New UW in Canada coming from MENA region?

I am writing this because it think it would have made my life much easier if I read it when I landed in Canada and started to look for an underwriting job here. If you really want to succeed in this field in Canada, you need to identify the key differences between the Canadian and your previous markets and try to work on these gaps in order to facilitate your integration with your new job. If you haven't read it already, most of my experience was in Egypt so if you are coming from different country (e.g. UAE for example), things might be a little different but I think the overall exposure is quite similar within all MENA (Middle East and north Africa) region, in my opinion,

After almost two years in this new market (for me at least!), I can tell you that the most significant challenge after actually finding a work opportunity, in my opinion, is getting yourself familiar with how underwriting is being done in this country (Yes, because we had different tools, different experience and different mindsets as well). Canadian experience is very important to most employers here so if you succeed in this challenge, you might be able to prove to them that they made the right choice. I know that this is a long topic and it could take books to write about it but I will give you my best tips, that in my opinion, helped me succeed so far.

"We can't teach you how to be creative ñ you have to bring your creativity to us and let us lead you on your way. The most important quality..."

- Carol Mongo

In summary, my top five tips for you:

1. Find a job as soon as you get here. Don't waste time and I would prefer that you get on different hiring jobs (e.g. Indeed, Monster or even sometime Kijiji) the week before your arrival and apply everywhere. They will tell you its a "mission impossible". Well not true in my opinion.

2. After you get a job, you will be assigned for on-board training. Take advantage of it as much as you can. This will help you understand the key differences between your old job and your new one. I'll give you just one example for this. We used to have some endemic diseases/conditions in Egypt. I though they were practically the same at first, but they are actually quite different due to population health and lifestyle of course Handling these conditions here, along with others of course, is crucial and it could really affect your career here so pay very good attention to that. Always consider your past experience as asset but the most important thing is to process the case they way it should be while remaining logic and competitive.

3. Try to work hard as much as you can. You will get the knowledge through practice and training. We all know that already. The more cases you will get, the more and faster you will learn.

4. Continue to learn and to develop yourself: you can continue your LOMA for example, the most important thing in my opinion is to keep your brain always updated.

5. Listen carefully to all the notes and comments you would receive from your instructor/manager. Compile these notes together into one simple word document or notebook. This is going to be your little magic book from now on and it is a major key factor to your success.

I really wish you the best luck in your future career and hope this was helpful to you. You can contact me at anytime if you have any further questions and I will be more than glad to answer them as soon as I get the chance.

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