Globe and Mail: Bridging the gap between skills and culture

Jared Lindzon

When Luiss Zaharia moved to Canada in 2002, she knew that she would have to work her way up the corporate ladder, but she never imagined that it would be so difficult to find a career that matched her qualifications.

She certainly had the know-how, she thought, for a job in Canada’s financial services sector. When she went to interviews in her field, however, hiring managers would turn her away, saying she did not have enough Canadian experience.

“I knew that I had to work hard – I’ve worked hard, and I still have to work hard – but I was also aware that it may be something more, and I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was,” she said.

That’s when Ms. Zaharia decided to enroll in the Rotman School of Management’s Business Edge program, a six-month course held on evenings and weekends designed to provide internationally educated professionals with the soft skills needed to advance their careers in Canada. The executive education program, offered through the University of Toronto’s business school, provides classroom instruction and one-on-one coaching about the ‘unwritten rules’ of the Canadian workplace – from networking tips to culturally appropriate communication skills.

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Source: Globe and Mail