Finding a job in Canada can be daunting at first but with a little prep you can ride high. As an HR professional with significant experience in recruitment, and an immigrant who has experienced the job searching process in Canada first-hand, I have seen the world from both sides and can share with you some ideas that really work.
I’d like to begin with one strong advice, in Big Black Bold letters. As qualified and experienced professionals, give yourself enough time to find a job in your area of specialization. Do not jump into a survival job right away. Instead work hard towards gaining industry knowledge and building connections. I got my first job in Human Resources in less than a month from when I started searching. Yes, it can be done if you take the right steps.
1. Start your research before you land
Gathering knowledge about your industry and subject matter should be the first thing on your list.
Read online about your profession. Read job postings. Read about companies in your industry and start compiling a list of preferred companies. Canada’s Top 100 and Great Place to Work come up with listings that can help you narrow down best companies to work for. This list will be helpful as you can then target these companies specifically for relevant roles.
Connect with people via social media. Ex-colleagues, friends of friends, relatives who may have made the move before you. Reach out to them – not asking for a job directly but seeking advice. People love to talk about their experiences (like us here)! Learn about what worked for them, what didn’t and then see what works best for you.
Ask questions on whether your profession requires a licence or not. Are there courses, certifications, programs that are offered through distance learning, that can be completed even before landing. Are there bridging programs that can help you jump start your career here. Ask questions about work culture, and how other immigrants find it different from their home countries. Ask anyone and everyone you meet.
2. Build a Canadian style resume
I used to be proud of my resume writing skills back in my home country since who can write a better resume than a recruiter, correct? Wrong. A Canadian style resume could be much different and here’s how to create one.
Consider your resume to be your social media profile. You’ll always like to put the best out there. Isn’t it? They say recruiters take 7 seconds to review a resume. Imagine how would you present yourself if you had 7 seconds? Key words are a must. Keep it short and professional. Nothing more than a two-pager. List your accomplishments and a brief list of skills right at the top. Use consistent fonts, headings, alignment and colours. Poor formatting can be a real turn off. Keep it chronological and a flow that is easy to read. Do not skip any dates/timelines. Having gaps in your career is not a problem, hiding them is.
It is important to customize your resume to match with the job posting each time you apply. This does not mean that you falsify information. But possibly, make some tweaks to highlight the information they are looking for. Read the job posting carefully. You’ll know what the company is looking for in an applicant. Sounds tedious? But it works.
Most importantly, get rid of any personal information. A recruiter does not need to know your age, marital status, family background, nationality or even your citizenship status. Usually, this information is only asked after you receive a job offer. Note that it is illegal to ask for any personal information from a candidate at the hiring stage. The only question they may ask is if you are legally eligible to work in Canada. Your answer could be a simple Yes or No. You may or may not want to share whether it is a work permit, PR or Citizenship. Stick to your work experience, education and your skills while responding to any questions the interviewer may have.
3. Networking – the technique most vouched for
The one thing that you are going to hear from everybody here in Canada is network, network and network and I would agree that it is the best way considering more than 70% of jobs in Canada are closed through networking.
With networking you need to be patient. You need to consistently work at it and not only with one person but multiple people, in different companies, from different circles, belonging to different backgrounds. Don’t limit yourself only to your LinkedIn connections. Your neighbour is your network, your daughter’s friend’s father is your network, the 60 year old who you see every Sunday at church is your network. And it is far easier to stay connected with your social network rather than your professional network. You can remember important dates like birthdays and anniversaries. You may invite them over for lunch. You may organize a playdate for your kid and meet up with their parents.
This was something that didn’t necessarily work for me but if you are good at it, this might just be the key to your success.
4. Applying through online job sites
Both of us have gone through this process more than once in Canada. Every time, we got jobs through online applications. Applying can be a very time consuming process, tricky and at times frustrating. But there is a method to the madness.
The trick with online applications is to keep your numbers high. Set a target of say 10 applications every day. Some days you may hit 8 or even 6. Don’t fret. It is okay as long as you are consistent. The reason why customization is important here is so that you can pass through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or filters on job sites. The ATS makes the life of a recruiter easier and yours more difficult. Recruiters receive hundreds of applications each day and they will usually go in and filter candidates with the “last position title” or “designation requirements like CPA or CHRP” or “number of years of experience” or some other key words. When they put multiple criteria, usually they are left with 20 odd resumes and that’s all they are going to screen. Once they find the top 10 candidates to contact, they won’t look further.
The ATS loves a clean format and clear hierarchy. Be consistent with formatting, employer dates, names, headings and sub-headings. Use a resume optimization tool to ensure key words match. Ensuring the file type is compatible with the ATS is also important so pay attention to the list of acceptable file types while submitting the application.
Even with all this, chances are your resume may never catch a recruiter’s attention. So no matter how good your resume is, if it is not even reaching human eyes, you may not get that call. Don’t get disheartened. Keep your motivation high, pull up your sleeves (or socks in winters) and apply for 10 more jobs the next day. Keep it going till you get that interview call.
5. Experience vs cultural fit
Far too many times, I have seen the candidate with superior skills getting rejected simply because “they were not a good fit”. What is “fit”? How do you define “culturally suitable”?
It so happens that each company has a different set of values, culture, ways of working – whatever you may call it. One company may like it if employees keep their heads down, arrive sharp at 9 and leave at 5, ardently follow processes and guidelines and deliver consistently on set targets whereas another company may encourage watercooler chats, or bonding over arcade gaming, working on tight deadlines aggressively over weekends but also playing pool in the office during work hours.
When hiring managers and Human Resources interact with you, along with your skills and experience, they are also looking for that fit. If during your interactions, you are able to convince them that you are what they need, the job is yours. Even if you lack in terms of your experience or skills or professional qualifications, this is where sometimes you can score big. And I don’t mean, faking your personality, but invest time to learn more about the organization, their culture and ways of working. You will find a lot of info on LinkedIn or Glassdoor that will tell you which side of your personality you need to highlight more.
If you find that the company is drastically different from your natural flow, then it may not be the right choice for you in any case. Even if you fake it and get the job, you won’t last long which will reflect poorly on your profile.
So make a conscious choice with every job application. I definitely do not recommend researching all the companies all the time. That would be way too time consuming. Be selective and invest time in those companies that you are really interested in.