In today's episode, you will hear Dozie Anyaegbunam share his experience of immigrating to Canada.

Dozie is a Content strategist, storyteller, budding documentary filmmaker, and immigrant. He hosts The Newcomers Podcast and writes a newsletter about wine for normal folks.

Why you should listen to today's episode:

In this episode of "Speak English Fearlessly," Dozie Anyaegbunam, a Nigerian immigrant to Canada, talks about his transition and the challenges he faced while settling into his new life.

Dozie discusses his proactive networking approach and the importance of storytelling and communication skills for immigrants seeking employment. He shares the difficulties of finding housing due to a lack of credit history and facing discrimination, including outright rejection based on his nationality.

Despite these hurdles, Dozie eventually secures a home, emphasizing that such biases are individual rather than racial. He also touches on the pressure to adjust his accent and the significance of building a supportive community.

The episode highlights the resilience and determination required for immigrants to overcome obstacles and integrate into a new society.

Dozie's Journey to Canada (00:05:09) Dozie shares his decision to move from Lagos, Nigeria, to Canada in 2021 and the reasons behind his immigration.

Career Transition and Networking (00:07:16) Dozie discusses his career transition from marketing in Lagos to content strategy in Canada and the networking and preparation he did before immigrating.

Informational Interviews and Job Search (00:10:18) Dozie explains how he conducted informational interviews and utilized networking on LinkedIn to find job opportunities in Canada.

Honing Your Story for Job Search (00:12:55) Dozie emphasizes the importance of refining one's story and skills for job interviews as an immigrant in a new country.

Challenges and Adjustments (00:17:12) Dozie reflects on the challenges and support he encountered during his family's landing in Canada.

The timestamps indicate the progression of the conversation and the topics covered in the podcast episode transcription segment.

Job Hunting and Housing Challenges (00:17:24) Dozie discusses the challenges of job hunting and finding housing as an immigrant in Canada.

Landlord Discrimination (00:19:35) Dozie recounts discriminatory experiences with landlords, including biased questions and rejections based on race.

Finding a Home (00:23:49) Dozie shares the process of finding and moving into his first home in Canada, detailing the challenges and delays.

Rental Competition (00:25:51) The discussion touches on the competitive rental market and the challenges of finding a place to live in Canada.

Immigration and Family (00:29:01) Dozie reflects on his greatest accomplishment in Canada, emphasizing the positive impact on his family life.

Family Bonding (00:31:49) The conversation shifts to a lighthearted discussion about family bonding over activities like playing Minecraft.

Language and Accent Challenges (00:34:23) Dozie discusses the unexpected experiences related to his use of English and his accent in Canada.

Immigrant challenges (00:34:46) Dozie discusses demoralizing workplace experiences due to his accent and feeling demotivated to speak up.

Overcoming self-doubt (00:36:31) Dozie shares how he initially stopped talking at work and felt invisible due to self-doubt and struggles with accent adaptation.

Perception and biases (00:39:22) The discussion touches on how accents can shape listener perceptions, affecting how seriously immigrants are taken at work.

Establishing a new life (00:42:43) Dozie emphasizes the importance of informational interviews and the need for a supportive community for immigrants in a new country.

You won't want to miss Dozie share about:

Job hunting strategies before and after arriving in Canada. You'll hear Dozie's excellent job hunting strategy that you can and should be using for your own search!
Challenges in finding housing and how Dozie overcame them.
Dealing with racism and accents: Dozie shares about his struggle with people who told him things like, 'Oh, what an interesting accent you have." "Maybe you should learn how to speak English properly - slow down so I can understand you better."
The importance of building community around you because the truth is, you can't immigrate to Canada successfully (and survive) without the help and support of others.

Important advice for new immigrants - from one immigrant to another.

Links I Referenced In The Episode

How much do Canadians judge people for their accents? Experts say it starts early on (From cbc.ca)

Follow Dozie Online:

The Newcomers Podcast - Dozie's excellent podcast that tells the story of newcomers as they make their life in Canada. If you're a newcomer to Canada, or about to be one, you need to check this podcast out!

Dozie's newsletter about wine.

Follow Dozie on Twitter

Follow Dozie on LinkedIn

Follow Dozie on YouTube

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