Humber College Essay: Canadian Experience and Business Practices

This essay critically analyzes the article "Demanding Canadian Experience is no way to conduct business" by Andrea Elliot, examining the challenges faced by immigrants in the Canadian job market. The essay highlights the issue of discrimination based on name and lack of 'Canadian Experience' on resumes, hindering job opportunities for skilled individuals. It contrasts the perspectives of job seekers and companies, discussing the need for companies to understand and adapt to diverse backgrounds. The essay also addresses gender inequality and the need for government and organizational support, such as training programs and inclusive hiring practices, to foster a more equitable employment environment. It emphasizes the importance of adaptability from both employers and employees and concludes that a firm's success depends more on its relationship with its employees than solely on 'Canadian Experience'.

University
Demanding Canadian Experience is no way to conduct business : Comment
By Elliot
Student Credentials
4/14/2020

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE 1
Demanding Canadian Experience is no way to conduct business: Comment by Andrea
Elliot
In above mentioned article, the information stated by Andrea is actually the sad reality
of the current employment scenario in Canada (Elliott, 2017). In general there are so many
ways in which the Asians or in fact any one from a foreign land is discriminated. Racist
comments, abuse and discrimination are all a very common sight in Canada. Andrea
specifically discusses all the employment related issues that women face when applying for
jobs that are not from Canada itself. There are so many lacks and drawbacks to the
employment system of Canada as if people do not have a ‘Canadian Experience’ in their
resume, they are not even considered for the job. Same goes for the name of these
individuals, if it sounds Asian or just not American, these people are not even called for the
interview. This is a very common problem throughout America or goes for almost all the
developed nations.
The issue discussed by Andrea is something very important as people who have been
working at certain high positions if have to move to Canada, they find it very difficult to gain
that kind of position altogether or even face difficulty in finding a proper job for that matter.
But, there is a huge gap in the thinking of people like Andrea and people who run companies
providing job opportunities. Andrea has been thinking on the basis of what these people have
to go through due to their experience finding appropriate jobs, while the companies
generating job opportunities have to think about the whole company and the impact it is
going to make in the market (Sulaiman & Raphael, 2016). If an individual moves from their
home state to another state as well, there are a lot of changes involved. In order to understand
the whole educational and experience related gap, one has to go through it and get informed

CANADIAN EXPERIENCE 2
regarding it so that there are no mistakes made since, they did not know much about the
whole process or the working of the company.
Apart from this, another aspect that Andrea forgot to discuss was regarding the issue
that if changes in companies are made or an uplifting change is made in the lives of an
employee it begins by working from the lower level. In order to understand the working of
how the company works, the individual needs to understand the basics of the job as well
hence, even if a lower position is offered in the firm, individual can work its way up instead
of dwelling on it (Nichols, 2018).
There is no doubt that racism and gender inequality as well as cultural and ethnicity
related issues are present in the American communities, which is why people who are a bit
unique from the ‘regular’ people, they are shunned upon or not given equal opportunities to
prove themselves and earn a decent living. But, there are a number of drawbacks on the end
of the people who have migrated as well. The cultural change, religious thinking, etiquettes,
way of presenting oneself, behaviour, there are so many things that change altogether when
people migrate. It becomes difficult for the companies to focus on a certain individual
making things adaptable for them, instead of focusing on their companies. Also another
aspect that needs to be highlighted in Andrea’s article is that it entirely focuses on the women
whose talents are not being recognised. The men have similar experiences as well. There is
no particular gender biasness here, it’s just a common problem that each of the migrant faces.
Experiences like these have become so common that the Canadian Government does
not prioritize this issue anymore. Few of the other organizations such as the Dress for success
need to come up in order to remove this issue. The work this firm has been doing is
commendable without any doubt, but, individuals relying on them for obtaining some sort of
experience for future job opportunities are something not appreciable. Recent events have

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shown that the employment market is improving in this kind of aspect as well, but it has a
long way to go.
Companies or firms need to understand that the people from other countries or regions
can equally be supportive and capable as the local or people with ‘Canadian Experience’ can
be. It is just the matter of time that is required for people to prove themselves. In order to do
that, companies need to provide such opportunities to these migrants for starters. Certain
training or programs can be introduced as well for these people who have different
backgrounds or who are not much fluent in English or might have certain cultural or religious
boundaries. Working for a firm does not mean that the individual has to make all the
adjustments, the firms as well can make adjustments based on the individuals or employees
who have been working for the firm. Bonding sessions, getting personally involved with
every employee for getting better results, creating an environment that is friendly are all the
aspects that can help a firm to grow in terms of business as well as in terms of social
involvement.
Firms practicing these kinds of practices can help individuals grow as well as it helps
with the firm’s economic growth as well. Adaptation is the key that both the ends will have to
access in order to become more powerful and happy. ‘Canadian Experience’ is not the only
criteria that decide the future of a firm, definitely it helps but it does not decide the criteria on
which the firm will become a well -established one or a powerful one for that matter. It is
more about what kind of relationship the firm has with its employees that makes all the
difference.

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Bibliography
Elliott, A. (2017, September 12). Demanding Canadian experience is no way to conduct
business: Comment. Retrieved April 14, 2020, from Financial Post:
https://business.financialpost.com/executive/c-suite/demanding-canadian-experience-
is-no-way-to-conduct-business-comment
Nichols, L. J. (2018). Newcomer Women’s Experience of Immigration and Precarious Work
in Toronto. Women’s Health & Urban Life: An International and Interdisciplinary
Journal, 7-23.
Sulaiman, A., & Raphael, D. (2016). Immigration: Possibilities and Challenges in the 21st
Century. Immigration, Public Policy, and Health: Newcomer Experiences in
Developed Nations, 3.