leon

@_ROB_29 Poor passenger

Driver ditched the vehicle and is now on foot 😂😂

@40PlusImmigrant 💯 spot on.

A great number of years of foreign work experience can still leave you struggling in Canada🇨🇦. One of the hard lessons in this Japa journey, when you’re over 40: experience alone is not enough. Here, it won't be that one is not pushing hard enough or, unqualified. Sometimes, it’s because your experience is not translated into what the system here understands. In Canada, employers often look beyond your job title. They want local certifications, safety training, Canadian experience, and proof that you understand the Canadian work culture and can work within their system. That’s why the majority of us may start with survival jobs, not because we lack skills, but because we have to learn the ropes and figure out how to position those skills in this market. The gap is not experience. The gap is translation. This is the raw truth!

@40PlusImmigrant When you hear things like do you have any Canadian working experience? Your volunteer experience closes that gap.

@40PlusImmigrant This is spot on. I tell people that the rewards of volunteering is huge it's as rewarding as a full time employment but you don't get paid. The reference and canadian work experience you get from that is good.....

I got a role with the Canadian Red Cross… before I even entered Canada. 😄 I landed a Volunteer Role with the Canadian Red Cross while in Nigeria, 1 month before I left. There is an edge in thoroughly making your own research about anything and everything about the country you want to move to before making that move. Trust me, all the vital information you’d get would help you settle in, and it would merge with the information people who were already there before you, would dish out to you. Having learned how vital volunteering is in the Canadian work culture, I started approaching preferred organisations once it was sure that our travel documents were in our hands. I remember that email and the subsequent call that followed from CRC to learn more about me and my drive to decide to join as a volunteer once I landed. It blew my mind that, oh, shit is possible. I felt seen and valued, and if I had failed that remote interview, I wouldn’t have been sad, because I was really proud that they even interviewed me. When I got the mail saying I had passed, it still felt like a mirage till I landed in Canada. After informing them of my availability, I had to wait 6 weeks to receive my Volunteer ID, which was sent to my doorstep via Canada Post. This one came after I was dramatically sacked (laughs 😄) from the first job I landed just 4 weeks after entering the country. That funny story is coming. With that ID, I was so wowed and eager, and I must say, the quality of training and protocols you are placed to take as a volunteer is no different from what the full staff get. You are assigned organizational email address, you pick the days you are available to show up, you are allowed to have the experience you are gathering with them to be on your resume, to help your job hunt, and you can be given reference if you land a job outside, sometimes you are sent vouchers for discounts in their partner shops and free to attend career improvement events, etc. My spouse also made the volunteering move when we landed and got a position in Customer Support in a Community Service Organisation, which I am not allowed to mention here. She also has a job now with that Canadian Work Experience. I still feel proud looking at my ID/Tag and its neck ribbon! 😄Volunteering culture is a big flex in Canada and in the Western world, and it can really open up great opportunities for you while you are on it or later on, and I am sure a lot of people here can attest to this. I still make time from my main job now to keep up with my volunteer position at the Canadian Red Cross, when I can, because it doesn’t stop. I volunteer in a department that works in line with health and safety, and it played a big role in landing me a job. If you are out there and still finding that job and have never tried stepping out to pick up a volunteer role in any organisation at all, give it a try… you’d never know! Udo!

@40PlusImmigrant Well that's kinda right. 2019 I think we had like 2 snow storms, 2023 was also brutal. But then this is Canada.

@eyexcel It is. Was the only worry I had, prior to landing. Then after the recent winter, I can say I survived it 😁 though folks in my location keep telling me that 2025 winter was not really the usual winter and that's the mildest they have had since the last 10 years.

7:00 pm and the sun is still glowing. In Canada🇨🇦, you don’t just watch the weather, you talk about it with everyone you meet! ​ One thing you quickly learn here is the art of Small Talk. Whether you’re in a mood or not, a typical Canadian will catch your eye, smile, and start a conversation. It’s the culture. If you don’t engage, you’re the "rude" one! 😅 ​ It’s how they network and build connections, so you have to learn to always have something to say. And the "starter pack" for most conversation? The Weather. Coming out of winter into Spring, you can feel the collective excitement. People talk about how the sun makes them feel, how they can’t wait for Summer, they cherish the heat. ​ There’s something so sweet about seeing how people show such deep gratitude for nature here. Whether they believe in a Creator or not, they are grateful to "the maker" for the warmth. It’s a lesson in appreciation for where I have found myself currently. ​#canadaLife #springtime #smalltalk #newbeginnings

@40PlusImmigrant Ahhhhh yes, meanwhile the cold is crazy.

@eyexcel 😀! The weather out there is nice eh?! Such free happy people

@ikefort80 @PsudoMike They make a lot of money from your writing the exams here.

@PsudoMike Why does Canada first bring professionals here before making them to write exams? Why not do like UK does? Write all qualifying exams back home, then relocate afterwards? What am I missing?

I met a woman at the Nigerian shop on Lawrence last winter. She was a pediatrician in Enugu. Now she works nights at a long term care home in Scarborough. Studies for her MCCQE on the bus home. Her son just wrote his SAT. She said her time will come. I believed her. What does the slow road look like for you?

@PsudoMike Mike...I know that store 😜

@PsudoMike There is less training in that area for the employer. As long as it's a Canadian company you have that Canadian experience.

@PsudoMike Good point, but then if you don't get to volunteer in your area of specialization, just volunteer your time somewhere. The idea is you have worked here in Canada, you have an idea of the work culture, you understand the environment.

Nigerian engineers applying for tech jobs in Canada, I need to have an honest conversation with you. I've been on both sides of this. Applying as an immigrant engineer AND reviewing candidates in Canadian companies. Here are the mistakes I see Nigerians make repeatedly. 1/10

@_theCyberDoctor @PsudoMike It's always good to at least list 1 or 2 of the responsibilities we're you worked especially if it relates to what you're applying for. That way I know you have an idea or have handled something similar.

@eyexcel @PsudoMike Sir, can you please give a better explanation for section 2?

@mayowafalowo @feesah_222 Extremely

@feesah_222 Is the tap water healthy though

Canadians drink water from any tap, even taps in the washroom……..

@PsudoMike Not entirely true

Engineers planning to move to Canada, here's something nobody is preparing you for. Canada is a bilingual country. English and French. Every single application you build here must support both languages. This is not optional. It's the law. 🧵 1/7

@TamiloreAdewuyi Nice, pls update. Been to quite some very nice places by road and Canada is beautiful. Its summer best time to drive.

@eyexcel Thanks boss, will be updating once I start and will be happy to stop by

My road trip across Canada starts in less than 2 months and I am super excited about it. I will be driving across the country for 30 days, visiting all provinces and interviewing successful business owners and people building a career. It will be a 15,000km drive. Any tips for me to have a very successful trip?

@Itzpelumi @Wizarab10 In addition, your resume should reflect the position you are applying for. You can start with a volunteer position so you can ad that to your work experience.

If you’re in Northern BC, please call 211 immediately. BC Housing and WorkBC can also help with emergency housing and job search support. You’re not alone — there are programs available. Stay strong. Also communicate with your community for information. You will also have to engage in more courses. Search for remote jobs. HGS Concentrix Upwork Remotejobs Outlier Datannotation Look into this. HGS and concentrix employs new comers and also visit downtown for agency jobs. Good luck

Entsring Canada is one thing. Getting job in Canada is another thing.

@KaiUzama @bzkwes My Sister pls just take a look at the breakdown of let's say water bill or hydro. Cost of delivery and other items are way more than the actual usage.

@eyexcel @bzkwes Let me check my bill & be sure breathing is not already included 😭

I told a coworker what my hydro bill was & it turned into a full on office discussion cause my manager was so worried for me 😭 Basically everyone was so invested & they gave me tips & tricks to reduce my bill. Im so happy to show them my latest bill has come down to $142 🥹🥹

@bzkwes @KaiUzama Especially recent rentals. They will soon start asking us to pay for breathing.

@eyexcel @KaiUzama Wow.. times are changing and capitalism is having a win..did not know