announced the government is moving to end the 60-hour workweek.  Fair and balanced legislation will be introduced in the upcoming spring legislative session that would ensure employees can’t be forced to work more than 48 hours a week. 

Ontario Workers Stressed and Stretched
While they earn the nation's highest average salaries, Ontario workers reported the lowest levels of job satisfaction.  According to Linda Duxbury from Carleton University, a Health Canada report revealed that work demands are having a negative impact on leisure and family time.  Although workers in other regions report feeling happier, absenteeism, stress, job turnover and medical costs are on the rise nationwide.  Duxbury also reported Canadians on average are working longer hours than a decade ago.  One in four Canadians puts in more than 50 hours on the job every week.

Breaking Barriers Building Bridges
This conference is intended for Internationally Educated Professionals (IEPs) in the Toronto region who are looking to move into the labour market in their trained field.  While sector-specific workshops will be offered, the 2004 Breaking Barriers Building Bridges: A Conference for Internationally Educated Professionals conference will be of interest to IEPs in any professional field, http://www.iep.ca/.

Happening Websites
Visit Top 100 Internet Sites for Learning and Employment at www.jobboom.com.  The Association of Colleges and Universities of Canada have a simple and efficient search engine to help you search for programs in almost any field, www.aucc.ca. Scholarships Canada lets you search for hundreds of grants, bursaries and scholarships, www.scholarshipscanada.com.

Wise Words
Every problem has a gift for you in its hands -- Richard Bach