FIN clients talk about barriers and how to overcome them

 

As we get busy with the next cycle of the Federal Internship for Newcomers program, we are inviting our awesome clients – who are hoping to start their journey in the public sector through the FIN program this year – to talk about the barriers they faced initially and the tools they used to overcome them.

“Congratulations on 10 successful years of the FIN program, what a big milestone this is for the IRCC and Worlds Skills teams; thank you for all you do”

When Abiola Oladepo, a physician from Nigeria, arrived in Ottawa in 2019, like all newcomers he didn’t have any professional contacts.

“I felt it was necessary to get information about employment opportunities and career building and advancement. It was a huge challenge until I attended the Career Transition workshop organized by the Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI) in partnership with World Skills. I met many wonderful people, including the staff at CCI and World Skills and other participants at the workshop. I am happy to tell you that I got my present job through the referral from my employment counsellor at World Skills.”

Abiola says he has been able to build networks with other participants he met at the workshop who are medical professionals like himself. This has helped him in planning and starting out on building a career path in Canada.

“I was also able to overcome the barrier of lack of Canadian work experience because I was able to get a job which I have being working at for over a year now.”

Abiola is currently qualified in the FIN 2020-2021 pool and waiting for an internship.

“The staff at World Skills gave me all the information I needed to know about the FIN program and the required documents for application. I attended a couple of preparatory workshops about each stage of the application process and also training and practice sessions about the interview process.”

He feels that the staff at World Skills was very helpful in preparing him for each stage of the FIN Program.

Sajia Afrin, a teacher by profession, who has also qualified for the FIN 2020-2021 pool, says that when she started her job search journey she was not very organized and needed guidance.

“Also, I was really confused about the STAR technique. I found it difficult to answer the screening questions on the GC jobs board. But, when I attended the job application workshop organized by World Skills Employment Centre, I came to know the techniques of writing those answers. The workshop was very effective for me.”

Sajia points out that she felt confident to apply to the FIN program after attending the workshops at World Skills.

“I am grateful to World Skills since I have learned the whole process of preparing myself for the FIN application through the workshops. I just followed the instructions provided at the workshops and my online application and interview went smoothly. I am also glad to know that the FIN team at IRCC is now referring my resume to different hiring managers in the Public Sector.”

“It has always been my dream to work in the government in Canada”

For Pranita Bhatta, a medical professional, the biggest challenge during her job search as an immigrant was not knowing where to get the right information.

“Before I applied to the FIN program, I visited several immigrant serving agencies, attended seminars, job fairs and workshops. My thirst for information that would help me reach my career goals led me to the World Skills office where I received the right advice on how to navigate the Public Sector.”

Pranita feels that the Information Sessions, preparatory workshops and employment counselling that she received at World Skills helped her not only write a successful application for FIN but also ace the interview.

“World Skills invites consultants, coaches and experts from the Public Sector who give some great advice to newcomers looking for opportunities in the government.”

She adds that she never felt alone throughout the process.

“The World Skills staff was always a phone call or email away. They helped me from the very beginning, starting with the pre-screening process. I had one-on-one counselling, workshops for job application process and resume building, mock interview and so many other kinds of support.”

Pranita has a word of advice for other newcomers seeking opportunities in the government:

“Believe in yourself, improve your communications and interpersonal skills, keep trying, and never give up.”