On February 22nd, Calgary BR Tech held its very first meetup at the Calgary Public Library’s Seton branch. The evening opened with a simple pitch: the community exists so Brazilian tech professionals in Calgary can connect and support each other, especially at a time when many people were being laid off. The space belongs to everyone, and members were invited to bring their own talks to future editions.
Free help to find a job
The first speaker shared his own path. He arrived in Canada in 2021 to study, and while in college worked construction and then deliveries before landing a job at a daycare chain. Later, as a facilities manager, he took over the company’s IT organization. Today he works at a job-placement service that helps people at no cost, since the government funds it, with résumé reviews, interview preparation and connections to employers, including a program for young people up to 30.
His main lesson: in Canada, you write a résumé for each job posting instead of sending the same one everywhere, and many newcomers start below their Brazilian level and climb by showing results. He also described how tools like ChatGPT are already changing the work of people who review résumés.
The Q&A ran long. Attendees asked how the government programs are paid for, about LMIA-supported jobs, the weight of Canadian experience and volunteering, and how applicant tracking systems filter résumés. Some attendees added their own tips, such as using the exact keywords from the job description and putting numbers on results.
Presales, the career few people know
Next up was Fabiano Neto, who has 20 years in tech, most of them in telecommunications, and the last several in presales. He started from a basic idea: technology is worth money because of the problem it solves. A Solutions Engineer is the technical arm of the sales team, translating complex products into business value and acting as the customer’s advocate.
He walked through the job step by step, from qualifying an opportunity and discovery meetings to the solution proposal, the demo or proof of concept, and the handover to the delivery team. On the pros, he listed good pay, networking and travel; on the cons, sales pressure and odd hours. Asked how people get in, he said most arrive from solution architecture or business analysis, and recalled what a hiring manager once told him: “I can teach you presales, but I can’t teach you your 15 years of telecom.” Questions on pay, English and working across cultures followed.
Getting to know each other
The night closed with a round of introductions. One by one, attendees shared where they came from and what they do, from software development, cybersecurity and data to telecom, SAP, design and engineering, some in Canada for years and others for only a few months. Then it was time for food and networking.
Watch the full recording, in two parts, below.
▶ Watch the recording
Part1
Part2
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