I came to Canada almost immediately after I completed my undergrad. I was 21 at the time, filled with ambition, ready to work hard and be successful. In my home country, socially I was somewhat of an ambivert, super reserved, not really comfortable talking to new people, but in my job/internship hunts, I was confident and never doubted my capabilities. That changed a little in my initial months in this country. I found myself battling with some newfound insecurities, socially and professionally. The feelings that I had at the time were completely alien to me and for a moment I felt lost. After talking to a few people who were around the same age as me, who had recently moved to Canada themselves, I found out that I was not the only one. Due to stigmas and stereotypes prevalent in our society, New Canadian Youth become over critical of themselves and develop certain insecurities that in reality only exist in their head.
In this post, I discuss the most common insecurities that new Canadian Youth might face, along with ways to eliminate the same.
I also share some of my views that I developed through my own experiences, to give a fresh perspective on the topic, in hopes to eliminate these insecurities even before they begin to brew in a person's mind.
Okay, this is a real fear for many newcomers. You hear people say, "The experience you have from your home country does not matter, do not even bother putting them down on your resume." All I have to say for this is, turn a deaf ear to these people. Experience is experience.
All you have to do is showcase your accomplishments, skills, and efficiencies in such a way that justifies your worthiness for the job. Employers are always on the hunt for fresh talent. If you possess the skills that are needed for the job and you rank better than the other applicants, you will get hired, no matter how new you are to the country.
Other than that, it is very important to do your homework and figure out the expectation that employers have from applicants. These expectations might be different from the expectations employers have in your home country. E.g.: It is essential to send a cover letter along with your resume. In my home country, just your resume is enough to apply for a job.
The only reason you might find it difficult to find a job at the beginning is that there is so much competition and because you’re still learning about the application standards the Canadian Job market has from its applicants.
So, you might make mistakes, but hey! That’s ok! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn and the better you get!
Read this article from randstand that gives tips on resume writing for newcomers to Canada.
https://www.randstad.ca/job-seeker/career-resources/resume-tips/the-anatomy-of-an-amazing-cover-letter/
Also, here is a very comprehensive guide from the Government of Ontario that is a great starting point to help you create a resume and cover letter that is up to the mark. (This guide is from 2015 and needs some updates like your cover letter should not be longer than 1 page and your resume should be no longer than 2, so please don’t use this as your only source)
The human mind tends to make the worst possible outcome, the only outcome possible. Having heard stories about the discrimination immigrants and newcomers have faced in the past, you can't help but feel the same is going to happen with you.
I remember when I first came to Canada, I wouldn’t talk to anyone thinking they’d not want to associate with me based on how I look and where I come from. Looking back at that, I can’t help but feel a little stupid!
Always remember, Canada is a country built on multiculturism, it’s a cultural mosaic. The people of this country are very accepting and open-minded. At least most are. Most people will form opinions about you based on who you are as a person, especially the youth of Canada.
According to the census report of 2016, 21.9% Canadian population were foreign-born. This means a large number of people have been in the same place you are at now, at some point in their lives. They not only understand your struggles but have also lived through the same experience. So, they have a great deal of empathy to give.
A large part of the population of this country has parents who immigrated to this country. They’ve heard stories from their parents and in some way identify with what a person goes through when they are starting from scratch in a new country. They understand you too!
As for the local Canadian population, whose families have been living in this country for generations, people immigrating to Canada is not a new thing for them. They have gotten used to the idea of having people from all over the world come to their country and they are welcoming, to say the least.
You are not going to be the first person of color or the first person that belongs to a different ethnicity that the country is going to welcome. So definitely don’t be worried about being an oddity. If you are planning to live in the cities, there is a very high chance that you will find a thriving community of people of your ethnicity. You will never feel alone in that sense!
So, what I am trying to say is that most people are not going to judge you for your past, they are going to form judgments about you based on your present behavior. Be good, do good and you will be considered good. Canada has always welcomed people with open arms and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Now let's briefly talk about what you can do to stop adding to the stereotypes that are going around about your community. If you are coming from a developing country as I did, there are certain ways that you adopt that are just not acceptable in Canada. For E.g., in my home country, it is almost impossible to follow all the traffic rules that are in place for pedestrians. Please do not jaywalk or walk in the middle of the street in Canada. This is just one example, but you get the point.
Do not be the one that disrupts the decorum of society.
That being said, the world is not a perfect place. You may face racially biased people, who may throw fits of micro-aggression towards you, out of no fault of your own. Some may be very random and leave you puzzled. After experiencing situations like these, you may not be able to push this insecurity aside. You might end up being conscious and not able to perform your best, for this I would suggest adopting a growth mindset.
You have to program your brain to think in a way that it believes that with the right kind of effort, you can achieve anything. This helps in keeping you focused and being unphased by racial biases that you might face.
I would recommend watching this ted talk by Russell Mclain that explains stereotype threat and one form of a highly effective intervention measure that you can use to knock out stereotype threats you may be facing.
For some reason, this was my biggest insecurity. I think this one arises from the portrayal of characters from my community in movies and television. Just for e.g., the portrayal of Apu in The Simpsons.
I personally find the portrayal of this character very insulting and demeaning. Whenever I would talk, I would get superconscious, I would fear that I am sounding like Apu and people are judging me for it. So, I would keep analyzing how I was sounding and in doing so I would lose my train of thought or the material I would be speaking would be seriously compromised (because my mind would be diverted).
The more and more I interacted with people from all around the world, the more I realized that I was blowing it out of proportion and this fear was just majorly a creation of incorrect and insensitive portrayal of characters from my community in movies and television. In reality, in Canada, this is not the case. Canada has a huge population of immigrants and some people are even oblivious to accents, and as for the people who aren’t, they don’t really care. Just make sense when you talk, and you should be good.
Another thing that made me much more comfortable about sounding different is observing and witnessing the pride the Latin American community in Canada has for their heritage and language. It inspired me to be proud of my accent and not be bothered that I sound different.
One thing I know for sure is that I am never going to fake an accent like some people do, in an attempt to get over this insecurity. Yes, if you acquire it after living for years in this country, that is okay! But one must not consciously try to acquire one. Trust me on this one, I have met many people who put on an accent and it does more harm than good. Always remember you have spent most of your life in another country and cannot change your ways overnight. However, you do you! Whatever works best for you! No judgments!
Coming out clean on this one, I still do get conscious about the way I speak, but with time I am sure I’ll be able to completely eradicate this insecurity of mine. Read this super insightful article by Anett Grant to learn how to turn your accent into a public-speaking asset. It has helped me tons!
Every society has a few unsaid rules that people are just expected to know and follow. For e.g., in Canada, it is almost customary to hold the door for the next person and if you don’t you may raise a few eyebrows. Whereas in some parts of the world, you will raise eyebrows if you do hold the door.
All these things may feel very daunting when you’re just starting out. All you got to do is observe. Observe how people are behaving around you, you’ll quickly start to see patterns and you should be able to adapt to them with ease. And when in doubt, feel free to ask questions, most people are generally happy to help.
Somewhat of a pro-tip, be proactive. Don’t wait for someone to tell you to behave in a certain way. If you feel like you are doing something or behaving in a way that will not only benefit you but people around you, just make the change, don’t think twice about it. For e.g., Sorry and Thank You have become my most used words. My friends from back home may find this surprising because I almost never said sorry before! In short, I have become much more polite, which is good not only for me but everyone around me
You may not be able to adapt all cultural behavior in one day and may make mistakes. From my observation, most people understand that you’re getting acclimatized, and they want to help you. If you make a mistake, people don’t get offended, in fact, they politely point out your mistake in hopes to simply educate you.
If you’re living in the city, you will interact with people of all ethnicities, from all around the world. It becomes more of learning from each others’ cultures rather than all trying to adapt to one. The dinner table conversations are always super interesting!
We all share stories, customs, and interesting facts about our communities only to realize that we aren’t all the different from each other. So, if you’re worried about not fitting into the Canadian culture, remember you are already a part of it and also contributing to it.
Canadians generally are kind and easy-going people. They won’t take offense to any incorrect action if they know you’re trying and will always be open to help you. They want you to be a part of the community.
Starting in a new country from scratch is tough. You are exposed to so many stimuli, all at once, it can be overwhelming. Through this post, I wish to convey to my fellow newcomers to Canada and all the people who are going to be arriving soon, you are not alone. In the times you face these challenges, you must remember that most of these insecurities you have are a result of overthinking. Just be strong, be focused, and believe in yourself and you will successfully acclimatize in Canada, literally and figuratively. Soon any insecurity you might have will just become a distant memory!
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