“Being a mentor has taught me to be humble”.
When Amjad Rana first arrived in Canada 17 years ago, he trekked to a public library every day to scour suitable job postings in publications. He would then respond with hand-written resumes that were invariably six to seven pages long. “I never got a response. I didn’t have anyone telling me how to write a resume and how short it should be. In fact I didn’t have any kind of support from anyone,” says Amjad.
Today, Amjad, a chemical engineer by profession, works as a quality manager with Thornhill Research Inc., a medical devices manufacturing company.
Years later he realized how much a mentor could have helped him in his job search. “I knew there were many newcomers who needed support. “I thought no one helped me; perhaps, I could help someone.” That led Amjad to sign up to be a mentor with Humber College at the first opportunity. Since then he has never turned back, mentoring one mentee after another.
His tally so far is ten. “I want to help more and more people,” is Amjad’s simple philosophy that aids his passion to assist newcomers. “I don’t want anyone to struggle like I did years ago. I get personal satisfaction from knowing that I have been able to help a newcomer understand the system here and get a job.”
Every mentee has a different story and it is a different experience with each of them, he says. While there are many instances to recall, one stands out and makes him proud. It had to with a mentee who was a chemical engineer with experience in the petroleum industry and who wanted to continue in that sector. Being a chemical engineer himself, Amjad knew jobs where available in this industry and soon after meeting his mentee the mentee called to say he found a perfect job with a company in Alberta
Being a mentor has taught him to be humble, says Amjad. “It has taught me to put myself in others’ shoes to understand their problems.” It has also helped him understand different kinds of people, he adds. “I am trying to help people, the value of my help to a mentee comes when he finds a job. At the end of the day, he has to put food on the table. If my mentee is not successful in his job hunt, my support to him will not have value.”
Amjad’s advice to newcomers is to have a job search plan and devote 3-4 hours every day to execute it. “Of course mentors should help them prepare a plan and mentees should follow it diligently.”
He is now a pro at mentoring. He has learnt to understand the needs of his mentees and tries to provide necessary support. Over the years there have been changes in the way one searches for a job and the numerous resources available to newcomers, says Amjad who sees them reflected in his relationship with mentees.
“In the beginning, my mentees were willing to listen to me, do everything I suggested to them. Today they have several more opportunities, are much more aware of the situation here and the job market, and are social media savvy. Yet Amjad believes that there are some people who still need support from mentors. And that is the reason that keeps him going.
His top three tips to new mentors: Listen to your mentee and provide them with all the information they need and anything else they can learn from you. Second, as times have changed and distances have increased, meeting over Skype or connecting via email is more practical. Third, be patient with mentees.