Newcomers, this group wants you to find success in Canada

Dinesh Sharma.

A Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) study reveals that over 29 per cent of people in Ontario and 47 per cent of the population of the Greater Toronto Area are immigrants.

Dinesh Sharma came to Canada in March 2002 with big aspirations. “I already had family here, and they prepared me on what to expect. I was advised that Canadian experience and education play an important role in succeeding in Canada.”

They arranged an informational interview to help him get his first job upon arriving. He volunteered with that organization for six months on a full-time basis. “Always give more than 120 per cent,” he says. “No matter the role we sign up for, even if it is a volunteer role.”

He realized that to succeed in his career, it was also important to volunteer, build a solid professional network, and have a pool of mentors he could learn from. “It made me realize if we have a desire to succeed, there are people willing to help and support us reach our goal,” says Sharma.

“However, people will only help us if we follow two other principles – clear communication and, what a friend of mine tells me, receiving through giving; we give first before we receive.”

Believing that there were not enough sources of information and support for the newcomer community, he wanted to give back and help other immigrants. “I began mentoring newcomers and international students while also speaking at various community organizations, providing tips to their program participants. However, I knew that alone, I couldn’t do much.”

This is why he started the professional network, Brilliant Minds Group (BMG) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. “The immigrant community was seriously impacted due to the pandemic, and I wanted to do all I could to support them in a meaningful way,” he says.

They started by hosting virtual webinars connecting immigrant professionals with industry experts. The intent was to provide useful information and tools to those who had lost their jobs due to COVID, or had just arrived, or were planning to arrive, in Canada shortly.

Since then, they have joined TRIEC’s Professional Immigrant Networks (PINs) program, collaborating with other networks to host events for professionals from different communities. To date, they have hosted 50 events across 15 different professions, attended by more than 1,000 people. In 2021, they received TRIEC’s Collaboration in Leadership Award for their work in supporting immigrant professionals in the Greater Toronto Area.

“We have built a network of leaders who have the lived experience of being immigrants in Canada and are committed, dedicated and very passionate about helping other newcomer professionals achieve success in their careers. We’re very proud of what we have achieved in such a short time.”

So how can immigrants find career success in Canada themselves?

Be adaptable to change – recognize that things may work differently here than in your home country.

Volunteer for a cause. There is nothing more rewarding than helping others, and it’s a great way to gain professional and cultural experience. 

Network, Network and Network!

TRIEC supports organizations to become more inclusive and help newcomers expand their professional networks and understand the local labour market.

For more info, visit triec.ca.