I  can’t  keep  calm.  I  need  a  job.  There  is  work  in  Canada?    Who  knew?!!!  

What  we  will  cover  

² Why  volunteering  ma:ers  for  finding  work  in  Canada  

² Pros  and  Cons  of  volunteering  ² Connec>ng  volunteering  and  work  opportuni>es  

² Three  new  Canadians  share  their  experience  

WHY  VOLUNTEERING  MATTERS  FOR  FINDING  WORK  IN  CANADA    

Did  you  know  that…  

•  You  have  to  apply,  send  a  resume  and  interview  for  a  volunteer  posi>on?  

Did  you  know  that…  

•  Volunteer  experience  counts  for  employers  as  “Canadian  experience”?  

Did  you  know  that…  

•  Employers  hire  for  volunteer  work,  not  just  paid  work?  

Did  you  know  that…  

•  Volunteering  gives  insight  into  local  experience,  issues  and  concerns?  

Volunteering  is  a  lever  

ü To  resources  ü To  people  who  can  connect  you  to  employers  

ü To  organiza>ons  who  support  

ü To  references  for  jobs  

But  only  if  you  

ü Treat  volunteer  work  like  a  job  

ü Make  a  good  impression  

ü Connect  with  decision  makers  

ü Ask  for  references  and  opportuni>es  

PROS  AND  CONS  OF  VOLUNTEERING  

Pros  and  Cons  

•  Meet  people  •  Improve  your  English/

French  •  Enlarge  your  network  •  Get  pracPcal  knowledge  

of  Canadian  work  and  culture  

•  Increase  your  confidence  •  Learn  new  skills  

•  Indirect  route  to  work,  not  direct  

•  If  you  aren’t  sincere,  it  won’t  have  an  effect  

•  Takes  Pme  and  effort  •  You  need  money  now  •  You  may  not  see  

benefits  unPl  later  •  You  may  feel  exploited  

CONNECTING  VOLUNTEERING  AND  WORK  OPPORTUNITIES      

To  connect  V  to  W  ü  Go  to  a  Volunteer  

Centre  (ex.  Edmonton  Volunteer  Organiza>on  EVO)  

ü  Use  the  connec>ng  services  at  immigrant  serving  organiza>ons  

ü  Look  for  mentorship  organiza>ons  and  opportuni>es  

Volunteer  Edmonton,  Alberta  

Getvolunteering.ca/get-­‐matched/  

Volunteer  Toronto,  Ontario  

To  connect  V  to  W  ü Ask  to  volunteer  for  conferences  and  events  in  your  profession  

ü Go  to:  getvolunteering.ca/get-­‐matched/  

ü Google  “volunteer  in…”  your  city  

ü Ask  for  >ps  on  finding  work  from  your  volunteer  buddies  

Volunteer  Richmond,  B.C.    

To  connect  V  to  W  ü ALWAYS  include  your  community  work  volunteering  in  your  resume  

ü Men>on  your  volunteering  in  interviews  

ü Ask  for  references  from  people  who  know  your  volunteer  work  

Volunteer  Saskatchewan  

THREE  NEW  CANADIANS  SHARE  THEIR  EXPERIENCE  

Marsieh  Khodadady  -­‐  Accountant  

Volunteered while I was studying to be an accountant. •  NAIT open house •  Annual tax

preparation workshops

•  Student organization to help the community

•  Helping students in courses

ü Gave me confidence for real life.

ü Helped me gain experience and to know myself.

ü  And it helped

others too – absolutely!

ü Made my resume look better.

ü  Showed people what kind of person I am, because of my volunteer jobs.

Issa  Kamara  Social  Worker/  Execu>ve  

Director  

Volunteered when I first came to Canada and now: ü  In Winnipeg helped others

from Sierra Leone with settlement, job and family issues.

ü  Volunteered for at-risk youth.

ü  This allowed me to have experience to set up my own organization in Edmonton.

ü  Volunteered with community organizations, volunteer boards and connected small organizations with big ones.

ü  This increased my reputation and credibility! Now I just mention “Looking for a job” and in a short time I have one. Everyone wants to help me because I help them.

ü  In the African communities,

mostly men are volunteering.

Sandra  Cuadra  Marketer  

Volunteered when I first came to Canada and now: Catholic Social Services, ERIEC, Sombillia •  Met new people •  Made friends •  Canadian experience •  Practiced my English •  Got soft skills •  Improved references •  Win win situation!

ü  Volunteer experience showed on my resume that I had Canadian experience.

ü My volunteer placement got me my first marketing job.

ü  Thanks to my volunteer experience on my resume I got three more marketing contracts.

ü  Because I met new people, I learned about the Canadian market.

Sandra:  Work  hard  to  meet  new  people  even  if  you  feel  shy.    Use  immigrant  serving  organiza>ons  and  not  for  profits.  Remember  that  you  need  help  with  resumes  to  get  volunteer  posi>ons.  Volunteering  is  why  I  have  paying  work  now.  

Issa:    In  Canada  there  is  really  a  spirit  of  volunteering  and  you  have  to  be  a  part  of  it  to  understand  Canadians  and  the  workplace  here.  Most  of  my  resume  experience  has  come  either  directly  or  indirectly  as  a  result  of  volunteering.      

Marsieh:    Don’t  just  focus  on  ge^ng  a  job,  think  about  mee>ng  people  and  connec>ng.  Do  what  you  can  to  help  others  and  they  then  become  references  and  connectors  for  you.  Volunteering  helps  you  learn  the  language  and  gain  confidence.  Your  connec>ons  grow.  All  my  volunteer  posi>ons  were  recommenda>ons  for  work.      

Do  you  need  a  job?  Try  volunteering!    

Connec>ng  with  us  

h:p://shi_workplace.com  @shi_workplace  @workandculture  

info@shi_workplace    

Check  out  our  Work  and  Culture  course  for  newcomers  to  find  work  in  their  field.  

h:p://workandculture.com    

Thank you for attending the webinar!