People at Dundas Square enjoying the attractions Toronto has to offer.

Mr Titus Paulraj worked for a reputable company in Colombo, Sri Lanka before he moved to Canada in 2006. He was employed as a Manager - Institutional Sales, at Singer Sri Lanka and here’s his story to give you an idea on the many challenges faced by new immigrants. His story is a classic example on how you can be successful, despite the many challenges.

Let’s begin the interview:

Q: Why did you choose to leave your country of Birth?

A; Although, I love my country of birth, Sri Lanka I was certain that I could make a better future in a western country.

Q: How difficult was it for you to leave Sri Lanka?

A: I had a tough time leaving Sri Lanka as I was well to do and the fact that I was faced with this challenge of now starting all over again in a foreign country was no easy task. However, deep inside me I knew I will survive my initial fright and make good my dream for a successful future.

A: Since Canada had a good record on immigration and endorsed by the UN as one of the best places to live it was my obvious choice. I should say that having family and Friends who had made Canada their new home contributed to my decision.

Q: Tell us about your first day in North America?

A: It was pretty exciting as I landed around 11.45 pm on a Winter Friday. As the plane was approaching the runway I could see snowflakes in the sky and it glittered against the bright lights that lit the run way. It was an awesome feeling! This was my first experience as I had never seen what a winter day was like.

After spending around ½ hrs with immigration and custom officers I was welcomed by my family & friends who took me home. Many were asking questions on life in Sri Lanka and how my family was doing back home and this continued till around 5am the next day.

We got up at around 11am on Saturday and after brunch headed towards Downtown and literally relaxed the whole day spending time in Malls etc.

Q: What were the challenges you were faced with during your initial stay in Canada

A: It was quite difficult to settle down in Canada but I was fortunate that my Aunt Beatrice and her Husband Anthony Sivaratnam provided me with a place to stay. I also want to give credit to the Arasaratnam family who were such a blessing as they guided me on the process of finding a job.

Q: Tell us how you went about finding employment;

A: Mr. Xavier Alsaratnam who I knew from back home who attended the same church as I did was my mentor. He advised me to use the resources provided by the government of Canada to find out the process of finding a job as I was keen in getting back into my old field Marketing.

I also found out that net working with other Sri Lankans helped me to understand the Canadian Job Market and the steps that I needed to adapt to be successful in finding a JOB.

Q: What were the challengers you faced finding a JOB?

A: I was keen in getting back to my old field Marketing and ended spending hours at government sponsored resource centers hoping I’ll be called for an interview at any moment. As my concentration was totally in finding a job in my trained field I saw the funds that I brought from back home slowly depleting. 3 months pass by without any job offer in the field of marketing. Upon realizing that my funds were slowly but surely getting wiped out I decided to find a survival job.

I finally landed one in the construction industry that paid me around $200 a week with the help of Mr. Xavier Alsaratnam. This job required me to work long hours as I would come home around 11pm. I still didn’t give up hopes in finding a job in the marketing industry or at the least in an office environment.

Q: What was the biggest mistake you did in those first 3 months of your job hunt?

A: I was too keen in getting back into marketing and didn’t realize that this would affect my savings. I should have found a survival job immediately to pay my bills and meet my obligation without wasting my time trying to find a job in my trained field.

Q: Tell us about what happened after that?

A: I kept trying for a better job by visiting the resource centre when ever possible and after a couple of survival JOBS I finally landed a custom service JOB with a cellular phone company SPRINT. This was such a relief and I was thrilled that I finally got a decent JOB and now it was a matter of climbing the ladder in this difficult but fulfilling journey of mine. I was keen in working very hard and as a result I managed to triple my income and this paved the way for a better lifestyle.

Q: Can you tell me the importance of networking?

A: I found that networking is absolutely necessary as it helped me to find my current job. It was a SriLankan colleague of mine at SPRINT that told me about a job vacancy at Royal Bank of Canada which is one of the biggest Financial Institutions in North America. Being hired by Royal Bank was an importance milestone in my career.

Q: Finally, what is your advice to new immigrants who are contemplating in making Canada their home?

A: These 3 years in Canada taught me a lot. I would definitely advise new comers to find what ever job they could find as soon as they get here. Survival is KEY. Do not expect a job to find you. It never happens. You have to be willing to work hard and be ready to face challenges with a smile. If you keep at finding a job of your liking I believe it will finally be yours but you need to be willing to put in those extra hours and work hard.

Canada is a beautiful place and it provides all hard working people a fair chance of succeeding in life.