While some people find work, in their target jobs very quickly, for others it will take many months. There are alot of variables that factor into 'how long' will it take me.
If you've done the basics and understand the Canadian job market (protocols and business ettiquette), have a resume for the Canadian market, this is a huge first step. I work in the Career Management field and the average timeline we've seen when looking at all our clients is approx 3 months to find a job - in your targetted field of work. This is regardless of whether you're a new immigrant or a resident Canadian. The more senior the jobs, the longer it will usually take. If you find a position quicker - fantastic, but 3 months is the normal range - so understand what you need to do and set realistic timeframes!
Why can it take longer at times? Here are a few reasons where people get caught in an excessive long job search.
- Lack of focus. Not having a clear target and understanding how your skills match the posted jobs. Understand how you stand out from your competition.
- Marketplace conditions. Unemployment cycles and the time of year can play a role in determining how successful you are finding employment.
- Conducting a reactive versus a proactive search campaign. Jobs will not come to you, you need to be proactive, take ownership and control of your career search campaign.
- Spending time in all the wrong places. Sometimes your job search efforts can become unbalanced. Make sure you spread your efforts across multiple job search tools including networking, online searching, placement agencies, employment recruiters, industry associations, and attending trade and career fairs, etc.
- Insufficient research. Failing to do enough research on your target company or industry will mean that you are ill prepared for the interview.
- Poor selling skills. Not effectively selling yourself to the buyer or in other words having poor interviewing and presentation skills is a common reason for prolonged job searches. Understand the Canadian model for interviewing and presenatsion skills!!
- Unrealistic goals and targets. Setting unreasonable goals related to your target company, industry, ideal working location, salary expectations, job/level, etc. will negatively affect your career search. Make sure you do your research, develop a strong personal brand, and know the marketplace conditions.
http://careego.com/CareerResources/ImmigrationJobSearch/JobSearchStrategies/tabid/325/language/en-CA/Default.aspx#