Ernst & Young mentor is helping immigrants jumpstart their careers
March 21, 2011
Ernst & Young Newsletter
Munish Mohendroo, Senior Manager, Transaction Advisory Services, Toronto, Ontario
“Volunteering has helped me build a professional network … But there is also a personal side: it makes me feel good!”
I was born in India, but my Dad worked in Africa, so that’s where I spent my childhood. I went to university in the UK, and then began my career in Zambia, subsequently moving to South Africa, where I knew nobody. So I grew up asking myself, “How do I fit in? How do I make friends?” I came to Canada with Ernst & Young seven years ago. Most of my volunteer work centers on helping other immigrants new to Canada find a job and establish themselves.
It can be so intimidating even to get a bank account or credit card when you have no credit history in a country — and to find that first break, too, even when you have the professional qualifications. You have to build not only a social, but also a professional network. Generally, the people you went to university with are a big part of your network. But in a new country, you have to start from scratch.
