10 Tips in Understanding Canadian Job Market

Anywhere in the world, even in a favorable employment market, hard work is still the key in order to land a job.

This is very much true, whether international students or new migrants settling in Canada. They need to understand the distinctiveness of the Canadian Job market, which covers topics such as language proficiency, cultural diversity, employment procedures and job hunting schemes. Here are tips that may help a job seeker find his or her way towards landing a job in Canada.

1. Carefully choose a study program. For students who choose Canada to study, the study program must be one that offers a diploma program and is as well one that is within an individual’s field of interest. In this manner, one may not need to clearly demonstrate and prove to a recruiter that he or she possesses the necessary knowledge and skills for the position at hand. Therefore, it is essential for an applicant to take into consideration his or her career goals, skills, experience and knowledge, and the needs of the job market.

2. Be flexible when considering career opportunities. Most international students wish to make a career transition while integrating in the Canadian job market. Having insufficient experience is already a challenge in itself, plus the career change will make job searching more difficult. Therefore, it is important for an international student to show flexibility by considering various job opportunities and take these as stepping stones toward their preferred career.

3. Gain Canadian experience. A Canadian experience is very important for one who wishes to be successful in Canada. A Canadian experience may be acquired through volunteer programs, internships, summer jobs, part-time jobs, and/or extra-curricular activities. These are great ways to get first-hand Canadian experiences on the business sector. This way, it also develops one’s network of contact, as well as develops the type of experience employers are looking for in an applicant.

4. Research on Immigration Issues. Recruiters may not be fully equipped regarding immigration concerns. Thus, it is the applicant’s responsibility to be knowledgeable of their immigration and employment status in Canada. The more familiar one is to his/her immigration status, the easier it would be for him/her to relay it to his/her prospective employer.

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   Improve one’s language skills. Canada has two official languages and these are English and French. French dominates in the province of Quebec. Therefore, it would be hard for one to find employment in Quebec if he/she is not familiar with French. As for other provinces, mastery of the English language is deemed important in order for one to land a job.

6. Cultural Differences. Knowing the cultural practices and customs in Canada is something that an individual must take into consideration, especially when job hunting. For instance, there are some cultures that find a citation of accomplishments as being pretentious. Thus, this is something that applicants must take note of. However, openly discussing these achievements in an interview is normal.

7. Learn how to deal with misconceptions. There are several misconceptions that may hinder an employer from hiring an international student. First, an employer might think that the student will eventually want to go home to his/her home country. Another reason could be that the employer might think that an international student lacks Canadian experience. All these would hinder an employer from hiring an international student thinking that they will just invest much and eventually, lose the employee.

8. Employment Equity Regulation. Canada has a law about racial discrimination. Therefore, an employee is hired based on his/her professional skills and qualifications. For this reason, information such as photo, family status, nationality, and age are not anymore necessary in an application.

9. Networking Strategy. Job opportunities in Canada are mostly unadvertised. This is done to avoid lavish overhead expenses. Instead, job hiring is spread by word of mouth. Therefore, having strong network connections may help one in landing a job.
10. Self–confidence. This is one of the keys towards landing a job. Marketing oneself with self-confidence makes one more equipped with unique skills, set of knowledge, and attributes. Hence, one must make sure that these qualities are explicitly relayed to the employer.