number411 said:
From what I'm hearing from people, some people get jobs in 1 month while some get after 7-8 months. In the latter case, we will have a lot of time to add certifications while being unemployed in Canada, so there is no real hurry to do anything now. If we are lucky and belong to the first case, we don't really have to worry about anything but I'm not sure that certifications will shorten our jobless time?
I'd have to disagree a bit with using the time when you are unemployed to study for certifications, i've been living here for about 2 years now and have experienced the whole job search thing.
Unemployment adds stress, and if it continues for sometime it introduces a "hyper-cost aware" behavior, you start to prioritize the priorities..and that adds complexity. It should be much easier for you to dedicate time to do your certifications before you land, while you are working and have a steady income, your employer might even agree to take the cost of some of these certifications if they very much align with your daily duties.
Additionally, being unemployed doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be having lots of time in your hands - unless you're doing it wrongly. Unemployment means "your full time job is to find a job", so you should be spending your time searching for jobs/submitting applications, talking to tech. recruiters, going to specialized recruitment agencies and advertising your skills, attending networking events, improving your resume, preparing for interviews, attending bridging programs related to your field of expertise...etc. That takes up a lot of your time.
Basicly think of it that way...whatever efforts you put in your job search in the first 0-3 months - decides and shapes how your first 6 months will look like and so on. The more quality applications you make, the more are the chances that you'll be receiving phone calls and going through interviews and stuff.
Those are my two cents, and good luck to all. It might seem tough at the beginning but hopefully it will soon be history.