Mentor stories

“Volunteering is contagious and is encouraged by my employer. I keep mentoring because I get so much out of it. You gain so much satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment by helping others.” Why I decided to mentor a skilled immigrant With over eight years of...

"When I came here from Tanzania in 1982 there was a recession and I was jobless for nine months. There was no one to tell me where to find a job. I had to start at minimum wage and had a really tough time. I want to give newcomers support so they won’t have to suffer...

“What I find most meaningful about mentoring is providing the encouragement, guidance, coaching and support that professional immigrants need when they are challenged getting into the job market. I love hearing from mentees when they’ve finally found a good job and...

“Most mentees are determined to find a better future for themselves and their families. They are very persistent in their job search, which I find inspiring. In turn, I try to keep my mentees motivated despite whatever challenges they might face in their job search.”...

“I find it incredibly fascinating to meet and work with mentees from different countries. Many are from parts of the world that I will never get to visit, so it’s a way for me to experience those places, while also educating myself on some cultural differences.” Why I...

“Mentoring helps me continually grow my professional network. Relationship management is critical in the business world. Mentoring makes sense for me and newly arrived skilled immigrants. It’s definitely mutually beneficial.” Why I started mentoring I see there is a...

“Mentoring has been a huge benefit to me. Because of the questions my mentees ask, they push me to keep up with the economy and the industry. When I was looking for a job in 2007, some of the insights I gained through mentoring helped me.” Why I started mentoring...

"Mentoring has taught me to be more open-minded when meeting people for the first time and pushed me to develop my own skill set. I have taken new courses in communication and conflict resolution, and applied those learnings at work, when coaching soccer and even at...

“One of my mentees was hired as a desktop support analyst and within a year was promoted to manager. Now when a position becomes available in his department, he emails me the job description to see if I know of any mentees that might have the qualifications to fit the...

“As the president of a manufacturing and design company, I have to have strong mentoring skills to be able to lead my team. Incorporating mentoring of skilled immigrants into my workplace also ensures that my managers can work with diverse cultures.” Why I started...