Preeti Sajwan: A Mentee Story

The Career Mentorship Program (CMP) matches newcomer immigrant professionals (mentees) in the Edmonton region with established professionals and local business leaders/employers (mentors) who share a similar occupational background and create networks through real-life connections and experience.

Prior to immigrating to Canada in November of 2021 from India, Preeti worked as a Human Resources (HR) professional. She brought with her 9 years of experience in several areas of recruitment, including employee life cycle management, performance management, learning and development, and employee engagement.

She goes on to explain that “before my arrival to Canada, I had made plans to do an academic course from a Canadian institution thinking that would help me to gauge the job market here. I was networking with professionals through LinkedIn and applied to a lot of entry-level jobs. Assuming my previous experience will not be considered relevant here in Canada, I started to apply for non-relevant job opportunities to gain some experience”.

“As I began my networking journey, I came across Sarah’s [ERIEC Program Director] profile and learned about ERIEC in late January 2022, and shortly afterwards registered with the Career Mentorship Program with ERIEC. During my registration process, I had a one-on-one session with Sarah, and she shared with me various insights into the Canadian job market and useful tips on building my resume as per the Canadian style and formats. She helped me to understand that I should focus on my key strength area as an HR Professional which is Talent Acquisition”, she recalls.

“As part of the Mentorship program, I was matched with my Mentor, Jeannie, who helped me to understand that my education and my experience was very relevant and that I should continue applying to relevant opportunities with my strong resume. Her years of experience and practical examples helped me to understand the labour market and professional work culture in Canada. She is also currently guiding me to achieve my certification as a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR)”.

“During the first month in the Career Mentorship Program, I was able received multiple offers in my relevant area of expertise. I am super excited and happy to have found and aligned with ERIEC. Whenever I connect with a new immigrant, I recommend they get in touch with ERIEC!”

Thank you Team ERIEC!”

If you are an immigrant professional, Permanent Resident, currently in Edmonton, and interested in ERIEC’s Mentorship and/or Connector Program, please contact [email protected]

If you are an established professional or business leader looking to volunteer as a mentor or establish corporate partnerships, please contact the Program Director – Sarah Tangan at [email protected]