GUEST POST (poss.ca): Newcomer-friendly Companies in Toronto

We are excited to partner with Poss.ca, a free online magazine to help Toronto job seekers find work, to share their excellent content with our readers.

An initiative of Findhelp Information Services, poss.ca is an Employment Ontario project funded in part by the Government of Canada.
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When it comes to hiring immigrants, there are “those companies who really get it and those who don’t,” says Glem Dias (once a new Canadian himself). He recently spoke at a panel discussion on internationally trained professionals and employment put on by #CdnImm, an offline and online community that shares information about Canadian immigration.

Dias is the director of strategic talent management at Pitney Bowes, a company that he says has “embedded diversity in its culture.” Pitney Bowes is one of the companies recognized as a best employer for new Canadians. The banks are also well represented on this list (for some reason, financial institutions seem “to get” the benefits of hiring newcomers — check out the newcomers or diversity pages on their websites, if you don’t believe me).

Another list, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2012, recognizes companies based on how they deal with five employee groups including members of visible minorities. (Not surprisingly, some companies show up on both lists.)

You can tell that some companies are newcomer-friendly by the awards they are given. For instance,Maxxim Analytics won the Toronto Star Award Excellence in Workplace Integration in 2011 award, given by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) for a 12-week unpaid internship program that has provided more than 400 internationally trained immigrants with Canadian work experience. Half the participants have gone on to work for the company as lab technicians and IT and human resources specialists.

At Deloitte, which won the 2010 Excellence in Workplace Integration award, “new hires are introduced to a ‘buddy,’ an initiative the firm sees as an opportunity for cross-cultural training for both participants.” Thales Canada, which won the 2010 RBC Immigrant Advantage Award, actually goes so far as to conduct interviews in candidates’ native languages. “The phrase ‘Canadian experience’ is seldom uttered, while international experience is welcomed and discussed in detail,” according to this write-up on the TRIEC site.

In the Canadian Immigrant article Are there no newcomer jobs?, Naomi Alboim, of the Maytree Foundation, an organization that advocates for integration of immigrants, points out that “larger more sophisticated companies who have HR departments” have the capacity to deal with assessing people’s experience or education if it wasn’t attained here. She also mentions that employers who are involved in importing, exporting or rely on international suppliers definitely see the benefits of diversity.
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~ This post can be found on Poss.ca, an Employment Ontario project funded in part by the Government of Canada.

A helping hand during your job search — services in the Greater Toronto Area

Searching for a job can be a stressful undertaking especially during times of economic uncertainty. Do you make comments to yourself like:

“I don’t know where to start to find a job”
“I’m sending out resumes and getting no replies”
“I can get interviews, but no job offers”
“Where can I get new skills training?”
“There are no jobs out there”
“What can I do about being over/under qualified?”
“Where can I get information on a specific industry?”
“My education isn’t considered relevant in Canada and I don’t know what do”

Sound familiar?

To help with these challenges, there are some great resources available to all unemployed Ontarians.  All you need to do is visit your local Employment Ontario centre for assistance with your job search; you will find your local (tax payer funded) centres on the Employment Ontario website.

These centres offer many programs and services covering a variety of subjects including upgrading computer skills, resume assistance, interview skills, career counselling, communication skills, job search support, resource material and access to computers, fax machines and photocopiers. Best of all, they are FREE.

The Greater Toronto Area has a number of organizations that offer these services. Some are tied in to a certain demographic, culture or gender. Basically, if you are human and have a pulse you can find assistance in your job search. It doesn’t matter what your education level is, where you came from, your age or what language you speak – there are programs and organizations that can support you.

These include programs that support:

- People with Disabilities
- Newcomers
- Internationally Trained Professionals
- Youth
- People on Social Assistance
- English as a Second Language
- Apprenticeship Training
- Second Careers
- High School Credit Programs
- and everything else in between

Many of these organizations have been around for years. They have knowledgeable staff assisting people every day. So, if you are just looking for resume help, some career advice or in-depth support, check out what these programs can offer you.

Now remember this is your  job search. You will get out of it what you put into it. And after all, isn’t it better to have an extra set of eyes/hands involved in your job search, rather than doing it alone?

Here are some of the organizations who provide these services:

• JVS Toronto – Employment Services
• vpi inc.
• The Centre for Education & Training
• COSTI
• ACCES Employment
• YMCA – Employment, Education and Training Services
• YWCA Toronto – Employment and Training
• Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) – Employment Program
• Polycultural Immigrant & Community Services  – Employment and Job Preparation Programs
• Toronto District School Board – Next Steps Employment Centres
• St. Stephen’s –  Job House
• Tropicana Community Services – AYCE Employment Services
• Goodwill — Employment Services

For more organisations, dial 211 or check out 211.ca

For tips on how to make the best of your employment service, check out this blog post from earlier this year.