COVER STORY
ACROSS THE CHOPPY WATERS OF JOB SEARCH
Image credit: PRIYANSHU SINGH on Unsplash.
There’s a commonly-held belief among those who immigrated to Canada decades ago – that newcomers today have it much easier.
Their life trajectories in Canada of the 1980s or even earlier bear testimony to their struggles in finding meaningful employment. And while those coming in now have their own version, with the recognition of newcomers’ needs have come more resources.
In Evidence for Immigrant Mentorship and Networking, a study published by Signal 49 Research, formerly known as Conference Board of Canada, Alice Craft and Bronwen Perley-Robertson looked at the impact of professional mentorship and networking programs on helping immigrants and at how our knowledge of the impacts of these programs can be improved.
Arriving in a new country is filled with excitement, hope, and possibility. But for many newcomer professionals, it can also feel like standing at the base of a mountain without a map.
The challenge is rarely a lack of talent or experience. It is learning how to navigate an unfamiliar labour market, understand workplace culture, and build professional networks from the ground up. Applications go unanswered. Interviews feel confusing. The path to meaningful employment can seem uncertain.
This is where mentorship through the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership (TMP) plays a transformative role.
By connecting skilled newcomers with experienced professionals in their fields, TMP helps bridge the gap between potential and opportunity. Mentors provide practical guidance on resumés, interviews, networking, and workplace culture. Equally important, they offer reassurance, encouragement, and belief at a time when confidence can be fragile. Through these relationships, newcomers gain clarity, confidence, and access, while mentors discover renewed purpose and fresh perspectives.
The experiences of Gaurav Pratap Singh, Budhi Kharel and Papiya Chowdhury show mentorship does more than support individual success. It creates a ripple effect that strengthens communities and inspires the next generation of leaders to pay it forward.
Gaurav Prtap Singh: “Mentoring is a privilege, one that fosters growth on both sides.”
Gaurav Pratap Singh brings experience across financial services, technology, and consumer industries, shaped by years working in purpose-driven organizations alongside senior leadership. At the 2025 TRIEC Mentoring Partnership Impact Awards, he was recognized for mentoring more than 15 newcomers through the program.
For Singh, mentorship is closely tied to his vision for Canada’s future. He believes productivity and innovation are national priorities, and that supporting newcomer professionals is essential to achieving both. TMP offered him a meaningful way to contribute by helping skilled newcomers adapt more quickly and translate their experience into impact.
One of his earliest mentoring experiences remains especially meaningful. It reinforced a belief that continues to guide him today. It reminded him that, at their core, people want to add value and make a positive difference. That insight from mentoring has sharpened his sense of purpose, clarified what matters most, and strengthened tools he continues to use in his own career and leadership journey.
Singh describes mentorship as a privilege, one that fosters growth on both sides. Through mentoring, he has gained fresh perspectives, developed as a leader, and found fulfilment in empowering others. For him, the impact of mentoring is mutual: mentees gain confidence and direction, while mentors gain perspective, empathy, and a deeper connection to their work.
Budhi Kharel: “Mentorship is rooted in honesty, openness and genuine human connection.”
Budhi Kharel understands the newcomer journey from lived experience. Today, he is a Lead Operations Engineer at Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), West Operations. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade as an associate professor and consulting engineer abroad. When he transitioned to Canada’s civil and geotechnical industry in 2011, he was required to rebuild his career from the beginning.
That experience shaped his strong commitment to mentorship. Kharel recognized the honesty, skill, and potential of immigrant professionals and wanted to ensure they did not face the same barriers he once encountered. By supporting them in securing employment aligned with their experience, he saw how mentorship could help families thrive while strengthening the Canadian economy.
Over time, Kharel has mentored more than 15 newcomers through TMP. Many secured jobs within months, often in roles that exceeded their expectations. One experience stands out. A newcomer who had been in Canada for over two years without guidance reached out to him after finding his name online.
Kharel reviewed his resumé, shared honest feedback, and suggested potential employers. Later, the newcomer told him he felt like he had a big brother in a new country. Interviews soon followed.
For Kharel, mentorship is rooted in honesty, openness, and genuine human connection. Informal conversations, he believes, build trust. The experience has also helped him grow, broadening his understanding of people across cultures and strengthening his confidence both as a professional and a mentor.
Papiya Chowdhury: “Mentorship is about presence. It is about opening doors, even slightly, and reminding someone that they are not alone. One conversation or one coffee chat can change everything.”
Papiya Chowdhury’s story captures the emotional reality of starting over. Her journey in Canada began with uncertainty and a life-altering accident shortly after arrival. Alone in a new country, with her young daughter waiting at daycare, she faced recovery alongside the challenge of re-entering the job market.
Like many newcomers, rejection became a constant part of her job search. Over time, she learned to see setbacks as redirection. Her turning point came when she attended a TRIEC Mentoring Partnership event and met a mentor who helped her navigate workplace culture, rebuild confidence, and prepare strategically for her job search. Through mock interviews, resumé reviews, and honest conversations, she gained the clarity and confidence she needed. A referral from her mentor eventually led to her first role in Canada.
That experience inspired her to become a mentor herself. For Chowdhury, mentorship is about presence. It is about opening doors, even slightly, and reminding someone that they are not alone. She believes one conversation or one coffee chat can change everything.
To her, mentoring means giving others the reassurance she once needed. She does not see it as having all the answers, but as listening, sharing experience, and offering steady support during moments of doubt.
Across these three journeys, a common truth emerges. Mentorship is not transactional; it is relational. It builds confidence, accelerates learning, and creates bridges between experience and opportunity. Whether through guidance on a resumé, insight into workplace culture, or simply showing up, mentors help newcomer professionals move forward with clarity and confidence.
The TRIEC Mentoring Partnership continues to demonstrate what is possible when connection and guidance are accessible. Careers change. Confidence grows. And when those who benefit choose to give back, the impact multiplies, strengthening not only individual lives, but the future of Canada’s workforce and communities.
Mentorship, at its best, is a legacy built one relationship at a time.
Since its inception in 2004, the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership (TMP) program has helped over 26,000 newcomers connect with mentors and gain a head start in their careers. The program has proven highly successful.
• To learn more about the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program, and become a mentor or mentee in the program, visit https://mentoring partnership.ca. You can also learn about TRIEC and its other programs at https://triec.ca.