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Hi!
The weather has been up to “snow” good in most parts of Canada. Strangely, Calgary, the ever-present participant in Canadian blizzards and cold snaps has been left out of it all. Tbh, I’m grateful for that.
I’ve got a bad bad cough. And I wouldn’t want to be dealing with a cough and -22 °C at the same time.
P.S. I’ve moved this newsletter to Wednesday mornings going forward.
In today’s newsletter: Ruairi Spillane wants you to stop treating your job hunting process like Bingo.
Also: I share all I learned from interviewing 10 immigrant entrepreneurs last year.
By: Dozie Anyaegbunam
You can find the online version of the newsletter here.
Stop the “spray and pray” approach to job hunting
The latest episode of The Newcomers Podcast had me chatting with the brilliant and straight-shooting Ruairi Spillane, who runs Moving2Canada and Outpost Recruitment. Ruairi is one of the OGs when it comes to helping newcomers move to Canada, find jobs, and settle in nicely.
So he was a must-have on The Newcomers Podcast.
As someone who's been recruiting local and global talent for Canada for over a decade, he's seen what works, what doesn't, and he's not afraid to tell you the difference. And he dished out dollops of that tough love on his episode.
Listen to the full episode here ⬇️
Some takeaways from Ruairi’s episode:
"I can do anything" is an F1-sized red flag. It screams you haven't done the research. Pick one or two job titles that match your skills in Canada and build your resume around those. Spraying and praying something sticks is exhausting.
Refusing to adapt your resume can mean you might struggle to adapt to the role. Ruairi says it's a pattern he's seen over the last 12 years. When he suggests improvements and a candidate says "my resume is fine the way it is" or "I paid someone to edit this so I'm not changing it," he steps away. Time and time again, that response has usually meant the individual might not be exactly willing to adapt to a new way of doing things in a new country. Brutal, Right?
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What I learned from interviewing 10 immigrant entrepreneurs in 2025
What does it mean to be an immigrant entrepreneur? It’s trying to build in a country where you weren’t born. Sometimes in a language that isn’t your first. With a social network you’ve had to build from scratch.
Over 10 episodes of Unfiltered w/ PORCH, I sat down with immigrant entrepreneurs who have lived this journey.
Read all the best lessons I learned chatting with these incredible humans here ⬇️
Good finds
Why Canada is Expensive to Live In: Geography, Scale, and the Costs We Don’t See. Paul Adeyeye did some good work here. Canada is expensive no doubt. And I dare say that a big part of it is tied to our population and landmass.
The Trumpian through lines are emerging and stopping immigration everywhere is one theme. David Campbell is one of my favorite Canadian economists. I’ve learned a ton about the Atlantic Canada’s economy from his articles and LinkedIn posts. In this piece, he explains why we can’t let what’s happening south of the border lead to bad policy here.
Borderlines Podcast #197 is a really good one. Deanna Okun-Nachoff and Steven Meurrens talk about the viral Carney speech, it’s possible implications for immigration, and more.
The Newcomers resources & guides
The Immigrant’s Guide to Canadian Small Talk. Learn why small talk matters more than you think in Canada, the art of the opening line, how to read the room, and how to make graceful exits.
The Canadian 3-Month Settlement Guide for Newcomers Sans Kids. Cos we all needed something like this when we landed in Canada.
Breaking Into Canada’s Skilled Trades. Canada needs 700,00 trade workers by 2028. Learn about the most accessible entry points as a newcomer, what your career progression could look like, and how much you’d be making.
Want to work with us? Check out The Newcomers Media Kit
Want more immigrant interviews? Listen to The Newcomers Podcast.
Looking to find out what Canadian immigration program you’re eligible for? Check out our Who’s Eligible For series.
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