Sabbir’s success appears to have come about swiftly due to the fact that he put in a lot of preparation beforehand. However, he too has had his fair share of rejections and advises newcomers not to be discouraged. “At one point, my wife and I thought that we would never find work. I had put out fifty applications in a month and a half, with no response... I started applying to jobs outside my field too, before I got a call for an interview.” “You bring your savings and place your confidence in building a new life.” Sabbir was one of the speakers at December’s Stars on the Rise celebration, which was organized by Malou to celebrate the contributions of mentors and the successes of mentees. He echoes some of the advice he gave there to newcomer jobseekers: “Access the resources available, such as WorkBC and listen to advice about Canadian-style job search.” Sabbir suggests, “Don’t wait for the perfect job. Be open to jobs outside your field or even temporary jobs. Sign up for temporary job placement agencies. Even a job for five to seven days can be something to put on your resume as Canadian experience and lets you meet colleagues who can be your local reference. Interim steps can open new opportunities for permanent positions aligned with your original profession.” Sabbir’s story shows how being proactive, community support and opportune timing come together for a smoother transition into Canada.
opportunities and informing themselves. “One resource naturally led to another. From my research, I knew, even before arriving, that I needed three things to find work here: Canadian references, Canadian qualifications and Canadian work experience.” They then signed up at temporary staffing agencies to get initial Canadian work experience and local references. Sabbir also took a short course on project management at Vancouver Community College. “This was noticed at my interview, even though it was just a short course”. Canadian references, qualifications and work experiences sound like substantial barriers, but even starting small helps. A little more than a month after landing, Sabbir and Roksana met Malou Sibbaluca, Employment Relations Coordinator of Options Career Mentorship program at our Job Fair in September 2019. After learning about Sabbir’s background in education, Malou matched him with Ritu Biswas, a mentor who had transitioned from a technical field into education management. After two meetings, an opportunity emerged at the Vancouver Career College, where Ritu works. She forwarded Sabbir’s resume ; Sabbir was interviewed and was offered the job the following week. Sabbir has now been working as the Assistant Director of Admissions at Vancouver Career College for about four months and he is very pleased that he was able to remain in his field. Sabbir hopes to one day become a campus director, which would let him make a bigger positive impact on students’ wellbeing.
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“Interim steps can open new opportunities.”
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