Here are some interesting stories I took from CBC News:
Story 1.:
I am an immigrant, fluent in English AND French. I tried to settle in Toronto first, but it was virtually IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a job in my field (mental health). So to make ends meet I applied to several survival jobs... guess what. No success either! I spent several months in Toronto, then decided to try out Montreal. Well, here it was much easier, for me and my wife. We quickly found jobs (within 2 months I think). I also knew immigrants from different backgrounds in QC who have found jobs in Quebec City and Montreal, in different fields (biology, IT, education). Just to give you an example, my wife took classes in the gov-sponsored French immersion program, and she met a French teacher from Argentina, and another teacher was CHINESE. YES, A CHINESE TEACHING FRENCH IN QUEBEC, IN A GOUVERNMENT COURSE. So, for those who quickly say that here there is an institutionalized racism..... well, it might be the same as in English Canada. Racism is everywhere. Not only in QC.
Story 2.:
Hey it's not that hard to find a job.
I live in Quebec and I don't speak French and I do have a government job, so it can't be that difficult.
Also she is right no one want's to hire someone that says "I think I can do it" they all want someone that can do it.
So let that be a lesson to everyone that goes looking for a job, if they ask if you could do it, then the answer better be that you could.
Story 3.:
Think it would be any different for Canadians moving to China?
Besides, why should it easier for them? When my ancestors came here, they started clearing land and plowing fields, not complaining about how hard it was.
Story 4.:
Immigrants, beware. If you come from a country where meritocracy prevails, you will have to adapt to the Canadian way. If you were used to objective, computer evaluated tests created to verify the candidates knowledge, you could be in trouble here.
The process here is basically subjective. No objective tests. There is always a person on the receiving side that will examine your resume. If this person for some reason doesn't like your name, your education, or just has somebody else in mind, your application could be immediately discarded. You will never know the reason...
The key word in Canada is "networking". If you know people you get a job. But if don't know the right people - and, besides, have an accent, or the "wrong" name - , chances are that your resume will go down the trash bin and you will never be called to an interview.
There was an excellent article published several weeks ago by CBC about a study on this subject conducted by a researcher in BC. He sent the same resumes, but under two different applicant's names, one sounding "foreign", the other "Canadian", to many firms and companies. The result: those "candidates" with a foreign name are much less likely (I think something like 40%) to be called to an interview.
Discouraging, he...
Have a nice day my friends.
