Help for internationally-trained IT professionals

When you planned on immigrating to Canada, you might not have considered the challenges of getting your Information Technology credentials recognized and finding a job in the field.

You may have arrived in Canada with several years of hands-on experience and internationally-recognized professional qualifications. But after your first job interview, you probably realize that Canadian experience and international credentials are the stumbling blocks you’d have to overcome to find employment in IT. After sending out dozens of résumés, browsing job websites over and over, and going to a series of interviews, you may find the world becoming pretty depressing.

But there is help. The following steps, gathered from experience, will help you to overcome the obstacles, and find the IT job you’re looking for in Canada.

Step 1:

It is very important to find your specific occupation or job title before initiating the job hunt. Some occupations have different names in Canada than they do in other countries. Visit the website of Human Resources and Skills Development to map your occupation against the National Occupational Classification.

Most IT professionals require the following qualifications to work in Canada:

• A Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related discipline, or a college program in computer science.
• Several years of experience in the IT industry.
• A Master’s degree or Doctorate with supervisory experience, if you’re applying for management and engineering positions.

Some IT professionals may require special certification provided by software vendors (Microsoft, Oracle, Etc.). Requirements vary, depending on employers. The following is a list of some occupations that may require special certification, education or licensing:

• Informatics/ IT/System consultant
• Computer Systems/Business/Security/MIS/QA Analyst
• Systems Auditor
• Database Administrator (DBA)
• Database Analyst/Architect
• Computer Engineers/Technicians (Hardware)

Read more at http://www.cnmag.ca/help-for-internationally-trained-it-professionals/

Job Search Strategies: Searching the Smarter Way

by Shabnum Budwhani

“I have sent over 200 resumes in a month and haven’t received a single call.”

As counselors we hear these and other such comments very frequently from our clients who are newcomers to Canada. What you need to understand is that Job Search is an art. You have to learn successful job search skills so that you can get the best results and be successful in the labour market. If you produce a single resume and send that same resume out to many different employers it will probably not help you to get a job. It will only increase your sense of failure. In order to gain best results job search must be part of a well-planned strategy. It must be targeted.

Remember in school we learned about Darwin ‘s law of “Survival of the fittest” – well, it is true even today. There is a lot of competition in the job market and you have to always try to put your best foot forward and to fight hard so that employers notice you. When people immigrate to a new country they expect things and life to be different from what they are used to in their home countries. The culture, food habits, social customs, the education system, the weather – everything is going to be very different from what you are used to and have grown up with. Well, the labour market is going to be different too.

Job search methods are different from country to country. The way you look for a job may be different from what you are used to in your country. For example, in some countries it may be very important for employers as to which University or College you graduated from but in some other places you may get more credit for your past experience and work history. In some other places it may be just a matter of knowing the right person and having the right contact. So when people immigrate to Canada they may not be aware of the importance of resumes and what role they can play in helping you to find a job. Volunteering is another thing that is very important in Canada, but in some countries the idea of volunteering to find a job may not be a very common method.

For more information visit: http://www.cnmag.ca/job-search-strategies-searching-the-smarter-way/