Adapting to Canadian Work Culture A Key Learning for Newcomers

Along with the specific tasks of any job, newcomers to Canada and young people just entering the job market for the first time must learn the work culture of the place. Job seekers in the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) benefit from lots of exposure to different work situations and people including fellow employees, customers, and suppliers.

As David Kim, CEO and founder of Harbr, a Halifax-based software development company, explains, the work culture piece is very important.

“We’ve had success with AIP hiring in the past, and I’m proud we offered our AIP hire a chance to experience how things are done in Canada. He moved on to a better role for him and we were part of his Halifax start.”

An immigrant from Australia himself who loves traveling the world, Kim is committed to hiring more immigrants and helping them settle in Halifax, his chosen adopted home. A child of South Korean immigrants, Kim knows first-hand the challenges, frustrations, and rewards of building a new life in a new country far from the familiar.

“Immigrants and young newcomers don’t know yet how a Halifax workplace operates. It takes them a while to adjust and understand the culture.”

Workplace culture is defined as the character and personality of an organization. It’s the soft things that aren’t written down and weren’t studied as part of anyone’s job training, but they’re critically important to all-around success both personally and professionally. How casually the office interacts, when or how to take breaks and lunch, and when and how to speak up with ideas for your team, are all things that differ depending on the workplace culture of a company.

At Halifax Partnership, Account Executive, Celia Deer is working with companies large and small to secure experienced talent from around the world through the AIP and help them succeed in Halifax. Contact Celia for more information about getting your company AIP designated to hire international job seekers.