Jennifer Almeida is a networker.
If youB次元官网网址檙e looking for a good lawyer, advice on how to start a small business, or just where to get a good cup of coffee in town, Almeida has the answer.
Formerly employed by the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, she quickly noticed the programs offered there werenB次元官网网址檛 providing people with everything they needed. So sheB次元官网网址檇 meet with them on her lunch hour or after work to help advise on how to start a new life in Victoria, and eventually created the Victoria Multicultural Business Connector.
B次元官网网址淪ome people asked which bank is the best bank for me where there are not so many charges, or what schools are the best for my children,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淚t was as simple as that.B次元官网网址�
Victoria has a large hidden job market and 90 per cent of positions arenB次元官网网址檛 advertised but rather filled internally or through networking. This is where VMBC comes in, Almeida says, B次元官网网址渇inding someone who has the answers and has walked through that journey themselves.B次元官网网址�
The Malaysia native has lived and worked in Victoria for 12 years. SheB次元官网网址檚 assisted immigrants, newcomers, First Nations people and other Canadians find housing, employment, schools and business advice across the Island. SheB次元官网网址檚 a helper. Most recently she posted online to share her one-bedroom apartment in Victoria with anyone displaced by the recent hurricanes in the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Almeida says in this town, itB次元官网网址檚 all about who you know; through a networking event she crossed paths with life coach Sue Maitland, who will speak at the VMBCB次元官网网址檚 next mixer, this Thursday (Sept. 21).
B次元官网网址淚 think people get scared by the word B次元官网网址榥etworkingB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� Maitland says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not about selling yourself, itB次元官网网址檚 about connecting with other people and seeing what you can do for them.B次元官网网址�
Maitland, who emigrated from England, has called Victoria home for close to 25 years. She stresses that getting out there and making contacts in your community is critical.
B次元官网网址淭hose who donB次元官网网址檛 use their connections are left fighting for the 10 per cent of jobs left over, and itB次元官网网址檚 highly competitive here in a smaller job market,B次元官网网址� she says.
The Capital Region District is one of the fastest-growing areas in North America. In Langford alone, the population increased almost 21 per cent between 2011 and 2016. Maitland credits some of that to the growth of the high-tech sector. B次元官网网址淰ictoria is so much more vibrant now and I think itB次元官网网址檚 because young people are choosing to be here. TheyB次元官网网址檙e starting companies and want to stay here.B次元官网网址�
For Almeida, these face-to-face connections symbolize a return to the past, when business was built on trust and an outstretched hand.
B次元官网网址淲e walked through a path of resistance,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淣ow what we want is to make sure people walk down the path of least resistance.B次元官网网址�
The Victoria Multicultural Business Connector mixer happens Sept. 21 at Regus in The Atrium building at 5 p.m. RSVP is required at .
