Job Search

5 easy tips on how to get Canadian

experience
Connel Valentine Sep 23, 2017

Here'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 start to giggle until you realize that you were once the driver, or you might be in his
place very soon.

You are about to make one of the biggest decisions of your life.

It requires Courage. Sacrifice. And every ounce of motivation you can muster.

Leaving your home country, your family and friends, the place you created so many life-
long memories are not easy.

And like any critical life choices, you want some assurances that you're making the right
one.

Is graduating from this college going to set me up for my future?

Is he the one that's going to make me happy for the rest of my life?

Is Canadian experience going to keep me unemployed when I move to Canada?

The Canadia experience issue has been a double edge sword for many immigrants for a
long time - No Canadian experience, no job. No job, no Canadian experience. It's a vicious
circle that has kept talented professionals unemployed or underemployed.

New Canadians are wondering why there were approved for permanent residency with
their industry, only to be rejected with a "No Canadian experience" stamp at job
interviews.

But this dilemma goes much deeper than that.

We are going to uncover the Candian experience barrier and explore five ways you can
obtain this biased credential and get the job you deserve to have.
Let's first take a moment to understand what Canadian experience is because it's not
what you think.

Understand the disconnection

Let's start from the beginning.

You were approved for permanent residency with your credentials as you were classified
with the right NOC, and you got your college or university certificate attested by WES.

Yet, job offers never turned up. Heck, even job interviews never happened.

And for the few times when you did get an interview, you heard the dreaded "You don't
have enough Canadian experience" or "Have you not done this in Canada?"

And then you start to question the whole immigration process, screaming self-doubt,
false hopes and even feeling cheated out of a better life.

Let's do a reality check for a quick second.

Your resume already shows you have not worked in Canada before. If Canadian
Experience just means working in Canada, why did they call you for the interview in the
first place?

Hiring managers have three things in mind when they interview you:

1. Can you solve the problem I have?

2. Can I get along with you?
3. Can you fit in with this company and my team?

Do you see any connection between their questions and the immigration process?

No.

So even if the Canadian government welcomes you to the country or the Ontario Human
Rights Commission (OHRC) is putting a policy (not law) in place to curb the Canadian
experience problem, if you can't successfully answer these three questions for the hiring
manager, you don't get the job.

Now you might be thinking "I don't have Canadian Experience, but I have international
experience. I have dealt with countries and continents like India, UK, Middle East and
Africa, Europe...."

Yes, the reach of your experience is impressive.

Doesn't count for much in Canada.

Unless you are targetting Canadian companies that deal with the rest of the globe, that
experience does not matter.

North America is a sufficiently large enough market for most Canadian companies to be
content with.

As a hiring manager, if I have to choose between the candidate that has 10 years of
experience dealing with North American clients versus a candidate that has 10 years of
experience dealing with clients on the other side of the globe, I'd most probably go with
the first candidate.

My personal definition of Canadian Experience is as follows:

A hiring manager's perception of your soft skills and knowledge of Canadian workplace
culture

Let's expand on that.

Understanding Soft Skills and Workplace Culture

Communication plays the biggest role in a team's culture.

The hiring manager knows this.

Langage barriers are seen as a big hurdle in any team environment.

Discussions, team meetings, water cooler gossip, arguments, and presenting ideas are
all sources of a team's progress and development.

And if you have someone on your team who does not communicate effectively, that's a
serious problem for the team's manager.

English and French are the country's spoken languages. If you don't converse well in
these languages, you most likely won't get past the interview.

If your English or French is not up to the mark, fortunately, the Canadian government is
here to help.

The Ontario government, for example, offer Language Training for the
workplace (LTFW), to assist immigrants in finding work in a specific field by offering
sector-specific English as a second language (and French).

For all provinces, you can check the Canadian government website here.

Now you might be thinking that you won't have a communication problem because you
speak perfect English.
There's is more to communication than spoken language.

Recruiters have told me that many newcomers who are placed into jobs don't make it
past the probation period. The managers come back saying "They were not a good fit."

Here are two stories that provide examples of what "fit" means.

#1 A lesson learned in Canadian experience by a software developer

I recently met a newcomer to Canada at a LinkedIn event. She moved from India, where
she was a scrum mater team lead and has been working as a software developer in
Canada for one year.

She told me when she came to Canada, she could not find the same job.

With no further explanation beyond "You don't have enough Canadian experience", she
conceded to finding a job as a software developer and was part of a team.

She now realizes the vast difference in teamwork between India and Canada.

When I asked what was the biggest difference she said that in Canada you are expected
to have an open dialogue with your boss.

You have to speak up and voice your opinion. If you have a better idea than your boss,
you have to challenge him or her. If not, you will be perceived as lacking initiative.

When I asked her if she could go back 1 year, would she be able to lead a team in Canada
without this knowledge?

She smiled and admitted "No way. I'm glad I was part of this team for a year to learn
workplace culture."

#2 A lesson learned in Canadian experience by a Marine Sales Engineer

A former colleague of mine from Dubai came to Canada looking for work.

Whenever he was told he did not have Canadian experience, he would retaliate at the
hiring manager in frustration - "Why don't you tell me what you mean by Canadian
experience? Do you even know what that means?"

Needless to say, he would not get the job.

Finally, through effective networking (and career compromise), he found a job as a

Salesforce data analyst.

After 2 months into the job, I asked him "So how's it going?"
He replied, "I can't believe how different things are done around here. For every little
change I want to implement, I have to collaborate and get consensus with 5-6 different
departments.

"Back in my home country, if I wanted to get something done, once the boss says so, it's
gets done. Risks are accepted as part of the change."

"Out here, you have to work with other teams and negotiate every decision. You can't
rely on the word of the boss because it can be challenged."

I asked him, "So do you now know what they meant by Canadian experience?"

He laughed and said, "Why couldn't they just explain it to me this way during the
interview?"

Bridging the gap

When you touch down in Canada, you don't have Canadian experience.

Don't fight it. Accept it.

But you can change that. Here are five proven ways you can do that.

1. Volunteering

Companies may reject you, but I've yet to see an organization turn me down for a
volunteering opportunity.

When you volunteer your services, it's a great way to connect with Canadian
professionals and see first hand what this so-called "Canadian experience" is like.

You get to understand communication styles and professionally collaborate with others
in a professional manner.

These volunteering opportunities that you've taken advantage of goes a long way in your
resume and your LinkedIn profile.

Do include it there as a professional experience.

If you're suffering from the Canadian experience problem, and the hiring manager will
look at this and think - "OK, so this person does have some experience with professional
Canadian culture."

A good place to start with volunteering is looking through Volunteer Canada.

2. Internships
My cousin was looking for jobs in accounting.

After succumbing to the DIY approach, she eventually started a newcomers program
with COSTI at the end of which they placed her into an internship with a reputable
logistics company.

The person she was working for ended up leaving the company three months after she
joined, and she got the full-time job in her place.

10 months into the job and that company, unfortunately, filed for bankruptcy.

During her 2-week notice period, she updated her LinkedIn profile and let Canada know
she was available for a new opportunity.

Her phone would not stop ringing! In fact, she was rejecting recruiters.

A couple of months of Canadian experience on her resume was all she needed
to become completely in demand by the finance industry.

There are several newcomer service programs that will promise you an internship
position if you work hard at the program.

Just because it's free for you doesn't mean you slack off.

Tax dollars and private donations are paying for these courses so the management of
these programs want to make sure the government and private companies are providing
them a healthy budget with promising candidates.

I have personally hired candidates from a youth development program called NPower
Canada, trusted by some of the biggest companies in Canada with their intensive 16-week
program in customer service and IT development.

Take advantage of them!

3. Bridging Programs

If you are in a regulated industry, such as teaching, accounting, medical, engineering,

architecture, understand that these industries are governed by strict policies and
procedures.

Where I originally came from, my own family members suffered from medical
malpractice and the doctors got away with it Scott free.

Out here, in a regulated industry, a mistake can cost a company several hundreds of
thousands of dollars in a lawsuit.
If you are a manager in Canada, would you hire a doctor from a country where
malpractice has no repercussions?

Or if you were the principal of a school, would you hire a teacher from a country where
student abuse was ignored?

These bridging programs are here to help you understand the policies and regulations in
Canada in your regulated industry that hiring managers and companies in the field must
abide by.

Take on these bridging programs as early as possible to close the gap.

Many educational institutes like York University offer these.

4. Mentoring

A quote from one my favorite actors:

"If you lucky enough to do well, it's your responsibility to send the elevator back down." -
Kevin Spacey.

Canadians are big believers in paying it forward.

It took no more than a phone call from me to convince one of the senior directors in the
company I work for to have monthly 1 hour sessions with a junior staff member of my
team on how to come up as a network engineer.

Finding a Canadian mentor can be beneficial to your knowledge in understanding

Canadian workplace culture and the Canadian market in your industry.

MentorCity is a Canadian based organization dedicated to doing just that. You can
contact industry leaders over Skype or, more ideally, over a cup of coffee.

Everwise and Canada Infonet are mentoring sites that we have personally used ourselves
as well. When I immigrated to Canada, my mentor from Infonet was a project manager
from the banking industry who gave me valuable advice on Canadian work culture, my
resume, and job interview tips.

If you'd like to hear more about how to establish an effective mentoring relationship,
learn from the CEO of MentorCity. We interviewed him on our podcast here. (There's a
special bonus at the end for Zero2Hired readers)

5. Be explicit in your efforts

If you have taken the efforts of pursuing one or more of the above approaches in
obtaining Canadian experience, why hide it?
State it, loud and proud, in your cover letter.

A short brief statement like:

"I admittedly don't have experience working a full-time job in Canada as of yet as I'm an
ambitious newcomer to this country. My ambition has driven me to understand Canadian
workplace culture through volunteering and informational interviews with Canadian
mentors and I fully understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration in the
work environment."

What will happen if you don't admit this?

The hiring manager will form their own stories and opinions in their heads, and those
usually are not in your favor.

Supplement your new found Canadian Experience.

Once you have obtained Canadian experience with the above, be sure to take an active
approach to your job search strategy.

Local References - Till date, I get called and emailed by hiring managers or recruiters
about former employees who worked for me in Canada.

Asking for references is common practice in Canada, and if your references are not based
in Canada, that could be a problem.

This is why volunteering also adds value to your job search because you can use the
contacts that you've established as local references.

As a thank you for your free service, I'm sure that organizer of the volunteering event
would be happy to act as a reference for you if you asked.

Networking - You've heard it many times before and you'll hear it again from us.

Networking is the most important aspect of your job search.

It plays even more of a critical role when you have a Canadian experience problem.

As we stated earlier, when a hiring manager looks at a resume, and they see foreign work
experience, unconscious bias creeps into their mind.

They may automatically assume you have a communication problem and lack of
workplace cultural knowledge.

One quote from a job seeker from the OHRC survey even stated that he felt his
foreign name was working against him.
If there is one thing a resume cannot do is effectively portray your personality as well as
you can in person.

If you have a winning personality and are the best fit for the job, hiring managers will not
know this until they meet you.

So don't just spray and pray your resumes on the online job boards.

Get off the couch, and attend meetups.

Or Google your industry and search for association and communities that you can
become a part of and attend their events.

Local certification - If you can afford it, look for any certification from a local education
institute.

For example, project management is a transferable industry, as I like to call it. It's a skill
that most hiring managers appreciate, and it is taught in several local educational
institutes.

Likewise, find an educational program in Canada that's right for your job goals.

To some extent, this will positively be perceived as Canadian experience in the eyes of
the recruiter and hiring manager, as they see you being part of a professional Canadian
environment.

Your teachers can also provide references as an added bonus.

Look for companies embracing diversity

The good news is, with Canada's immigration population on the rise, companies are
starting to embrace diversity in the workplace.

Research and studies have shown that diversity actually improves business performance
and innovation.

Have a look at this list from Canadastop100 site that covers the top 100 companies
renowned for diversity in the workplace.

Take a targeted job search strategy and network with these companies and get into
direct contact with them to improve your chances of finding that next job.

Fear Not

We understand that immigrating to a new country can be one of the most challenging
times of your life.
A job search is a very stressful time, and it's even more stressful if you feel that your
suffering from something you cannot control.

I wish I could tell you that hiring managers are more open and honest about what they
mean by Canadian experience. Maybe they are too reluctant to admit it.

But now that you know more about the hidden truths behind it, the Canadian experience
problem is not out of your control anymore.

The above steps are achievable by anyone with ambition to succeed.

You have to find the courage to speak to strangers in a foreign land.

Use the same courage you had when you decided to make the move to Canada, knowing
that Canadians are ready and willing to help.

They are just waiting for you to ask.

Don't wait to become a victim of the Canadian experience problem.

Be the first generation Canadian that turns the doctors-driving-taxis story into a myth.

Want a free video on Canadian experience? Scroll back to the top and enter your email
address, and I'll email you the same résumé I used to get my last 3 jobs in Canada.

I'll also send you some really cool videos I made about:

 Canadianizing that résumé

 How I made professional network connections the "Canadian Way"

 The untold truth about Canadian experience that recruiters will never tell you

One crucial mistake newcomers make after getting the job

I recently spoke to a recruiter who worked for a public services recruitment agency, and she
surprised me with a newcomer fact:

"It is just as hard for newcomers to Canada to keep the job than to find it."

This was unexpected. Everyone talks about how Canadian experience doesn't get them past the
interview, but as it turns out, newcomers do get jobs, but many fail to get past the 6-month
probation period.

Apparently, a lot of hiring managers will admit to the recruitment agency that the candidate wasn't a
"good fit" with their team after a couple of months on the job.

I was intrigued. Surely a newcomer to Canada has the will and the drive to succeed at a new job in a
new country that they have sacrificed so much to come to.

It turns out that cultural differences are at play here. This post is about one difference that I have
personally experienced in my workplace and found myself needing to adapt to in order to survive -
self-driven initiative.

What is it?

It has many definitions:

- It's doing something without being told to do it

- It's directing a task without being given direction

- It's figuring it out on your own and keeping your manager "in the loop"

Why is there a difference?

A lot of newcomers to Canada come from cultures where the workplace structure is very
hierarchical. South Asians, Chinese, Philippines, and African immigrants have a workplace culture
where the bosses word is the law.

Little gets done without the bosses consent and direction. Only once this task is mapped out does
any work actually take place.

North Americans, however, have a different work culture. The organizations are more egalitarian.
Employees are seen and treated as equals and are expected to create and produce work with little
supervision and direction. They are expected to be responsible (and to some degree accountable)
for delivering results within their scope.

Your manager isn't going to be a sophisticated GPS spoon feeding you directions. They are going to a
compass telling you to head North, and you've got to figure out the turns on your own.

My personal experience

I work closely with a project manager who works with an outsourced Indian IT company based in
Canada.

Employees from this Indian company were flown down to our office from Bangalore to work on a 2-
year contract.

The biggest complaint I hear from the project manager, and this gets repeated several times
throughout the year, is that these employees will not make a decision unless you tell them to.
This frustrates not just the project manager, but the leadership team shares the same opinion as
well.

On the other hand, the one consistent compliment he pays them is that they are hardworking
and once told what to do, they will get it done with solid commitment. However, "They lack
initiative".

When I started out, I was waiting for a formal induction session or a one-on-one goal setting and
guidance session with my manager. It never came.

Occasionally, I was told that an issue arose and they would like me to manage it. That was all. Who
do I contact? Where do I go? What are your expectations for the outcome? What timelines do I
have? These are all the unanswered questions in my head that I was left to figure out on my own.

In time, I came to realize that this is the North American way. It reminded me of how my brother
taught me to swim - he just pushed me into the deep end of the pool and let me figure it out!

The manager-employee relationship

A Canadian manager will most likely expect you to be independent, at least certainly to a larger
degree than if you came from a culture that is hierarchical.

You are expected to be the subject matter expert at what you do. Therefore, you are responsible for
the actions and tasks assigned to you.

Your manager provides you guidance and suggestions and high-level goals for the task, but
ultimately, the outcome of your task and project is up to you.

You will face challenges along the way. You will have questions, you will need to know who to
contact and you will need technical guidance sometimes. Your first inclination should not be
to pester your boss every time you face a challenge. You must first ask yourself "How can I solve this
on my own?"

Use the tools you have at your disposal. Use the people you have around you to ask questions.
Do the due diligence needed on your own first and leave your boss' intervention as a lifeline only.

What does this have to do with the probation period?

Newcomers to Canada who have followed a hierarchical work culture in the past will find themselves
pinging their manager more often than the manager would like.

The manager's perception starts to wither, and they start to see the employee as more of a nuisance
now.

Moreover, while the employee waits for orders from the boss, the manager feels that the employee
lacks initiative.

In Canada, it is not uncommon to hear the manager say "I don't know" or "What do you think?" or
"You need to figure it out". In North America, this is in fact perceived as signs of good leadership,
because the manager is trusting their employee with the responsibility for the decision.
Most Canadian managers don't want their employees to have a "Yes Sir" attitude. At one of my
interviews, the hiring manager asked me to role play with him. He was going to give me an
instruction, and I was supposed to challenge him and convince him that it was the wrong decision!
This was his test.

To get past the probation period, look to your manager as an equal, without compromising on
respect and their authority. They will expect you to voice your opinion and express your concerns
directly to them and in team meetings.

You're not in a car with your manager in the driver's seat. You are both rowing a boat in the same
direction.

Hiring managers are very conscious of this vital 6-month probation period for full-time employees
because once the employee survives this first lap, it is not legally and administratively easy to fire a
full-time employee without just cause.

This keeps the smart hiring manager on high alert for those crucial first 6 months to make sure their
new hire is a good fit for themselves and for the team.

You need to be on high alert too.

#1 Misunderstanding what Canadian Experience means

Almost everyone was talking about Canadian experience. They even had a panel discussion
about it.

One woman came up to the mic and was angry at the Canadian system. You could
hear the frustration in her voice - “How can I get Canadian Experience if I don’t have a job? I
have been looking for a job for 8 YEARS!”

After her 10 minute rant about Canadian experience, I asked random people “Would you hire
that person?” They all regretfully said “No way!”

A lot of people think that Canadian experience is about working in Canada. It is not! This is
my personal definition of Canadian experience:

A hiring manager’s perception of your soft skills and knowledge of Canadian work culture.
One peculiar observation: A lot of people were saying they were getting calls for interviews,
but it never converted to a job.

Think about it, if you got called for a job interview, the hiring manager already knows you
have not worked in Canada from your resume. Why would he or she call you for the
interview if this was a problem?

What most likely happened was that during the interview, the candidate failed to demonstrate
the soft skills that the job desired. Either communication skills were falling short, or they
downplayed their accomplishments when asked to talk about professional experience (using
too much "we" instead of "I")

One recruiter told me that some people she interviews don’t even make eye contact when
they speak. "They seem more interested in my shoes than in the conversation."

In the case of the ranting woman above, it’s not Canadian experience that was her issue, but
her wounded attitude. If she reveals even a sliver of that attitude during an interview, she will
never get hired. Canadian’s hire problem solvers, not complainers.

At this stage in the interview, the manager will politely and indirectly turn you down (maybe
even fear a discriminatory lawsuit) and they default to “You don't have Canadian experience”
or “You are overqualified”, when what they really mean is “Your English is not up to the
mark” or “You have the wrong attitude for my team” or “Based on your stories it doesn't
sound like you accomplished a lot”.

I was in a panel discussion myself talking about my experience as a newcomer. A gentleman

at the back of the room told me that whenever he goes into an interview, he is always told
that he is “overqualified”.

I gave him advice on how to tackle an “overqualified” problem, but when he spoke to me I
knew straight away what his problem was, but I felt uncomfortable to tell him in front of the
whole room.
Unfortunately, he did not privately speak to me after the talk, else I would have told him
“Interviewers are telling you you’re overqualified because they are hesitant to tell you the
real reason - it’s your English”. His English fell way below the mark for Canadian standards.

I’m not saying this is the fault of the candidate. This behavior stems from the culture of the
country they came from. Maybe English is not their first language. Maybe in their
culture highlighting personal accomplishments is considered selfish and credit must always
be shared with the manager and the team. Maybe it’s in their culture to remain silent and not
make eye contact out of respect.

The bottom line is, you need to understand how Canadians think and what hiring managers
and recruiters expectations are to get past the Canadian experience problem.

Unless you do the research or ask the right people who aren't afraid to give you an honest
answer and most importantly upgrade your English language skills, skilled immigrants will
continue to complain about not getting jobs.