HR manager Edmundo Cardenas during a trip where he volunteered at an orphanage in Bolivia.Supplied
When Edmundo Cardenas moved with his family from Venezuela to Montreal in 2007, he found it tough to get his career back on track. Despite having eight years of experience in human resources in Venezuela’s oil industry, navigating two new languages and cultures in Canadian workplaces was a challenge.
So, Mr. Cardenas started volunteering. He lived in several Canadian cities over the years, steadily climbing the career ladder to his current position as HR manager for Acciona, a sustainable infrastructure company headquartered in Spain. Now in Vancouver, Mr. Cardenas says his habit of consistent volunteer work with a wide range of organizations has been a big part of his success integrating into the work force. Not only does he feel good about giving back to his new country, he says it has helped him learn more about being Canadian.
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Here’s more about how helping others has helped Mr. Cardenas understand his new home.
I understand your first volunteer gig was at the Westmount Library in Montreal. Tell me about some of the other places you have volunteered.
I have been involved in [public speaking organization] Toastmasters, which I joined to work on communication skills and develop leadership skills. I spent 15 years as a competitive swimmer [in Venezuela] and my daughter followed in my footsteps, so I became an official [at her swimming competitions]. I helped with special events for Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
I volunteer now with the professional mentoring program for the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of B.C. and Yukon, and as part of the [committee] for the annual HR Conference and Expo in Vancouver. I also volunteer at Acciona for company events and job fairs, and with the Immigrant Employment Council of B.C. as a mentor.
How has volunteering helped you in your career?
At the beginning, volunteering in HR associations was a way to become confident as an HR professional here. It gave me an opportunity to see how HR was done here, and at the same time, I was putting my skills in practice. Interacting with Canadians gave me a chance to learn more of Canadian culture.
Volunteering is also about embracing continuous learning. Sometimes you’re working in an electoral committee or doing event planning – different skills than you might do at work. [And] it gives an opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds.
The most important thing of all is the personal satisfaction. It’s a way to pay back all the support that I have gotten. I have learned that if you are constantly giving, when you need people, they will support you.
In 2019, you spent a week volunteering at an orphanage in Bolivia. How did that come about and what was that like?
I was working at [a mining company] at that time, and the owner created an opportunity for staff to volunteer there for one week. I’d never been in that country, and I was the only [volunteer] speaking Spanish, so everyone was looking to me for translation.
We were serving food [for the kids], eating with them, playing with them and sharing a full day at their school. Every day was a different activity. At some point you become one of them.
You come back with a different perspective and valuing everything you have, and at the same time, wanting to continue to volunteer [to help more].
How do you avoid burnout given your job and your desire to help out?
Now that my daughters are grown up, I have extra time. I usually volunteer 10 to 20 hours a month, but it varies during the year. I also go swimming several times a week, and I spend time taking courses. The key is to balance the different things [in your life].
Is there a particular volunteer experience that has helped you become more at home in Canada?
When I arrived here, I invested a lot of time trying to understand how to communicate and interact in a better way with my coworkers and supervisors. Working in HR, it’s all about interacting with people. I started learning English since I landed here, and I have been able to progress and navigate it in the work environment, but it can sometimes be tough.
Somebody recommended to me [that I] join Toastmasters. I have been involved in Calgary, Fort McMurray, and where I live now, in Vancouver.
You get inspired by how people progress, and they share very inspirational stories. Public speaking helps you connect with your own story, and suddenly you are more willing to share that story. You get to know the people well and they become a family.
