Hi, welcome to the family and thanks for your kind words. We thank God for the grace to assist as much as He sees fit to use us.
The decision to pursue a short Canadian course largely depends on which sector you will work in. By and large, Canadians are not crazy about certifications and much courses. From my experience, at least in my field, it's not that big a deal unlike having practical work experience. That is the big deal here especially Canadian work experience. For us immigrant professionals, we have to pursue opportunities where your foreign experience is as good as Canadian experience and prove you can deliver on the job.
That being said, there are some sectors where having some Canadian certifications or courses on your resume can make a difference. It depends on your specialisation and in the case of regulated professions like accounting, it is mandatory before you can work in that occupation full time. The best way to decide if you should pursue any certification or course in terms of enhancing your job search is to study the requirements in public job postings.
To illustrate, if a mechanic wants to work on a car here he won't just open the bonnet and start to tinker with the engine like our people do back home. He will first get the manual and follow the manufacturer's instruction to trouble shoot for different issues before deciding what repairs need to be done. You should have the same approach to your job search. First study what the employers say they are looking for in a suitable candidate before flying off your application or grabbing certifications. For instance, if you want a job as a Business Development Associate/Financial Products Marketer/Financial Services Advisor then go to the job sites (eluta.ca, monster.ca, indeed.ca, Workpolis, LinkedIn etc) and look at the different job postings. Look at the job requirements in terms of experience, skills and certificates. Study the certification aspect critically for different job levels and you will see the particular certificate or courses that they all require amd state in common. By the time you check about 60 job postings and see that at least 80% of the time, they ask for a certain certificate/short course as desirable, that should inform your choice of what to pursue.
If you see that they are not bothered about certifications and courses in majority of the job psotings you review or that it's not compulsory, there's no point killing yourself to get a certification when you trying to enter the system as a newcomer as it's now officially a waste of time. Because of our British style educational background, we think gathering papers and certificates and letters after our name makes a diference everywhere but it really doesn't over work like that here for some jobs. In some cases, having a certificate that is not necessary to a job you are applying for will help them screen you out of recruitment process. It's like when a mechanic brings a truck wrench to a motor cycle repair shop interview because he thinks it will show he is a 'big time auto engineer'. That bros has screened himself out of getting to touch any motor bike for repairs cos I certainly wouldn't hire him. You don't bring a knife to a gun fight and vice versa.
I initially thought I would have to get a certification in my field after I landed to make me more marketable but I discovered that recruiters and hiring managers were more interested in what I had done in the past and what I can do for them in the future; practical experience and skill. With my many applications I sent out here, I had only 3 solid interviews with hiring managers since I landed in this country, not counting the countless meetings/interviews I had with job recruiters. My first interview was for a Business Analyst role and the other 2 interviews as an AML/Fraud Investigator in Internal Audit. There were no certifications mentioned in the resumes I used to land these opportunities but I got called to come and prove my self. I just looked at the job postings before I applied and ensured I put only what was relevant to the job at hand. I didn't get the Business Analyst role as it went to some one who did better than me at the inteview but I got offers for the other 2 Investigator roles. They both offered me the jobs on the spot, one entry level contract position and the other a permanent, managerial position to the glory of God. Certification was desirable but not compulsory in my situation. Now that I am in the system, I can take my time to decide which certificate will swerve my career path better or deviate to another field. That is a story for another day
Hope this helps you in researching your job options better and in determining if a certificate/short course will improve your chances. I wish you the best ahead
