The book review below was published in the March 2008 Newsletter of Contact Point, a practitioner-driven, Canadian website dedicated to providing multi-sectoral career development practitioners and career counsellors with career resources, learning and networking.

No Canadian Experience, Eh?
A Career Survival Guide for New Immigrants
Daisy Wright
WCS Publishers, 2007
ISBN 13: 9780973894509

In “No Canadian Experience” readers will find information on a number of standard job search topics including: self-assessment, career assessment, and marketing yourself to employers, résumés and cover letters, networking and salary negotiation. It is important to recognize that this book covers a large number of topics while still providing an adequate overview of the job search process. This resource will give readers a good understanding of what is required in order to find a job in Canada. Although this book was written with immigrants in mind, it does contain examples, tips, and resources which may be very helpful for other audiences as well.

What really makes this book valuable and informative is the way many of the topics are presented – using clear, concise, straight-forward language and examples. In the career assessment section, the author describes the benefits of self-assessment and lists the most commonly used assessment tools in career counselling/career development. The section on interviews includes a description of different types of interviews that a job seeker might encounter including: panel interviews, group interviews, and behaviour interviews. The added bonus in this section is the examples of different behavioural interview questions that target specific skill areas: communication, problem solving, team building, and decision making.

There are other parts of this book that are worth taking the time to investigate. The author offers some useful tips on promoting your personal brand and developing a portfolio. Furthermore, there is a list of the most common English expressions as well as the “ABCs” of networking. For a description of SMART goals as well as some great examples, don’t forget to check out the section on goal setting.

Readers can also use “No Canadian Experience” as a reference guide as there is an extensive list of resources located throughout the book as well as in the resources section in the back. Look for numerous websites organized by category: Accounting Services & Associations, Bridging & Mentoring Programs, Career Development & Job Search Services, Credential Assessment Standards & Services, Education and Training, Engineering Associations, Government Departments/Agencies, Health Care, References/Referrals, Resources for Older Workers, Settlement Programs, Staffing/Employment Agencies/Recruiters and Canadian Job Boards.

Finally, there is a chapter that highlights more than 15 different immigrant experiences including their challenges and their successes in looking for work in a new country. They immigrated to Canada from a variety of countries and come from many occupational backgrounds. Read about a medical doctor from Cuba, a deputy chief of police from Barbados, an accountant from Sri Lanka, an associate professor from Ukraine and an interior designer from Egypt. The author herself has first hand experience on what it is like to move to a new country and then look for a job. Daisy Wright is a career development practitioner who immigrated from Jamaica in 1988. She first worked with the United Nations in New York and then returned to Canada in 1989. It was nice to see her personal experiences included in the book along with relevant job search information and additional resources.