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Employment opportunities for newcomers to Canada are as diverse as the Canadian landscape. Manufacturing, natural resources, government, financial, and professional designations are just a few of the employment sectors to choose from.
“Immigrants can sometimes face unique challenges when looking for work in Canada,” says Christine Shisler, the director of cultural markets at RBC. “These could include developing a list of networking contacts from scratch or obtaining certification so that their skills and education are recognized here. Tackling those steps takes some planning and perseverance.”
Before you set out to look for work, here are some helpful things to consider:
Get your credentials assessed
Newcomers often arrive with high levels of education and designations that may not be recognized in Canada. There are programs available across the country to assess your international education. The assessments are valuable in helping you decide if you need to pursue further education, help you plan your career and job search, get professional recognition, licensing, and more.
Apply for internships
The government offers a Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program, which provides temporary Canadian work experience and training opportunities with federal government departments and private sector organizations. Also, consider approaching companies in your field of interest and ask about temporary volunteering or internship.
Start your own business
Do have a new business idea and prefer to be your own boss? Or maybe you want to open the same business you once had? As many as 20 per cent of newcomers do start a business in Canada, so if that is your choice, begin quickly to build a credit history since your banking records from another country are not readily available to Canadian financial institutions.
Additional information about banking is available at rbc.com/newcomers.
