Job success in Canada: Gerard Keledjian shares tips in a chat with a career coach
Job Success in Canada. Tips by Gerard Keledjian
The journey of a newcomer to Canada goes much beyond just immigrating or physically relocating here. It extends into settling in and integrating into Canadian society. For some, it’s about establishing their identity with a small business, and for many others, finding job success in Canada to grow in their professions here. Our very own Gerard Keledjian, who is the founder and managing director of New Horizons Media (the parent company of New Canadians), is no stranger to this.
A Lebanese immigrant, Gerard worked his way through the Canadian job market to entrepreneurship and became the brain and engine behind New Canadians – your trusted national TV and web show that connects current and to-be immigrants and international students to valuable information and resources in Canada.
Gerard was interviewed by Emmanuel Gallant, a Montreal-based career coach, who helps people unleash their true value and land the right remote job. What happens when two such individuals get talking? You get tips galore for finding professional success in Canada.
From being an immigrant to serving immigrants
Today, Gerard successfully runs a social enterprise (New Horizons Media Inc.) for content creation and video production. He works with a team of internationally-trained media professionals and Canadian-born young graduates to help Canadian non-profit organizations with their storytelling and messaging. In addition, Gerard produces the New Canadians TV show. Episodes are aired weekly on OMNI Television.
“When I arrived in Canada in 2010, I did not have a resource such as New Canadians to refer to. It brings me satisfaction today to see that our work has an impact on people’s lives. Our programming doesn’t just inform them but also makes a positive change in the outcome of their journey in Canada,” he says.
Like many other newcomers, Gerard had immigrated with many years of international work experience. Before arriving in Canada, he was working in Dubai. He shares that he, too, made mistakes made along the way and learned lessons, which Gerard now shares with other immigrants. “Back in the day, I knew very little about professional networking. A mistake I made in my employment search was that I kept jumping from searching for jobs in different streams. As a media professional, I am multi-skilled, but one month, I was searching for broadcast jobs, then I would look for jobs in print, and another month, search for social media jobs. I learned that job search needs to be more targetted and one has to patiently create a mark for themselves in their area of specialization,” he says.
Watch the interview to learn about Gerard’s journey and his insights as to how immigrants can network and prepare themselves to find a job in Canada.
Golden tips for job success in Canada
Gerard’s chat with Emmanuel is peppered with lots of genuine advice. But there are three key pieces of advice that he would like to share with newcomers looking for career or job success in Canada.
#1. Have a long-term strategy and also a short or medium-term strategy
“Continue to work towards your long-term goal but, it’s okay to branch out into other jobs or activities that help you with your survival in Canada, as long as they do not distract you from your end goal.”
#2. Network authentically and invest in relationships
“When you connect with people, whether in-person or online through LinkedIn etc., do so with the right intention. Don’t network only because that person might or could give you a job. Do it if you think they are good to have in your professional network and then ensure that you maintain that relationship. It’s like planting a seed today. You may be able to harvest it down the road someday.”
#3. Be flexible, and learn from the experiences of others
“Just looking at others – what they are doing or what they’re not doing – can help you made the right choices and avoid big mistakes in your career.”
For more such gems from Gerard, do not miss watching the interview.
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