Immigration has many attendant changes attached to it, with one of those making a lot of impact on your stay in your new country being the lack of work experience in the destination country; you might have work experience in your home country, but in many cases, this would be regarded as worthless in the destination country. Hence, top on the list of tasks for new immigrants to Canada would be getting tangible Canadian work experience in order to secure jobs, advance in your career and settle down quickly. In case you find yourself in an industry where workers with Canadian work experience are preferred to those without, there are things you can do to ensure that you acquire the Canadian work experience required of you. This article discusses how to get a job in Canada regardless of your lack of Canadian work experience.
How Does the Canadian Job Market Work?
The first thing you need to do is understand the Canadian job market, and how it works. The job markets in many countries are composed of temporary, short-term jobs that can be taken on to acquire work experience. These types of jobs are, however, practically non-existent in the Canadian job market.
Therefore, to acquire Canadian work experience in the absence of temporary jobs, it is advised to take on voluntary work related to the industry in which you intend to build a career. By doing this, you can add these jobs to your resume to boost your chances of getting hired by an employer who prefers workers with Canadian work experience.
To increase your chances of success with acquiring work experience with volunteer jobs, ensure that skills in your industry are in high demand in Canada at the time you are immigrating.
Develop Strong Communication Skills in the English Language
English is the most commonly spoken language in Canada; in fact, a whopping 98% of Canadians can make conversation in the English language. Hence, it would be a great boost to your job-hunting endeavors if you could communicate fluently in English; without adequate English-speaking abilities, you might find yourself settling for menial jobs like cleaning, waitering, and other domestic work.
If you happen to lack adequate English-speaking skills, you are in luck: several programs have been set up by the Canadian government to offer free training in the English language to immigrants. You can also get better in the English language by communicating frequently with others who are already fluent in the language.
Know the Right People – Network
It is a known fact that your network determines your net-worth; as soon as you settle in after immigrating to Canada, you should start looking for ways to build a network of the right people that can get you in the door, and even further, at companies in your desired industry.
There are several ways to build a network: attend events strategically, reach out directly or indirectly to prospective contacts and employers, and take advantage of programs like JobStart set up to give you support and resources needed to gain the Canadian work experience and skills that will increase your employment prospects in Canada.
To recap, here is a bullet list of the things you can do to gain Canadian work experience:
- Understand and explore the Canadian Job Market.
- Take on volunteer work in your desired industry.
- Communicate fluently in the English Language
- Build the right network
In some cases, the work experience you’ve gained from your home country would be sufficient to find a job after immigrating to Canada, but in cases where it doesn’t, the above tips would help you quickly adapt and make the best of the situation, and get a job in Canada without Canadian work experience.
