Jobs from east to west - Minto Roy Blog Entry
Living in Vancouver has given me great insight about life and business on the West Coast. However, the 25 years I spent in Toronto has provided an intimate knowledge of the vast differences and similarities facing immigrants on both sides of this great nation.
Every week in Vancouver I meet frustrated professional immigrants telling me that they are ready to abandon the West Coast to seek career success in Toronto. They have concluded that there are “many more jobs” in Toronto.
Yet during my regular visits to Toronto, immigrants express similar statements about the West Coast economy as the place to find success. Media stories abound about the West Coast job boom — Canada’s employment situation is so desperate, that Vancouver and Calgary are scurrying to bring in immigrants from all parts of the world.
Incredibly, both sides of Canada are absolutely convinced that the land of milk and honey, and the solution to their career frustrations are simply a few thousand miles away.
I remind new immigrants in Vancouver that there are, in fact, many more jobs in Toronto. However, there is also three times the population competing for those jobs. Furthermore, there are three times the jobs that they don’t want. I am certain that there are three times more professional immigrants who are underemployed or unemployed. Most importantly, there are three times the immigrants wondering why they left a good life in their country to move to Canada. Now reverse the math if you are in Toronto and believe that Vancouver has the magic pill for your career.
What immigrants can do on both sides of Canada is give themselves a competitive edge on how to market themselves effectively. The booming economy is forcing Canadian companies to integrate diversity into their hiring and business practices. It’s the perfect climate for professional immigrants to expect more for themselves than the “I need to start at the bottom” mindset.
Here are some key things successful immigrants in Canada do to ensure a better career and a better life in Canada.
They make a conscious and strategic effort to build friends, relations and networks with all Canadians.
They seek advice from those within and outside of their community that have succeeded in Canada.
They network and leave the comfort zone of their communities, joining organizations like the Board of Trade.
They stay away from negative or pessimistic influences trying to tell them how tough or impossible it is to achieve success in Canada.
They seek out professional career counselling from many sources and practise English several hours a day.
They develop marketing materials to promote their skills, which focus on what they can do for companies in Canada with their transferable skills, not simply writing resumes about what they did in the past in their country.
Canada is truly the land of opportunity. It doesn’t matter as much whether you’re in the east or west, as long as you follow the key steps to success
Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada
www.careerstodaycanada.com
www.mintoroy.net