One of the biggest questions for newcomers to Canada is how to find a job. At Achēv, we work with many immigrants who arrive in Ontario and have questions about how to best navigate the job search process. Knowing that this is a huge need in the community, here are six job search strategies aimed at helping new immigrants in Canada.
1. Update Your Resume
Perhaps the most important document of the job search process is your resume. This is where you tell your story about past accomplishments. Resumes can look quite different in different areas of the globe. Thus, it is important to ensure that your resume follows a traditional Canadian style. Depending upon your experience, you will usually do either a chronological or functional style.
Effective resumes will also focus on telling both what you did in positions as well as how you succeeded. Highlight some positive outcomes and ways that you specifically contributed to an organization to allow yourself to stand out. Newcomers to Ontario can take advantage of Achēv’s immigrant services throughout the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario to have their resumes reviewed.
2. Network on LinkedIn
If you don’t currently have a profile on LinkedIn, joining the social network is important for your job search. The site has over 55 million companies on it and 14 million open jobs. It is also quite popular with both job seekers and recruiters, with 87% of recruiters noting that they regularly use LinkedIn to attract talent.
When using LinkedIn, it is important to have a professional, high-quality profile. This should include a professional-looking headshot as your profile photo as well as a complete profile that provides all of your information about your education and job experience. Connect with friends and former colleagues on LinkedIn and begin networking by following companies, commenting on their posts, and even connecting with new people. When sending a connection request, it is polite to send them a message noting why you want to connect.
3. Engage in Informational Interviews
One thing that newcomers can do to help build their network and get noticed is to do some informational interviews. If there is an organization that you would like to work for, identify someone in the area you are interested in such as a potential supervisor and request to chat with them about the company. This can be done by inviting them to coffee or even virtually via video chat.
When preparing for an informational interview, you should ensure that you spend time reading news about the company and perusing their website. This will help guide the questions you ask. The point of an informational interview is to learn about a company’s culture as well as skills and experiences that will help you prepare for a role in the organization one day. It also may help you get a referral for a job in the future.
4. Volunteer in the Community
This may seem like an odd recommendation for job seekers. After all, wouldn’t you want to focus on sending out resumes and preparing for interviews? Certainly, you want to take the time to do that. However, networking is incredibly important for finding jobs. Immigrants typically do not have existing Canadian networks of contact in their field. However, all immigrants can begin building their personal social networks by volunteering in their communities.
This is a long-term approach. By volunteering, you will meet others including people that may have connections within your profession. This is also a good way to learn about different resources in the community. Again, this won’t land you a job quickly; however, it can be an effective strategy for beginning to make important connections. It will also simply help you meet others.
5. Attend a Workshop
One of the best ways to strengthen your job search is to attend workshops. There are a wide variety of newcomer services that focus on providing knowledge and training related to employment. For example, Achēv provides a wide array of events and workshops for immigrants to Canada. Our immigrant services are happy to help newcomers gain the job search skills needed to succeed in Ontario.
6. Browse Job Boards
There are a variety of places where you can see different current openings. For example, Job Bank provides a searchable listing of openings that can help newcomers find jobs all over Canada. Meanwhile, this job board provides information about openings specifically in the Greater Toronto Area. Job boards can be important ways to discover jobs and begin getting your foot in the door as a newcomer in Canada. Other excellent ways to find openings include LinkedIn and postings on the websites of large companies.
Final Thoughts
Immigrating to Canada brings with it a number of important tasks. One of the most critical is finding employment. It is perfectly normal for a newcomer to Canada to have many questions about how to find a job. Fortunately, organizations such as Achēv provides a wide range of immigrant services to help you achieve your employment goals. Following these six tips is a great way to start a successful job search.
If you’re a newcomer in the Greater Toronto Area and need help with your job search, please contact our Newcomer Information Centres or Employment Centres located across the Greater Toronto Area. If you’re outside of the Greater Toronto Area, please contact Newcomer Information Centre Online.
