Navigating the Canadian job market can be difficult for newcomers.
As children to immigrant parents, Omar Azmy, a mechanical engineering student, and Stevan Japundzic, a kinesiology student, saw first-hand what their families had to overcome to secure employment in an unfamiliar work environment.
That’s why they created MENT, a free app designed to give professional support to international students who are building new lives in Canada.
By matching international university students with a mentor in industry from a variety of sectors and seniority levels, MENT helps students build connections and gain crucial advice.
“Our goal is to help international students develop the skills that they need to be more competitive for internships and co-ops,” says Japundzic. “This will make them more competitive for post-graduation employment by helping them develop skills and gain experience.”
Adapting to a new work culture
The idea for MENT began when Azmy and Japundzic saw the parallel struggles between their parents’ journey to finding employment and their international student friends trying to secure internships and work terms. Azmy moved to Canada with his family from Egypt in 2010, and Japundzic’s parents immigrated from Serbia in 1999.
“It’s an incredibly difficult transition to make, going from a country you’ve known your whole life to a completely new environment where you no longer have your community, or a professional network to support your career.”
Industry leaders and professionals would be a crucial part of the success of MENT.
How it works
In less than five minutes, users of the web app fill out a profile with information about their education, career aspirations, hobbies, activities, languages spoken and ethnic background. The algorithm then takes that information and matches the user with a mentor in their preferred industries.
To relieve any administrative burden for the mentors, the app finds a time for the two parties to speak to one another and fully automates notetaking during conversations. To help guide the conversation, MENT also generates ice breaker questions to help guide students through introductory conversations with their mentor.
The relationship between mentors and mentees, once established by the algorithm, are open-ended so they can interact as much or as little as they want to create a highly personalized experience.
Meaningful mentorship
Third-year McMaster University mechanical engineering student Adam Tawfik is among the 400 mentees across Ontario currently using MENT. As an international student from Egypt, Tawfik made the move to McMaster to not only pursue a world-class education in engineering, but also as a stepping stone to create a life for himself in Canada, that includes a rewarding career.
Through MENT, Tawfik was matched with Alex Austin, who graduated from Computer Engineering in 2021 and is now a Senior Software Development Engineer at AMD.
Austin, who has always had a passion for helping others navigate new and challenging situations, was thrilled to join MENT.
“Being an engineering student can be daunting, especially with the pressure to secure a meaningful co-op. MENT fills a crucial gap in the mentorship process and allows mentors like me to share my experience and knowledge with the user to help them navigate and overcome challenging times.”
In Canada, networking plays a crucial role in securing a job and building a career, explains Tawfik. There is a need for experience and references, and to effectively highlight key professional and transferable skills. Tawfik says he received great advice from Austin as a mentor, who provided insight on how to refine certain skills for a greater chance at excelling in a career.
Less than a year since the app launched, MENT has more than 200 mentors from more than 20 companies, including Microsoft, Google and Nvidia. Many of these mentors include McMaster alumni, former international students and immigrants to Canada, which gives them a unique understanding of the type of guidance that will set their mentees up for success.
“The information given to me by my mentor was vital for my future as it managed my expectations on how I should be learning and behaving within the industry,” says Tawfik. “Any international student would benefit immensely from using MENT to set themselves up for success.”
A launchpad to entrepreneurship
An entrepreneurial spark was ignited for Azmy and Japundzic as soon as they stepped foot on McMaster’s campus.
“Problem solving is at the core of our education as McMaster students.”
“When Omar and I met, we realized we shared that same drive to use our education and the resources around us to create solutions to problems we witness daily,” says Japundzic.
“The idea of making a real impact on people allowed us to tap into this area that means a lot to both of us because of our shared life experiences with our families,” says Azmy.
The duo was selected to join the Startup Survivor four-month innovation program at The Forge, McMaster’s business incubator. From May to August 2023, the duo created MENT alongside a team of five, officially launching the app at the end of August.
“We couldn’t have gotten to where we are today without the work of our entire team at MENT,” says Azmy. “Our teammates Amy Yip, Nicole Jansezian, Ajay Kumeta, Andreja Japundzic and Muhammed Lamin Fatty each brought invaluable skillsets that led us to success in launching the app.”
As Azmy and Japundzic continue to grow MENT, they hope that the impact they have on the lives of international students will continue to grow beyond Ontario and extend across the country. They credit the numerous chances they had throughout their undergraduate journey that led them to where they are now.
“You are given every opportunity to develop yourself as an entrepreneur at McMaster,” says Japundzic. “There are so many resources, case competitions, events and programs to help you build your dream, whatever that may be, of making a real difference in the world.”