Job hunting is almost the same for every location. This means a majority of the techniques used during a job search are similar across the globe but this does not also mean that there aren’t other aspects specific to certain locations as well. Canada is among the few countries that have amazing work benefits!
Canada has a variety of mouth-watering job opportunities in various fields for dedicated and smart people. Canada appreciates, awards and provides a quality standard of living to hard-working persons who are willing to put in the required effort. It is on this basis that many people desire to live and work in the country.
Canada is home to several jobs, especially in the tech field. The leniency of the work-life in Canada is such that 93% of recent graduates are able to land jobs within two years after study and for those already in the system, payday is usually twice a month.
That is not to say that there are only tech jobs available in Canada. Jobs in Canada cut across a variety of sectors.
Welcome to the Canadian Labor market!
A popular saying goes “you cannot go to the battleground without weapons and preparation.” Believe it or not, every job hunt is war and every other applicant is your opponent!
Most newbies are usually anxious about what Canada’s labor market holds for them, wondering how long it would take them to secure a job. Mistakes are often made due to a lack of knowledge and inexperience.
Things to look out for when scouting for jobs in Canada
Of all the mistakes made, the most common of them are improperly written resumes and not searching on the right platforms, and these two aspects have a very vital role to play in securing your dream job.
20 Tips for Job Hunting in Canada
If you are wondering why you’re yet to land the job of your dreams, it just means there are certain things you’re not doing right or not doing at all. Here are twenty things you should do to ease your job hunt and reduce your waiting time:
- Prepare: Before everything else, take out time to analyse your strengths, your passion and values and match them with the available companies. Set your mind and heart in the right frame to achieve the greatness you seek.
- Plan: Everything that was ever accomplished successfully had a plan. It is necessary to plan your search appropriately to encourage good results. Every single step of your job hunting process should be accounted for.
- Execute: Send out your applications, take record of them using excel sheets, track your applications by sending follow-up emails. This would speak well of you to the employer as it shows your level of interest in that company, thereby increasing your chances.
- Know your search sites: It is important to know what sites are used to search for jobs in Canada. There are several sites that can be used, some of which include: indeed.com, m.eluta.ca, glassdoor.ca and many more. Out of all the existing sites, the most used are Indeed, Glassdoor and LinkedIn. NOTE: There are lots of spam on job hunting websites, endeavor to apply directly on the company’s website if available. You can also check out the very popular Canada job bank.
- Resume Strength: As earlier mentioned, this is a very crucial part of job hunting. Before sending out your resume to any organization, think of it as your representative. Your resume should be in the Canadian format and must clearly sell you according to the job requirements of whatsoever job being applied to.
- Networking: Attend job fares and events, set appointments to meet up with people you have access to on a professional level. You never know where your connect would come from!
- Read regularly: You don’t have to wait till an interview has been set before reading. Read prior and after. Read every time, when you can! This keeps you prepared and ahead of others.
- Make research: For whatsoever purpose it may be, ensure you have researched thoroughly to get the correct format of things or how to respond: be it interview questions and answers, company’s values, e.t.c.
- Put in more work!: If an average man sends out one application per day, make yours three per day. If there is a question on how many applications should be sent out per day, it solely depends on how many “quality” applications you can afford to send.
- Indeed.com: This is one of the most highly recommended sites for job hunts in Canada. Simply visit the site, open an account and go ahead to browse through the available job listings. Beware of spam jobs.
- Glassdoor: This an alternative to Indeed, only that this site has features where you can gain access to not only job vacancies but also information on interview questions & answers and on the company.
- Linked-In: An alternative to Indeed and Glassdoor, which also allows you access to job listings. The disadvantage with this site is the fewer job listings due to the cost of advertising a vacancy.
- Get a Coach: It is necessary to have a career mentor, so as to ease your job hunt and reduce mistakes. This person helps you navigate your career path in the right direction. You can find one at organisations like Employment Ontario.
- Join a professional Immigrant network (PIN): This applies to immigrants. These kind of groups are created by organizations to help you leverage your skills, learn and network.
- Accreditation: Add value to yourself by getting accredited on professional courses that apply to your career.
- Transparency: Be truthful at all times whether in written form or orally, that is one good way of letting the company trust you.
- Personal Domain Name: Connect your LinkedIn profile to your registered domain name using your first and last name.
- Straight Forwardness: No company would want to employ a crafty person. Have and maintain a straightforward personality.
- Consistency and Quality: Stay dedicated to sending out ONLY high standard applications.
- Don’t downcast: No position is ever too small, you will learn from it.
It is almost impossible to land your dream job in Canada without prior experience. Jobs that may be allocated to you will be miniature ones. No hope is lost anyway, as you can take courses to gain some experience. Regardless, it’s a world of surprises so anything is possible!
