Of all the “elephant in the room” stories (or myths) immigrants to Canada face, there is one that has been persistently used to signal some type of failure on the immigrants’ part: lack of Canadian experience.

The reality is that all immigrants (to any country, not just Canada) lack experience from their new home; after all, they have never lived there before! While the phrase “lack of Canadian experience” can be interpreted in this literal fashion, it is often a euphemism used by some employers, co-workers and even service providers to hide what they know they can’t or shouldn’t say. It can even be a form of discrimination, bullying or harassment.

What is Canadian experience?

Canadian experience is defined differently by different people. Contrary to what many think (i.e., that it refers to “work experience”) all views seem to point to this definition: Canadian experience is the ability to understand the Canadian workplace culture and adapt to it by behaving according to Canadian workplace expectation (often also called “soft skills”).

It includes many sub-categories such as being aware of: local industry trends, who is who in your occupational sector, the type of services and goods, the local market, Canadian legislation, technologies and occupational jargon.

Those who acquire these soft skills seem to get that elusive “Canadian experience” quickly, while those who don’t may spend years and still struggle to “fit in.” While many of these newcomers turn to work in survival jobs to get Canadian experience, they are really only getting work experience. Working as a security guard, cashier in a department store or a kitchen helper will not provide you with the “Canadian experience” you really need. These jobs may widen the gap between your last professional job and what you are looking for. And the wider the gap, the more difficult it will be for you to move from “survival” to “professional.”

But sometimes…

“Lack of Canadian experience” may also be used to reject your resume or used as an excuse after a job interview, with no further clarification. In these cases, it is difficult to know whether this expresses real concern about you r abilities to perform well on the job or if it hides subjective perceptions about you being the right fit, which may be a very fine line from plain discrimination. This situation is exacerbated when your resume doesn’t follow Canadian standards, and doesn’t show your engagement with Canadian culture or interest in updating your training.

What you can do

Learn as much as possible about your new culture and embrace it. Mingle with different cultures, including different groups of Canadian people. Join clubs and groups.

Learn about what is happening in Canada. Follow newspapers and blogs to explore the issues that will impact your industry or occupation. What are the trends? What is happening?

Plan as many informational interviews as you can. Do this with both people in your industry or those in a new profession you would like to explore. Informational interviews will give you the “insider” point of view and you will be able to compare your own experience to how things are done in Canada.

Before jumping into evaluating your credentials or going back to school, collect more information. Is it worth it? Who is your professional regulatory body or association? How is it done? Talk to specialists in your profession, go to the sources.

Choose your training strategically. You may not need a new degree: in most cases, a few strategic courses will do the trick as employers will recognize a Canadian institution in your resume and will appreciate your willingness to upgrade.

Consider taking a part-time job or an entry-level job in your industry or a similar one. This will allow you to practise in your field, show your abilities, close the gap in your resume and have enough time to look for a more permanent professional job.

Network. Networking is the no. 1 approach to finding jobs in Canada. Networking, similarly to volunteering and choosing training, needs to be strategic. In order to network successfully, you need to become “known” in industry circles: attend professional conferences, events and workshops, participate in forums, ask for informational interviews with industry insiders, accept internships and so on.

Volunteer! Volunteering is widespread among Canadians, with 75 per cent of them have volunteered at some point in their lives. Volunteering helps you with networking, filling gaps in your resume, learning about Canadian culture and practices and showing employers that you are truly engaged with Canada.

Argentine-born Silvia Di Blasio studied and worked in Venezuela for many years. She currently works as a certified career development practitioner in Surrey, B.C., and volunteers for many community organizations in her spare time.

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