Trained as a mechanical engineer in Nigeria and registered with Nigeria’s highest engineering authority, the Council for Recognition of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), and the Nigeria Society of Engineering, Sule Mohammed practised his profession for several years. He then immigrated to Belgium, where he earned his masters degree in Human Ecology.
From Belgium, Sule applied for immigration to Canada. After a four-year wait, he got permission to make Canada his home.
“Canada is kind of cool. It’s not a United States, or Europe. You can feel at home in Canada. It’s a good place to raise children; it’s accommodating. And Canada is also looking for professionals. I felt that moving here would get me exposed to engineering at levels even higher than I could access in Nigeria.”
Sule stayed first in Calgary for a few weeks before moving north to Edmonton, drawn here by the Engineers’ and Technologists’ Integration Program (ETIP) offered at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) and NAIT. “ETIP taught me so many things that would have taken me many years to learn. It gave me more confidence and better prepared me for the job market. The program even gave me tips on how to dress – and introduced me to The Career Mentorship Program.”
Soon afterward, Sule was paired with mentor Enrique (Ricky) Santos. “Ricky was exactly who I wanted. The first thing he did was to make me understand the importance of showing my confidence. He reviewed my resume and cover letter. He also encouraged me not to accept the first job I was offered – to wait for the right job for me. He encouraged me. He provided hope. He was like a big brother to me.”
Ricky also shared some important job search techniques. “You have to do something beyond just faxing or phoning. Go out to the company and introduce yourself. You are a product the company needs and should want. That advice really helped me. It’s a form of networking. I did go out to companies and collected their business cards, then followed up with each company two weeks later just to let them know I am here.”
When you’re new in a country, you become so busy that you don’t have time to build the networks and get into your profession. Don’t settle for a “survivor job”; it will keep you too busy to find a professional job.
Sule Mohammed
Sule understands the value of Ricky’s diligence. “He pressed me. Every time I sent an e-mail resume, he would remind me it’s better to fax it and better still to take it to the company in person. Because of this, I feel I have options – because of all this effort Ricky made me go through.”
Sule’s efforts paid off. “I got called for interviews from several companies I found through networking at job fairs and personal visits.” He recently accepted a junior management position with W.F. Welding and Overhead Cranes Ltd. where he can use his skills and abilities.
“I am grateful to the Government of Canada for funding this program. It just doesn’t happen in the country I come from, or in Belgium, the U.K or the U.S., where I have a lot of friends. They are left on their own. The ERIEC mentoring program is a step forward. It gives you confidence and helps you integrate faster into society and into your profession.”
He believes immigrants will always benefit from this program. “When you’re new in a country, you become so busy that you don’t have time to build the networks and get into your profession. Don’t settle for a “survivor job”; it will keep you too busy to find a professional job.”