Submitting job applications and attending multiple interviews can be difficult for some, especially in a foreign country.

“When I first came to Canada, I started looking for a job to sustain myself during my program, but I noticed that the job-hunting process was different from my country,” said a Fanshawe student from Colombia, Gamila Carbajal. “Almost everything was done over the Internet, even the interviews. The resumes did not require pictures, and I had to do a cover letter which was new for me.”

According to Fanshawe International student ambassador Tanisha Barthwal, students must understand the labour world and the Canadian hiring process before looking or applying for a job.

“The labour world is different from the student world,” Barthwal said. “It is a competitive and demanding world in which the pace of work is fast. Good skills, processes and expertise are required to grasp today’s workforce.”

She said that regarding the difficulties some students may face finding a job and attending multiple interviews, it is a good entrance test for the world of work.

“It is impossible not to get frustrated for not finding a job or for getting rejected since it is a human emotion, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot avoid it, but you must reinvent yourself,” Barthwal said. “That is called resilience and is one of the things many companies look for today.”

Barthwal added that frustration can cloud the job search and make students take longer to find what they want. She said there will always be negative answers, and people must be prepared to accept them.

“It is normal to fall and feel sad; give yourself time to assimilate things. But the important thing is to get back up, fight for what we want, and not rest until we have what we deserve,” Barthwal said.

Barthwal stated that “attitude is everything.”

“Many of the things we want we attract with our minds. We must always have a winning mentality or growth mindset,” Barthwal said. “It is better to have realistic expectations but always with a positive thought.

She said that people often tend to raise expectations so much that when they do not get what they are looking for, they get disappointed, and that is when the frustration starts to “kick in.”

Carbajal said that in Canada, even the most straightforward jobs require experience. He added that he wants a position to gain experience, but it is frustrating that only some employers are willing to hire someone without experience.

“How am I supposed to get the experience if I do not have the chance to get that experience?” Carbajal said.

Barthwal said that applying to multiple jobs is another way to avoid getting frustrated, as long as they are in a specific area or function. She added that students increase their probability of being seen by different employers doing that.

“It is good to be familiarized with different interview processes, and you can only do that by applying and attending multiple job interviews,” Barthwal said.

Barthwal said that young people, especially students, think they can be experts at anything in any area, but the reality is that a human can only be an expert in some things. She added that following your passion can also help.

“There are many cases of people who have started a career because their parents wanted it that way, but it was not a real desire of them, so they had to change until they found their true passion,” Barthwal said.

She said the best advice she can give students is to go for what makes them happy and what gives them satisfaction and a sense of purpose. She added that with those factors, the job search would be more intelligent and focused on areas that motivate them and make them want to specialize.