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getting a job after landing

Oct 29, 2010
15
0
after landing on canadian soil>>>>>>>>>>>as an immigrant >>>>>>>>i know its difficult to get job which is according to qualifications>>>>now if we hav to do jobs which are odd>>>>>>can we make both ends meet>>>>>>>.and are they easily available>>>>>>>>>>
 

maxvol

Star Member
Sep 2, 2009
89
12
What province are you residing in? You could try and check out your local YMCA, you can make ends meet doing 2 or 3 odd jobs, lots of people are doing it. To make ends meet it really depends on your lifestyle, some people just want to get but others like to spend. So it really depends where your priorities lie
 

CharlotteJ

Hero Member
Jul 31, 2009
319
41
I say that you just should be prepared for "odd" jobs too if you really need to make ends meet which all of us should and would and need to.

I am going to an interview on Monday that does concern an odd job! I first has to find out how to GET THERE! lol :-\

I shall say, yes, take it, you can at least explore your hidden talents and challenge yourself while doing it and also add up to your Canadian job history.
 

cheguevera

Full Member
Jun 7, 2010
21
4
Hi there,

There are no odd jobs, unless they involve criminal activities.
If someone extend a job offer to you, and if you are up to it, get it. Because, there are many recruiters here who hold jobs that you are qualified for but will never give them to you, simply because you are not like them. Being highly qualified skilled immigrant doesn't mean much if you have no connection or friends to help you. All excuses will be thrown at you, "your are not fluent in English" or "you are have no Canadian experience" or "you are over qualified" are among the things you will hear often even if you are only seeking washing dishes.
I dont mean to discourage you, but in Canada hiring is based on connection and affinities, so if you are new and have no contacts, BELIEVE ME, you are on your own no matter how qualified you are. The idea of networking is an excuse for employers to get those who look like them. So be grateful to those who will extend an interview offer to you.
 

Outbound

Full Member
Jul 25, 2009
45
0
I agree with cheguevera, I am facing the same problem, I came in Feb 2010, since then I did not get any job. I am in Calgary and no job offer. I am qualified and have only USA experience, US degrees etc. But wherever I go, they ask for Canadian experience.

I need to have Canadian experience to get Canadian job, and I need a Canadian job to get the Canadian experience like catch 22. Now I am looking for any odd job, but there I do not have a luck either, I had some interviews as well, but then sometime it is too much experience, sometime its re-org going on in the company, sometimes may be its my name and sometimes company drop the project.

Sometimes I do think that I did a mistake to move to Calgary or perhaps to Canada. I have now almost finished my saving and gave up all hopes to find anything because when I go for odd jobs they think that I will run away as soon as I find my kind of job so they dont hire. Now I will make a resume where I will say I am high school drop out so they can keep me on a night stocker.
 

CharlotteJ

Hero Member
Jul 31, 2009
319
41
Outbound, I am so sorry to hear about that. Yes, play around with them, they play with you, so you play the game too.

Change your resumé, adjust it so you can get any job and I am sorry that you are going through your savings. I just started looking for a job and I too am going through the same fase, although I network greatly, but yet, not everybody can recommend you a job eh?

Have you tried to go to companies in person and /or to any place in person and hand in your resumé? if not done yet, then do. being highly qualified from anywhere, means "nothing" in here!

Recruiters are useless really.
 

Outbound

Full Member
Jul 25, 2009
45
0
Well, to tell you truth, I have changed the resume too many times. The jobs these recruiters post are 90% fake and just based on rumors and their rate bidding with the employer.

If they tell you one rate, then they wont negotiate any lesser rate with the employer just to get you in, if the employer says $5/hour less than what you were originally asking, they will not tell you that employer was interested in you and wanted to pay little less, instead they will let it go and tell you that you was not selected - its all about their greed. If you apply out of province, they wont interview or call you because they think they have to pay for the moving or you will not come, in US however, it is the opposite - you can apply for a job in NY from LA and you get a call.

I am planning to move from here to go to a more bigger city, however, things may not change but at least I can try my luck somewhere else. But I still do think that if this immigration was really worth it for me.
 

Second_angle

Member
Apr 8, 2010
15
7
outbound,

That is so disheartening. What kind of professional job you are looking there ? Will a Canadian taring or degree will help ?

REgards
SA
 

cheguevera

Full Member
Jun 7, 2010
21
4
I totally agree with Outbound.
To be honest, I wouldn't have even tried to come to Canada if I knew it was like this. You leave your job, your friend and family and find out that everything about the need for qualified people is a lie. I feel that I was lied to and betrayed.
I start to think that Canada doesn't really need qualified people, why bother others with the so called skilled immigration if they will not be able to put their skills for the benefit of this country?Canada seems to need people to work as cab drivers, waitress, retail clerk, etc. Unfortunately, the government seems to turn a blind eye on the treatment of newcomers. Have you noticed that you cannot even apply for government jobs because of the Canadian citizenship and security clearance requirements even if it is a simple entry level job.
 

CharlotteJ

Hero Member
Jul 31, 2009
319
41
I 've to be honest with you guys, EVEN I am now starting to have my doubts!

It is a " Banana Republic" really and all about greed.

Greed and Greedy people is killing this nation and I can't imagine that even more immigrants are anticipated to enter Canada in 2011!

I just come back from a workshop at YMCA and the Statistics Canada guy was telling us, that " you better find a job now or next year, we expect 350.000 more new comers to enter this country and look for a job while the GDP is Ontario only is in decline from 3.2% now, to 2.9% over the course of 2011 they expect, unless a miracle will happen!"

Honestly, I won't give up, but am sure going to open ALL AND I MEAN REALLY ALL my options. IF I 've to go back to a "boring" " overregulated" country, then so be it. But at least I learnt my lesson.
 

nj123

Full Member
Mar 17, 2010
48
0
Category........
Visa Office......
Pretoria
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
06-04-2010
File Transfer...
13-05-2010
Med's Request
29-01-2010
Wow guys this is seriously disheartening. But I have to ask, what skills do you have? What are you all qualified as?

I ask this because, I know about 3(doctor, engineer, IT developer) of my friends from South Africa who moved over in the past 2 years (around the recession time) and got jobs in under 5 months. However, they started the job search before they moved and already had interviews etc lined up.

Now I'm wondering if they were just very lucky...
 

Outbound

Full Member
Jul 25, 2009
45
0
Yes they were just lucky,

Talking about my experience, over 10 years of experience in USA (current), IT Business System Analyst worked in a fortune 100 oil & gas company and they need Canadian experience from me, actually I could teach them some new tricks. I am not saying I know everything but I know enough to get a decent job.

I agree with cheguevera, everything he said is correct. They don't want to give you the job so they lie for the experience, send you some stupid workshops which doesn't help. Most of the people are liars in the job market especially the recruiters, and the employers are looking for rocket scientist for a janitor job and need a resume to apply.

I am not trying to dis-heart anyone, but you need to know the reality so you know what you will face before you come. BTW, I started applying long before I came here - If I would as a clerk, they tell me that I have too much experience in other fields and I will run away as soon as I will get a job in my field, and the job I want says that I do not have Canadian experience.

They want their labor people to PHd's and doctors, so if they have any problem, they go to their Janitor and ask him/her to write a prescription for them or ask the bus boy to help them write their assignment thesis. At least this is my perception, not all though suffer like this, but a big percentage doesn't get the job they are looking for.
 

CharlotteJ

Hero Member
Jul 31, 2009
319
41
I was at YMCA this morning, just got back home, very tired, met this lovely young man from Bangladesh with his wife who just has joined him here in Toronto, he is living here for 4 years and having his MBA degree, he is working for a hotel at their parking for quite some time. He has another job too, but nothing in his field (yet), but he seemed happy and lives close to me too.

I shall say, nobody knows if he/she will land in his/her favorite and/or job field when they make the move here, it is a personal experience and we are all different from each other, one is resilliant and other isn't, one gives up fast, another one won't, but so far, I see most people trying really hard to find a job, but if you have no degrees then it can be really tough to find a job.
 

cheguevera

Full Member
Jun 7, 2010
21
4
One thing that people and Canadians are not paying attention to is that Canada is not the country of equality and racial integration that it used to be. People migrated from all over the world but few actually embraced the traditional values that Canada was known for.

When I say “affinity between the candidate and the employer”, I literally mean social and racial affinity. The first thing the recruiter and the employer will look at in your resume is your name and the location of education. From there, they know who you are and where you come from. If the recruiter is john and you Steve, he is Young and you Li, or he is Jordan and you are Jackson, then you may have a chance, otherwise you will not make the first cut. This is just the reality here. It is exactly the same thing that I experienced outside of Canada. Personally, I am highly education, have an extensive experience in one of the field highly in demand here, but I still struggle to make it to an interview.

Twice I was invited for an informal interview about jobs opening at two different companies. From the moment my host walked into the waiting room, I could read in his/her face “you are not the person I was expecting”. I have to admit that I am not handsome like Decaprio but I was more professionally dressed than they were. The reality is I was different.
Suddenly, the positions available shrink for many to one or less, there are not lot of tasks, the salary is brought down to a level inacceptable to anybody, just to make me give up. And I did, because I understood. At some moment, I asked myself “is it really worth it to go to the interview”?

To answer your question Mr.nj123
Your friends maybe lucky! To understand whether they are truly lucky match their ethnic group with that of their employers or check whether their employers have business ties in South Africa. I have seen people highly educated, living here for years but never got a chance to interview.
 

Outbound

Full Member
Jul 25, 2009
45
0
I have my degrees from the US - I missed that one. but unfortunately the last name have not clicked yet with the last name of employer or recruiter. If the name doesn't tell the whole story then one of my degree tells the rest because beside US degrees one of my degree is from my country so that is the way they find out about where I am from.


CharlotteJ said:
I was at YMCA this morning, just got back home, very tired, met this lovely young man from Bangladesh with his wife who just has joined him here in Toronto, he is living here for 4 years and having his MBA degree, he is working for a hotel at their parking for quite some time. He has another job too, but nothing in his field (yet), but he seemed happy and lives close to me too.

I shall say, nobody knows if he/she will land in his/her favorite and/or job field when they make the move here, it is a personal experience and we are all different from each other, one is resilliant and other isn't, one gives up fast, another one won't, but so far, I see most people trying really hard to find a job, but if you have no degrees then it can be really tough to find a job.