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Immigration Job Search TipsHint: Immigrant Hopefuls Should Prepare Customized Canadian Résumés
Globalization trends and skill shortages enable immigrants who do their homework to fast-track their applications towards career opportunities in Canada.
Relying on shady local human resources agencies or unscrupulous overseas immigration consultants sometimes costs unwary international job seekers their life savings for little or nothing in return. To uncover high-paying job opportunities in Canada, prospective immigrants must plan their job searches both early and carefully. Online Career Coach for ImmigrantsJob-related resources are readily available globally. Daisy Wright, one of the most successful immigrants ever to forge multiple career paths in Canada, has published an online career survival guide No Canadian Experience, Eh? to help worldwide job searchers break into the Canadian job market. Career Professionals of Canada recently awarded Daisy with the Outstanding Canadian Career Leader Award. Since 1995, Daisy has personally coached thousands of clients from different cultures on how to fine-tune powerful résumés that specifically target hiring managers in Canada. Source Countries for Canadian ImmigrantsAccording to the Migration Policy Institute, Canada welcomed about 240,000 immigrants in 2004. Canada is most reliant on immigrants from developing nations led by China (15.8% of total immigrants), India (12%), the Philippines (5.9%) and Pakistan (5.5%). Other top 10 source countries include Iran (2.8%), the United States (2.7%), Romania (2.5%), the United Kingdom (2.3%), South Korea (2.3%) and Colombia (2%). Job Search Tips for New CanadiansMontreal-based Institute for Research on Public Policy reveals that, five years after arriving in Canada, only a third of immigrants with professional experience had found a relevant position. Many of the 180 source countries for immigrants have a primary language other than English. However, many of these countries do speak English, while others have access to English language training either locally or online. Resources like No Canadian Experience, Eh? enable prospective immigrants looking for a new life in Canada to effectively take control of their personal job searches. This initiative demands time, focus and research - but can be accomplished while candidates are still in their home countries. International job seekers are urged to have their professional credentials assessed for their equivalent value in the Canadian job market well before departing for Canada. Customized Canadian RésumésOne way to directly connect with the Canadian business opportunities is to develop a résumé (also called a curriculum vitae) that specifically addresses the needs of the Canadian job market. For example, the career survival guide shows an international audience how to customize a Canadian résumé. Each component of writing a résumé with pertinent, easily accessed information is clearly and thoroughly discussed. One great tip is to replace the standard Career Objective section at the top of the résumé with a Professional Profile like the one below that concisely specifies critical accomplishments and skills for a technical writer. Professional Profile Over 15 years of experience developing effective communication solutions for insurance, systems and marketing clients. Contribute individual initiative and strong work ethic to project teams that value world-class documentation. Incisive systems diagramming skills complement demonstrable writing and editing abilities. Other Immigration Job Search TipsSince many Canadian employers receive a high volume of résumés, having a powerful first page is extremely important. One effective combination résumé starts with a list of recent accomplishments immediately under the Professional Profile section. Recent accomplishments are then grouped under subheadings based on deliverable categories like Technical Writing, Creative Writing and Presentations. Strong action verbs like communicate, design, develop, diagram, standardize and verify should be used throughout. The résumé must also have strong keywords that often come from requirements and deliverables specified in an employer’s job descriptions. Keyword examples for a technical writing position that requires both English and French language skills might include excellent communication skills, plain language user manuals, bilingual technical release notes and detailed design documents. Canadian Bridge Training Programs Because of a shortage in skills particularly in the trades, many Canadian employers offer immigrant transition and bridge training programs. Some like the Ontario government’s Work in Your Profession program can help internationally trained individuals move quickly into the Canadian labour market.
The copyright of the article Immigration Job Search Tips in Globalization is owned by Daniel Workman. Permission to republish Immigration Job Search Tips in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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