are there jobs available in Canada....!!!!

[A-man]

I came to Toronto, by far the biggest market for white-collar jobs, three years ago, when my partner got accepted to grad school here. I had already contacted people in the field I wanted to work in - literary agent in the film world, for screenwriters and directors - and had been encouraged to come. When I arrived and contacted the same people, they were kind, and met me for coffee, but they didn't have jobs to offer me. Remember - this was not my field already. I had a degree in Opera Performance, and I had worked for ten years teaching English in Europe, and working as a journalist. But this was a career switch for me.

I was, as someone mentioned, offered all kinds of jobs at call centers, or handing out insurance forms at Canadian tire, etc. Since finding a job in my chosen field was taking longer than I wanted, I did sign up with a music school to provide singing lessons to their students at their homes. But Toronto is a sprawling city, I didn't have a car and had to take public transportation, and the lessons were too few and far between to make it worth the pay. So I kept calling people in the film industry, I met with them and chatted at film industry events such as the Toronto International Film Festival, and generally made myself known.

After 11 months, I got a job as a producer's assistant, which brought me into the film industry, and three months later I was offered not one but TWO jobs as a literary agent, both before they were advertised to the general public.

I don't mean to minimize the frustration level. When I was sending out hundreds of resumes and making dozens of calls, I was often frustrated and angry. But, as I have often seen on this board, in Canada, getting a job is more a process of getting to know people in your area of employment, so that they think of you when they hear something is opening up. Most jobs here are filled before they are advertised, by word of mouth. Put your name in people's mouths by meeting them and getting to know them, and eventually they will let you know when they hear about a job.

I think it is best not to get caught in the jobs like Tim's or call centers, if that is outside your line of work. On the other hand, taking a lower level job in your area is not a bad idea, as people will get to know you, and you will begin to hear about jobs higher up or more in your line. In Canada, it is WHO you know - not in the sense of power, but in the sense of being accepted into the general circle of your occupation - not so much WHAT you know.

Canada is also big on CANADIAN certification. I have a friend here who arrived many, many years ago with excellent banking credentials from his own country. But he had to work as a house painter for his cousin for one year only, while he took Canadian certification courses that only repeated what he already knew. Then, with that certification, he started work in a bank's call center, but very quickly moved up - within months - to wealth management. Two years after his arrival in Canada, he was well enough off to buy a new car, and the next year he bought a condo.

If you can, bring more money than CIC says you need, so you can wait out the time of getting to know people, picking their brains, and getting your name around. Be sensitive to how people do things here - don't try to impose the job-hunting tactics of your native country on Canada. Do all that, and you have a good chance of landing the job you want. Good luck!

Everything that needs to be said about getting jobs in Canada is summed up by dobes here.

Even myself, I found applying using resumes don't usually do much. In fact it could be very frustrating.

Go to events or functions that are related to your field. Honestly, as much as you want a job, show that you are genuinely interested in the company or product that you are looking for. I will give you an example here where one of my friends landed a job.

He graduated from an engineering field related to sustainability. He had tried the resume thing and gave up (this was a guy who graduated in Canada). He didn't even bother going to career fairs. Instead he went directly to places where companies came to advertise products that were related to his field or he went to functions that are related to his field (obviously he spent money to go to them). One time he met a person in one of these events and by chance he happened to share about his genuine passion for solar farms (lots of solar panels in a field). The person immediately asked him which company he was working for. When my friend said he wasn't working for anyone, that person asked him to send his resume.
A week later he was working for that company. He didn't even have an interview.

Guys there are many jobs, but employers don't want to employ anyone that they don't know (last option). They want to employ someone that they think will fit into the company culture and will be there during the good times and the bad times. Even the company that I work for now, before they hire someone, they first check with us to see if we know anyone and sometimes even ask guys who previously worked for the company to come back. If all those options fail, they go put an ad for a job. So good luck on the job hunt .

 

[Baljas]

manufacturing is gone from Canada. jobs are in scarce

 

[jaimerever]

I'm not sure about my field - university professors. Is it that bad to get started without knowing anyone there? I'm kinda worried now...

 

[Lammawitch]

Good question. the problem is EE is NOC based. So, there could be an influx of IT people coming in Canada. But, as every one knows Canada is not an IT destination. Hence, I don't know whether they would get job in their field or not.

Re bold: no it isn't. It's solely points based.

 

[Gabbana]

I would like to share the story of my former co-worker, who migrated to Canada 3 years ago.

He was my co-worker in a service company before. His wife is a successful IT manager in our country, where they did not need to migrate there earning USD 10,000 per month.

During their first year in Canada, my co-worker was working at UPS as a "delivery boy" and went into lots of survival jobs such as at Tim Horton's and other labor jobs (gardening, fruit picking, pig/cow butcher).

While his wife was working as a waitress in a small cafe. It was a year of a challenge for them.

However, they had the proper mindset to focus on their own strategies and ambitions in life. They both entered to a "BRIDGING PROGRAM" in their province. They consistently applied in the manpower services so one day they may get hired to their respective fields.


After a year, my former co-worker is now a supervisor in a service company (same as ours before in our native country), to think that he never was a supervisor here.

His wife is now an IT manager in one of the top 5 universities in Canada.

_____

I heard their story when I called them up after I received an email of my ITA in June 2015.

They said that the best way to fight these job fears in Canada is to be totally prepared both physically, mentally and emotionally. Never look back from your previous life as you have chosen to go to Canada. There are benefits that you don't have from your past life so you never should compare.

Be mindful of available resources you may have like the programs of the province your going into or any non-profit organizations that may truly help you, consider acquiring additional certificates or diplomas if necessary.

Have patience and be always positive.

 

[swsood1686]

Thank you so much everyone.

What is the scope for Human Resource professionals?? Anyone!!!

 

[fkl]

I would want to add two short stories to add more experience to the thread.

Human resources - one of the worst choices for some one coming to Canada. Accountants, management and other similar careers would have similar feedback.

Problems: In Canada HR requires a lot of understanding and certification of local LAWS. So you are not an HR professional unless you at least have a local certification.
After this there is no shortage of HR people here, so competition is intense and people burn their energies making through.

A happy end: A close family friend - from a south asian country, very well qualified in HR in a national airline - more than a decade's experience, had 3 very hard years here without even getting interview calls and doing non HR jobs, where as he had done the local certifications too. Eventually he found a junior HR job in a remote cold province. 6 months down the road, an HR director position opened up at the same company, he applied interviewed and made it through. It's been a while and that family is happy now. However, during those 3 years, several times they were about to go back.

My Story Really lucky one. Specialized IT experience of almost a decade, happily working in home country. Was contacted by an employer from here and was brought over on an LMIA based work permit which can give 600 points in EE system easily. Since i had first job here already, its not a big deal to find new ones (as long as you are legally authorized to work for any one). There are many others in my company but this CANNOT be generalized to IT as such. Emphasis is on a specialized experience NOT EASILY FOUND IN CANADA.

If you have a skill / experience that is not easily available here and employers need people for that, you wouldn't have problems. That can be said about SOME AREAS in IT. But that is not your average desktop / web apps / data base developer. Universities here produce much finer graduates in those areas, perhaps exceeded only by those in say US.

Update: For new immigrants, Toronto probably is the worst place to hope for jobs. True it is the largest city, but it is among the most expensive ones, full of immigrants and perhaps a high imbalance between opportunities to available work force.

Other provinces, specially remote cold ones, with smaller populations are generally easier targets, despite their smaller population size.

 

[sam_172452]

I came to Toronto, by far the biggest market for white-collar jobs, three years ago, when my partner got accepted to grad school here. I had already contacted people in the field I wanted to work in - literary agent in the film world, for screenwriters and directors - and had been encouraged to come. When I arrived and contacted the same people, they were kind, and met me for coffee, but they didn't have jobs to offer me. Remember - this was not my field already. I had a degree in Opera Performance, and I had worked for ten years teaching English in Europe, and working as a journalist. But this was a career switch for me.

I was, as someone mentioned, offered all kinds of jobs at call centers, or handing out insurance forms at Canadian tire, etc. Since finding a job in my chosen field was taking longer than I wanted, I did sign up with a music school to provide singing lessons to their students at their homes. But Toronto is a sprawling city, I didn't have a car and had to take public transportation, and the lessons were too few and far between to make it worth the pay. So I kept calling people in the film industry, I met with them and chatted at film industry events such as the Toronto International Film Festival, and generally made myself known.

After 11 months, I got a job as a producer's assistant, which brought me into the film industry, and three months later I was offered not one but TWO jobs as a literary agent, both before they were advertised to the general public.

I don't mean to minimize the frustration level. When I was sending out hundreds of resumes and making dozens of calls, I was often frustrated and angry. But, as I have often seen on this board, in Canada, getting a job is more a process of getting to know people in your area of employment, so that they think of you when they hear something is opening up. Most jobs here are filled before they are advertised, by word of mouth. Put your name in people's mouths by meeting them and getting to know them, and eventually they will let you know when they hear about a job.

I think it is best not to get caught in the jobs like Tim's or call centers, if that is outside your line of work. On the other hand, taking a lower level job in your area is not a bad idea, as people will get to know you, and you will begin to hear about jobs higher up or more in your line. In Canada, it is WHO you know - not in the sense of power, but in the sense of being accepted into the general circle of your occupation - not so much WHAT you know.

Canada is also big on CANADIAN certification. I have a friend here who arrived many, many years ago with excellent banking credentials from his own country. But he had to work as a house painter for his cousin for one year only, while he took Canadian certification courses that only repeated what he already knew. Then, with that certification, he started work in a bank's call center, but very quickly moved up - within months - to wealth management. Two years after his arrival in Canada, he was well enough off to buy a new car, and the next year he bought a condo.

If you can, bring more money than CIC says you need, so you can wait out the time of getting to know people, picking their brains, and getting your name around. Be sensitive to how people do things here - don't try to impose the job-hunting tactics of your native country on Canada. Do all that, and you have a good chance of landing the job you want. Good luck!

@Dobes,

Thank you for your awesome reply.

I am planning on moving to Ontario but will stay in Kitcherner/Waterloo/Oakville (Toronto is too expensive if unemployed). Would CAD 25K cover for 6 -8 months of unemployment?

Also, I only have three years work experience so settling for an entry level job would not be too demotivating as long as it is in my field. Hoping for the best and keeping fingers crossed.

Best of luck to all!

 

[swsood1686]

Fkl... thanks for your answer.

I think i shouldnt try for Canada.. i am at very early stages of experience in HR

 

[yorker]

Hi,
I am not here to encourage or discourage any one to immigrate, i just want to remind you , HAVE YOU THOUGHT WELL ?

PROFESSIONALS in IT industry (Canada is not IT hub), health industry( it takes you Years to get your certification and creep into a job, University professor or vocational instructors without PHD and published papers (pls immigrate if you can think about alternative profession other wise stay away)

I am an IT professional in Toronto landed in Canada in June 2014 with my wife who is also in IT and 3 year old daughter. We knew only one family in Toronto, so initial settlement was trough them in a basement because we could not afford for 1200$ per month for an apartment. I joined a bridging program in access employment agency and my wife hunting for a survival job. She had a hard time to get a job in cosmetic production company with minimum wages. It was very hard for her as it’s the first time she and we both going through the phase. I kept on looking for a job in my profession persistently and finally I got one in JAN 2015. Then my wife stopped her labour job and after winter started her turn to search for a job managing our daughter. Still she is on a contract job. We bought a car and shifted to apartment too. But in due course we had all the struggles, frustration, anxiety and what not.
We managed our monthly expenses with 1500$ when there was no job leaving in a basement and one phone connection. But when we moved to apartment bought a car and added an extra phone connection the expenses is 3000$ per month. Still the struggle to manage the household is continuing than we used to before immigrating.

Job hunting is a process not a success or failure. It is a process of transformation to the requirement of the role you’re trying for. It should be intelligently handled rather than following the guidelines. If your well settled in your profession and doing great, immigrating may be really a bad decision. Else you will have to forget your position and start a new beginning from the scratch.

There are lot of success stories and unsuccessful stories here in Canada, not only Toronto but also in Calgary. Coming to Canada should be thought well (especially if you’re doing very well in your profession) keeping aside your or your guiding peoples thought about Canada. First it is not what the country can offer you it’s all about till you start receiving the bonuses the country has to offer, do you have the potential to go through the thick and thin of struggles, anxiety, frustration it has to offer you. Imagine of how you would be without knowing anyone in your city, (even if you know they are hand tied than your expectation), having no job barring the expenses. staying in the basement with less air and light, less oxygen and freezing cold winters. But trust me you can come over all these as days go by, in fact 90% of the people in Canada have done it. But it takes a lot from you to gain something. Things are very difficult than we presume, but persistence will get you your desired life.(but for that do you really NEED TO come to Canada? It depends on your situation)

ALL THE BEST, THINK WELL!!!!

 

[iliv4u4ever]

It actually depends on the field you are in. We are looking for filling roles in our team for around 6 months but couldn't build complete team yet. If there are any Data Analysts here with SAS/Informatica experience, you can contact me to get an interview.

Note: We pay competitive salary. We get a lot of fake resumes especially from South Asia and so, we opted for written test followed by an in person interview. We are open to people on open work permit (we don't sponsor work permit though)

 

[Kiwisteph]

I've been here almost 4 months on a temp open work visa (with a PR application in process due to my husbands work(Trade)) and am struggling with the job hunting process here in Calgary.

As a Chartered Accountant from NZ with 10 years experience I am either over qualified on paper for lower level jobs even though I would consider them to gain experience and then under qualified for senior jobs as I have no local experience.

It is a hard process applying and not even getting interviews to try and sell myself. Best results so far have been cold calling/emailing rather than the advertised jobs. The few I have met with say my resume is great but they have nothing. Also finding the tax season workload impacts on their hiring as I assume they don't want to carry full-time staff for a whole year for the 6 months of busy work. Whereas NZ/OZ have consistent accounting work all year round due to 1 year tax filing timelines not 6 months.

I am however going to have to draw a line in the sand and decide when enough is enough. I have spent thousands on education (still paying it off too) and don't want to have to consider more study just to start at the bottom when I can return home to either NZ or Australia and earn good money and get our life sorted.

While it seemed like a good opportunity at the time I am not so confident of it at the moment.

Wish everyone else the best of luck and to keep an open mind.

 

[fkl]

Hi Kiwisteph,

All the very best. I wish and hope you are able to over come these hurdles and eventually get through.

Just to understand it a bit better would you please compare some trade offs that made you consider coming to Canada in the first place as opposed to Australia / NZ?

 

[Kiwisteph]

Hi Kiwisteph,

All the very best. I wish and hope you are able to over come these hurdles and eventually get through.

Just to understand it a bit better would you please compare some trade offs that made you consider coming to Canada in the first place as opposed to Australia / NZ?

Thanks FKL for your kind thoughts. I hope so too!

We "thought"/ understood from friends here that the living standard may be higher in regards to the quality of house we could afford, lower interest rates for mortgages, long term employment opportunities etc, different lifestyle/travel opportunities in the northern hemisphere. For my husband it meant regular weekly wage versus running his own business at home - which in turn isn't as easy to adjust to after being your own boss obviously!
However on the flipside as we have found we have given up our possessions, now have to share a house when we had our own place to ourselves at home, significant costs to get set up again, distance from family and the so called opportunities are just not seeming to be as appealing as before. Also Calgary cost of living isn't cheap - food is dear!

There was apparently a lack of accountants here in Calgary according to our friends, and I thought so too looking at jobbank etc but what I didn't realize it that keywords pick up a lot of non accountant jobs under "accountant" so it inflated the job vacancy situation. the oil sands downturn seems to have ppl worried etc and we turned up at an unfortunate time so recruiters are telling me firms can afford to be more picky/selective with their job requirements.

Ideally i would look anywhere for work but I didn't come here to move away from my husband who is locked into Calgary for his work.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place want to wait it out to see if PR comes through since we've spent the money on it now but I cannot forgo the earnings I am used to and sit here doing nothing, yes I know people say take any survival job but I don't know if I want to be here that much as opposed to going home.

 

[fkl]

Thanks FKL for your kind thoughts. I hope so too!

We "thought"/ understood from friends here that the living standard may be higher in regards to the quality of house we could afford, lower interest rates for mortgages, long term employment opportunities etc, different lifestyle/travel opportunities in the northern hemisphere. For my husband it meant regular weekly wage versus running his own business at home - which in turn isn't as easy to adjust to after being your own boss obviously!
However on the flipside as we have found we have given up our possessions, now have to share a house when we had our own place to ourselves at home, significant costs to get set up again, distance from family and the so called opportunities are just not seeming to be as appealing as before. Also Calgary cost of living isn't cheap - food is dear!

There was apparently a lack of accountants here in Calgary according to our friends, and I thought so too looking at jobbank etc but what I didn't realize it that keywords pick up a lot of non accountant jobs under "accountant" so it inflated the job vacancy situation. the oil sands downturn seems to have ppl worried etc and we turned up at an unfortunate time so recruiters are telling me firms can afford to be more picky/selective with their job requirements.

Ideally i would look anywhere for work but I didn't come here to move away from my husband who is locked into Calgary for his work.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place want to wait it out to see if PR comes through since we've spent the money on it now but I cannot forgo the earnings I am used to and sit here doing nothing, yes I know people say take any survival job but I don't know if I want to be here that much as opposed to going home.

You are most welcome.

Most of what you described doesn't seem like a long term concern to me. Cost of living, taxes, affordability etc. are some things that always take a hit when ever you move to unfamiliar place. It would get a lot better once you know your way around, have a fair idea of what should cost what etc.

Finding employment is the primary thing. Hopefully you would get over with that soon and once you do, it would get much better.

All the best and thank you for input on your perspective of comparison. I have very little knowledge of NZ / AUS though have some friends who moved there. So wondered how that pans out over all relatively.