Get the Job

Tips for newcomers on how to navigate the Canadian job application process

To get started, take a look at this video by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), which provides an excellent overview on employment in Canada.

Find Immigrant Services in your Area

Review this Government of Canada website to find free immigrant services in your area that include:

  • Language assessments and classes
  • Help finding a job
  • Help with daily life such as finding a place to live and filling out forms and applications
  • Information about community services such as mentoring

Preparing a Resume and Cover Letter

When applying to jobs in Canada, employers expect a resume and a cover letter; these documents form your application package, in addition to any other documents that might be requested by the employer (e.g. writing samples). Check out the links below for tips on writing your application package.

Links

Settlement.org

Skilled Immigrant Infocentre

Prepare for Canada

Applying Online

To find jobs online, visit the career pages of specific companies are interested in, and focus on job banks such as Monster, Workopolis, or InfoMine. Local or provincial mining associations might also have current job postings for your area. Some of these resources may require the creation of an account in order to view or apply to some of the postings, but in many cases, it is free to make an account.

When applying online, use a neutral email address, such as firstname.lastname@mail.com, for example, and avoid anything that reflects your individuality or personality (e.g. pug_lover500@mail.com or vegan26@mail.com) as these are unprofessional.

When you have found a job posting you are qualified for, apply online through a job bank or by sending your resume and cover letter in an attachment by email to the relevant people. A best practice is to send it as a PDF to maintain formatting and layout, and to be sure the recipient is able to open the attachment successfully. Avoid sending the same, generic resume and cover letter to multiple companies as this is much less effective.

Interview Etiquette

The goal of submitting a job application is to get a job interview. Depending on the company, there might be more than one interview. Sometimes the first interview happens over the phone, or all interviews could be in-person, with the same people, or a different person. Be prepared for the interview by reviewing the job posting in detail, as well as coming up with examples of how your skills and experience relate to the position. In preparation, do some research about the company and bring some questions to the interview to demonstrate your interest.

You can find more information on interviews in the full newcomers guide here.