Applying jobs online not working...or just only me?

[Hohoyy9999]

I moved to Toronto 8 months ago. I have applied for about 15 jobs online (mainly from the banks' career websites)....but never get a response.
I have 10 years if credit risk management experience in multinational banks in Hong Kong and educated in UK. I have a feeling that online applications and resumes are ignored. Has anyone ever gotten a response from applying online?Do they even bother to review your resumes or applications?

 

[mrbeachman]

Hong Kong.... Singapore..... New York..... Beverly Hills.....

but nothing matched that hands-on experience from Woodbridge, Ontario

Do you really have what it takes????

 

[emamabd]

I moved to Toronto 8 months ago. I have applied for about 15 jobs online (mainly from the banks' career websites)....but never get a response.
I have 10 years if credit risk management experience in multinational banks in Hong Kong and educated in UK. I have a feeling that online applications and resumes are ignored. Has anyone ever gotten a response from applying online?Do they even bother to review your resumes or applications?

15 job applications is a very small number for an 8 months job search....that number of applications could easily be filed in a day or 2.
Try to get some career assistance, look for employment agencies that specialize in your field and take it from there.

 

[sharat_joshi77]

15 job applications is a very small number for an 8 months job search....that number of applications could easily be filed in a day or 2.
Try to get some career assistance, look for employment agencies that specialize in your field and take it from there.

as said earlier, 15 is too low a number to expect a job interview call.
if you are serious about job search, you need to explore linkedin, job portals and direct company websites etc on a daily basis and follow up with the hiring managers.

 

[Gumby749]

Yes, as said before, 15 is nothing. An average job hunt takes 4-6 months, and you should aim for a minimum of 2 customized CVs and cover letters per day. See that the resume and cover is tailored to Canadian expectations, hire a professional if necessary. Too many CVs that I've seen from immigrants don't catch my attention. An interviewer has little interest if you have an MBA from XYZ university, they want to see what skills you have and what you have accomplished.

Read up on keywords. Large employers electronically scan resumes by software - the software then selects the resumes to be reviewed by humans, so you need to be flagged by the software first. There are lots of websites that will teach you how to do that.

Good luck!

 

[scylla]

Yes - banks sometimes hire people who apply through their web sites. I know because I've worked for two of them and have hired people this way.

 

[newtone]

15 is nothing, try something like 1500 then maybe you will get 4 or 5 calls and out of that maybe 1 or 2 interviews

 

[Jamesdavid3]

Yeah 15 is nothing, I can apply for around 30 jobs a day If I was really looking...

 

[simonvee]

That's an average of 1 application a fortnight. You're unemployed, what else do you do in your spare time??

 

[Katayoon]

Do you vary provinces or you target Ontario only? I never got responses to my applications in Quebec, but whenever I apply to more remote provinces I get interview calls. Some provinces are short of people so they are less picky about applicants' background.
Unfortunately UK education does not matter much here (I have 2 university degrees from UK and have first-hand experience in this). So if applications in other provinces do not give results, it would probably be best to enroll in some 1-year college diploma with integrated co-op placement (where you can gain work experience) and dig your way from that point. There are plenty of such co-op diplomas at colleges. Here is an interview with one of graduates:
http://www.tradeready.ca/2014/success-stories/starting-career-international-business-program/

I moved to Toronto 8 months ago. I have applied for about 15 jobs online (mainly from the banks' career websites)....but never get a response.
I have 10 years if credit risk management experience in multinational banks in Hong Kong and educated in UK. I have a feeling that online applications and resumes are ignored. Has anyone ever gotten a response from applying online?Do they even bother to review your resumes or applications?

 

[Alirezasajjadi]

I found a very well paying corporate job in my field 16 months after coming to Canada and doing low-level survival jobs with no contact in industry. And I found it by applying online. So Yes, it is possible to find a job online but you must be very lucky to encounter the following factors at the same time:
1. The most important! The recruiter must be an open minded person who is free from prejudice that immigrants are morons (this is extremely rare!).
2. There must be some requirement in your position that very few local candidates will satisfy (in my case, position demanded fluency in a language that almost nobody speaks here).
3. It must be in a location where there is shortage of skilled labour (in my case, I moved well up to the North).
4. There must be a real vacancy, which means someone has just left the job and the company really needs a replacement (you will notice that many vacancies advertised do not even exist).
5. All internal candidates (those who already work for the company and applied for this job) failed the interview.
6. You must have at least one canadian reference (yes, it does not matter much if it is a CEO of BMO or a local Tim Horton's manager), a nice supervisor who will give you his mobile phone to be contacted by referees and will praise you to them.

Well, it took me 16 months of exhausting humiliating survival jobs and over 1000 applications before my resume reached the desk of a fair and open minded recruiter who evaluates candidates based on professional credentials and not his ethnicity and gave me this great chance in life. So finding a real job is a real struggle that undermines mental and physical health.

 

[emamabd]

I found a very well paying corporate job in my field 16 months after coming to Canada and doing low-level survival jobs with no contact in industry. And I found it by applying online. So Yes, it is possible to find a job online but you must be very lucky to encounter the following factors at the same time:
1. The most important! The recruiter must be an open minded person who is free from prejudice that immigrants are morons (this is extremely rare!).
2. There must be some requirement in your position that very few local candidates will satisfy (in my case, position demanded fluency in a language that almost nobody speaks here).
3. It must be in a location where there is shortage of skilled labour (in my case, I moved well up to the North).
4. There must be a real vacancy, which means someone has just left the job and the company really needs a replacement (you will notice that many vacancies advertised do not even exist).
5. All internal candidates (those who already work for the company and applied for this job) failed the interview.
6. You must have at least one canadian reference (yes, it does not matter much if it is a CEO of BMO or a local Tim Horton's manager), a nice supervisor who will give you his mobile phone to be contacted by referees and will praise you to them.

Well, it took me 16 months of exhausting humiliating survival jobs and over 1000 applications before my resume reached the desk of a fair and open minded recruiter who evaluates candidates based on professional credentials and not his ethnicity and gave me this great chance in life. So finding a real job is a real struggle that undermines mental and physical health.

Congrats Alireza,

your perseverance paid off and things can only get better for you - from now on.

Indeed getting a job is very tricky, but it does happen and one should never loose hope.

 

[Alirezasajjadi]

Thanks emamabd,
Job hunting is like backgammon - some part of success is due to qualifications but most of it is determined by luck and circumstances. The only way to get smth out of lottery is to keep trying.
The important thing is to be always in action whether it is survival jobs, non-paid internships or additional coursework. Just sitting home and sending resumes will not help. I started survival job immediately upon landing and by the time I got interviewed for the "real" job almost 2 years later, I already had enough canadian references.

Congrats Alireza,

your perseverance paid off and things can only get better for you - from now on.

Indeed getting a job is very tricky, but it does happen and one should never loose hope.

 

[Recks1925]

Wow!, I am inspired by your perseverance my friend. I just got my notice for submission of passport and i am now preparing my resume for ten of thousands applications . Wish me luck. I guess I'll be doing the same thing that you did.. survive... until the right job lands.

 

[Alirezasajjadi]

Bravo! This is the best approach. The only two ways out of immigration to Canada - either persist and continue surviving until the right job comes along or to return home. But sitting at home and complaining all day long how bad Canada is is just a waste of time.

Wow!, I am inspired by your perseverance my friend. I just got my notice for submission of passport and i am now preparing my resume for ten of thousands applications . Wish me luck. I guess I'll be doing the same thing that you did.. survive... until the right job lands.