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I have been looking for jobs in Toronto for almost 2 months and so far feel nothing but frustration.
I think I look good on paper, US Master's degree, Chartered Financial Analyst, 3 years industry experiences, very fluent English, communicate with people well. Three recruiters were happy to meet me and offered to help me in the process, and I have submitted like 50 resumes, but got ZERO interviews so far.
I heard that the majority of Canadian employers will require "Canadian experience" before even thinking about giving you an interview, which I suppose is my biggest weakness. However, how can I have any without anyone giving me some chance?
One other thing is that I look mostly at banking/investment area, which could be tougher to get in than say IT or engineering.
Anyone could give me some advise on how to get some local experience? If it is a good employer, I am even willing to do it for free for some time, just to meet the prerequisites about the local experience thing.
I mostly apply online for those jobs. Is it an efficient way, or should I try others such as mail or fax or call? Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
The next time someone asks you for Canadian experience, ask them where you can buy some, since you aint going to get one soon. Or better, tell them you got better skills which should not be overshadowed by such national divide. It did work for me 2 years ago.
Yes, its bad but dont give up. It aint that bad either. I have been through that same thing before. Try a bit harder and you will succeed.
Best of luck. Tell me if I can do something to help.
I mostly apply online for those jobs. Is it an efficient way, or should I try others such as mail or fax or call? Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.
You are doing the right things. You also may want to try using an executive recruiter. Experience specifically with Canadian companies is only an issue with some employers and select fields.
The hardest part is trying to find a Canadian company that cannot find a suitable Canadian candidate for a position and is willing to go through the hassle of helping someone through the immigration process.
I had zero Canadian work experience before I came up here. It can be done. You just need to find that job that matches your experience perfectly.
Also a small suggestion. Sort the jobs on the jobsites which you think will probably hire you. This will save time, increase chances and help you apply to more jobs where you can probably be hired.
Also Try to contact recruiters like Kelly services.
Thanks for the inputs. I am actually a Canadian PR and don't need sponsorship. I guess many employers, especially banks/financial institutions are really picky about the applicants' local experience, and I understand and respect that. However, it is just making our job searching so much harder Guess I just need to try even harder.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZX14TJ
You are doing the right things. You also may want to try using an executive recruiter. Experience specifically with Canadian companies is only an issue with some employers and select fields.
The hardest part is trying to find a Canadian company that cannot find a suitable Canadian candidate for a position and is willing to go through the hassle of helping someone through the immigration process.
I had zero Canadian work experience before I came up here. It can be done. You just need to find that job that matches your experience perfectly.
I am going through the same hell! I left a $70K job in the US in finance to return to Canada only to be dumped on. Firstly it was the custom folks that fleece you at the border on vehicle importation (I was gone for ten yrs yo!). Even renting a dicent apartment is like pulling teeth. I had an interviewer told me I was hired only to call me the following day to say that they found an equally qualified internal candidate today. I don't get this city, everything is wierd!
~One more month of this crap and I am moving to Vancouver.
Will moving to Vancouver solve the problem? There are fewer finance jobs in Vancouver, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by titan5576
I am going through the same hell! I left a $70K job in the US in finance to return to Canada only to be dumped on. Firstly it was the custom folks that fleece you at the border on vehicle importation (I was gone for ten yrs yo!). Even renting a dicent apartment is like pulling teeth. I had an interviewer told me I was hired only to call me the following day to say that they found an equally qualified internal candidate today. I don't get this city, everything is wierd!
~One more month of this crap and I am moving to Vancouver.
Will moving to Vancouver solve the problem? There are fewer finance jobs in Vancouver, right?
Well the unemployment rate is lower in Vancouver (4.2% < 6.7%) so there will be fewer competition for the fewer jobs. A friend at BMO told me that they recieve on average 3K applications for typical finance jobs. I worked for a large bank in Chicago and we usually get about 80 applications per job. 3K applications tells me that people are desperate and are just applying for all jobs hoping that one sticks. I tried a recruiter also but they never get the good jobs because they are only hired to fill jobs that nobody else wants i.e a job in the middle of nowhere with little pay.
3K vs 80? Are you serious! Jesus, and Canada claims short of labor! Do you know what's the job market like in Vancouver, especially in banking and financial services sector? I know finding the right job will take a long time, but 3000 applications, that's just insane!
Thank God, I got a JOB OFFER and will be working for the Ontario Government in Aug! I am so excited about this cuz it was my first interview and I made it.
They do read the resumes after all! Now I can call Toronto my new home
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Guess I just need to try even harder. 
