“I was so confident in my abilities and I had such a strong resume that I never doubted I would quickly get a job in Canada,” says Jaya Dharan, program coordinator at one of Calgary’s immigrant employment services organizations. “So the fact that when I started applying and didn’t even get a phone call was surprising. In Dubai, where I lived for 15 years prior to coming to Canada, I did not have to apply for jobs – I was headhunted!”
With a Master’s degree from Punjab University in India and strong background in administration, in Dubai, Dharan had worked for the Ministry of Education, The British Council and The British University in Dubai. Hoping for the best job opportunities in Canada, she and her husband decided to land in Calgary – because the agent who helped them submit their applications advised them that Alberta was a prosperous province and its biggest city Calgary was the best place to work in Canada.
The family knew that it usually takes some time in a new country to settle and find jobs. Therefore, to avoid having two job seekers at home and no income, the Dharans decided that Jaya would move to Calgary first with their son, get a stable job and then the husband would quit his work in Dubai and join the family in Canada. Finding a stable paid job for Jaya, however, took longer than they expected.
“When you send your resume and you don’t hear a response, you feel you have been judged – and you have been judged negatively,” says Dharan recalling her first months at the Canadian job market. Time passed and she felt isolated and very lonely – unemployed, far from friends and family, in a country very different from Dubai and India. “There were times when I felt hopeless,” she admits. “And hopelessness is the worst a person can experience.”
Looking for ways to overcome the isolation and the negative emotions, she joined a meditation group in Calgary. “I was fortunate I found this activity,” she says. “I got immense support – I had a place to go where I wouldn’t be judged. There was a friendly atmosphere, there were smiles and hugs. It really helped me restore my positive outlook.”
Having overcome the first shock, Dharan started to look for alternative ways to get into the Canadian work environment. She contacted the immigrant agencies in the city and received good advice – to start volunteering first. So with the help of Immigrant Services Calgary she got a volunteer position at the Canadian Red Cross. “Volunteering full time gave purpose to my days,” Dharan says. “I had a reason to get up in the morning: to go to work, to meet amazing people and build professional relationships. And my supervisors later become my referees. In fact, ensuring references is one of the biggest advantages of volunteering – because everywhere you go you need references. And your friends and neighbours can not provide you with them – references must be work-related.”
Dharan was still volunteering for the Red Cross when she got an internship at Bow Valley College. The internship (as Administrative Support) was not paid, but it led to her current job: the college was one of the main partners of CRIEC (Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council) and Dharan was involved in one of CRIEC’s projects. While working on the project she learned about a job opening for Coordinator and applied. Having gained the required knowledge and experience, and having excellent references, she was hired and is now passionately working for a mentorship program designed to help newcomers find jobs.
“Wise people say that you have to surround yourself with positive people in order to be happy and successful.”
“Wise people say that you have to surround yourself with positive people in order to be happy and successful,” she says, “and I want to be one of those positive people my mentees meet. I keep telling them that I have been in their situation and I have overcome the difficulties – and if I have done it, they can do it too!”
Some of the keys to positivity, according to Dharan, are patience, appreciation of what we have at the moment, and flexibility. “We all come to Canada with dreams,” Dharan says, “and it is very important to have dreams. But we have to be flexible as well. And if sometimes we have to redefine our dreams, we should be open to that. There is a simple example: if you dream of having a large house with a huge backyard, but at the moment you can only afford a condo with no backyard, don’t let this make you sad. Think of it as just the first step. And be happy that you have made the first step. Make that condo a happy, cozy home and keep on dreaming of the big house – it will happen too – it’s just a matter of time… However, I have met mentees who are highly qualified, and when they come to Canada and don’t immediately get the same level of jobs they have had before, they get upset – they don’t want to be patient and flexible and they become very unhappy – and this doesn’t help. So I would suggest: be flexible, don’t lose your dreams, but be open to changing your path towards them. I still have my dream of a big house with a big backyard, I haven’t gotten it yet, but I am happy for where I am standing right now.”
By Lucy Slavianska
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