Nimriti's Job Search Process as a Learning Curve

"I gained my confidence back, started earning again, and it helped my self-esteem a lot.
It has been a blessing to have the support of WorkBC and to know that someone has your back!"

Hi! My name is Nimrita. I am an MBA in Marketing. I immigrated in 2007 as Permanent Resident and went back to work in India till 2014 mostly with Canadian companies. The program finished early this year and I decided to come back to Canada and started applying for administrative roles but there was no response for over 2 months. Even though my background had extensive experience and high qualifications, this job search process with no interview calls affected my confidence and self-esteem a lot.

Part of my previous role included providing WorkBC Employment Services referrals to clients immigrating to Canada therefore I was well familiar with WorkBC. It was so ironic that I was involved in the pre-arrival services to people immigrating to Canada for settlement and employment needs but when I faced unemployment myself, I felt lost. My employment counsellor at Newton WorkBC helped me establish an immediate career goal, providing me with job leads and networking opportunities to connect with employers in the field.  She showed me the strategies to create a targeted resume and cover letter and I started receiving calls for interviews.  I stayed in regular contact with her and was able to gain back my confidence level as she helped me look at my assets and see the process of job search as a learning curve. This helped me understand and accept the time constraint involved in the job search process.

I applied for the settlement support worker position at Options Community Services; I was interviewed and offered the position soon. Currently, I am working in the same position at Options Community Services temporarily. This may not be long-term employment however it opened up the doors for me in many ways. I gained my confidence back and started earning again, and it helped my self-esteem a lot.

It has been a blessing to have the support of WorkBC and to know that someone has your back!