How To Get A Job In Canada

The most important goal after completing the Masters degree would be to have a job offer in hand for financial and quick growth in career. In this post i would be explaining various factors that influence and are needed to be taken into account before applying for a job and how to actually apply for one. The right approach will save you the time and your search towards the position you are willing to work as.

When we start to think about the job there are a lot of obvious and important question popping up in our mind.

1.       When is the right time

2.       Necessary Documents/Skills required

3.        Where to search & how to apply

I) When is the right time:

The first thought and the important part where most of the people do the mistake is this section. The recommended time to start searching/applying for jobs is from the start of your last semester or the right way to put through is,  at least 3 months earlier from the day your last exam will be over.

Reason:

1.       You would be well in advance to think about where you stand.

2.       The field and the position you are really interested in.

3.       what skill set you posses and the skills you would need to fit into the position you want to apply to

4.       the GPA you currently have and what's required.

5.       Based on my personal experience it takes atleast 2 to 3 weeks for a company to review your resume and reply if they are interested to interview you. 3 months is a nominal time frame for you and the companies to have a look into your resume and reply back so that by the time you complete your degree, you might have a job or at least might have had some exposure towards interviews and the nature and expectation in the interviews.

 II) Necessary Documents/Skills required

The requirements are pretty much straightforward and this would be another important step students should be careful about. You would need the following

1.       resume (A resume has to be unique & relevant for every position you apply to)

An updated resume is the key. First of all the resume has to be in the Canadian format. 2 pages maximum. List out your skills, experience so far, skills, projects and finally you extra curricular work if you have space. You can also include the project that you are working on in the current semester. list out the important and relevant projects only. just a few bullet points on what it is and your contribution in it.

2.       appropriate skill set

The first few things on a resume that is must is your skill set. Mention your skills both technical, software/hardware separately and make it clear understandable. A glimpse on it should explain a lot about your knowledge.

3.       work experience

It is always a big advantage to have work experience when you apply for the job. And please mention it if it is relevant to the job position you are applying to. List out the projects you were working on in the company and the important roles and work. Crisp and clear. And place the work experience on your first page of resume/CV.

4.       internship/co-op

Internship/Co-op in a company is a boost to your resume. It adds another few points to your resume. You explain the part of the work you were involved in and how far you worked while you did the internship/co-op.

5.       GPA

It is always and highly recommended to have atleast 3 GPA or more when applying to companies. That is the qualification criteria. Incase if your GPA is less and if you are planning to raise it by the current semester, you can still apply for companies without mentioning it but make sure you explain it to your interviewer if asked for it.

6.       project works

Mention only the relevant and the few best projects you worked on and your contribution in it. mention the technologies that were used and the methodologies that was adapted in doing the project. crisp and clear bullet points are enough to do the deeds.

III)  Where to search & how to apply

First update your linkedin profile with all the stuffs you have got and mention everything in detail, there is no limit in linkedin for the space you occupy.  You can search for jobs in linkedin by clicking on the jobs tab. and you can type the position you want to look for and apply either on the linkedin site or sometimes the link will redirect you to their company website. Next main job search engine is indeed.ca , this has been successful for many people  i know personally. First upload your updated resume in indeed, with this you have 1/4 chance for companies to look for your resume and call you for interview. Next search for the desired job and apply for the positions(based on the match with your skill set and experience level). In some of the universities you have the university job board where you can apply for the jobs directly(highly recommended).  Other job search engines are, workopolis, monster, jobs.ca, carrerbuild.ca, canadajobs.com etc.

Once you have applied for the job please have patience and work for the semester as well as do some projects side by side to keep you occupied until you are being contacted by an interviewer. Please mention only what you know and what you have done in your resume. Make it clear and easy for interviewer to understand and have an idea about you. It depends on an individual and his knowledge level of getting selected in the interviews. Even if you fail in one or more of the interviews don't feel bad, it just gives you a hope that you are inching closer to your desired one. Learn from your mistakes, understand the requirements in an interview and always be neat and tidy for an interview. Always show a progress in every interview you appear for.

Author Bio

"beta" is currently working in Canada as a front end web developer and is an avid blogger and reader of this blog. If you have any questions regarding higher education in Canada post your question here and he will be willing to help and guide you in your pursuit for Masters in Canada.