Jobwise....is this normal???

Hi Chia...i thought monster was the most reliable site.

Appreciate if you could assist. I am from Fiji and hold a BSc Degree in IT from University of the South Pacific and also have more than 4 years experience. I have an option of moving to Auckland,NZ or Toronto, Canada within the next month and need your views about both countries since you have been to both....

Hi
Is this your first job in Canada? If so, I would advise networking rather than applying through job boards. Typically only about 10% of available jobs are on these sites. Its pretty popular in Canada to hire staff through other employee referrals so hires are not so blind. List all the people you know, what companies they work for and then use that to network.

Hi thanks for the tip. Yes this will be my first job there. What is the average pay to have a good life style and will this be possible with an network engineer job. I have read on some blogs that most migrants end up in factories as degrees from the southern hemisphere is not recognized and I dont want to add to these numbers.

if you're in IT then you need to get plugged into that field. Make sure you sign up on Linkedin and start growing your network.

Also, check out meetup.com for all local gatherings in your field (along with potential other kiwi's in TO who could help you)

Look for companies in TO that maybe have offices in New Zealand and you could always write to the NZ office and ask them for a connect

For average pay, its a tough one without knowing your circumstances.

Also look at glassdoor.com for salaries and reviews of potential employers

Hope this helps

Thank you, I appreciate your responses.
I've given up on using agencies.  I've secured a 'nothing' job in the meantime, and will try to network from there.
x

Hi Chia

Unfortunately, yes this is normal.

In Canada, it works like this: you apply and then they'll contact you only if you've been considered for the job or an interview.

Rarely will they ever contact you otherwise, kind of rude frankly but you have to understand they get so many resumes it's just a matter of allocating business resource somewhere else. 

I've been always lucky in finding jobs, but that because it's really a science and art and there are lots of things that go into hunting down jobs than you think.

Just consider this: from writing a resume (a really good professional one takes time and effort to write and to stand out) to preparing for the interview (cloths, understanding body language etc) and many more.

I'll give you my secret (now it's not much of secret lol) to have the best chance of landing a job:

Your resume has to be personalized to each company you apply to.

So, first you have to research the company. Easy way would be to check out their website (if they have any) and know exactly what they are looking for and what kind of a company they are and reflect that in your resume.

Best way will be to use wordings from their own job description in your resume and some other info like why you like working there based on your research of them.

Secondly, use networking and job fairs.

There's another really good way and it's simply going in person and trying to meet the hiring manager or who is ever in charge and apply right there.

This way you can make a good impression and kind of land your own interview .

Many companies will be hiring but not advertising that fact yet or they use an agency etc.

Don't simply give your resume to the reception because most of the time they will not pass it on because they are ?!%#@ lol or they will refer only their friends. Always make a follow up.

Another very important but most often neglected way is to setup your own website.

This way you can present yourself professionally and have a downloadable resume and sample of work etc. then you can have all other online presence like LinkedIn, Facebook, and twitter etc. point to your own website.

Even more, you can offer your own service on your website like private tutoring, editing/writing etc. (be creative).

Get a business card too! It'll much easier to network like that and anyone can simply go and check your website for more info.

If you need any help in writing your resume or setting up a website, I'll be more than happy to be of help

Good luck

Hi Chia

I'm from Australia with international experience in accounting and finance. In Australia, agencies would respond pretty much immediately to get you in for at least an interview with them so they could evaluate if they had any jobs/employers on their books that they could promote you to. But I found agencies took forever to kick off the "meet & greet" process in Toronto. Some of them contacted me after 6-8 weeks!  I also had a company call me after 7 months to say they had a position open and called because they still had my resume on file from my original application that they'd never responded to.

My advice, hang in there and be persistent. It's definitely a tough job market here and like others have said in this forum, it's often about"who you know" but sadly that just takes way too long for a new comer. 

When you do land an interview, be sure to promote your transferable skills as you will encounter that old chestnut "you're great but you don't have any Canadian experience". I had worked on Canadian tax audits in my role in Australia but I was still feed that line!

Best of luck
Trudy

Hi Chia,

I'll tell you the same thing I wrote on another post that's similar on this forum.  I had the same issues when I came to Toronto from New York. (Imagine?)   I got my PR in October and then I looked for jobs for a grueling 7 months. 

I think it's all about the person willing to give you your first break, and finding someone to believe in you.  In some ways, I feel like things are going to happen the way they're meant to happen.  My current boss hired me, she said, because I remind her of herself when she was younger.  See what I mean? 

It will be something small that will stand out, and differentiate you from the rest, and that's when you will get hired.  It just requires a lot of patience.  Believe me, if you said the same things to me though, that I'm saying to you, I wouldn't have believed you.  It is easier to get discouraged.  But don't loose faith in yourself, or your abilities.  It took a long time for me to get my confidence back, and believe I was worthy of a great job.  (after so many resumes, and interviews it gets harder to believe in yourself)

But seriously, when you do get a job, man, that's when you'll be on fire, and you'll want to prove to yourself as well as the company you work for, that they made the best decision they could've ever made.


Sometimes that time off is a great opportunity to evaluate different roads and paths, and sometimes people discover that they're meant to be their own boss.  If that's something you might want to explore, the magazine I work for, Business Exchange Magazine has listings of businesses and franchises for sale in Canada. 

I always tell a lot of people (myself included) to even attend an expo show to get a small taste or an idea.  The smallest inkling could turn into a passion, no?  We have the Business Franchise and Investment Expo coming up October 1st and 2nd 2011 in Toronto. 

Anyway, I sincerely hope you find a job, and I want to wish you all the best. 

Puneet Dutt

Most jobs in Canada are through who you know rather than applying. If a job is advertised in the paper then its the dregs and the companies can't find employees anywhere else. Something like only 10% of jobs are actually advertised.

Hi Chia,

how is your job search going? Have you landed a role you wanted? It took me about 1 year to find a job, after I got my PR. Toronto has got to be the worst place to look for a job, in my experience. I don't understand the "black hole" the CVs to into.....no one gets back to you.....totally unprofessional.

Thanks for all the replies. 

I gave the experience 5 months, and have moved to Australia. 
I have very little to say about Toronto that is positive, and hope others fare better than I do.
I'm very happy to have left this city. 

x CHIA

I lived in Ontario four years ago and was able to get my foot in the door and land a really good job that I loved and had for 5 years through a temp agency (Express). Many companies that are union hire this way due to they want to "test drive" the employee before they are stuck with them. Good Luck to all. I really miss Canada and would love to one day move back.

Sorry to hear Chia. Sounds like you had a really tough time. I'm going to be in Toronto for love, so I'll probably end up cleaning or something horrid and have to do work experience i n school to be able to get Canadian references.

All the best in Australia!

Hi neighbor, I am from 'down under', - Australia, came here at the beginning of this year, Feb to be more precise, but unlike you, I went to even less friendlier Quebec.
Yes, back in Australia, I have 15 years under my sleeve in design and construction, both technical and university degree, yet despite all that, Canadians thing that we (ANZACS) are all neanderthals!

Regarding job hunting, I was told here, that you have buckles chance of finding anything via employment agencies, so the best way to do anything is to try to find the name of the companies that are in your work domain. Google them and send them your CV directly!  Better still, dress well (professional), and go door knocking and present them with your portfolio or CV.  Speak directly to their HR.

That is as much info as i can give you.  Good luck in your quest
Cheers:)

Hello
I am in Canada from 4 months and i did not succeed to find any job.
I was working for 12 years in the telecommunications field (deployment of mobile network sites) in 7 countries before but i am unable to get a single interview in Toronto.
i see that you advice to use the personal network in order to get hired but how to do that if i don't know anyone in Canada.
  if anyone have some helpful tips or can help please contact me
Thanks
Ahmed

When I decided to go to Canada I was advised not to go to big cities like Toronto because almost all newcomers prefer to land in big cities.  I went to Toronto for 2 weeks then  Kitchener then Grand Bend and ended up in London which is 90 minutes away from Toronto. I would have loved to live in Grand Bend but it is a summer resort, almost deserted in the winter. I have traveled a lot with my parents then on my own. I found out that small towns have similar characteristics whether you are in Europe, Canada, USA or Australia. Any small town in Europe will welcome a Canadian/US/Australian with warmth while big cities like Toronto or London-UK or Paris or New York lack the special human touch that we seek when we arrive at our destination with big dreams.

@WoC
and it was easy to find a job in London -Ontario ?

Hi adiab/Ahmed,
It is easy to find a job anywhere if you hold a degree in a profession that is in demand. I hold a degree in computer science but London is too friendly to just get a job. I partnered with a local software company within weeks.
People are friendly in London. Network with everyone with emphasis on people you know best. There are several thousand Egyptians in London. The most popular place where they gather is called Crazy Joe's Shisha Cafe, located at 405 Wharncliffe Rd. South 519-520-3468.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7EjVUS8g7Y
Good luck with your job search.

adiab wrote:

Hello
I am in Canada from 4 months and i did not succeed to find any job.
Thanks
Ahmed

hi ahmed, i read your comment and wanted to wish you luck. i recently went through a career change and was out of work for over a year. during that time, i had to be careful about my state of mind (staying positive, and not becoming discouraged) as the job search itself requires so much energy. i have some experience with recruiting and although it is not my profession, i'd be happy to read over your resume and give you some feedback/suggestions. i'm not offering a service i just know what firms/recruiters look for in resumes and there may be content in yours that is throwing them off. msg me and i'll take a look if you like. really do wish you the best.

@ WoC thanks for the information

@ Suzie Que

I would love to send to you to review it .
if it is ok please send me your email address in a message and i ll send you my resume
thanks a lot in advance

Hi Chia,

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience and I'm hoping that I don't have to end up moving back to England.

My husband and I moved to Toronto from NYC with his job in September 2011, agreeing that I would start looking for work in January 2012. Well what can I say, I'm still looking for a temporary job using the agencies and ringing them every couple of days. This may sound sarcastic but I managed to land a whole 4 hours on a reception on Monday.

I had 22 years of office experience and no periods of unemployment, sadly I have no degree to make me sound more appealing. Even data entry jobs need a minimum of 8,000 key strokes per hour and high accuracy, paying $12.00 per hour. I have even tried going to expat events with business people and no luck.

I hope you now are back working, perhaps in time this place will become more open to those with foreign qualifications.

Take care.

Peanut16 wrote:

Hi Chia,

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience and I'm hoping that I don't have to end up moving back to England.

Take care.

hi peanut16

if you'd like the name of a few more agencies i'm happy to provide you with them. unfortunately, as you've no doubt learned, you have to market yourself and you will only get attention if they think you fit an assignment. depending on the nature of your background, you may do better sending your resume to companies directly and forgo agencies altogether. a lot of firms prefer this as it shows initiative on your part and saves them paying agency fees. i worked in financial services for 13 years so can give some insight into the various firms on bay st.
feel free to send me a pm and i'll share what i think are some good firms & agencies.
cheers,

Hi Suzie

I am a singaporean who speaks both English and Mandarin fluently.
I have 6 years of experience in financial services, mainly in the frontline. I had sent in my PR application in Dec but i just like to check how difficult the job market is, especially in finance market. I heard there is better chance if u can speak at least 2 languages. I only speak english and chinese. Not french.
I would prefer vancouver where my brother lives, but i am open to all.
I am toying with the thoughts of flying there to look for a job first instead of waiting for the PR.
Any advise or info would be helpful. Thanks!

Hello Im shabeer
I am looking forward to go to Quebec next year..Is it easy to find a job ther?

hi von_leng,

thanks for your msg and i hope i can provide good advice.

i would think your chances of finding something in vancouver would be really good. the economy out west is better than ontario so try and focus on bc or alberta.

as far as firms, have you searched hsbc's website? i'm thinking that would be a great firm for you to try. if you find a suitable position, you may be able to do the preliminary interview in singapore as they're a global firm.

i think brokerage firms like international candidates as they tend to be flexible, multi-lingual, independent, self starters and show initiative to adapt to new cultures.

stick with multi national firms. if you're on the sell side it can be cut throat...when the markets are strong, you reap the bonuses, but when they're on a down turn...it can sting..mass layoffs etc.

the buy side would be: large pension funds, municipal employee pension groups, teachers retirement funds..life on the buy side is more even keeled...less intense, but also fulfilling. its a good thing to land one of these jobs. also, the mining and resource industries are performing well. even in the northern provinces of canada...it's just adapting to the climate that can pose a challenge but for the hearty, this can present a lucrative career move.

as for the pr approach etc...i'm not well versed on the immigration matrix...just make sure that you do whatever you need to to hit the ground running...an employer will not consider you if they will have to wait to employ you. usually recruiting is costly so apply directly to companies via their websites. it saves them agency fees.

try workopolis.com or monster.ca to do a cursory search of the sectors i've mentioned.

wish you luck!

p.s. - don't worry about the french unless you want to work for the federal government or in quebec.

von_leng wrote:

Hi Suzie

I am a singaporean who speaks both English and Mandarin fluently.
I have 6 years of experience in financial services, mainly in the frontline. I had sent in my PR application in Dec but i just like to check how difficult the job market is, especially in finance market. I heard there is better chance if u can speak at least 2 languages. I only speak english and chinese. Not french.
I would prefer vancouver where my brother lives, but i am open to all.
I am toying with the thoughts of flying there to look for a job first instead of waiting for the PR.
Any advise or info would be helpful. Thanks!

Thanks so much Suzie!

I have read so much and most of the people describe the job market in whole Canada is really bad, even for the locals.
Your reply is really encourgaging, I will try my luck on the job search engine and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks again!

Suzie Que wrote:

hi von_leng,

thanks for your msg and i hope i can provide good advice.

i would think your chances of finding something in vancouver would be really good. the economy out west is better than ontario so try and focus on bc or alberta.

as far as firms, have you searched hsbc's website? i'm thinking that would be a great firm for you to try. if you find a suitable position, you may be able to do the preliminary interview in singapore as they're a global firm.

i think brokerage firms like international candidates as they tend to be flexible, multi-lingual, independent, self starters and show initiative to adapt to new cultures.

stick with multi national firms. if you're on the sell side it can be cut throat...when the markets are strong, you reap the bonuses, but when they're on a down turn...it can sting..mass layoffs etc.

the buy side would be: large pension funds, municipal employee pension groups, teachers retirement funds..life on the buy side is more even keeled...less intense, but also fulfilling. its a good thing to land one of these jobs. also, the mining and resource industries are performing well. even in the northern provinces of canada...it's just adapting to the climate that can pose a challenge but for the hearty, this can present a lucrative career move.

as for the pr approach etc...i'm not well versed on the immigration matrix...just make sure that you do whatever you need to to hit the ground running...an employer will not consider you if they will have to wait to employ you. usually recruiting is costly so apply directly to companies via their websites. it saves them agency fees.

try workopolis.com or monster.ca to do a cursory search of the sectors i've mentioned.

wish you luck!

p.s. - don't worry about the french unless you want to work for the federal government or in quebec.

von_leng wrote:

Hi Suzie

I am a singaporean who speaks both English and Mandarin fluently.
I have 6 years of experience in financial services, mainly in the frontline. I had sent in my PR application in Dec but i just like to check how difficult the job market is, especially in finance market. I heard there is better chance if u can speak at least 2 languages. I only speak english and chinese. Not french.
I would prefer vancouver where my brother lives, but i am open to all.
I am toying with the thoughts of flying there to look for a job first instead of waiting for the PR.
Any advise or info would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi Suzie,

I seek your help with some valuable advice to settle in Canada. First of all, my name is Sourabh Chakraborty and I am a native of India. I hold an IT experience of 4.6 yrs into Development and Application Support.

Currently I am looking to move to Canada (i.e apply for a Permanent Residency) though Quebec under Skilled Worker Program. But I am not sure about the job market in Quebec / Canada.
The processing of the PR generally takes around 12 -15 months of time.

Can you please help me decide if it is a good option to move to Quebec based on the market condition?

Also, can you please help me with a few agencies that can help me in getting a job interview?

Your help is much appreciated.

Regards,
Sourabh

\hi, that is normal in this application, I have done more than you, much more than you and it took years to get back to you.
keep trying and go for it , one day u make it