Aspirants seeking to launch their careers in Canada are keen to know about how to get job in Canada from India. Here is Himanshu Reddy (33 years), a native of Andhra Pradesh in India who immigrated to Canada in 2022 summer and shares his journey of navigating the job market, surpassing struggles, and getting a job in his selected field.
Personally, it did not take much time for him to get accustomed to the new home owing to Canada’s multiethnic society and large Indian community. However, the professional front did have its challenges.
Exploring a place to stay in Toronto
“I arrived in Canada – Toronto in July 2022 and on my mind were 2 big priorities. Firstly, I had to locate a place to stay and secondly I had to get a job. I did not have any job offer in my hand when I arrived here and knew that it was a leap of faith. I was confident about my skills and capabilities and so decided to move to Canada and explore the job market.
For starting my accommodation search, I looked in AIRBNB but the costs were skyrocketing as I searched. I was assured that this was not the platform for me. Later, I checked on a website known as HOMESTAYS. Here I came across a family who was looking to rent out a bedroom in their house. It was a great option location-wise as I had to walk just 5 minutes for reaching the public transport.
Familiarizing with the job market in Canada
The job market in Canada was completely new to me and I had to explore what traits the employers were seeking in a candidate. I got to know that I needed Certifications, something which was innovative to me. Such requirements are not much heard of in India.
Many small niches are there in Digital Marketing and I have experience in all of these. Canada has both Specialist and Generalist roles in this field. I belong to the latter and so had to get certified in all those niches for proving my expertise.
This was among the major challenges for me as it was unexpected given my experience in India where employers only stressed past work experience. However, I understood that I have moved to a new nation and had to prove my competencies.
The organization known as ACCES Employment helped me in exploring the available options and assisted me in integrating into the job market in Canada. They offered me a 6-week Certification Course jointly managed by Humber College. It helped me in understanding the job market, workplace ethics, and work culture in Canada.
Doors opened by narrowing the job focus
Initially, my job search was very tough and it took around 3 months. I was applying to job positions but was not receiving even initial connect invites from HR. However, after some months, I understood that as a Generalist also I had to taper the focus of my CV.
I may well not try to do everything and had to become more specific in highlighting what I was looking for. I had to customize my Resume for the specific job role and nothing more. This was the turning point for me.
The change made a big difference as I got many interviews and opened avenues for connecting with individuals in the industry. Additionally, ACCES offered me the opportunity to attend a virtual accelerated mentoring event. I could speak with various mentors working for diverse companies each for 10 minutes in this.
Familiarizing with Canadian culture
Cross-border movement across nations is not an easy task, particularly when it is from a developing nation to a developed one. The scale is altogether different. I discovered that what was perceived as good or bad by Canadians was all good to me!
When I heard people in Canada complaining about traffic, I would think they have seen nothing. It may take a while for figuring out all the divergences between developed and developing nations. However, I am trying to get maximum exposure to the culture in Canada for grasping things quicker.
For me, knowing the culture in Canada is more crucial than remaining within my community and culture. I have explored the cultures in India already and thus in Canada, my focus is to mingle with people from other cultures.
On Saturdays, I make it a point to visit downtown Toronto for playing board games at bubble tea and attending events hosted by the cocktail lounge. The people I came across here at my new home and in other places are very polite and nice. Adjusting was problem-free as there are smiling faces everywhere”.
Connect with Overseas Career Experts at Nationwide Visas to know more about how to get job in Canada from India.
