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Will I Get A Job In My Own Profession?

How to get a job in Canada as an Accountant, Engineer, Teacher, Lawyer, Recruiter etc. after getting PR for Canada.

When moving to Canada, this is the biggest concern for Skilled Immigrants.

There’s a sad Canadian joke: What’s the safest place to have a heart attack?

At the back of a Canadian taxi, because the driver is most probably a doctor from a foreign country.

You might have heard such horror stories but you are going to be the generation to break this myth as, I am going to share with you the No.1 strategy that will prepare you in advance to get the job in your own profession which is

#1 STRATEGY – KNOW YOUR OCCUPATION

IS YOUR OCCUPATION REGULATED OR NON-REGULATED ?

In Canada there are 2 types of occupations –

1) Regulated – This requires licensing or certification to work in your field for example doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, teachers etc.

2) Non-Regulated – This does not require any certification for example administration, human resource manager or sales and marketing.

You can check this from the JOBBANK WEBSITE of Canada in 3 STEPS.

Step – 1 Explore the market by Occupation

Step – 2 Enter your NOC CODE

Lets say your NOC code is 1111, now choose your title from the list that drops down below in the occupation field and then enter the region and province where you have decided to land.

Lets say you want to go to Halifax region of Nova Scotia, click on search

Step – 3 Click on Requirements

Scroll down to Professional Certification and Licensing, this part allows you to see if your profession is Regulated or Non-regulated.

Continuing with example of Accountants- You can notice that the occupation is regulated and this tool is so good that it even gives you the names of the organizations you can contact to learn more about the licensing process.

Now think for a Moment……..

We take this big decision of migrating to Canada with a long term perspective.

and I would encourage you that if your occupation is regulated and if your long term goal is to get licensed in Canada in order to grow in your career then please take your very next step at this very point and contact the licensing board in the province you wish to settle in to learn about the licensing process,required documents, any exams that you may have to give, admission deadlines and have an idea as to cost of the whole process.

This will not only save you a lot of time involved in the registration process but will also allow you to arrange for any documents needed from your educational institutions because its easy to do all these formalities while you are still in your home country.

Now the question is if your occupation is regulated then how will you get a job on landing??

Here’s a secret that I even learned after coming to Canada. shhhhhh!!!!!!!

Most of the Canadian companies offer internships and articleships to people who are in the process of getting certification in their professions or even if you are not enrolled yet but intend to do so and you let those employers know about your future plans they will still consider you for internship roles.

Eg CPA firms, Law firms, Doctors they all hire interns so its best to apply for internship roles which will not only give you the experience in your own field in Canada but will also pay for your cost of living.

And if you are not interested in getting licensed you can consider of entering into alternative careers where you can work without a license by leveraging your transferable skills.

For example, as you have seen that the occupation of an accountant is regulated but if you don’t want to get licensed, you can choose to start working as an Accounting assistant or a Junior or senior accountant depending on your experience.

So you can start searching for relevant positions that just requires your education background in the same field with relevant experience without any certification.

And if your occupation is unregulated then you don’t have to go through the hassle of re-licencing and re-examination and will be able to find a job as per your experience

But keep on upgrading your skills which will prepare you for the Canadian Job Market.

By upgrading what I mean is, do some research for your job title by going to job search websites like Indeed or Ziprecruiter or LinkedIn and go through 5 to 10 jobs postings and read the job descriptions and requirements that employers are looking for in a candidate.

For example- There might be a new software or technology that employers expect you to work on or may be there are some skills that the candidate must have like Advanced knowledge of Microsoft excel or Excellent communication skills or proficient in using Microsoft Outlook.

Make a list of these skills and then start learning them online.

I will share my personal experience with you, being an accountant, when I had gone through this same process, I found that I need to learn a particular accounting software for the job that I was aiming for. I enrolled myself in an online course to learn that software while I was in my home country, So what this learning did for me?

It made my resume stand out from my competitors,
Boosted up my confidence when I started applying for jobs

and the interviewers noticed that although I am a newcomer, I am not unfamiliar with this particular software which gave me an edge and I was seen as a proactive person who is ready to learn new things and this attitude was one of the reasons that I landed 5 job offers in 30 days of landing.

So, you already have the experience and the education, you just need to take the right steps at the right time.

And keep in mind that whether your profession is regulated or unregulated if you apply with the right job search strategies, you will definitely be able to get a job quickly as soon as you land in your desired profession and it all starts with drafting a Canadian Style Resume.

I am giving away my Interview winning Canada Resume Format.