How to Find Jobs in Canada (Off-Campus)| 7 Tips to Ensure You Land That Interview!
By: Krithi Sudhir
Tags: Interview, Career Advice, Canada, Job Hunting, Resume

If you are reading this post, first of all — Congratulations! You’ve reached a major milestone in your life — Be it completing school or simply having made the decision to look for new opportunities. And for those of you who are in the process of planning to move to Canada in order to further your career, great choice!

The tips and strategies I share in this post have certainly helped me in my journey to becoming a Business and Data Analytics professional and should generally apply to any kind of job-hunt, no matter the field or country; My personal experience, however, is rooted in Canada — particularly the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). I’ve had the fortune of facing the job-hunt twice since 2019 — once after graduating from my Master’s program as an international student and the other time while pivoting into a new role amidst the pandemic.

I find that the most prominent issue faced while seeking employment is the frustration surrounding not getting enough interview callbacks after having applied to a laundry list of jobs. It’s common for such feelings of frustration to compound into despair within no time especially if you’re a newcomer to the country, feeling the pressure of settling into a new country whilst managing your immigration status and finances. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s perfectly normal to feel that way, and it’s all part of the process — A process that millions of us have lived through with much success

Hopefully, the tips I have to provide will prepare you to take the brunt of the job hunt (it rhymes!) and keep you on track to landing those interviews back to back.

Watch my YouTube video where I talk about this topic in detail, and with examples. If you’re crunched for time, no worries! Scroll below for a quick checklist of focus items (in that particular order).

1. LinkedIn is King

Set up your profile today and start connecting with professionals in your area of interest. Make sure your profile is complete and up to date.

Tip: Ensure search engines are indexing your profile in the search results by setting your profile link to public

2. Build a Personal Brand

Your online presence matters. Though optional, it is highly recommended you maintain an online portfolio showcasing your interests and skills. It could be a website, an article or a blog; a social media account, or an educational platform that you have contributed to (e.g YouTube, Kaggle, GitHub).

Food for thought: Imagine you are a recruiter at a large firm and want to know more about the candidate (yourself) in order to make a decision about contacting them. Where would you go?

3. Resumé Resumé Resumé

I cannot stress the importance of having a crisp, clean, and effective resume. It is so important that I had to say it thrice for effect! If you think about it, this is the one document showcasing your lifetime’s worth of experiences and achievements. So spend some time and craft it wisely.

Tip: Avoid using online resume templates that have graphics and symbols as Application Tracking Systems (ATS) are usually unable to accurately parse non-text objects. Wherever possible, upload the file in a Word .docx or .pdf format.

4. Build a Network (a.k.a Make Friends with Professionals)

In the process of building your personal brand and resume, you will have gained a better understanding of where your strengths and interests lie. It’s a good time to then start thinking about how you can leverage this newfound awareness to connect with like-minded professionals in the area of your interest. LinkedIn can be a great place to start extending your network beyond your peers from school or coworkers from previous jobs. Reach out to industry experts with the sole purpose of seeking information, advice, and/or support on challenges and experiences — You may even end up learning about a job opportunity not published online.

Networking is a good way to get insight into the industry and gives you an opportunity to learn from others’ experiences. It is also a great way to practice ‘selling’ your personal brand to others.

5. Find Jobs (Literally!)

Okay! By now you will have laid the foundation for your job search. You look great on paper, you look great online, and have even managed to make trusted friends in organizations who can potentially vouch for your greatness! The next step is to actually perform the search. Indeed, Glassdoor and Randstad are some popular job boards. Personally, LinkedIn is my most preferred platform when it comes to learning about different companies and job vacancies. I would also recommend attending career fairs to learn about companies that are actively hiring and/or companies that you would not have heard of otherwise. Once you’ve done your homework and shortlisted a set of target companies that you think would be a good fit, simply log in to their respective careers websites and start an application!

6. Customize your Resume and Cover Letter

Tailor your resume and cover letter with the keywords mentioned in the job description. This is particularly helpful in case companies are using AI tools to match candidates’ applications with the posted job description. Besides the benefit of passing AI checks, using the same jargon as the company can help the recruiter better understand how you could potentially add value to their team.

7. Be Open to Learning

Chances are there will be multiple job listings that match your interests exactly but you find that you only meet, say, 60% of their criteria for eligibility. Don’t be discouraged, but also avoid applying for it just to try your luck. Make an effort to close any gaps in your skillset by taking up online courses or by doing some extra reading on the side (this prepares you for more types of opportunities, in fact!). Hiring Managers appreciate when you go the extra mile to improve yourself.

In Conclusion

In all likelihood, you’ll be switching jobs a couple of times in your career, and having a framework that you can build from is super advantageous. Hopefully, I’ve been able to help you lay the foundation for the journey you’re about to embark on with this post. I wish I could tell you that there was one tried-and-tested job-hunt strategy that works for everyone, but unfortunately, there isn’t :(

Rest assured, you will learn something new in this process — something that’s unique to your own journey. It’s all onward and upward thereafter. Good luck!

If you found this information helpful, or know a friend who might benefit from the same, let them know by sharing this link. You can also subscribe to my YouTube or find me on Instagram @krithisudhir where I will be sharing insightful content on similar topics and strategies that helped me get set up for success. Thank you