How to Find a Job in Canada

Canada’s a lovely place, but getting a job in Canada isn’t as straightforward as you might wish (unless you’re actually Canadian). It’s not that there aren’t any vacancies, the obstacle is getting a visa that will entitle you to work there.

The good news is that, even if it’s not easy, it’s certainly possible, and there are plenty of options to look into.

Here’s our guide to help you understand what’s involved in working in Canada…

What kind of jobs are there in Canada?

Despite its image in the popular imagination as a vast natural landscape exporting endless logs across the border to the chagrin of President Trump, most of Canada’s economic industry is not based on agriculture. In fact, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting combined generate about 1.5% of Canada’s GDP.

Nor do most people work extracting things from the ground, although it’s true that, thanks to its rich reserves of oil and gas, Canada is one of the few developed nations that is a net exporter of energy. These large oil and gas resources are mostly in Alberta and the Northern Territories, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. But again, this activity accounts for just a fraction of Canada’s economic output.

No, disappointingly, some three-quarters of Canadians work in the service sector which accounts for 70% of GDP and this is where most of the jobs are.

The skills most in demand in Canada

Canada’s economy has been doing rather well over the last few years but businesses are finding it difficult to enjoy the boom as there simply aren’t enough skilled people to resource the expansion.

Figures from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) revealed that in Q4 of 2017 there were 399,000 unfilled jobs in Canada’s private sector. British Columbia was the most affected province with 69,500 vacancies – a vacancy rate of 3.9% – followed by Quebec (3.4%) and Ontario (3.2%). Sectors most in demand include personal services and construction.

Finding the right visa to allow you to work in Canada

Depending on your situation and your aspirations, there are several ways to approach solving the knotty problem of how to become eligible to work in Canada:

Temporary work visa

Agricultural workers, business people and careers are among those who can readily apply for a temporary work permit. If you can fix up a job before you go, you can apply for an employer-specific work permit. Open work permits entitle you to work for just about anyone apart from those employers who ‘regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.

Skilled and looking to live in Canada permanently?

If you’re looking to move to Canada permanently and have the right skills, the Express Entry scheme could be for you. People with skills and experience in management, professional, and technical trades who are successful are placed into a pool of 

pre-approved applicants from which businesses can pluck the individuals they like the look of to help fill their skills gaps.

Entrepreneurs

The Start-up Visa Program connects Canadian business organizations with immigrant entrepreneurs who have the skills and potential to build innovative businesses in Canada. With the support of a designated organization, immigrant entrepreneurs can apply for permanent residence in Canada and launch their start-up there. Designated organizations include venture capital funds, angel investor groups and business incubators that have been approved to support these start-ups.

Self-employed artists and athletes

The seemingly random Self-Employed Persons Program is for people wanting a self-employed life in Canada in either the arts (‘cultural activities’) or athletics. You must have relevant experience working yourself. You can’t be in a hurry, though, as this process can take two years.

Provincial schemes

If you speak French, it’s worth looking to the province of Quebec which has its own separate immigration service

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot helps businesses in four provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) to find people to fill the jobs they can’t find local people to do.

Adapting your CV for Canadian employers

First, cross out ‘CV’ and put ‘Résumé’.

Canadian employers tend to value succinctness over thoroughness and facts over gush. The horrendous trend for ‘personal statements’ and the like has yet to sweep Canada. 

Your résumé needs very few sections:

1. Your main qualifications (professional and/or academic)
2. A summary of your career so far. This should focus on your achievements in each role, not your duties
3. Include a section on work experience if you have just started out and don’t have much paid work experience
4. Your education and training history
5. If you have taken part volunteer work, do include a section summarizing what you’ve done. Canadian employers think well of people who give up their time to help out worthy causes
6. As a rule-of-thumb, your résumé should be two pages long at the most – one if you don’t have much work experience.
7. Do customize your résumé to suit the job you’re applying for
8. Don’t list your hobbies and interests unless they are relevant to the job
9. Don’t include references

DO YOU WANT TO APPLY FOR Work VISA IN CANADA?

If you want to work in Canada, TransGemini has the experience and expertise to guide you through this process. TransGemini can also assist you for work visa in Canada. So, you can always count on TransGemini International to help you.