Oftentimes you see reviews, and brief comments on the services provided by recruitment companies, but what goes into the process of these reviews. Where do these success stories come from, and how much work does it take to reach your dream job? iLink Global Recruiting had the opportunity to interview one of its clients for its Job Search Coaching Program, about his journey of resilience in finding his dream job.
As many of these stories go, we begin in Roberto’s home country of Brazil. He had been working in Brazil for over twenty years. He aspired to work for a big tech company, but unfortunately, opportunities for tech jobs in his country were limited. In search of a chance to broaden his job search Roberto chose to look for work outside of Rio De Janeiro, and made it his goal to work for a tech company in North America. In 2018, Roberto was met with his first challenge. He applied for a visa which was met with denial under the Trump Administration. Despite this, Roberto did not waver, and proceeded to move forward. A year later, Roberto applied for a visa through another program. Although this program was known to have an acceptance rate of 92%, Roberto was once again denied, but his journey of resilience continued, and he persevered. It was at that moment that Roberto made the decision to create a new plan. He made the decision to reapply, but this time Roberto chose to apply to come work in Canada instead.
Change of Plans Does Not Mean Failure in Achieving Your Goal
Roberto’s wife went to Canada first as a student, and he followed suit, entering Canada on a work permit. The next step for Roberto was to look for a job, the second hurdle in his journey. He began applying through LinkedIn, and applied to over 200 jobs across Canada. With all these jobs, one would assume he would hear back from a company, but unfortunately it was radio silence for Roberto. He wouldn’t hear back from employers, and when he did it would be months later when he had already moved onto the next search. What truly contributed to Roberto gaining interviews was the power of networking. Through colleagues from Canada and Brazil he was able to land many interviews – too many in fact! Eventually, Roberto hit a wall. While he landed countless interviews, he still had not managed to get a job! Depression started to kick in, he was not feeling like himself anymore, and he knew he had to do something different.
How Job Search Guidance Helped
Hesitant at first, Roberto decided to look for a job search coach. Through a colleague who was successful in using one, he found iLink Global Recruiting. Roberto was reluctant at first. After all, he was getting all these interviews, so why would he need an interview coach was his initial thought. Upon meeting with iLink his perception of how job search coaches work soon changed. It came as a shock when Roberto was advised on what to do. It was very hard to hear that his methods were ineffective. “It hurts quite a bit to hear that what you’ve been doing is wrong.” he states, but not everything Roberto did was wrong. He only required guidance. He was on the right path already; the only thing that needed work was the interviewing process which iLink was happy to help with. “If you’re getting all these interviews. It means you have great potential,” According to iLink Global Recruiting. With the aid of iLink’s job search coach and principal recruiter, Ria Abesamis, Roberto started gaining confidence in his job interviews knowing that he had structured responses and realizing beforehand what kind of answers employers wanted to hear, all the while being personable during the meeting. Through the coaching sessions, he learned why employers asked such questions, and that it was perfectly okay to market yourself with pride.
One technique Roberto learned that resonated with him was to always end answers with a positive result. Through this method he was able to see encouraging reactions from interviewers. Every time he finished a response, he made sure that it left a positive impression. This piece of advice has continued to stay with him, and he still remembers it until now. And he believes that the consistent implementation of this technique is one of the main reasons he is now an employee of that BIG tech company he had his eyes on while he was still in Brazil. Yes, he did get the JOB!
Roberto’s Advice
As his way of giving back, he does not hesitate to advise newcomers to Canada that, “Job seeking takes time, depending on the job you are looking for and the skills you have.” He also says it is very helpful to hire a job search coach, as what employers look for in Canada will differ completely from the way the hiring process works in one’s homeland. The expectations and skills that employers look for are vastly different depending on the country and company. Roberto’s journey was long and full of challenges, but he stood tall in the face of adversity. He was able to overcome each difficulty with strength, and hard work. Roberto forged the path that led to working for his desired company, he did not doubt his goals, and was able to reach them with guidance from Ria Abesamis at iLink Global Recruiting, and primarily because of his excellent skills and unwavering drive to succeed.
Congratulations Roberto! May you continue to inspire others through your continued success!