Challenges Face Immigrant HR Professionals

The challenges immigrant HR professionals face in finding jobs are not limited to the level of their knowledge, experiences and skills or the value they bring to the labour market in Canada but also include a laundry list of many obstacles that make the job search journey a tough one.

Canadian Experience

The stress set by employers to have Canadian work experience as a requirement for professional employment makes it difficult for them to be qualified for HR professional jobs available in the Canadian market, which makes it challenging to acquire Canadian experience and creates a dilemma of which comes first, a career in the Canadian market or the Canadian experience. The non-recognition of the professional work experience the immigrant HR professionals had previously acquired in their countries disqualifies their entry into HR jobs. This means they have limited or no chance to get Canadian work experience in their field.

Weak professional network

Immigrant HR professionals start their job search journey with no professional network, which means no access to the hidden job market in the field that includes 85% of the jobs available, according to many settlement & employment services agencies.

The ‘Hidden Job Market’ includes those jobs offered without being announced or advertised through the organization’s website, newspapers or social media. Most of those jobs are provided to referrals or professionals in a close network of crucial organization employees who had a chance to apply. Only employers, managers, supervisors and some employees at that organization know about available jobs and current recruitment needs.

Building a robust professional network takes a relatively long time while being out of practice. This means that while building a professional network to get the leverage the immigrant HR professionals need to succeed, valuable time and effort are well-spent, creating voids in the resume and cutting the continuity in the career progress.

Lack of trust

As new HR professional immigrants do not have Canadian work references, which is necessary for getting a job in Canada, employers do not trust their capacity to undertake the required position. Employers need to accept those immigrant HR professionals who built their professional reference lists outside of Canada. Their level of professionality outside Canada indicates how professional they are in general terms, including their skills, behaviour, and character. Therefore, many employers assume that the quality of work of Canadian HR professionals is always better than the quality of work of immigrant HR professionalsCommunications and cultural barriers.

Communication and cultural barriers

In some cases, the lack of official language proficiency (English / French) will cause difficulty in communication within the formal and informal channels in a work environment. It will create a barrier between HR professionals and employers, colleagues and their professional community.

The anticipated communication barriers drive employers to hire immigrant HR professionals for wages less than their counterpart Canadian professionals. They must work on their existing organizational culture or workplace environment to overcome such barriers.

Diversity Management

Most Canadian employers, managers and supervisors need to be trained to utilize a multicultural/ diverse workforce through the immigrants numbers are increasing in Canada. Such employers tend to refrain from hiring immigrant professionals as the optimal solution to minimize /eliminate the risk of failing due to utilizing a diverse workforce.

In conclusion, immigrant HR professionals face unique challenges navigating their careers in a new country. However, their diverse experiences and perspectives can bring valuable contributions to the workplace. Organizations can help these professionals thrive and build inclusive and globally-minded workplaces by providing support and resources. Ultimately, embracing diversity in HR can lead to more innovative and successful organizations.