When Tendai Dube first connected with ERIEC, she already knew where she wanted her career to go.
Her goal was to work for the Government of Alberta.
What she needed was support in understanding how to turn her previous experience, skills and ambition into opportunities within a new professional environment.
Through ERIEC’s Mentorship Program, Tendai was matched with mentor Marjorie Hibbert — a connection she now describes as one of the most important parts of the beginning of her professional journey in Canada.
What followed was not simply a successful job search.
It became a story of career growth, confidence and the lasting impact one professional connection can have.
Turning a Goal Into an Opportunity
Like many internationally educated professionals, Tendai arrived with experience and a clear sense of where she wanted to go professionally.
However, navigating a new labour market meant learning how to present that experience effectively to Canadian employers.
Through ERIEC, Tendai received support with her resume and cover letter, helping her approach her applications with greater confidence and determination.
That work paid off.
Tendai successfully secured a position as an Administrative Assistant with the Government of Alberta.
It was an important milestone — but it was only the beginning.
Just nine months later, Tendai was promoted to Financial Analyst, moving into the professional field she had hoped to build her career in.
Today, she says she genuinely enjoys her work and has been able to watch her career develop in ways she once only imagined.
More Than Getting the Job
For Tendai, one of the most valuable parts of the experience was not simply receiving help with an application.
It was the mentorship that continued around it.
Starting a career in a new country involves more than learning how to write a Canadian-style resume or answer interview questions.
There are workplace expectations, communication styles, professional relationships and unwritten norms that can be difficult to understand until you experience them.
These are often the things that cannot easily be learned from a textbook or training course.
Through her mentorship with Marjorie, Tendai was able to better understand how to navigate the Canadian workplace with confidence.
Marjorie's guidance helped her learn how to communicate effectively, build professional relationships, understand workplace expectations and approach unfamiliar situations.
Those lessons became especially valuable as Tendai established herself within her new organization and continued progressing in her career.
The Power of the Right Mentor Match
A successful mentorship is not simply about connecting two people working in the same industry.
The right mentor can help a newcomer interpret an unfamiliar professional environment, recognize opportunities and build confidence in decisions they are already capable of making.
Reflecting on her experience, Tendai credits the thoughtful match ERIEC made with Marjorie as an important part of her journey.
What started as professional guidance became something with a much wider impact.
When Mentorship Reaches Beyond One Person
Perhaps one of the most powerful parts of Tendai's story is what happened next.
The advice she received did not stay between mentor and mentee.
As friends and family members began navigating their own careers in Canada, Tendai found herself sharing many of the lessons she had learned through her mentorship.
Advice about workplace culture.
Professional communication.
Relationships.
Expectations.
Career navigation.
In this way, Marjorie's mentorship began helping people she had never even met.
That ripple effect demonstrates something important about mentorship: when knowledge is shared with one person, its impact can travel much further.
One successful professional connection can strengthen families, networks and communities.
Building Confidence and Belonging
For internationally educated professionals, finding employment is important.
But meaningful career integration involves much more.
It means feeling confident participating in workplace conversations.
Understanding expectations.
Developing professional relationships.
Recognizing opportunities for advancement.
And feeling that there is a place for your experience and perspective within your profession in Canada.
Tendai describes ERIEC's Mentorship Program as providing newcomers with confidence, direction and a sense of belonging at a time when they need it most.
Her own career journey reflects exactly that.
She entered the program with a goal.
She secured an opportunity.
She progressed professionally.
And she is now sharing what she learned with others.
One Connection Can Change a Career
Today, Tendai is working as a Financial Analyst with the Government of Alberta — the organization she had identified as her career goal when she first came to ERIEC.
Her journey is a reminder that mentorship is not about giving someone a career.
It is about helping them understand how to navigate their own.
ERIEC is grateful to mentors like Marjorie who generously share their experience, knowledge and time with internationally educated professionals building careers in the Edmonton region.
And we are equally proud to see professionals like Tendai transform those connections into meaningful careers — and then pass what they have learned on to others.
Because sometimes one professional connection does much more than open one door.
It creates a ripple effect.