We’ve all heard the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” While this may have some application to your pet, it isn’t a good analogy for describing yourself. After all, people are great at learning new things at any age. Thus, people can pursue successful careers regardless of their age. Whether you are changing careers after your first job or looking to pivot into a new industry after decades of experience, here are six tips for a successful career change at any age.  

Develop a Personal Brand 

When we think about brands, we probably think about companies. However, in the internet and social media age, brands are people too. For example, when you think about Michael Jordan, you likely think about him being a successful basketball player and having a successful clothing line. This is his brand.  

You can also enhance your career success by building a brand. To do this, think about how you want others to think of you or describe you. Then take steps to exhibit those qualities. LinkedIn can be particularly useful in establishing a career brand. You can share content or even create your own to show thought leadership.  

Continually Develop Skills  

As we live in a rapidly changing world, it’s more important than ever to continue honing your skills. Gone are the days when you could complete your education and go decades without learning new things. 

Today’s leaders focus on constantly learning and improving. There are many ways that you can engage in professional development. LinkedIn Learning is a great resource. There are also many other resources available online. Buying a book, attending a community workshop, or going to a professional conference are also great ways to learn. These can help you gain skills you may lack for your ideal career.  

Build and Leverage Your Network 

Networking is important because it allows you to help others and reach out to your contacts for help. Ideally, you’ve already been consistently working to grow your network. If not, it’s time to start. Building a strong network will help you discover opportunities you may not otherwise encounter.  

When you decide to seek a career change, using your network can be a great way to make that happen. This is particularly true if you know someone in the new field you want to target. Networking can be an excellent way to get your foot into the door or get a valuable recommendation.  

Find a Mentor 

Finding a mentor is one of the best steps to take for a successful career change. Shifting to a new field typically requires acquiring new knowledge and potentially learning or improving skills. You are never too old to have a valuable mentor.  

A mentor can help guide you through your career transition by providing advice on the next steps and feedback on your progress. You can find a mentor through formal programs with professional organizations or by asking someone you know for help. Periodically meeting with your mentor is a great way to get value from the relationship.  

Identify Transferable Skills 

If you decide to make a career change to a vastly different industry, you may have difficulty translating your prior experience into a benefit. However, chances are that you have many transferable skills you’ve demonstrated in the past, which will help you succeed in your new career. Identifying these skills is key.  

Be sure to highlight transferable skills on your resume and in interviews. Tell stories of how you have demonstrated these skills in the past. Stories are captivating and help prove that you have a history of performing a skill. For example, don’t just say you are a critical thinker. Make sure to give examples of how you’ve demonstrated this skill.  

Connect with a Recruiter  

Another strategy for making a career change is to learn from the source what skills and experiences employers value. Connecting with a recruiter is a great way to do this. You can request an informational interview with a recruiter on LinkedIn. The worst thing that can happen is they say no. 

When chatting with a recruiter, be sure to ask questions about what employers look for and any opportunities they are aware of to develop your own skills. They may also inform you about ways to get experience in your new field.  

Final Thoughts 

While a career change is a big decision, there are many things you can do to successfully navigate this time in your life. Many people successfully change careers every single day. Follow these six tips to help with a successful career change at any age.  

At Achēv, our Employment Ontario Services offers a wide range of resources to support your career and employment needs. Our employment centres are located across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and North York. Contact us today to register for our free employment services. 

When Kunle Ogundijo immigrated to Canada in 2019, he struggled with what many newcomers struggle with — finding meaningful employment.

Three months after arriving in Canada, Ogundijo was still unable to find a job, despite receiving a lot of interest from recruiters, headhunters and employers.

“The early positive feelings soon gave way to some level of disappointment and self-doubt,” he says.

Despite these setbacks, Ogundijo remained positive and worked hard to improve his resume and interview and networking skills. However, even after six months of job hunting, “the ultimate objective still remained elusive.”

Knowing that he needed to have some work experience in Canada, he accepted a short-term unpaid internship placement at a mid-sized company. While it did provide him with much-needed work experience, it didn’t result in a permanent placement.

Feeling overwhelmed and somewhat defeated due to the lack of desired results, Ogundijo decided to seek further professional guidance at Achēv’s Brampton South location. He was assigned a seasoned Career Specialist and Job Developer.

“They provided the needed impetus, encouraging me to keep focused and never give up,” Ogundijo says. “They connected me with some mentors, as well as some employers through referrals. I had a number of career development sessions with them, including mock interviews where areas of improvement were highlighted, further deepening my confidence and belief that success was near.”

When the next job interview opportunity arose, Ogundijo was prepared. He gave a confident interview and, 11 months after arriving in Canada, was offered a job as a Financial Analyst at GE.

“I felt elated and the effort put into the process was worthwhile,” Ogundijo explains. “Although I faced a lot of rejections, had disappointments, battled self-doubt, the objective was achieved. The staff at Achēv encouraged me to keep focused and never give up. Together, we outlined objectives and set out action plans to achieve success.”

At Achēv, our Newcomer Services offer a wide range of services to help newcomers settle smoothly in Canada. Our Newcomer Information Centres are located across the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Mississauga and Oakville. Contact us today to register for our free newcomer services.

Thankfulness is expressing gratitude towards someone or something that gives us happiness. For some of us, it’s being grateful for living in a country like Canada that welcomes newcomers from all over the world. We are able to meet people from diverse backgrounds, learn about different cultures and become part of a community where everyone belongs.

At Achēv, we are thankful for being able to help newcomers to Canada settle and thrive in their communities. On this Thanksgiving, we are glad to share this heartwarming note from our client Venetia:

“I am so thankful to the Achēv team for helping me discover my potential! Being a newcomer to Canada who landed only a few months ago, I was finding it difficult to secure employment. I was disheartened and did not know where to start. But by God’s grace and blessings, I saw the advertisement about Achēv’s Workforce Pathways for Women in Senior Care program on Google, learnt more about the program benefits on their website and registered myself for it.

I am grateful that I found this opportunity and successfully completed the course that was being offered. I had a wonderful experience. Everyone on the team was helpful, kind, caring, and respectful toward each other. I consider myself fortunate to have found this great opportunity for helping women obtain meaningful employment in the senior care sector in Canada. I wish that Achēv continues to help women and new immigrants achieve their goals by offering free employment programs that can provide high-demand job placement.

Achēv gave me a ray of hope that brought a smile back onto my face. I appreciate Achēv for the effort, invaluable time, energy, and dedicated service they are offering to support newcomers to Canada. Their staff is knowledgeable, takes time to understand your situation and needs, and patiently answers all queries. Ms. Roula was a great Mentor to us.

Thank you for the personal call to confirm if I had received the study material and the link to join the classes!”

Thank you, Venetia, for taking the time to share your positive experience at Achēv. We are incredibly grateful that we are able to provide meaningful programs and services to support career development, language education and settlement success within our diverse communities.

September 30 of each year officially marks Truth & Reconciliation Day in Canada. However, newcomers to Canada are likely unfamiliar with this particular day of remembrance. Let’s take a brief look at the basics of Truth & Reconciliation Day and share some resources to help you become more familiar with this important day.  

What is Truth & Reconciliation Day? 

Truth & Reconciliation Day was created by the Canadian Parliament to provide a day to remember survivors of residential schools and those children who died. It is also a way to acknowledge the negative impact of residential schools on families and communities.  

For newcomers unfamiliar with residential schools, they refer to a system of schools that churches and the Canadian government set up to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian and Christian ways of thinking and acting. These were boarding schools where children were sent away to live. Children were severely punished and often abused. Several thousand children died from abuse, neglect, disease, or accidents.   

Residential schools cost the lives of children while also working to actively erase the cultures of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. You may also hear Truth & Reconciliation Day referred to as Orange Shirt Day, as Canadians are encouraged to wear orange. This is intended to represent the stripping away of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children. 

Newcomers to Canada are invited to participate in this National Day of Remembrance and encouraged to learn more about Indigenous history and the importance of this day. Here are four essential resources that can help you learn more about Truth & Reconciliation Day.   

Government of Canada 

The government of Canada’s website provides basic information about Truth & Reconciliation Day. Here, people will find an overview of what the day means and what led to its creation. You will also find several helpful links that can help you better prepare to participate in Truth & Reconciliation Day.   

The site contains information such as television broadcasts of remembrances, the illumination of Parliament Hill, events associated with Orange Shirt Day, and virtual sessions aimed at school children to recognize Truth & Reconciliation Week. The site also has its own resources for those wanting to learn more about Indigenous peoples, their cultures, and their languages.   

Indigenous Foundations 

Indigenous Foundations serve as a resource covering the histories, politics, and cultures of the Indigenous peoples in Canada. While initially created to support students at the University of British Columbia, it also provides more information about Indigenous people to the general public.   

This website contains a wealth of information aimed at the history of Indigenous people, including in-depth information about the residential schools. This serves as a good resource for those wanting to learn more about the residential schools, their history, their effects on Indigenous peoples, and their continued negative effects within communities today.   

It is relatively easy to navigate the site as well as easy to read. Another benefit of this website is that it serves as a vast resource for those hoping to learn more about the overall culture of Indigenous communities throughout Canada. 

Assembly of First Nations 

The Assembly of First Nations is a national organization that aims to advocate for the collective needs of all First Nations communities throughout Canada. This organization represents the approximately 900,000 First Nations in the country. Among the issues that its advocacy takes on are treaties, Indigenous rights, and stewardship of lands and resources  

This website is a good resource for those wanting to understand what issues are important to the First Nations community in Canada. While each First Nation is distinct in terms of culture and sovereignty, this organization aims to address larger-scale issues and is an interesting resource for those wanting to learn more about the current state of Indigenous persons within Canada.   

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 

The United Nations is a global organization that aims to help advance the needs of all people around the globe. Among its many works are efforts to support and protect Indigenous persons. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a document that seeks to codify the rights that all Indigenous persons should have throughout the world.   

The document was initially adopted by the UN in 2007 by a vote of 143-4, with 11 countries not voting. While one of the four nations initially voting against it was Canada, Canada later reversed their position to support this declaration. This declaration seeks to establish the minimum rights and fundamental freedoms applied to Indigenous peoples. It is worth a read to better understand the minimum commitment expected of Canada towards Indigenous persons. 

Final Thoughts 

On this Truth & Reconciliation Day, we invite you to take some time to review these resources to learn a little more about the day and what it means for all of us in Canada.