Adam is a Chartered Accountant in Germany, before he immigrated to Canada in 2012. He’s been looking for a CA job for almost 1 year before I met him. Since the CA is classified as a regulated occupation in Canada, he had to get to get a Canadian license in order to practice in his profession. He was in a rush to find a job and did not want to go that route. I helped him to find an alternative solution – I helped him find a job as an Accountant, which is not a regulated occupation, and get work experience until such time he had enough savings to enter Queens University and acquire the CA Canadian license.
How I helped Adam:
Step 1: Develop a career map
First, Adam assessed the job market in Canada. The future of accounting is bright according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics which projects a 16% increase in job openings by the year 2016. Then, he completed a career planning and mapping tool and looked at every step as an opportunity. For example, he saw working as an Accountant as an opportunity to gain Canadian experience, as opposed to, delaying his career as a CA.
Step 2: Measure and calibrate
Adam worked with his career map in order to insure he is on track and make revisions to the plan. For example, he added the following steps: preparing a Canadian-style resume and prepare for a job interview in Canada.
Step 3: Assessing skills and accomplishments
Adam learned how to evaluate his core competencies. He looked at his past successes as a CA in Germany and identified his transferable skills. Those skills were brought at the forefront of mind and were put on his resume.
He also identified skills in high demand. Adam displays excellent interpersonal abilities, sales abilities and foreign language skills (in addition to English, he also speaks German and Spanish). Accountants are broadening as business globalizes and becomes more team-oriented. Adam was leading a group of 13 junior accountants back in his country. The advantage of having a set of skills in high demand is that it positions you at the front of the pack.
Step 4: Develop a personal brand
His personal brand helped him market his skills in high demand. The work he’s done on understanding himself ,mapping his career and revisiting his past successes, helped Adam with developing his personal brand.
As a result of my coaching, Adam entered the Canadian workplace as an accountant and worked for a few years before enrolling at Queens University for his Chartered Accountant license.
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