JONATHAN DUNNETT

Halifax, Nova Scotia waterfront with buildings reflecting in the water

Moving to Atlantic CAnada: Tips for success

Written by Jonathan Dunnett

This post was originally published on Medium.

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    A lot of people these days are coming to Canada (or, they’re at least trying).

    I live in Atlantic Canada, and while I might be a bit biased, I find this to be an incredible place to live.

    So, you’ve decided you want to come to Atlantic Canada. A couple of beginning resources:

    I want a job

    As most people do, you probably want a job. Some of the programs noted above will require you to have a job offer before you come to Canada and some will not. I will leave those details up to you, as those will be specific to your situation.

    Note: I’m not an immigration expert, so please, consult the resources and the people associated at the links above with your questions.

    Now, in terms of getting a job (assuming you want to work for someone else), here are a few guidelines/frequently asked questions:

    Understand that what you’re coming into may not be the same as your country. 

    Sometimes, coming from a different country and culture can be challenging. You should know that in Atlantic Canada, there are a few things that ring true:

    1. Networking is going to be the key for you to get the right job and opportunity. People in Atlantic Canada want to get to you know you. In other places in the world, you can put your CV on a telephone pole and get a bunch of phone calls. That’s generally not how it works here. I have an array of resources to help you with networking and you can get more 1-1 help as well from me.
    • You need to get out there and meet people. People here want to know you by face and name. Prepare to go out for coffee: that is the general convention.
    • Check out events that are happening within your community. Don’t start with, “Hi, I’m _______ and I want a job.” While that may be true, ask people about themselves. Get to know them and express a sincere interest in creating at least a connection. For those that are willing and open (not all people are), strive for a friendship! If you’re not sure how to do this (and I’m going to recommend this book again in a moment, read this: How to Win Friends and Influence People.
    • Use existing relationships that you might have to connect with new people. You can say, “Hi, I’m Steve. I’m new to Canada and would love to learn more about the local business community and what’s happening. Do you know of anyone that I should connect with to learn more?” This can be people from your social groups: knitting club, sports teams, churches/religious groups or others that you meet along the way.
     
    2. Networking on social media is a definite part of the overall networking effort, and you have to play the “long game” here. People (generally) will fall into a few categories:

    • They want to help you. They’ll do a lot within the time they have to help (unless it’s their job, in which case, they’ll want to help you, as it is their job).
    • They have interest in helping you, but have very little time. These are people that are busy within their business or organization and having things added to their plate may not helpful to their lives.
    • They don’t want to help you. They don’t have the time, energy, or, maybe they’re just not a great person.

    You shouldn’t bother people in the third category. If you get the sense someone is this type, move on to others.

    For people that fall into the first two categories, consider the following:

    • Personal brand. Remember, right from the minute you follow someone, you’re giving off an impression about yourself and your personal brand. Google is your friend here to help you find your way. Use it as a resource. Lots of smart people are out there talking about how to build a personal brand.
    • Social media is meant to be social, however: you know when you go to a party and you begin to speak to someone and you realize “this is not my crowd”? Or, someone is not carrying the conversation on with you? Social media is the same thing. Be polite, but if you’re not getting signals of interest back, move on. Or, be a casual support by liking, commenting as appropriate. While we’re talking about that…
    • Be interesting! For goodness sake, be interesting. Saying, “hello” doesn’t give any fodder on which you can build a conversation. Try something like:

    “Hi there! I read your profile, and I’m fascinated by your volunteer work! Similarly, I’ve been involved with XYZ organization in my area, and we work with a similar type of clientele. If ever you have time, I’d love to hear more about your experience.”

    If you’re not sure how to ask good questions or how to create fodder on which a conversation can be built, I’d again highly recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s an old book, but it’s been around forever for good reason.

    So:

    • Connect with a purpose. If you’re moving to Canada or want to move to Canada, that’s great! Be sure in your first point of contact to indicate to the person why you are contacting them. There is a purpose and a reason why you’re connecting with them, right? If not, you shouldn’t connect. That just becomes noise for you and the person with whom you are connecting.
    • Be on LinkedIn and make sure your LinkedIn rocks. I won’t go into depth here, but if you read the first two pages of results (and the accompanying links of a search like this “LinkedIn best practices personal profile”), you should be well set for success.
    • Be prepared to give value and be considerate of people’s time. I love to help people. It’s a phrase that you can see in my social media profiles and I genuinely mean it. That said, I (and many like me) have a regular day job. I only have so many hours in the day and if I can help you, I will, but I can’t tell you if your hairdryer plug will work in Canada.

    So, be considerate in your questions. If it’s something you can likely Google, focus on asking higher priority questions. Above all: nurture your online connections and create value. Where appropriate, ask to meet people in person. (see #1 above).

    3. Understand how to present yourself via your resume. I often say that the resume needs to be enough to get you the interview and then the interview needs to help you get the job.

    Your resume should have some “life” and speak to the audience. A timeless search like “best practices resumes” is always a great starting point. Again, look at the top few pages of results. Hubspot (and again), Google and others out there have some great templates if you need some help. Marissa Mayer’s is my personal favourite that I’ve seen in recent years.

    Your resume should be scannable. On average, a hiring manager gives your resume six seconds to impress them. It needs to be scannable!

    4. Where to look at jobs that have emerged.

    A few places to consult:

    5. Finding companies where you might want to work.

    6. Be patient when it comes to getting a job!

    This came from one of my friends who recently moved to Canada: jobs don’t just happen overnight, generally. I laughed when I thought back to a person that I met from the Philippines. She was exasperated because it was taking so long to get a job: it had been an entire TWO WEEKS since she landed.

    Apparently, her friend had gotten a job in a week and she thought this was the norm. It’s not… for the record.

    While the time to get a job will vary wildly, the more you can do on the front end of identifying prospective employers, connecting with people and adding value and then actively networking on the ground, the better.

    7. Check the jobs in the area where you think you want to live, and check the qualifications.

    In New Brunswick especially, for some roles, French is required. For others, it may be French only or English only. So, be sure when you read the qualifications to not only check your technical skills for the job.

    Additionally, if you are a specialized job, make sure there are jobs that exist in the area where you are thinking of moving.

    I think back to the story of someone I know that has a specialized degree. This person was almost offended that there was no job for he/she in the city where he/she lived. Yet, the person could’ve easily known that before he/she came, and there were many other regions where he/she could be readily employed (assuming the folks would hire he/she, which was a whole other thing: Remember, being nice [and coachable] goes a long way!)

    There are some instances where your skills may not be a ready fit for that area. Ask people that live there before you decide on a region, and check the job boards above to see the types of roles that are posted, along with companies that might do that. If you don’t see anything, that may suggest you should be looking at another place. Or, see if employers that are elsewhere will hire you to work remotely.

    I hope that helps you in your journey! Be sure to follow along for more content to help you in your journey and explore other resources to help you in your networking.

    Good luck, and welcome to Canada!

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