OK guys this is my 6 months results of sending resumes to find a professional job here in Canada:
January 0
February 2
March 7
April 6
May 7
June 18
July 8
Total 48
I used a excel form so I have the info handy if someone calls, the form have this columns:
Company Name
Address
Position
Date Emailed
Date Faxed
1st Call
2nd Call
Notes
You can add more columns if you needed it. Of those 48 resumes only 5 reply by email saying “thank you but the position was taken”. I had 2 phone calls, one call to make an appointment for an interview, I went but they never call me back for a second interview with the manager.
The other one was from my actual employer, The University of Calgary, the position was accounts receivable administrator (I'm accountant) and the phone interview was pretty much to explain the position and a couple of questions about experience on that field then they ask me if I can go to another interview in person the next week.
When I went I was interviewed by 2 persons with a 3 pages on both sides of questions, it took around one hour and after that they told me that they'll keep seeing more candidates, I saw the folder of resumes and they're about 100 inside.
This was on Thursday and by Monday they call me back, at the beginning I though it was to arrange another interview with the manager but for my surprise they call me to make me an offer, the rest is history.
In my personal opinion the key factors to get this job was:
a) A good cover letter
b) My experience (9 years) in billing and A/R
c) My experience on SAP (The UofC used people soft)
One of the questions that also I think was important was:
Which are your goals in the next 2 or 3 years?
I told them that with this opportunity I can gain Canadian experience and also study to get my designation of CGA (Certified General Accountant) and they agree that employers like certifications or designations here in Canada.
As I mentioned on my 3 months experience, came with the idea on getting a certificate or designation on anything you love and you'll be fine, my goal is for 2 or 3 years, in the mean time I'm keeping enjoying this great country, it never cross to my mind that it was a set back to go back to school and study again.
By the way as a new immigrant you have the right to 1200 hrs of English classes so I'm actually going twice a week to the Bow Valley College for writing lessons, I'm the oldest in my class and I don't care.
Here you can find my cover letter, feel free to take what you need to make your own, of course I erase the sensitive info, have fun.
“As a goal driven professional with 9 + years of progressive office management and administrative experience, I would like to apply for the Accounts Receivable Administrator position in the University of Calgary labour force .The following are some of my key strengths and transferable skills that I can bring to your organization.
Solid academic background in Accounting
Experience managing front offices and supervising professionals
Experience in A/R, A/P and budget control
Demonstrated ability to multitask with excellent organizational, administrative & communication skills
Team player with flexibility and very positive attitude
My experiences as an Office Manager include implementing administrative controls for small businesses, A/R, banking, customer support, creation of budgets and financial statements. I was responsible for enable accounting systems and internal control. I have also used QuickBooks for general ledger, invoicing, sales, and tax reports. I am accustomed to a fast-paced environment where meeting deadlines and multi-tasking are top priorities.
I am confident that my extensive experiences in office management and my strong administrative skills, I would be of great value to your organization. I thank you in advance for your consideration. If you would like to contact me, please call:”
In another matters and for information purposes only because everyone have a different opinion on who to do things.
The rent that I'm paying right now is $1300 a month, this includes gas and water, I know there is places cheap but we have our reasons to live where we are living right now.
On electricity I paid $55 a month.
I don't have cellphone yet but the bigger companies are Rogers, Telus, Bell and Fido, all of this ones offer iPhone 4 for those geeks, check the website but all of them offer 3 years commitment instead of 2 in the USA, don't panic, there is also another companies with different options like Kodo, Wind and Virgin ( And NO, Virgin phone from the USA won't work with Virgin network here in Canada also Verizon and this is on purposes of open an account here and forget the USA network, you can bring your Verizon phone and use it here but you'll paid a fortune in roaming to your account in the USA..capish?)
With Telus I got a free laptop, very descent one, with the bundle package this was the better option I found the other one was Shawn but I hear very bad things about them and also they don;t have great packages. So I paid:
Home Phone: $23
Internet: $32
Digital TV: $43 (This includes a charge of $28 for protection plan that you can't avoid for the next 2 years)
Of course all this is optional that you can avoid at the beginning so you can save some money.
On car insurance I paid $145 a month and the reason for this is because one month before coming to Canada my wife crash the car so in our insurance report shows that and after shopping around this is the best deal I got, mainly we were treat like a college kid, now we need to build our trust with them.
On food there is :
Supersotre: The cheapest one here, you can found products from all around and this includes clothing.
Safeway: Same products as in the USA, sometimes with your “Safeway saving card” you can found better deals than Superstore
Co-op: Better quality, like Albertsons in the West or Publix on the East, of course with quality comes the price.
Sobey: Not bad but not great, local chain who's growing fast.
Walmart Supercentre: Coming to compete with Superstore, if you have one around your area you will be ok.
T&T Super Market: Everything you need for your Asian needs, you name it they got it, they have a Hughes section of live fish and other creatures for all your delicate taste. The veggies are cheap too.
Just one more thing about your milk, here you need to forget that in the USA the gallon cost $2, here it cost $4 and up and also they charge you .25 for recycling fee, so be ready to collect all your milk containers and bring them to the “Bottle Depot” and get your money back.
http://www.bcmb.ab.ca/calgary-bottle-depot.html
One more thing, now that the summer is in full swing the activities in the city is enormous, I'm impress with the number of festivals every weekend, what I learn is that the people of the small towns around the city came to visit and the people from here go out to the mountains to camping, camping here with fishing is a big thing in the summer like hockey on the winter.
http://www.visitcalgary.com/
Ok guys this is it, my first 6 months in Canada, and so far I'm having a blast, so sit and relax waiting for your visa and one of these days you'll have your opportunity to write your Canadian experience to share with others. Cheers!
