MentorAbility Experience Story – Alex
Alex said that MentorAbility played a key role in reducing her stress and increasing her optimism by providing the guidance and information he needed to move forward in her career.
While she has a degree in accounting, Alex* has faced barriers in securing employment in this field. She has garnered experience in administration and customer service and continues to pursue her goal of working in her preferred career, accounting. Working in accounting has always been one of her goals and she is determined to achieve it.
For her mentorship, Alex met with Sam, who works in payroll, to get a sense of the various aspects of that role. During their conversation, Sam shared insights around tasks, such as bi-weekly payroll completion, managing timecards, sending reports to senior staff, and balancing payroll.
Sam explained that she uses both in-house and external accounting systems. Some challenges include inputting data manually as she learns a new system and managing long workdays while supporting human resources. She also assists with the front desk and with the orientation and onboarding of new staff.
On the personal side, Sam shared that, like Alex, her employment journey has not been linear. As an immigrant and a Black woman, when she first arrived in Canada she encountered systemic employment challenges, such as college credentials not being recognized here. She started by working in administration, then attended a college program where she discovered her passion for payroll.
Sam encouraged Alex to stay resilient, affirming that opportunities aligned with her skills and aspirations are attainable. Together, they explored various types of positions, including entry-level administration roles, HR, accounting clerk, administrator, online customer service, and payroll. Sam suggested that Alex could apply to posts requiring one to two years of experience and could emphasize her positivity and ability to learn quickly.
At the end of their conversation, Sam reminded Alex to celebrate the small wins and to learn from all her experiences. She encouraged Alex to keep an open mind about different career paths and to leverage all the transferable skills she has already acquired. Alex appreciated the professional insights and encouragement and Sam’s willingness to share her own journey, including the challenges.
Sharing the story of your employment journey had a strong impact, Sam. With your determination, Alex, you’re sure to achieve your goals!
* For privacy reasons, we have chosen the name “Alex” to tell this story.