Canadian Experience

Every employer has a requirement for an employee who knows about the requirements of that region. For example, an employer in Toronto will expect his employee to know a lot about Toronto, legal structure and life style of Toronto. A new immigrant is generally not equipped with this knowledge.

In general, an employer is not eager to explain everything about the city where you are working. In such case, they look for Canadian Experience.

While sitting in Toronto, I see the Canadian experience in the following perspectives.

Geographical Knowledge

When you look for a job in Toronto, the address is given with direction of East, West, North or South of a major intersection. You are expected to understand the same at the first instance it is told to you. For example, if someone tells you that they are located at Yonge and Finch, you are expected to recognize that their office or workplace is located near to the intersection of two roads called Yonge Street and Finch Avenue.

If an immigrant prepares oneself with the names of streets and subway stations before migration, they can save the embarassing moments of not recognising the names on the phone. The preparation is very easy. List down the names of Subway stations in Toronto. Then locate the intersections of the roads coming out of each subway. This will help you to know which roads run parallel and which roads intersect each other. The map is available on TTC website in PDF format.

Market Knowledge

When you are working in a specific field, there is a market related to that field. You need to know who are the leaders on the manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade in your field. This information helps in locating resources quickly. And you are more equipped with solutions.

You also need to learn to order from Catalogues over phone. Getting familiar with catalogues help you to know the names of products and the facilities available. It saves the time for traveling from section to section of a store. You can order a lot of things on the basis of catalogue. These catalogues get updated periodically and sent to the customers on a regular basis. For example, Staples - Business Depot updates their catalogues at least four times a year.

General Work Procedures

Your knowledge about how to start a day at work, (be it an office or a factory or a shop) makes difference in your working style. Having a good exposure or training helps in coping up with silly things of routine type. Knowing about the tools in use at workshop or equipments used at office helps to be at ease at workplace.

What's there in a name ?

Knowing common names and knowing their spelling help in taking messages for people and other communications. It is a skill which makes difference in appreciation of your intelligence and knowledge. People from cosmopolitan cities of India gets a very good opportunity here, because they have a possibility of exposure to all kinds of names. They can utilize this obvious knowledge, to improve their performance very quickly.

Am I following Safety Rules ?

Continuous upgrading of knowledge on safety rules helps a person to get more familiar with Canadian style of working. One should try to know as much as possible about other laws that prevails. For example, every production areas are insured. This means, if there is an accident in that area, it is covered by insurance company. However, the visitors to the production area might not be covered, if they are injured. Knowledge of safety rules helps to understand the concerns of the people who knows the legal structure.

How much did you give me ?

Surely, no one wants an employee on front desk or counter who can not identify a nickel from a quarter or takes a loonie when a toonie is billed. Your knowledge of currency makes a big difference in your appearance at a store. Knowing about treatment needed by different customers at the cash counter helps to be efficient.

Knowing names of banks and banking facilities helps to assure the employer that you know more about the country as an immigrant. Obviously, no employer would like to start explaining you difference between TD Bank and CIBC and difference between Mutual Funds and Chequing Account.

Customer and Supplier

When you know which are major stores for household supplies, you demonstrate more local knowledge which is relevant. Employer would like to spend less time in teaching you names of local stores and difference between which store is your supplier versus which store is your customer.

It is so cold out here...

Knowing more about various seasons and the clothes needed for the weather helps you to face weather in a better way. How different weather conditions affect the work atmosphere and health conditions is important information for an employee to act knowledgeable.

To illustrate, when you are driving in snow, the snow gets pressed by the tires of previous vehicle. This pressed snow is now turned into ice. When your vehicle passes over pressed snow (i.e. ice), your vehicle is likely to slide. Especially when you are on slope, you have chances of sliding without control. You must exercise caution about speeding when it is snowing.