Coming to Canada: meet Ana-María and her inspiring immigration journey from Colombia

I've invited Ana-María Holtby, a Colombian-born marketer and Canadian permanent resident, to share her personal story, key challenges and biggest milestones as she moved from Colombia to Canada 10 years ago. As a dear friend and a marketing peer whom I admire, Ana-María has a riveting journey of persistence, risk-taking and resilience which I'm delighted to share today. From pursuing education to honing her skills and finding a job, I hope her story inspires other newcomers and immigrants who are building their lives in Canada.

Ana-María, or Annie as I call her, is a marcom (marketing communications) expert with over 8 years of experience in media, journalism and communications. Originally from Bogotá, where she took her higher education degrees and started off her career, Ana-María visited Canada for the first time during her vacations and fell in love with the country. Yearning for a life experience abroad, she decided to pursue a postgraduate course at the Centennial College. Although she intended to return to Colombia after graduating, her life had a change of plans and she eventually chose to live in Toronto, where she's been working for the past seven years in marketing and communications.

Apart from her daily job as a media executive at Rouge Media, Ana-María is highly socially active and is constantly engaged in supporting like-minded immigrants. She was a mentor at the Hispanotech's 2018 Mentorship Program and is currently attending an executive program at Rotman School of Management. Personally, she's a bright young woman with a great personality and a genuine passion for traveling and meeting new people.

So here's my interview with Ana-María, where we'll cover her cultural and social adaptation, education, her take on job search and local workplace culture, contrasts between her home country and Canada, and much more.

1. Tell us about your journey from Colombia. What motivated you to move to Canada?

In 2009, I decided to take a month-long vacation to Canada during the fall, without knowing that the trip was going to change my life. It wasn’t my first time in North America. Actually, I had the chance to travel in the United States a bunch of times before I came to Canada. There was something that struck me about Toronto. After I got back to Colombia, I realized that I really did want to live and study abroad, and my first choice became Canada. Right away, I started preparing my trip: leaving my job, applying for the visa and deciding between Toronto and Vancouver. I was greatly interested in traveling and exploring the country, so I chose to start off in Vancouver. In the end, I moved back to Toronto and I’ve been here since then.

2. Coming from a Latin country with a different language and customs, have you felt any culture shock at first? What was it like to adapt yourself in Canada?

Honestly, I didn’t feel much of a culture shock in the beginning. When you come to Canada as an international student, you join a whole community of people from all over the world. Everyone is excited to meet new people and they all share similar attitudes and motivations. By the time I started my internship, I had already learned a lot about Canada and what makes it unique. It also helps that the workplace culture in marketing and public relations is very similar in both Canada and Colombia.

The biggest change was the extreme weather in winter and summer, though. That was the real adjustment: studying and especially WORKING during extreme weather conditions. This has been the key difference between working in Bogotá and Toronto. 

3. You followed a path that is very relatable to other newcomers: you first pursued a post-graduate degree at a Canadian college before entering the job market. How was your academic experience at the Centennial College? To which extent did it help on your employability skills? 

I made the decision to attend Centennial College with the intention to go back to Colombia. I thought that studying public relations and completing an internship in English would be valuable for my career in South America. I never really thought about studying to gain an advantage working in Canada. The most important part of studying in Canada perhaps is the extra time you have by immersing yourself into the Canadian culture before working full time. Toronto has a competitive job market already, and it's a fact that thousands of foreign professionals arrive every year as skilled workers.

I don’t think a post-graduate program would hurt your employability, however I believe networks and skills are more important. Command of the language and the chemistry you have with your hiring manager are the deciding factors of getting the job. If you show that you are a great fit for the organization culture, you are hired.  

4. Job search is a challenging process, especially in such a highly competitive business as marketing. Have you got any tips on how to increase the chances of success in landing a job in this field?

Apply, apply, apply! Even when you get your first job, keep applying. Without a network and contacts here in Toronto, it’s important to open up as many opportunities as possible. Also, I think it’s really important to start working on how to tell your story. Most people in Canada do not know much about universities, companies and international markets beyond the United States.

You can never assume that an interviewer will fully realize your potential only from reading your resume. Over the years, I have learned how to highlight my skills and my story. You always have to keep in mind why you're special and employable.

And remember to always tell the truth, but in a very Canadian way ;)

5. In your opinion, what are the key traits and skills that Canadian employers look for in a job applicant?

I find that Canadian employers look for tangible and specific skills. It can be easy to fill resumes and apply to interviews with lots of abstract ideas about leadership, education and responsibility. But companies here really want to see how much you can do, not just how much you know. This can include specific skills with softwares like Excel, MS Project or Photoshop, or actions like cold-calling or employee training. 

In Canada, demonstrating your skills is more powerful than telling people how great you are. Blogs, websites, social media are key sources for employers. They want to see proactive initiative and, in some industries, if you are edgy and cool.

6. Very insightful! Tell us more about your marketing career in Canada and your current role as a media expert. What are you most passionate about your job?

I have worked in a bunch of roles within communications, including public relations, marketing and market research. However, this is the first time that I am working directly with advertising. My company is a leader in static and digital advertising, not only in Canada, but also across the United States. I started at my company during the biggest year of growth and success since the company was founded 10 years ago. I’m passionate about learning more about the advertising business in North America and the key segments of our audiences. Recently, I have been focusing on advertising specifically for colleges and universities campuses, as the company expands its digital and programmatic operations. This is a very exciting niche to be involved in with a lot of growth potential.

7. How do you find the Canadian workplace culture and etiquette? Any major difference compared to the Colombian culture style?

I think marketing, public relations and advertising have a more similar culture in all countries. In this era of advanced technology and globalization, the work culture is becoming standardized around the world. The passion, the competition, the creativity, the rush are all here – even the use of multiple languages too!

In my current company, we have a pretty diverse group of people. The company was founded in Montreal, so we have a strong bilingual focus, with a lot of French Canadians and Europeans. We also have offices in New York, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Montreal and Chicago. Each office has its own mini-culture too. The New Yorkers are always in a rush, the Angelinos are relaxed and Torontonians are somewhere in between. It's pretty amazing working with teams located in such cool cities and demanding markets.

 8. What do you most enjoy about living in Canada, and what are the things you miss the most about Colombia? 

Living in Canada, and especially in Toronto, gives me a strong sense of stability, safety and security. For example, I lost my wallet three times and I’ve always had it returned with nothing stolen – even though I left it on the subway once. Torontonians can be kind of cold sometimes, but there’s a sense of privacy and respect for differences here. I have to say that I do miss the social side of Colombia, including my family. I miss the year-round, local tropical fruits, for example. And I miss the varied climates that a mountainous country like Colombia has. There, you could drive two hours one way and end up in a hot, tropical weather, and drive two hours the other way and enjoy a cool, temperate climate.

9. That must be an amazing experience! Now, what would you say to someone who dreams to move and live in Canada? Any piece of advice that you would like to give?

You have to be very passionate about English and the culture. In a country like Colombia, speaking English is either a job skill or a hobby. But in Canada, your life is in English. Anyone who wants to move to Canada needs to be ready to live their entire life in another language and another culture.

Adapting to Canada is more than just getting used to the weather. It’s about really understanding how people think and communicate here.

And that includes not only the native-born Canadians, but also the huge variety of people from all over the world. I have the entire world just outside of my door, on the subway or at work. Canada has shown me really who I am, what I am capable of, and how much I adore my Colombian background. And this country has given me the amazing opportunity to learn about English Canada, French Canada and the many other cultures distinct from my own. 

That's a wrap! Thanks for taking the time to share your story, Annie! I'm sure many other newcomers and immigrants will relate to your experiences and get inspired by your accomplishments.

If you want to learn more about Ana-María, check out her LinkedIn profile and her personal website.

See you all in the next article!