Kate Malcolm, founder of The Newcomer Collective and Bloom Digital talks about the stress of the job search in Canada for immigrants – because it is simply not spoken about enough.
When I moved from England to Ontario in 2017, I thought I was prepared for everything coming my way. I’d confidently drafted a list of all my ‘to-dos’ and got to work proudly checking off each item: Apply for a Social Insurance Number ✔ Open a bank account ✔ Find accommodation ✔ Buy a winter coat ✔ Sign up for a phone plan ✔
…. Find a job.
I quickly discovered that this particular task on my list was anything but simple. Before my big move, I’d assumed that my successful Event Management career would be easy to replicate in a new country. Instead, this part of my life (and identity) was about to be one of my biggest challenges yet.
Turns out, my new rural location, complete lack of network, and unfamiliarity with how the hiring process actually works in Canada, resulted in me wasting hours of my life applying for jobs online. I found myself considering huge, unrealistic commutes, never hearing back from employers, and ultimately working jobs that I secretly hated.
Why was this SO hard?
I started to lose confidence in myself and my abilities. What was wrong with my resume?
My career has always been such a big part of who I was, and now it felt like I was back to square one. Had I made a huge mistake moving here?
If you’re feeling the same way, it’s important to know that you are not alone.
Over the past 8 years, I’ve completely pivoted my career and now work closely with other newcomers to Canada – via The Newcomer Collective – as we share the honest ups and downs of rebuilding our lives abroad … And can you guess what is consistently the biggest area of struggle that I see newcomers facing? That’s right. The job search.
The constant rejection. The stress of financial uncertainty. The identity loss as you try to find your new place in an unfamiliar professional world. There is so much self-doubt and frustration surrounding the job search in Canada for immigrants – and it is a story that doesn’t get told enough.
So if you take ONE thing from this article today, please know that finding meaningful employment is extremely difficult for many of us newcomers. It’s not just you.
It may be a struggle that you never expected, but it should never affect your sense of self-worth. Remember: You have so much to offer, and it takes only ONE person to meet or ONE door to open, to kickstart your success. It just takes time and dedication, and you’ve already come so far.
So what can you do, starting today, to boost your morale AND hiring chances?
- Don’t rely on job boards. Seek out connection.
If your job search strategy solely consists of applying via online job boards like Indeed, chances are your application is getting lost among the hundreds of other submissions. Trust me: I was a recruiter here in Canada and was swamped by applications.
Instead, try to think outside the box: How can you make yourself stand out in your industry? Where can you meet other professionals so that your job search feels less isolated?
Here are some ideas:
- Connect with people on LinkedIn who work for your target companies. Meaningfully engage with their posts, avoid generic “copy & paste” greeting messages, and post regularly about your industry whilst tagging all relevant people and organizations.
- Actively showcase your knowledge and skills! Is there a speaking opportunity you can sign up for? Could you start a podcast or a blog? Is there a local club, group, or society that you could join or start? Maybe you could create a portfolio of your work or offer services for free to a select few? There are many possibilities.
- Finally, don’t forget about the power of volunteering to get your foot in the door, build your “Canadian work experience”, and gain referrals.
- Shift your job search mindset
What if “starting your career from scratch” doesn’t have to be a bad thing?
One of my ‘New to Canada’ podcast guests, Malek Aljabari, has a truly inspiring knack for looking at every job as a learning opportunity and doing whatever it takes to succeed.
When Malek moved to Canada from Jordan in 2016 with his wife and 1-year-old daughter, he had just $120 in his pocket. He has since progressed from a Domino’s and Uber employee, to a successful Engineering role, to now a proud Entrepreneur. You can listen to the episode here.
Malek reminds us that we are so much more than our careers and that every opportunity, small or large, is a chance to meet new people, integrate into Canadian culture, and build up our life experiences.
During the stress of job searching, it can be easy to forget the VALUE that we offer… Here are some important reminders:
- Your international work experience is an asset. Read that again.
- You can offer an organisation a fresh perspective, as well as diverse knowledge of different cultures, people, and work ethics.
- You are resilient, adaptable and flexible. You’ve moved your whole life overseas and so can deal with any corporate curveballs with flair.
- Perhaps you can speak multiple languages…
- AND you have bucket loads of ambition. You set a goal to move to Canada and you made it happen. You aren’t afraid of challenges and are so incredibly brave.
So if you’ve been feeling a little lost recently, I hope this serves as a reminder of your strength. Many newcomers to Canada struggle with the emotional toll that rebuilding your career brings. Acknowledge the challenge, know that you’re not alone, and take comfort that it is just one part of your immigration journey.
The unique skills and experiences that you offer will soon be making waves – I just know it.
Kate Malcolm is Founder, The Newcomer Collective and Bloom Digital. After living and working in 5 different countries, she finally swapped her busy English city life for rural Canadian lakefront living. 8 years later, she now helps newcomers to Canada ditch the overwhelm of rebuilding their lives abroad, and connect them with other internationals who are on the same journey.
