Past Spotlight Stories
- Thinking outside the box when it comes to immigrants: St. Michael’s Hospital does it again
- Practice Makes Perfect: Daria and Vishnu’s Mentoring Moment
- The Mentoring Partnership Video
Thinking outside the box when it comes to immigrants: St. Michael’s Hospital does it again
St. Michael’s Hospital is a trailblazer when it comes to integrating skilled immigrants. The hospital was the first to host immigrant interns through Career Edge Organization’s Career Bridge program and to develop mentoring for newcomers through St. Michael’s Making Connections: Newcomer Volunteer Program. Now they’re the first hospital to fuse mentoring with volunteering in partnership with TRIEC’s Mentoring Partnership program.
The hospital has a tradition of hosting volunteers and many are internationally trained healthcare professionals, but immigrants want Canadian experience in their field and typically volunteer opportunities may not be as closely related. One-on-one mentorship is helpful in gaining industry insight, but it cannot deliver hands-on experience in a hospital environment.
So, the hospital tried something new, something out of the box: The Special Project Volunteer Role for Newcomers.
Sarah Grant-Alvarado, specialist, internationally educated professionals, asked hospital departments to flag their interest in a mentee volunteer and map out what the non-clinical placement would entail. The Mentoring Partnership supported the recruitment of the immigrant volunteers, while the hospital provided a mentor. The key: A department member needed to commit to being the lead mentor and spend one of the 10 weekly volunteer hours, working one-on-one with the mentee over three months.
Director of Laboratory Medicine, Marion Dias was quick to volunteer herself as a mentor and carve out a placement for a mentee in her department. “Our department has consistently hosted volunteers, so it was intuitive for us to bring on an immigrant mentee,” says Marion. “I personally have benefited from mentoring, so I know the difference it can make in someone’s career and wanted to help a newcomer who has the experience and just needs Canadian context.”
While some organizations are hesitant about the amount of work involved with supervising a volunteer, Marion is adamant that there should be no hesitation. “We’re talking about a mature individual,” says Marion. “Internationally trained healthcare professionals are driven to get back into labour market. They are committed to improving their skill level and demonstrating what they are capable of. They are much more independent.”
In September 2010 St. Michael’s Hospital brought its first two volunteer mentees on board in laboratory administration, as well as leadership and organizational development. Neil Fernandopulle was paired with Marion and placed in her department of laboratory medicine.
With a PhD in molecular biology from Sri Lanka, post doctoral research experience from Stanford and eight years as a DNA scientist, Neil boasts impressive credentials. Marion (and June Watkins) supported Neil with job search tips and feedback on the cultural nuances of the lab, while supervising his work at the hospital.
Neil immediately took to his tasks of analyzing data, conducting a study on phlebotomy and contributing to working committees. He quickly proved himself and became the lead on an RFP for the department.
“I felt at home right away,” says Neil. “A lab is a lab, but I lacked Canadian experience and this opportunity was just what I needed to prove myself.” Neil has since been hired by St. Micheal’s Hospital as the operations leader in the department of laboratory medicine.
The hospital has created volunteer placements for four mentees and hopes to bring another six on board in fall 2011.
Practice Makes Perfect: Daria and Vishnu’s Mentoring Moment
Armed with a master’s degree and five years of work experience in the United States, Vishnu Orathpathangi arrived eager to kick start his IT career in Canada. He was matched with first-time mentor, Daria Tippin, who then held the position of IT Program Control Officer with CGI. As the daughter of immigrant parents, Daria was inspired to mentor a newcomer.
Perfecting the elevator pitch
Daria gave Vishnu his first assignment early on: Develop and give her a presentation on his expertise as a SAP consultant. Through this exercise Daria was able to identify opportunities for Vishnu to polish his presentation skills. Most importantly, Vishnu developed a strong “elevator pitch” – integral to making a good first impression with employers.
Making resumes relevant
In addition to improving his presentation skills, Daria helped Vishnu present himself more effectively on paper. Vishnu had a five-page resume to match his five years of work experience, but Canadian employers typically want to see a concise, two-page roll up of a candidate’s experience. Daria helped Vishnu zero in on the essential elements using job descriptions of the roles Vishnu was keen to land. By comparing the listed responsibilities, skills and experience, Vishnu included only what was most relevant from his resume.
Being proactive with mentor advice
Daria was thorough in the feedback she shared on job search tips and tools, including advice to seek out local networks of IT professionals. Vishnu pursued all opportunities that were available, resulting in: a polished resume, a concise elevator pitch and interviewing key messages, and seized networking opportunities. Daria was also able to secure a mock interview with CGI’s Corporate Director of SAP.
Finding ways to reinforce that mentees’ experiences and qualifications are valuable
Validation of a mentee’s experience from a Canadian professional goes a long way in inspiring a newcomer. While developing Vishnu’s job search skills, Daria also worked on rebuilding Vishnu’s confidence by exploring the book, “Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. The book uses humour to motivate the reader to overcome obstacles to achieve their goals – whatever they may be. The new perspective helped Vishnu stay positive despite his early job search frustrations.
Work pays off in mock interview
Daria also scheduled a mock interview with CGI’s Corporate Director of SAP. Vishnu was in the right place at the right time. The Director was looking to fill a position that matched Vishnu’s qualifications. He is now starting as an SAP Consultant with CGI.
More on the mentee and mentor
Vishnu Orathpathangi: SAP Consultant, CGI
Vishnu was resourceful: While applying for jobs, he sought job search support from JobStart and also learned about The Mentoring Partnership. Simultaneously, Vishnu also applied for Career Bridge and landed a two-month internship with Canadian Manufacturer and Exporters.
Daria Tippin: Deployment & Environment Manager, CGI @ Bell
CGI is a corporate partner of The Mentoring Partnership and encourages its staff to mentor a skilled immigrant. Daria found her first mentoring experience very fulfilling, and to be much easier than expected. She has since signed on to mentor again.
Vishnu and Daria were matched by JobStart.
The Mentoring Partnership Video
Watch corporate partners, mentors and mentees share success stories about The Mentoring Partnership with video host Ratna Omidvar, president of Maytree and chair of TRIEC’s board of directors. The Mentoring Partnership is an award-winning TRIEC program that brings together recent skilled immigrants and established professionals in occupation-specific mentoring relationships. Since 2004, over 50 employers have become involved in the program. More than 1000 matches are made each year.
