When we decided to immigrate to Canada, the foremost important factor was our happiness. It might sound silly but I chose Halifax because I prefer East over West. So I opened a map of Canada and picked Halifax. I wanted to live in a smaller city where it is not crowded and Halifax is a clean, well-planned city with many immigrants and kind and honest people.

We first faced difficulty in Canada with our housing. After signing an interim rental contract, we went to meet with an apartment manager to finalize our rental contract. But, the apartment manager requested us to pay with cash instead of cheque. We could not withdraw a lump sum of cash as there is a restriction for new immigrants. I did not think the apartment manager was being fair so I told him that we would annul the rental contract. Then, I was told to pay penalties for annulling the contract. So, I went to ISANS to get some advice and I was referred to a free law consultation program at Dalhousie University. This program specifically helps immigrants in Nova Scotia. The law students talked to the apartment manager and the responsible professor for this program also sent me an email to confirm the result. They seem to help immigrants very effectively.

In the first few months, I put all my efforts into learning English. I frequently visited ISANS and got a tutor from a local library. I found people in Halifax to be very helpful and open-minded towards immigrants.

Since my field of expertise in Korea was image processing, I set my goal to get a job in the same field in Canada. Halifax has relatively fewer opportunities but I researched relevant companies in Halifax and began my job search. After spending 6 months learning English and settling down in Halifax, I started taking workshops on job search and interview techniques from ISANS. When I found job opportunities, I did not send my resume to companies’ generic HR email addresses, but I researched responsible manager or director for the advertised job and emailed my resume directly to them. Because of this, I received replies and had interviews via phone or video conference. I believe it is very important to submit a customized resume. After reading a job description, applicants should analyze job requirements and make the first few lines of resume attractive so that employers will review the entire resume. Furthermore, the cover letter should strongly and thoroughly explain how the applicant can contribute to the employing company. It also makes a good impression if applicant studies about employing company and asks appropriate questions. From my experience, I noticed that Canadian companies do not seek someone who speaks perfect English, but someone who can communicate well and get along well with other employees.

The interview process, which took 3 months in total, was very nerve-racking for me. I was first interviewed by a manager, then by coworkers the next week and by executives the following week. Also, the manager checked my reference in Korea, who had difficulty speaking in English. After this long process, I finally received a job offer. I have been working for this company for 1.5 years and the company is still looking for more qualified candidates. Just knock on companies’ doors with courage and I strongly believe that new immigrants can get a job because of the experience, expertise, and diligent skills gained in Korea.

I want to emphasize 2 things to new immigrants. First, study English so that you can communicate and proactively and courageously try whatever you do. If you can accomplish that, you can successfully settle down and get a job in Canada. Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Seoul AEIP staff for their support and help and I hope my letter is helpful and encouraging. Do not wait for a door to be opened automatically for you in Canada, but knock on companies’ doors and get in there! Then, you will find a way.