Hi. I landed as PR exactly one year ago. I was told the job market was bad due to an oil recession that had hit Canada badly.
For two months, I had no job and winter hits you especially if you are moving from the tropics or the sub-tropics.
Got a part time gig in a cafe by late November, and that was good to get me through the initial spells of snow and pay for my rent and other bills. By December, the job pool really dries up - so aim to land after mid January. It benefits on two ways - at least half the winter is gone by and days start getting longer, and office activity definitely gets a boost after the lull of Christmas and New Year.
January 15 I got a job and by March there were other offers lined up too.
Getting a Canadian experience - even customer service in a cafe helps as employers tend to think that you have a knowledge of the 'Canadian culture'.
Second, got in touch with a lot of recruitment agencies since all kinds of labour is regulated in Canada - so recruitment agencies are big here. It took time but these agencies definitely help if you have patience and you end up with a right one.
My current gig is with a staffing agency itself (who would've believed!), so I'll be happy to promote bits and nuggets of information to help you prepare better for your job search in Canada.
Mostly, it'll be via some well written articles that really help in the Canadian style of job hunt. And updates on the Canadian industry and job bank.
For example, check out this link to get a hold on resume writing techniques in Canada:
http://www.dg.ca/blog/how-to-get-your-resume-noticed-in-canada
By default, daily visit the Stats Canada page even if you don't understand anything at all at the
start. It'll start making sense in a while and by the time you'll be ready for a job search, you'll have stats to streamline the process.
Good luck to everyone.
For two months, I had no job and winter hits you especially if you are moving from the tropics or the sub-tropics.
Got a part time gig in a cafe by late November, and that was good to get me through the initial spells of snow and pay for my rent and other bills. By December, the job pool really dries up - so aim to land after mid January. It benefits on two ways - at least half the winter is gone by and days start getting longer, and office activity definitely gets a boost after the lull of Christmas and New Year.
January 15 I got a job and by March there were other offers lined up too.
Getting a Canadian experience - even customer service in a cafe helps as employers tend to think that you have a knowledge of the 'Canadian culture'.
Second, got in touch with a lot of recruitment agencies since all kinds of labour is regulated in Canada - so recruitment agencies are big here. It took time but these agencies definitely help if you have patience and you end up with a right one.
My current gig is with a staffing agency itself (who would've believed!), so I'll be happy to promote bits and nuggets of information to help you prepare better for your job search in Canada.
Mostly, it'll be via some well written articles that really help in the Canadian style of job hunt. And updates on the Canadian industry and job bank.
For example, check out this link to get a hold on resume writing techniques in Canada:
http://www.dg.ca/blog/how-to-get-your-resume-noticed-in-canada
By default, daily visit the Stats Canada page even if you don't understand anything at all at the
start. It'll start making sense in a while and by the time you'll be ready for a job search, you'll have stats to streamline the process.
Good luck to everyone.
