New immigrant at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada office. | Photo by P.Y., Flickr
Navigating the treacherous seas of the job market is difficult for anyone, much less someone new to the country. As an immigrant herself, Nerella Campigotto, a specialist in international business and intercultural communication with over 20 years of experience, understands the challenges that many newcomers face in the job market.
“For a lot of professionals, their qualifications are difficult to convert [to Canadian standards],” she says.
Intense competition
According to Campigotto, there is high competition for positions as well as many people who want to live in Vancouver. She notes that the lack of large corporate headquarters in Vancouver adds to the problems immigrants face and the shortage of available positions.
Campigotto suggests that some immigrants arrive from larger cities with more opportunities and are surprised to find that Vancouver is a smaller city with more limited opportunities. Immigrants who have not done enough research prior to immigrating to Vancouver may have their high expectations regarding available job prospects disappointed.
Language and culture
Another obvious obstacle for immigrants, according to Campigotto, is the language barrier. Good communication abilities in the native language of the country is a must when it comes to landing a job, especially if your desired position requires frequent communication.
But an unfamiliar culture and different business practices and laws are other factors that can make finding a job difficult for newcomers. Queenie Choo, CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of immigrants and new Canadians, says that in her experience, immigrants have a hard time writing a proper resume, finding employment information online and learning how to conduct themselves in an interview.
“If they are trying to set up their own business, they don’t know how to do marketing or how to seek [legal or financial] advice in Canada,” she says.
There is also the challenge of networking and integrating into business communities where personal contacts and relationships are key.
“Business culture here is all about who you know and employers are risk-averse in the sense that they prefer hiring people they know or people who have worked for a local business versus an international business [that they are not familiar with],” says Campigotto.
Choo also says that it may take a long time for companies to understand how best to incorporate temporary workers into their business plan because often these workers will need to return to their home country eventually, which can be troublesome for businesses.
Pathways to success
Yet for all of the difficulties that immigrants face in finding a job, Campigotto emphasizes that there are many success stories.
“Most employers are open to accommodating immigrants if they have the right skills,” she says.
One piece of advice Campigotto provides to immigrants seeking a position in Vancouver is to be mindful of what different companies are looking for.
“Small companies tend to hire people who will be productive with minimal disruption while bigger companies are more willing to do extra training,” she says.
Most of all, Campigotto suggests that job seekers need to be ‘culturally aware’ as they approach their job search.
“One of the biggest mistakes [immigrants make] is that they don’t put themselves in the shoes of the other person to try to see how they are being perceived,” says Campigotto.
Of course, this applies to companies as well as job seekers – both employers and their culturally diverse employees must make efforts to learn from each other in order to be productive.
“Culture is a two way street,” says Campigotto.
Campigotto gives three tips in regards to job hunting for immigrants:
- Participate in networking events. It’s important to be out there and meet people.
- Try to be patient because it may take longer than anticipated to land the right job. Immigrants should also be prepared to prove themselves if their skills are not immediately recognized.
- Spend time researching Canadian culture to understand it better and ensure that the environment is truly suitable before moving here.
