Guest Blog Post by Bhushan Shetty: My Canadian Dream!
If you are reading this blog then you will definitely agree with the title of the blog! My name is Bhushan Shetty and I wish to share my experience on how I plan to fulfill my long-standing dream of travelling to one of the amazing countries in the world. Canada!
I am a Search Engine Optimization Specialist by profession since last two years. I was an Administrative Assistant for 12 years after which I decided to go into Digital Marketing. I took a leap of faith from having an experienced stable job to becoming a Digital Marketer. So now you know that I love taking challenges and wanted to do something better in my life.
Immigrating to Canada for a better lifestyle was one of the hot favourite topics here in India (Mumbai). I heard that Canada is known for its good infrastructure facilities, medical benefits, warm and friendly people to live and work with, and a picturesque scenic view! I wanted to experience all these wonderful things first hand and that’s when my wife and I began researching the process of immigrating to Canada. After a very well documented process, my wife and I qualified under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and were invited by Alberta province to become Permanent Residents (PR) of Canada.
I was pleasantly surprised to know that the Canadian Government wholeheartedly welcomes new, talented and qualified immigrants to become a part of their rich and diversified Canadian culture. In fact, they have these amazing programs established that help you in this journey. That is when I stumbled across one of their finest programs – Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA). I was introduced to this remarkable pre-arrival service for new Canadian immigrants while attending my “Preparing for Canada” sessions (also organized by the Canadian Government).
As we all know moving to a new country means settling into a new culture, making new friends, and understanding the process of applying for jobs. I was clueless and had tons of questions about how to prepare a Canadian style resume, what etiquette to follow in a Canadian workplace, what is the STAR technique that everyone talks about these days, what are employment partners and how can they help me? I knew it was quite a challenge to get in touch with potential Canadian employers without having a proper Canadian experience. In addition to jobs, I was also skeptical about the housing situation such as types of accommodation in Alberta and purchasing furniture for my new home. I also wanted to connect with the various services and facilities that the Canadian Government provides for new immigrants. It was quite an extensive list and I was sure that I would have to search in different places to get correct answers to all my questions.
Thankfully Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) was here to help me! Believe me, these guys are experts in what they do and are a one stop solution for all your queries about shifting to Canada! Soon after registration, I got an email from my Intake Counsellor Bamidele Salako who diligently explained to me the entire process through a call. He made me very comfortable even though we were at the opposite corners of the world. Bamidele patiently listened to all my queries, understood my professional background and provided me with possible solutions and briefed about my course with SOPA. He introduced me to my facilitator Jothi Jesu and that’s where my journey began.
Over the course of two months Jothi laid out a detailed plan to cover all important topics to make me ready for the Canadian job market. I was registered under “Job Search Strategies” program so that I could understand and acquire basic skills required before I enter the Canadian job market. Jothi was prompt with her feedback and her counselings made me confident in devising a powerful resume and LinkedIn profile. Jothi meticulously checked and gave me timely feedback which made me more confident with my job search. A lengthy 4-page resume of mine was transformed into an ATS software friendly crisp, sharp, and to the point resume. This resume highlighted my most powerful soft skills as well as hard skills. I found out that I needed to make my resume compatible with each job posting.
The SOPA website where I accessed my Job Search Strategies course was very well designed and easy to navigate. I enjoyed the short assignments where I had to record my interview answers for potential questions that might be asked by the employers. The tasks were clear and easy to understand. I couldn’t believe that learning at my age would be so much fun!
Armed with my single page power-packed resume along with a thoughtfully written cover letter, has led me to receive calls from a few employers in Canada. Yes! You heard it right. Potential employers from Canada were calling me after viewing my resume.
To keep my post brief I would like to end by saying that SOPA is one of the best pre-arrival services out there that you can hope for! Professionals like Jothi Jesu and Bamidele Salako make up a strong team that can put a person who is looking to find a career in Canada at ease. I am currently at the last stage of my course and will share more experiences as I progress with my journey.
Please do consider visiting my blog https://www.canadaandme.com/ wherein I have shared more such stories related to Canada under https://www.canadaandme.com/category/canada-immigration-blogs/ Do have a look and let me know what you feel about it.
Until then all the best guys in fulfilling your Canadian dream!
