Determination and drive

Determination and drive: Two qualities that could best describe Shadi Haghighidoost. She says she needed both attributes as a newcomer to Canada, especially when trying to establish herself in the workplace.

Like many new Canadians, Shadi faced some unfamiliar career-related challenges on arrival. A procurement manager with an engineering degree, Shadi says she left behind “a very good job” when she emigrated from Iran and settled in Vancouver in 2016. While she felt her chances of landing an equivalent position were excellent, given her background and local labour market conditions, she was prepared to take a more junior role. “I was ready to make the sacrifice,” she says. “However, I didn’t expect it would take a year to find even that junior position.”

Shadi also discovered that as a newcomer, her professional workplace credentials, including her years of senior procurement experience, were not given local equivalency. “I encountered the same hiring scenario,” she recalls. “Potential employers were not asking about my expertise. They kept asking if I had experience working in Canada.”

Fortunately, there was help close at hand. Shadi turned to Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC), one of Canada’s largest newcomer-serving agencies in Canada. A Vancity partner, ISSofBC assists immigrants and refugees get settled, find or continue careers and learn about the tools and resources they need to settle into their new communities. ISSofBC provided Shadi crucial funding that allowed her to take course work and obtain credentials as a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM).

“I had no chance to obtain the [CPSM] credential without the support I received,” says Shadi. “It was a big help. And working with ISSofBC also helped increase my confidence. They helped me with my resume and with job interviews.”

Three months later, Shadi landed a job with a Vancouver-based clean tech company, as a procurement specialist. And six months after that, she was promoted to procurement manager. “I’m really very happy with my progress,” Shadi says, adding that she now finds herself on the other side of the table, interviewing prospective new employees.

Her advice to other newcomers looking to continue their careers in Canada? Remain positive. Don’t give up. Look for available support. And stay determined.