sam_172452 said:
Seriously is it that bad for white collar jobs?
I came to Toronto, by far the biggest market for white-collar jobs, three years ago, when my partner got accepted to grad school here. I had already contacted people in the field I wanted to work in - literary agent in the film world, for screenwriters and directors - and had been encouraged to come. When I arrived and contacted the same people, they were kind, and met me for coffee, but they didn't have jobs to offer me. Remember - this was not my field already. I had a degree in Opera Performance, and I had worked for ten years teaching English in Europe, and working as a journalist. But this was a career switch for me.
I was, as someone mentioned, offered all kinds of jobs at call centers, or handing out insurance forms at Canadian tire, etc. Since finding a job in my chosen field was taking longer than I wanted, I did sign up with a music school to provide singing lessons to their students at their homes. But Toronto is a sprawling city, I didn't have a car and had to take public transportation, and the lessons were too few and far between to make it worth the pay. So I kept calling people in the film industry, I met with them and chatted at film industry events such as the Toronto International Film Festival, and generally made myself known.
After 11 months, I got a job as a producer's assistant, which brought me into the film industry, and three months later I was offered not one but TWO jobs as a literary agent, both before they were advertised to the general public.
I don't mean to minimize the frustration level. When I was sending out hundreds of resumes and making dozens of calls, I was often frustrated and angry. But, as I have often seen on this board, in Canada, getting a job is more a process of getting to know people in your area of employment, so that they think of you when they hear something is opening up. Most jobs here are filled before they are advertised, by word of mouth. Put your name in people's mouths by meeting them and getting to know them, and eventually they will let you know when they hear about a job.
I think it is best not to get caught in the jobs like Tim's or call centers, if that is outside your line of work. On the other hand, taking a lower level job in your area is not a bad idea, as people will get to know you, and you will begin to hear about jobs higher up or more in your line. In Canada, it is WHO you know - not in the sense of power, but in the sense of being accepted into the general circle of your occupation - not so much WHAT you know.
Canada is also big on CANADIAN certification. I have a friend here who arrived many, many years ago with excellent banking credentials from his own country. But he had to work as a house painter for his cousin for one year only, while he took Canadian certification courses that only repeated what he already knew. Then, with that certification, he started work in a bank's call center, but very quickly moved up - within months - to wealth management. Two years after his arrival in Canada, he was well enough off to buy a new car, and the next year he bought a condo.
If you can, bring more money than CIC says you need, so you can wait out the time of getting to know people, picking their brains, and getting your name around. Be sensitive to how people do things here - don't try to impose the job-hunting tactics of your native country on Canada. Do all that, and you have a good chance of landing the job you want. Good luck!
