Are you thinking of moving to Canada, or have you recently arrived in Canada and are looking for job opportunities in Toronto or elsewhere?
Like any other place in the world employers in Canada welcome capable enthusiastic workers that can help them to run and grow their businesses.
Be aware that Canadian employers may ask if you have "Canadian work experience."
Which does appear to be an odd question! Normally your years of work experience are what matters and the country that you gained that experience in is to a greater or lesser degree not so important. .
What is "Canadian experience" and how can you deal with this question when it is asked by an employer or recruitment agency in Canada? Find out below.
"Canadian Experience" A definition
Jeff Lee, Employment Specialist from CDI College in Burnaby, British Columbia, explained it this way in Canada "Employers look for Canadian workplace experience so that employees are familiar with our workplace culture, social cues, and expectations."
Different cultures often have very different ways of handling work situations, "foreigners with 'Canadian workplace experience' are seen as being more capable of getting along with the workgroup," explains Lee. He also noted that it's important to have your professional credentials and education authenticated in Canada too, see our Credential Assessment service by following the link shown .
What is defined as Canadian experience has many features beyond just the geographic location where you gained experience. Peter Dudka, a Program Manager, Transition to Employment Programs at Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services in Toronto, Ontario, explains that employers in Canada are strongly attracted to:
- Languages, depending on which Canadian province the job is in fluent English or French, is crucial. Accents are not a problem, but the ability to clearly express your self to customers and colleagues is extremely important
- Local Canadian certifications are very helpful too . This need not be interpreted as a full education such as a diploma or a Bachelor's degree, but more a conversion course , a short course completed in Canada will help you stand out to the employers and convince them that the basic jobs skilled required are there and that you can manage the job Canada.
- Highlight your work experience specializations. Rather than trying to cover a lot of roles by generalizing your work experience and education, demonstrate excellence in an area that will hopefully be attractive to the right employer - if nothing else it will show that you are capable of developing a deeper skill set which is an ability that can help any employer who is lucky enough to have a motivated and capable employee.
Peter Dudka explained it this way "the art of selling yourself, is foreign to many newcomers in Canada" but "you need to be able to clearly highlight your strengths in one particular field."
How To Get Work Experience in Canada
It sounds like a Catch 22 situation, you need Canadian work experience to get a job in Canada but you need a job in Canada to get Canadian work experience !! Don't worry thousands of foreigners and for that matter any newcomer entering the Canadian job market faces the same problem when looking for the first job in Canada, the solutions are are not so difficult
Jeff Lee, has assisted many foreign employees find a job vacancy in Canada, he says. "Many recent immigrants can start by volunteering with various charitable organizations, offering their time and expertise for projects."
In addition, Lee recommends professional mentoring groups where possible, in these groups skilled newcomers to Canada are paired with local professional employees or employers who can help them to assimilate into the Canadian work force. Here is a typical employee mentoring program in British Columbia. by MOSAIC. Lee also suggests to try to volunteer at local employers related to your skillset, this gives you the benefit of experiencing employment in Canada with less pressure and you can demonstrate your ability to help employers and fit into the local work culture.
You should also connect with specialist job boards that actively help aboriginal people and newcomers to Canada such as the AboriginalWorkPortal.ca they already have a range of job vacancies in Canada and employers that are actively looking to employ new immigrants in Canada.
If you reside in Quebec, you can get Canadian experience working in something called a Practice Firm. These are specially made businesses that only interact with one another. No actual money or salaries are involved. Practice Firms are real world training facilities where you can actually do the job you are experienced in but in a controlled environment for training and assessment purposes. There are many Practice Firms in Quebec, and one in Ontario. To see the list of Canadian Practice Firms follow this link Canadian Practice Firms Network (CPFN).
Get Work Experience in Canada - With a Lower Grade Job
Sometimes to move forward in life we need to take a step back, it's best not to ponder the whys or wherefores or whether that's fair just recognise when that situation arises as fast as possible and do what's necessary to progress your career by taking a "stepping stone job" you could wait several frustrating months trying to find a job in Canada that matches your employment grade in a foreign country and there's no guarantee that your job search will be successful either. An alternative strategy is to take a job you are easily qualified for because you find a job faster, you will earn money instead not earning money finally when you apply for your next job you will be equipped with some "Canadian experience" and be able to demonstrate that you can fit into working in Canada too, there is low risk here not much downside and that's why job seeking for immigrants in Canada frequently involves this tactic, you get a faster start and it's a really good way to find employment when you first arrive in Canada.
Taking lower grade jobs in Canada is not risk free though, you need to view it as stepping stone - plan a way our perhaps by woring with one of the mentoring programmes mentioned above, taking a conversion course or simply applying for better jobs while working.
Will My Foreign Work Experience and Qualifications be Recognized in Canada
Some industries such as IT are less strict about where experience is gained. Therefore this field might be easier to penetrate in Canada. In general, employees who have trained or worked in Europe will generally find it easier to have their experience or job qualifications recognized in Canada versus say employees from the Middle East or Asia.
Immigrants to Canada may benefit from a employment program offered by the "not-for-profit" Allies. The Allies program is a National Mentoring Initiative that operates in a range of cities in Canada. Job mentoring provides a connection between a immigrant and an Canadian employee in the same or a related occupation. It's a great way of helping newcomers to Canada integrate into the workforce faster.
Working in Canada can be a great experience, there are lots of exciting employment opportunities and job opportunities in Canada
We highly recommend that you register on AboriginalWorkPortal.ca today and get notifications about job vacancies close to you emailed direct to your inbox.
