Say Yes: Building a Career in Canada One Interaction at a Time
Duncan Mitchell trained as a chef, worked a mining site in Australia, then landed in Calgary fixing fitness equipment. Today he leads a national service team of roughly a hundred people. The throughline of his story is disarmingly simple: say yes, and treat every interaction as if it matters, because it does.
Networking is daily life, not an event
Duncan's career turn came from a single repair job. He fixed some fitness equipment for a man in Calgary, did it well, and treated him like any other client. That man's brother happened to be a VP at GoodLife, and a phone call out of the blue followed. The lesson he draws is that you never know who is in the room, or who they are connected to, so you bring your best to ordinary moments. Make eye contact, say please and thank you, and approach every interaction with good intentions rather than a transaction in mind.
Reframe the survival job
Early on, at oil and gas events, telling people he fixed fitness equipment made them switch off. So he learned to describe his work differently, leading with the fact that the company sold commercial fitness equipment, which kept the conversation alive. He is clear that this is packaging, not lying: the work was real, he just framed it for the room he was in. The point is to stay in the conversation long enough for someone to get curious about you.
The lonely part is the job hunt
Dealing with people, even a tough room, came naturally to Duncan. Staying optimistic through silence did not. Sending out resumes and letters and getting few replies was, in his words, almost a full-time job on top of a full-time job. Having someone, anyone, to offer moral support through that stretch was what kept him going.
What he looks for when he hires
Now on the other side of the table, Duncan hires for people skills, work ethic, and a spark, because technical skills can be taught. A resume has to be pretty bleak for him not to want a phone call, since the right person often carries a piece of experience they never thought worth writing down. His leadership rule is the same energy in reverse: when something goes wrong, he asks how he failed to set the person up to succeed, not why they did a bad job. Lead with compassion, and people show up.
Be your own champion in the interview
Many cultures teach humility, and Duncan, who is English, recognizes the instinct to apologize and not be a burden. But an interview is the one place where holding back your wins means the room never learns them. He treats self-belief as part of the preparation: walk in knowing you are the right fit, because if they do not hire you, they are making the mistake.
Key takeaways
- Say yes to things. Most opportunities arrive sideways, through people you were kind to.
- Frame your current work so the conversation continues, without misrepresenting it.
- Document your progress, because it is easy to forget how far you have come.
- Hire and interview for potential and character, not just the resume.
- Self-advocacy in an interview is not bragging. It is the job.