A True Success – An Everyday Hero
Not everyone is able to leave their home country behind and, not only build a successful career in a new homeland, but help others to do the same. This story is about such a person.
It was 1992 when Tim first came to Toronto Canada from Yugoslavia. As a trained and experienced Mechanical Engineer, he expected to find work quickly and to be able to provide for his family. However, it isn’t always easy to start a new life and the first six months Tim was in Canada were a challenging start.
Unable to find work in the engineering field, Tim took a “survival job” as a construction worker in order to make ends meet in his new home.
“I am not ashamed of the work I did during that time.” Tim says. “It’s good, honest work and I was happy to do it.”
Although Tim was able to provide for his family thanks to his work in construction, he still longed to work in the field for which he was trained as a Mechanical Engineer. But, like so many newcomers, Tim did not have a network in the Engineering community of Canada, nor did he know how to build one.
After six months living in Canada, Tim was talking to his neighbour about his desire to work again as a Mechanical Engineer. That’s when his neighbour suggested that he should contact JVS of Greater Toronto to see if they could help. JVS is a community, not-for-profit, agency offering a variety of career building services and specializing in empowering people in order to overcome career barriers.
Tim was enrolled in JVS’ 1-week program “Job Search Group.” Through this program he learned about writing resumes for Canadian Employers and how to network within the Canadian community of Engineers. A JVS Employment counsellor worked closely with Tim giving him access to the various resources available for clients.
While browsing through the resources in the JVS library, Tim came across a reference to a company called Akers International. It seemed like the right company for Tim to apply his abilities. He sent his resume, but received no response.
From there, he enrolled in a six-month co-op program that would help him hone his skills and prepare him for a career in the field he loved—Engineering.
Tim went on to work in the maintenance department of a successful Toronto hotel, but he still didn’t feel as though his talents were being properly utilized. However, his hard work was about to pay off.
After one year of arriving in Canada, he was hired on at Lift King where he worked on designing a variety of mechanical transporters. “If you watch the CBC, they sometimes show a huge machine that transports 315 tons of liquid steel. That is my design.” Says Tim.
From Lift King, Tim went on to work at GM briefly until one day he finally got the call he was waiting for. Akers International wanted to hire Tim to work on a special project in Iran. Tim worked in Iran for 2 years before returning to Canada and continuing his employment with Akers International. Success in Canada has been tremendous for Tim.
“It was difficult to leave my home (Yugoslavia) but I wanted a better life for my family. After watching the effects of war on my country and the surrounding areas I felt that I needed a new start.” Reflects Tim.
“I am grateful for all the help JVS has given me. They taught me how to network, helped me to understand the proper “job lingo” in Canada and they gave me self-confidence, courage and hope.”
Tim has gone on to help other new Canadians make their way in Canada by hosting 10 families and sharing his knowledge and experience to help them find work.
“I show them how to write good resumes that employers in Canada will notice and I tell them that there is no point in pretending. Present your achievements honestly and you have a better chance at success.”
Tim is a true success story and his inspiring efforts to help new Canadians find work continue today. CanadaInfoNet.org is happy to have him as part of our Online Mentoring Program.
