Working for SYNERGIE in Canada – A dream come true

Karla Rieth, our trainee in human resources services from Karlsruhe, was given the opportunity to spend four weeks gaining an insight into the working environment at SYNERGIE Hunt in Canada. Here is her brief account of her experiences…

Canada – a vast country with diverse cultures and breathtaking scenery. Many people might see Canada as a big, cold country, but that’s not how I see it! I’ve always been fascinated by Canada, and working at SYNERGIE gave me the chance to experience first-hand the world of work in Canada – the country where I’ve always wanted to work.

Making the initial plans

What encouraged me to do a Training at SYNERGIE Another factor that drew me in was the fact that the company operates internationally. When I learnt that SYNERGIE had a branch in Winnipeg – a city where I’d already made contacts back in 2016 whilst volunteering at a horse ranch – I was very interested. I’d made some great friends there and my aim was to go back one day.

SYNERGIE gave me the opportunity to do so. Once I’d received confirmation of a four-week stay in Winnipeg, the trickier part began: obtaining a work permit. Arranging this to cover the duration of my stay was a tough task, but with the help of our Canadian colleagues, I obtained the work permit and was ready to work for SYNERGIE in Winnipeg, Canada.

Work placement in Canada

My initial concerns about my English, my colleagues and my duties were completely unfounded. Right from my very first day, I felt like part of the team. Natasha, Marie and Paolo gave me a warm welcome straight away and showed me to my own office. I didn’t have it for long, though, as we decided I should move into Marie and Paolo’s office to make communication easier. My original office was at the other end of the corridor, after all. Marie and Natasha showed me a great deal and were always on hand to help whenever I had a question. Ginette, the head of the „West“ region, was also always there for me, even though she was a few kilometres away.

Every Thursday there was a team meeting via Skype; I was allowed to take part too, which gave me the chance to interact with other colleagues. I was really surprised at how commonplace Skype is in Canada. It’s not just used for meetings, but also for interviews with job applicants who live in another city or province. I can well understand why, as Skype is an effective way to speak to someone face-to-face, even if they’re far away. On my first day, I sat in on the interviews, as I was due to conduct some myself later on. Afterwards, I learnt about how my colleagues in Canada manage the recruitment process and watched a few informative videos about the „Bond“ data system.

The videos were very helpful in understanding the key features of „Bond“ and made my work easier. After a few days, I started conducting interviews with applicants and entering data into „Bond“ myself, Jobs to advertise and find new candidates.

Job interviews

At the start of each interview, I told the candidates that I was from SYNERGIE Deutschland and was here in Canada on an exchange programme. That way, they knew straight away who I was and why, for example, I had an accent. It was also a good way to start the conversation and helped create a relaxed atmosphere. I really enjoyed conducting the interviews, as it was very interesting to talk to different people and see what skills and experience they brought to the table.

Plans for the future

Looking ahead, I’d like to stay in touch with my colleagues and continue to exchange ideas. During my stay, I already spoke to a few colleagues about Facebook – how we use it in Germany and how they use it in Canada. I hope that, with the help of our marketing team, I’ll be able to share a few of our ideas with our colleagues in Canada on how we attract and recruit customers and candidates.

I am certain that I will be able to put my newly acquired skills to good use here in Germany too, and even though these are two different countries – and therefore two different cultures – which certainly makes the recruitment process more challenging, I believe that sharing our experiences and ideas with other companies will help us move forward as a business.

All in all, I had a wonderful time; it flew by. I am very happy and grateful that, thanks to SYNERGIE I had the opportunity to spend a short part of my training in Canada. I’d like to thank everyone who made this possible! It was a dream come true for me; I learnt a lot about working in Canada, made lots of new friends and had a great time. I’ll never forget that time or the wonderful memories.

Thank you very much!

Pictured: The SYNERGIE team in Winnipeg with Karla Rieth (on the left)