Post Landing - Job vs. Education

[jollyjolly]

Dear All,

We are planning to move to Canada soon for good. Did our short landing in April 2016 and left in a month 's time.

Now the question is related to post coming to canada.

1. My husband and I have heard from lot of ppl that as long as Canadian credentials (exp or edu) are not on ur resume u would not score a pretty good job. So to start with, shall i and my husband immediately get admission and secure some degree/diploma and after completion of education start looking for a job in canada?

2. Or just start the job hunting immediately after our landing with the same credentials we are bringing in?

I understand that answer would not be a straight forward one and may differ from person to person and industry to industry. However what does people do generally when they come to Canada assuming they are not in a regulated profession. I and my husband both have around 10 years of exp in a risk management in banking industry which is not a regulated profession.

Would really appreciate if this thread gets loaded with suggestions/advises which will surely help us and other aspiring immigrants.

Thank you all in anticipation.

Best Regards,

Jolly

 

[jollyjolly]

Anyone please...

 

[canuck78]

Working for an international bank/corporation would look better than a diploma. If you do an MBA from a top school that is different but I see a lot of people taking college courses that are pretty useless given their background. That said, you are both competing for highly sought after jobs so it may not be easy.

 

[jollyjolly]

Hi canuck78,

Thanks for your reply.

So what have u seen so far that ppl who have pursued MBAs from good business schools are almost successful. Actually thats what u of t website stats also shows that 2015 MBA class was 80% hired within 3 months and 2016 MBA class was so and so% hired in so and so months etc.

So what do you recommend from your own experience....job over education or vice versa.....

Would request other members as well to put their 2 cents as this is going to be a lifetime step that can make u or break u......

Thank you friends

 

[canuck78]

Companies recruit from the top MBA school that is partially why choice of school makes such a difference when it comes to MBAs. Not knowing much about your educational background and who you previous worked for I would try to network using things like Linkedin and other groups. If you aren't being offered the jobs you want or are getting feedback that it would be beneficial to get certain diploma/degree/certificate to be competitive I would reassess.

 

[jollyjolly]

Thanks canuck78. That's correct top rated business school will have a considerable weight and odds gets increased.

So if I summarize your response, you would give a try to hunt for a job post landing. If things are not in your favour then go for the degree.

We are overthinking......but how to ignore all these facts, anyhow would welcome more thoughts of other members as well.

Warm Regards

 

[canuck78]

Yes. Considering the major expense and time commitment required to do an MBA I would try and test out the job market first.

 

[next2015]

Always cheaper to test the job market. Unfortunately you didn’t mention your respective areas, that’d help for more specific advice. But as one poster said, LinkedIn is a great place. Use it to connect with recruiters and make sure your profile has recommendations/reviews of your skills from current and past colleagues.

Personally, I connected with recruiters via LinkedIn. I contacted a few, tactfully, and asked them to review my resume which they were kind enough to do. That helped me arrange my resume in a way that employers prefer. The result of that was an interview invitation within my first week of landing, in my preferred area of work. I didn’t get an offer, though. You really need to invest time and understand the job market, you may have to change careers may be but for the better. Have a strategy, prepare great applications to get the interview. Once you get the interview, it’s no longer about your foreign credentials etc, it’s about YOU.

Going straight to school is not bad, but it may also be a waste of your time and money. And it’s expensive, so you may be looking at loans. Starting a new life with debt is not a winning strategy, unless you can finance it out of pocket.

 

[jollyjolly]

Thank you all....

 

[jollyjolly]

Always cheaper to test the job market. Unfortunately you didn’t mention your respective areas, that’d help for more specific advice.

Thank you for ur message.

Let me tell u my husband's credentials for u to respond more appropriately.

My husband is having masters in economics from outside canada. However WES evaluated his masters degree as 4 years bachelors. He posses 10 years of banking experience in different streams of retail banking. Following are his specific areas of expertise:
1. Business planning which includes excel financial modelling. 5 years experience
2. Well versed in data analytics using excel and SAS application. 2 and a half years of experience
3. Experience in Risk Management including Lending policy writing, portfolio stress testing, portfolio management using excel and SAS application. 2 and a half years of experience.

During this 10 years of experience my husband got a chance to attend several trainings and workshops.

Agile workshop
Anti money laundering workshop
Risk control self assessment workshop
Cerfication in Accounting

 

[next2015]

@jollyjolly Based on that profile, he stands better chances in the financial services industry. Where in Canada are you planning to settle? That has direct effect on the opportunities you’ll have.

As far as positions are concerned, he should consider transitioning into business analysis, if he can’t find the role he really wants. Why?

1. He has industry experience - financial services

2. The industry is always hiring business analysts with specific domain knowledge. He has knowledge in risk management, so he can explore opportunities in that domain. However, he can look at all BA roles within the industry. A good place to start is TD Bank and the other big banks.

3. He has the skills. If he has worked in an agile environment, that’s a big bonus as most companies have adopted the methodology.

That said, with his experience and capabilities in data analytics, he should also consider data analyst roles or BA roles with a focus on analytics. BA roles are diverse so you actually need to read the job description to know where a particular role falls. For that route, he may need to add one at least one other BI tool to his toolbox as SAS is mostly used in the huge companies. I’d recommend Tableau - there’s courses on Udemy.com he can use to learn the application. It’s just $10 when they do discounts, which happens everyday. Other common tools are Power BI and QlikView.

As far as business analysis is concerned l, I don’t know how much he knows about the area. That’d be a separate discussion.

Now, as many posters across the forum have said; it’s not easy. But from my experience, if he can understand the roles he wants and identifies the gaps in his skillset and works on them, that’d be a big step closer to the prize. Of course, resume preparation is key. One thing people don’t know is the growing use of appplicant tracking systems by employers. For your application to be seen, it’s imperative that you customize your resume to the job description. That means; you include in your resume the keywords and hard skills as they appear in the job description. When the system scans it and picks them up, it’ll put you in the yes pile which is reviewed by the recruiter. Quality not quantity.

This’ my longest post on the forum. There’s a lot that can be said about this subject. I hope you find my input helpful.
All the best.

 

[jollyjolly]

Thanks a million @next2015

We are planning to settle within GTA however there is no hard and fast, we may settle anywhere else if my husband is having better chances in some other city.

Anyways thanks alot once again for ur detailed suggestion.

 

[next2015]

GTA is perfect for someone in the financial services industry but competition is high. Do some research on Edmonton (ATB Financial) and Vancouver. That said, keep an open mind. Don't be afraid to explore new industries and/or cities. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask. Register with careeredge.com they run a program that connects immigrants with employers for paid internships. The money is not much, about 2000CAD/month, but you get exposure to the canadian work place, while working in your preferred area. At the end of the contract, you have Canadian work experience which makes your resume more attractive to employers. Sometimes, the employer may choose to make you permanent, full-time. You don't pay CareerEdge a cent. Its free for you.

All the best

 

[jollyjolly]

Really appreciate.

By the way we have heard of ACCES employment. How is that? They charge CAD 500 however it is worth to pay that amount if the outcome is fruitful.

What is your assessment for this program?

Thanks

 

[next2015]

I’ve only learned about the organization from you, so I’m not in position to give an opinion.

My only advice is: go slow with anyone that’s charging you a fee in order to get you a job. There’s not a single time I heard that story with a good ending. Perhaps you can create a new post and ask memebers on this forum if they’re familiar with organization?

All the best