As soon as you get your Canadian visa, you should aim to secure a job as soon as you land. Preparing yourself mentally and putting in the hours before landing will definitely make your job easier once you arrive. I would like to share my experience of my job search and things that I did before arriving, which will help you prepare for your job search.
PrepCan provides one of the best pre-arrival services, and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with their team on various aspects. Job hunt can be a daunting task in itself, as coming to a new country and understanding the process (interview process, Canadian culture, and expectations) takes time.
When it comes to job search, your resume is the single most important asset you possess and it is vital that you have a neat, polished Canadian resume. My Virtual Employment Consultant not only spent a lot of time reviewing my resume, she also provided great tips and suggestions which helped me refine my resume. I would recommend every immigrant to register with them immediately!
Secondly, what I found interesting was the power of networking. Networking could be connecting with people on LinkedIn, meeting for coffee chats, staying in touch, and helping each other. Add recruiters on LinkedIn, send them a small snapshot of your career, and tell them clearly what your expectations are. Recruiters prefer candidates who are local, so I would suggest you setup meetings with them as soon as you land. Keep your location and profile updated on LinkedIn and continue preparing for interviews, spending time wisely in the initial weeks.
Behavioral questions will be very much the focus of your interviews, so go through ‘Top 25 behavioral questions’ on Google and prepare answers from past professional experiences. When you go for any interview, always carry 2 copies of your updated resume with you. Only mention things in your resume that you are confident about, and those that you have actually done. ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’ is a question that you will encounter frequently; be ready with an answer.
Important Tips:
- Know your previous project in great detail.
- Be flexible in terms of remuneration/ work location. Your main priority is to land a good job with an established company. Coming to a new country you are obviously not going to get everything you wish for, so take a job, learn, and grow, and then the sky is the limit.
- Getting an interview from a Canadian company whilst you are not here locally is very rare. Things start moving along quickly as soon as you land here.
- Create a LinkedIn profile if you don’t have one so recruiters can get in touch with you. Keep your profile updated.
- Don’t be discouraged by rejections as it is part of the process. Instead, understand what you couldn’t communicate, do your homework, and move on to the next interview.
- Be honest in the interview, and DO NOT lie on your resume. Only write things on your resume you are comfortable discussing.
- One of the most important aspects employers are looking at interviews is the human one. What kind of person you are, have you faced challenges in your professional life, how did you overcome those, what motivates you as a person, what do you do to keep yourself up to date with the industry, and will you fit in to the culture of the company, team and general work environment.
- Another crucial part of the interview is when they give you an opportunity to ask questions. Prepare 3-4 questions depending on your role and make it a point to ask them. Some examples of questions that I often asked at the end of the interview were:
a. What is the team size?
b. Which brands will I be managing?
c. What is the expectation from me in the 1st year of employment?
I hope these tips will help you get better prepared for your job search journey in Canada, so you can land your dream job as soon as possible.
