My (tech) job hunt story plus some tips.

[RookieMistake]

Hi Everyone,

A while back, I wrote a post describing my landing experience at YYZ [https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/my-landing-experience-at-toronto-yyz.521397/].

I thought maybe I should share my job hunting story and some tips too. These tips are by no means comprehensive and may/may not be helpful to you but there are some pointers which maybe of interest.

I’m in no way an expert on giving such advice so take these with a pinch of salt.


A lil bit of background:

I am Software Engineer (NOC 2173) with a Bachelors (India) & a MS degree in Computer Sc. (USA) and ~6+ years of exp. primarily in the embedded/semiconductor software development industry (India).

Over the course of the last ~1.5 years I was working on my own startup idea - started in India and continued working on it in Canada but, unfortunately, it was a bit overwhelming having to do everything alone (tech wise+business wise) and our savings were drying up quick - I was basically unemployed (atleast on paper) for this period...


Job Application, Interview and Offer:

I started applying to tech companies (primarily in Toronto) a few weeks back mostly on indeed.ca, some on LinkedIn jobs, very few on Glassdoor.com & Monster.ca

The most callbacks I received were from Indeed.ca applications or directly from recruiters contacting/messaging me either on LinkedIn or email. Not even one from Monster.ca or Glassdoor.com - I don't even check those websites for job openings any more. Glassdoor though is very useful to read reviews, past interviews, pay scales etc..

The interview process was quite similar with every company - initial email or phone screen by HR / recruiting firm / hiring manager followed up a tech phone screen (shared screen coding), followed by half/full day on-site interviews and in some cases followed by a 'take home' programming assignment (2-3 hours time limit) with discussions and follow-up over skype/phone.

Some companies also have the candidates first perform an online coding challenge before interviewing.

I’d been interviewing at one such tech company and I have accepted an offer from them. The salary is as per industry standards for the role.

The company's requirements and my professional work experience were in no way aligned BUT given what I'd done the last ~1.5 years (plus overall skills and exp.) was very close to what they do so I was given a chance to interview.

I din't try to negotiate a better salary as it was good enough in the first place.


Tools, Resume, Cover letter strategies I used:

1. Uploaded my resume to indeed.ca, monster.ca and updated/tidied up my LinkedIn profile [Before almost every interview I would get notifications that 'person x from company y visited your profile']. So my suggestion is keep your LinkedIn profile updated.
2. Applied for Indeed Prime - and got accepted (I don’t know what their acceptance rate is) - its a free service which will showcase your resume to employers. I don’t know if its really effective or not but yes I did see a slightly increased number of callbacks. Its free for the candidate so there’s no harm in trying.

1. Regarding the ‘Canadian’ resume format - I looked around and followed some basic guidelines which maybe applicable anywhere in the world. I’ve attached my basic resume format - feel free to download, modify and use it as you like. I’ve used the same resume in India and in Canada with only few cosmetic changes.
2. Made sure my resume had a lot of white space - I’m not a designer but I’m sure one can appreciate why, say Apple’s, website looks so beautiful and readable.
3. I’ve always had my resume length up to to 1.5 - 2 pages.
4. I did mention that I am a Permanent Resident of Canada in the resume itself - we can talk all day whether one should or shouldn’t but letting the person know in the resume itself that you are legally allowed to work in Canada is surely not going to hurt your chances. This question will anyway come up at some point during the process.
5. Tailored my resume (only slightly - moving lines around, highlighting etc.) when applying to different companies.
6. Sent tailored cover letter along with most applications - at the very least including the companies name, job titles, job IDs (if present) with skills highlighted pertinent to their requirements.
7. Even in the email sent (if applying via email) - I did highlight my skills which were relevant to the job application. Just a few words not long paragraphs.
8. I basically tried to do everything which allowed the person ‘scanning’ the resume to make a decision within say ~10 seconds.
9. The other basic concepts of writing one's resume - quantifiable achievements, skills, action verbs etc.. apply, as always.

Tips for tech interviews:

1. Glassdoor and other such sites have a bulk of what is asked for most companies.
2. Practice white board coding, coding on paper and also coding in a basic text editor (not IDE - with suggestions).
3. It may be intimidating working on a shared editor when someone is judging you but think of it as a small hurdle everyone has to pass - the interviewer would also have been in the same shoes some time back.
4. The most number of job listings, I found, were for web developers - font, back and full stack. If you’re in this field good for you, if you’re not and want to switch (esp if you’re finding it hard to get callbacks from your target companies) it’s not that difficult to take it up.
5. In most cases they want someone with a deep knowledge of a set of core skills and some exp. with a broad set of technologies. Known as ’T' knowledge or experience or something like that.
6. As always - the usual tips apply - write clean code, know your basics etc..

Tips for interviews:

1. Spoke slowly, confidently, clearly, grammatically correct and pronounced properly. My accent was irrelevant, IMHO. And never tried to speak like a Canadian - why try to be someone you’re not?
2. I wore business casuals to interviews - but this may only be applicable to tech interviews.
3. Other tips, like anywhere in the world, apply - cleanliness, clean clothes, shoes etc. It might seem shallow but that’s just the way it is.
4. One thing I heard time and again is how important ‘culture fit’ is during these interviews. They’re not only assessing skills but also whether it’ll be fun to work with me or if I ‘fit into their work culture’. I don’t think they would ever discriminate (racially, culturally) based on this but it’ll be good to read up on this if you’re unaware. Its nothing out of the ordinary really.
5. As always - smiling, politeness, being calm, casual (when necessary) and having a non intimidating, aggressive or confrontational demeanor helps.

Resume format:
This format is more of a tech resume but I'm sure with a lil bit of work it can be used by anyone. Feel free to download and modify it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vam9TEB-6-tkaENSEwdZ5yZNStXHmcz1/view?usp=sharing

Hope this helps

Best,

RookieMistake

 

[neel25]

Hi
I am also from software field... Java developer... Having 1.4 years experience and 4 yes gap.. Could you pls suggest me how can I enter in IT market.? I am. Brushing up my skills.. I have done html and Css now working on java script... It takes bit more time to brush up my skills as I have small kid.. What would your suggestions in this regard.? I am very passionate about my career.
Tia

 

[RookieMistake]

To brush up or learn skills try the following:


A few famous YouTube channels - Devtips, Derek Banas, Learncode.academy, Mycodeschool, thenewboston, traversy media.
There are many more these are the famous ones. They’re all good some are more specific and some general. And there are a bunch of others you can have a look for particular topics.

Wes bos’ tutorials ( some are paid, some are free), you can also hunt for reviews and recommendations on specific programming subreddits.

And of course there are other paid-ish options like Udemy, Coursera, khan academy et al.

There are many more - you’re really spoilt for choice.


A Tip: Build things - esp when you have a gap in resume - you need to showcase that you’ve not lost touch and are still building/working on things. The resume reader will otherwise probably not give a callback.

Sure once you get an interview you can justify and crack technical questions but to even get a chance to interview the company needs to see something tangible you’ve built.

Best,

 

[DEEPCUR]

Very nice summary. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have some questions.. You mentioned about the problem solving/programming tests. How difficult were they? Do they allow you pick a language by yourself or they mandate a particular language?

Also how much salary can a senior developer in 8-10 year experience range expect? Just a ballpark number would do.

Thanks.

 

[AlieninVancouver]

Hi Everyone,

A while back, I wrote a post describing my landing experience at YYZ [https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/my-landing-experience-at-toronto-yyz.521397/].

I thought maybe I should share my job hunting story and some tips too. These tips are by no means comprehensive and may/may not be helpful to you but there are some pointers which maybe of interest.

I’m in no way an expert on giving such advice so take these with a pinch of salt.


A lil bit of background:

I am Software Engineer (NOC 2173) with a Bachelors (India) & a MS degree in Computer Sc. (USA) and ~6+ years of exp. primarily in the embedded/semiconductor software development industry (India).

Over the course of the last ~1.5 years I was working on my own startup idea - started in India and continued working on it in Canada but, unfortunately, it was a bit overwhelming having to do everything alone (tech wise+business wise) and our savings were drying up quick - I was basically unemployed (atleast on paper) for this period...


Job Application, Interview and Offer:

I started applying to tech companies (primarily in Toronto) a few weeks back mostly on indeed.ca, some on LinkedIn jobs, very few on Glassdoor.com & Monster.ca

The most callbacks I received were from Indeed.ca applications or directly from recruiters contacting/messaging me either on LinkedIn or email. Not even one from Monster.ca or Glassdoor.com - I don't even check those websites for job openings any more. Glassdoor though is very useful to read reviews, past interviews, pay scales etc..

The interview process was quite similar with every company - initial email or phone screen by HR / recruiting firm / hiring manager followed up a tech phone screen (shared screen coding), followed by half/full day on-site interviews and in some cases followed by a 'take home' programming assignment (2-3 hours time limit) with discussions and follow-up over skype/phone.

Some companies also have the candidates first perform an online coding challenge before interviewing.

I’d been interviewing at one such tech company and I have accepted an offer from them. The salary is as per industry standards for the role.

The company's requirements and my professional work experience were in no way aligned BUT given what I'd done the last ~1.5 years (plus overall skills and exp.) was very close to what they do so I was given a chance to interview.

I din't try to negotiate a better salary as it was good enough in the first place.


Tools, Resume, Cover letter strategies I used:

1. Uploaded my resume to indeed.ca, monster.ca and updated/tidied up my LinkedIn profile [Before almost every interview I would get notifications that 'person x from company y visited your profile']. So my suggestion is keep your LinkedIn profile updated.
2. Applied for Indeed Prime - and got accepted (I don’t know what their acceptance rate is) - its a free service which will showcase your resume to employers. I don’t know if its really effective or not but yes I did see a slightly increased number of callbacks. Its free for the candidate so there’s no harm in trying.

1. Regarding the ‘Canadian’ resume format - I looked around and followed some basic guidelines which maybe applicable anywhere in the world. I’ve attached my basic resume format - feel free to download, modify and use it as you like. I’ve used the same resume in India and in Canada with only few cosmetic changes.
2. Made sure my resume had a lot of white space - I’m not a designer but I’m sure one can appreciate why, say Apple’s, website looks so beautiful and readable.
3. I’ve always had my resume length up to to 1.5 - 2 pages.
4. I did mention that I am a Permanent Resident of Canada in the resume itself - we can talk all day whether one should or shouldn’t but letting the person know in the resume itself that you are legally allowed to work in Canada is surely not going to hurt your chances. This question will anyway come up at some point during the process.
5. Tailored my resume (only slightly - moving lines around, highlighting etc.) when applying to different companies.
6. Sent tailored cover letter along with most applications - at the very least including the companies name, job titles, job IDs (if present) with skills highlighted pertinent to their requirements.
7. Even in the email sent (if applying via email) - I did highlight my skills which were relevant to the job application. Just a few words not long paragraphs.
8. I basically tried to do everything which allowed the person ‘scanning’ the resume to make a decision within say ~10 seconds.
9. The other basic concepts of writing one's resume - quantifiable achievements, skills, action verbs etc.. apply, as always.

Tips for tech interviews:

1. Glassdoor and other such sites have a bulk of what is asked for most companies.
2. Practice white board coding, coding on paper and also coding in a basic text editor (not IDE - with suggestions).
3. It may be intimidating working on a shared editor when someone is judging you but think of it as a small hurdle everyone has to pass - the interviewer would also have been in the same shoes some time back.
4. The most number of job listings, I found, were for web developers - font, back and full stack. If you’re in this field good for you, if you’re not and want to switch (esp if you’re finding it hard to get callbacks from your target companies) it’s not that difficult to take it up.
5. In most cases they want someone with a deep knowledge of a set of core skills and some exp. with a broad set of technologies. Known as ’T' knowledge or experience or something like that.
6. As always - the usual tips apply - write clean code, know your basics etc..

Tips for interviews:

1. Spoke slowly, confidently, clearly, grammatically correct and pronounced properly. My accent was irrelevant, IMHO. And never tried to speak like a Canadian - why try to be someone you’re not?
2. I wore business casuals to interviews - but this may only be applicable to tech interviews.
3. Other tips, like anywhere in the world, apply - cleanliness, clean clothes, shoes etc. It might seem shallow but that’s just the way it is.
4. One thing I heard time and again is how important ‘culture fit’ is during these interviews. They’re not only assessing skills but also whether it’ll be fun to work with me or if I ‘fit into their work culture’. I don’t think they would ever discriminate (racially, culturally) based on this but it’ll be good to read up on this if you’re unaware. Its nothing out of the ordinary really.
5. As always - smiling, politeness, being calm, casual (when necessary) and having a non intimidating, aggressive or confrontational demeanor helps.

Resume format:
This format is more of a tech resume but I'm sure with a lil bit of work it can be used by anyone. Feel free to download and modify it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vam9TEB-6-tkaENSEwdZ5yZNStXHmcz1/view?usp=sharing

Hope this helps

Best,

RookieMistake

All round great post. Your post on landing was also fantastic. You already had all the right ingredients to succeed as a new comer. Wishing you all the best in this new role and I hope you will find time to complete your personal project.

-PK

 

[vensak]

A small comment to your legal status in Canada. In most cases you have to go through the recruiter first. At some point during the interview you are asked to present your SIN number and of course, they will check it if it matches you. Any temporary SIN begins by 9 and any permanent by 1-8 (depending on the province where you first got it). So even if they did not ask you the status, they will know on the spot.
So even if all will go well there, some opening will suddenly become unavailable is you do not have permanent status

 

[arthurbr]

@RookieMistake

Thank you for sharing your experiences. It will be very useful. My NOC is 2174 and I plan to land in Toronto around May/June.

 

[RookieMistake]

Very nice summary. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have some questions.. You mentioned about the problem solving/programming tests. How difficult were they? Do they allow you pick a language by yourself or they mandate a particular language?

Also how much salary can a senior developer in 8-10 year experience range expect? Just a ballpark number would do.

Thanks.

Hey,

The questions were all over the place some pretty basic, some okay-ish and some a lil tough esp if you're out of touch. I'd encourage you to check out previous interview experiences posted no Glassdoor etc.. as with every company - they have a set of questions which they rotate and even if you don't get the exact one, it will give you an overall idea of what to expect.

And yes, in some interviews they did expect me to code in a specific language (based on the requirements of the role I was applying for)

To get an estimate you can try the following links:
https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Location=Toronto-Ontario/Salary
https://www.glassdoor.ca/Salaries/index.htm
or just use indeed's salary calculator.

best

 

[RookieMistake]

A small comment to your legal status in Canada. In most cases you have to go through the recruiter first. At some point during the interview you are asked to present your SIN number and of course, they will check it if it matches you. Any temporary SIN begins by 9 and any permanent by 1-8 (depending on the province where you first got it). So even if they did not ask you the status, they will know on the spot.
So even if all will go well there, some opening will suddenly become unavailable is you do not have permanent status

Hey,

Yes, that may be the case, but I was never asked SIN during the interview nor anyone I know has. Infact, if I would've been asked over the phone, skype or mail etc I would've simply declined and move on.
The employer may record your SIN at the time of contract signing/on-boarding and that is the time when I would share my SIN.

Yes, if there was a recruiter (esp the 3rd/external ones) setting it up they would generally pop the question directly 'Whats your work/auth status?'

Best,

 

[vensak]

Hey,

Yes, that may be the case, but I was never asked SIN during the interview nor anyone I know has. Infact, if I would've been asked over the phone, skype or mail etc I would've simply declined and move on.
The employer may record your SIN at the time of contract signing/on-boarding and that is the time when I would share my SIN.

Yes, if there was a recruiter (esp the 3rd/external ones) setting it up they would generally pop the question directly 'Whats your work/auth status?'

Best,

You are forgetting that some might start as contractor. In that case there is a middle man. But the relationship with that company is a bit different. So you are only paid if there is job for you.
Many times such companies takes you on their list and let you fill in all documents. But that does not mean that you will get job next day or not. And only after you will get through that step they will send you to their client for interview.

That was exactly my case (I did start as a contractor).
At the end of interview by the first company I was asked to provide bank account number and the SIN number. And also I did not see computer screen of the person, she was checking it in the database right there. And that was before she confirmed the date of interview with the company where I went.

 

[coder_immigrant]

The most number of job listings, I found, were for web developers - font, back and full stack. If you’re in this field good for you, if you’re not and want to switch (esp if you’re finding it hard to get callbacks from your target companies) it’s not that difficult to take it up.

Thank you, the Good Samaritan, for your excellent write up. I have been roaming in this forum for something similar.

I agree with most of your points, but I am little bit not sure about your remark on switching to web development. I see vacancies in indeed.ca that require at least 3-5 years experience with web technologies (mostly Java for backend).

So how can one expect to make a shift from embedded, or other programming field to web development? Is it really that easy?

Now, I am asking this because I also want to switch when I come in summer (I have done my soft landing) but I am worried if it would be easy. So If I can do well on the algorithmic/data structures coding, does it clear me from the technical side?

Please provide your input if you are still active on this forum or if you get to read this post.

TIA