“The Mentoring Partnership gave me an opportunity to mentor skilled immigrants in a structured way”.
When Veena Balram arrived in Canada from India 11 years ago, she got a job within a week. Veena is now Director, Unsecured Lending at Scotiabank.
Years after arriving in Canada, when she realized that her experience of finding work quickly was not the norm for all skilled immigrants, she wanted to support other newcomers and help them connect with jobs. That was when she received an internal work email asking for volunteers to join as mentors with the Mentoring Partnership.
“I jumped at it,” says Veena, who hasn’t looked back since then and has now mentored more than 10 mentees in the program. Her mentees have come from India, the Philippines, Japan, Syria, China, Iran to name just a few countries.
Spending four months with them has helped her understand the diversity in work culture. “We work with clients from different cultures. I am able to better relate to their needs from what I have learned from my mentees about business cultures in the countries they come from.” Mentoring newcomers from diverse cultural backgrounds, makes a lot of business sense, she says.
Veena says mentoring keeps her from being complacent. “Knowing newcomers’ struggles keeps me well grounded.” Mentoring has also taught her to be a better listener, be empathetic and appreciate other perspectives. “We work with different stakeholders in the bank. If I did not listen to my mentees and try to understand them, I couldn’t get what I now can from our diverse customers.”
“I am absolutely thrilled when I hear my mentee say, I got a job! Knowing them and being with them has been very enjoyable,” she says. “I have tons of funny stories to narrate too.”
The orientation given by The Mentoring Partnership gave her some good insights, says Veena. She regularly uses The Mentoring Dashboard and attends mentor networking events. “I get to learn from other mentors and share best practices.” The tangible and intangible support she receives from her employer also helps. “Scotiabank values diversity and that is a huge support.”
From being a first time mentor to a ten-times-mentor, Veena sees “tremendous” change in herself. “I was very nervous in my first partnership. I wasn’t sure if I was giving my best to my mentee. I have picked up a whole lot of skill sets including being a serious listener. Mentees too have become smarter,” she says. “All they need is a little bit of a confidence booster.”
With experience Veena has learned to develop a customized plan for her mentees. “Each mentee is different, has different needs and comes from different backgrounds.“
Her tips for new mentors are: First, become your mentee’s friend to earn their trust. “Give all you know and all you’ve learned.” Second, think back to the days when you were a newcomer, or went to a new neighbourhood. Everybody needs help to familiarize themselves with a new place. Help your mentee to get familiar with their new country. Third, appreciate that each one is different. You cannot have a cookie cut approach. The mentor must provide a customized plan for each mentee. “Do it without hesitation.”