Is Canada wasting its young Asia talent and skills?

Is Canada wasting its young Asia talent and skills?

Opinion: Canadian firms' focus and reliance on business with the U.S. stifles opportunity

By Christine Park, Special to The Vancouver Sun December 9, 2013

Also try lesser-known job search web sites

• A website for job searches. www.neuvoo.ca
  

  Not only does it list the jobs by the company but if you click on the job it gives a detailed account of the job, its location and what qualifications they are looking for as well as an opportunity for you to apply online...

•  @ Linkedin the site's software tracks Jobs you may be interested in.
• Volunteer, work, intern, organize, hire and connect. Change the world - idealist.org  

On the same shelf:

99% of Job Seekers Are Not Using LinkedIn Appropriately, Newsday

Top Job Search Sites for Employers Reviewed and Compared in New Report by Knoji PRWEB

Looking for a job? Try some lesser-known job seeking websites, WPSD Local

Thought for the day: Adapt to what the market demands

Extract:Why You Shouldn't "Do What Makes You Happy" in Business, by Dr. Gerry Som, 01/07/2013, "The Huffington Post"
--With permission from the author:

You must have read many articles that offer you this following advice:
•Do what makes you happy.
•Follow your heart.
•Chase your dreams.
•Fulfil your passions.
•Find a job that you like, and you will not have to work a day in your life.


No Sir / Ma'am, I respectfully disagree. My thoughts are as follows:
•Do what will make you money in a legal manner to pay your bills, and take care of your financial needs, and those of your loved ones.
•Adapt to what the market demands.
•Find the unfulfilled needs or gaps in the markets, and fulfil them.

This will serve both you and the society well. Pursue your hobbies during your weekends and free time.

You see, there is an inherent flaw in the sentence "Do what makes you happy." The sentence assumes that (a) You already know what you want (b) It will make you happy (c) You will continue to want it and (d) It will continue to make you happy. There are unknown-unknowns, just like there are known-knowns. What you if you not done your research properly, and have not stumbled upon what is profitable for you, or even, what would make you happy?
Continue reading

Top 10 Things You Shouldn't Include on Your Resume: Silicon India

PS. Most of these are common mistakes, new Canadian immigrants need to AVOID!!!

23 August 2012
Extract:
10. Using too many objectives
9. About Your Short-term jobs
8. Strange Hobbies
7. Revealing private matters
6. Writing the resume in extra pages
5. Writing the resume in the third person
4. Including references
3. Mentioning current company’s phone number or mail-id
2. Bad usage of English grammar
1. Attaching Photographs

Continue reading @ SiliconIndia
Info courtesy, Tripathi Online Educare

Young and old spend same amount of time job-hunting: Statistics Canada

By: Steve Rennie, The Canadian Press, 08/22/2012

Extract:
OTTAWA - Older unemployed workers spend as much time looking for a job as younger ones, according to a new Statistics Canada study.

The agency says unemployed people aged 55 to 64 spent an average of 13 hours a week looking for work — the same as those between the ages of 20 and 34.

But the study found key differences in the way each age group looked for jobs.

Older people were more likely to look at job ads and less likely to use the Internet than younger job hunters.

Younger people were more likely to contact employers directly as their main method of finding a job.

Both age groups turned to employment agencies in similar numbers. continue reading

Accuracy in your resume is a must - And a Golden Rule Too

12 Deadly Sins That Kill Your Job Search 
by Diane Coffey and originally appeared on PongoResume.com
Extract:

Sin #6. Lying is very high risk, both during the selection process and after you get hired. Many people have been fired for lying on their resumes, even after years of high job performance. Positive spin is good; lying is bad.

On the same shelf:

• NDP apologizes for embellishing new MP's resumé, [The NDP apologized Tuesday to Ruth Ellen Brosseau... ] CBCNews.ca: Tuesday, May 10, 2011
• Accuracy In Your Resume: The Golden Rule
   

It’s a paradox: high unemployment with serious labour shortages

Doug Saunders | Globe and Mail, Feb. 19, 2011

The above news headline offers a moment for reflection for all concerned about the real picture of Canadian job market. Is there then, a job saturation? If yes, does the labor market spell the sectors? If not, how does one justify the following:

"Looming shortage of ICT workers: study"

'Unqualified' interpreters working in courts‎

CTV Toronto - New jobs created, but unemployment edges up

Nursing Shortage. What is it? How severe is it? How will it impact ...‎:

Hoping for a fulltime teaching job? Think again
Oversupply of education graduates fueling teaching job shortage in Ontario

Canadian surgeons face flat-lining job market‎

Who will heal the nursing crisis?‎

Changing standards for training schools have created a flood of dental hygienists

In another sense the paradox is multidimensional, there is resume flood, there is an endless preaching about trimming the resume, customizing, etc., etc., as in the following instances,

as depicted in this news story @ IT Business Edge: Companies Must Find Solution to Resume Overload.

there is a constant effort to trim the resume, as in these two news stories: LinkedIn’s top buzzwords list can help job hunters By Rafael Ruffolo, 14 Dec 2010 in ComputerWorld Canada; and
10 Tips for Integrating Social Media and LinkedIn in to Your Job Search in 2011, in Windmills Marketing.

More on the same shelf:

When the Marketing Reach of Social Media Backfires

Ottawa tech firm joins RIM in tablet computer war

Alberta a 'job-creation machine' while rest of country lags behind‎

New Canadians may help Ottawa labour crunch‎

Same old won't help young Canadians‎

Staff shortage forces overtime‎

For job-hunting PhDs, the degree was the easy part, [read as: finding a job is the v.v.v. difficult part]

A Job Search Evening @ Mississauga Central Library

My book discussion, A Job Search Evening, @ Mississauga Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West, March 2, 2011, 7 - 8 p.m. See the event details, here.


See the book details, here: Job Search The Canadian Way: What Works, What Doesn't



PS. The book can now be ordered via COUTTS, S&B Books Ltd., and Amazon's Createspace.
Or Download Ebook.

Follow Event @ Facebook @ Twitter.

How the Real-Time Web Changes Job Search

The Internet as One Giant Job Board. A Quintessential Careers Annual Report 2010, by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
Extract:
Here are the major trends we've observed about Internet job-hunting in the past year

The real-time Web is changing job search

Especially in the current economy, hiring decision-makers are increasingly deploying low-cost methods for finding candidates

Use of social-media, the fastest-growing recruiting method, is expanding overall (not just for job search), and niche social-media venues are emerging, the same way niche job boards emerged.

Job boards are increasingly integrating social-media functions, and hybrid job-board/social-media venues are emerging.

The job-board realm is simultaneously contracting and expanding.

Whether or not job boards die, some of their most ubiquitous products will probably die.

Face-to-face job-search techniques are more important than ever.

Final thoughts: At a time when the entire Internet can be thought of as one giant job board, no single online tool is the ultimate key to job-search success.
... Continue reading
See also: Advice: Stop Being Creative in Your Job Search
On the same shelf:
Just released: Job Search The Canadian Way
Buy our book:
Download Ebook @ $10 CDN
Buy softcover in print @ Createspace.com

• An Introduction to Recruiting with Web 2.0 Technologies and Survey Results  
• Why Facebook Could Be Hurting Your Job Hunt Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-could-be-hurting-your-job-hunt-2011-2#ixzz1Mjyu8El8

Evangelicals in Canada Fight to Preserve Hiring Policy

By Ethan Cole|Christian Post Reporter
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada began on Tuesday defending in court the rights of religious organizations to hire people based on their religious beliefs.

In the landmark religious freedom case Heintz v. Christian Horizons, the Superior Court of Ontario will consider whether to uphold an earlier ruling that a faith-based organization involved in social work cannot require an employee to share its same religious beliefs and service commitment. continue reading

Charities must prove purpose, lawyer says
Discrimination case; Rights exemption for sharing faith, not doing good
by Charles Lewis, National Post, December 17, 2009

Immigrants in Canada stuck in low-paying jobs -- Stats Can Reports

News @ The Times of India, 24 Dec 2008
"Professionals and degree-holders seeking immigration to Canada, beware! The number of degree-holder immigrants, including doctors and engineers, stuck in jobs with low education requirements, such as clerks, truck and cab drivers and salespeople, has risen steadily since the last recession of early 1990s, says a new study by Statistics Canada.

Employment problems for new immigrants will only get worse as Canada enters recession, experts warn." Continue reading
NB. Info courtesy: Ahtasham Rizvi
See also:

• Immigrants in 'survival jobs' look for more
• Study: Immigrants' education and required job skills 1991 to 2006

New rules to fast-track skilled immigrants

The revised list (eligible skilled workers' category) is now reduced (for e.g, removed from this category are:  0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers / 3131 Pharmacists ):

be a skilled worker who has had one year of continuous full-time or equivalent part-time paid work experience in at least one of the following eligible occupations within the last ten years:

• 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers (Cap reached)
• 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
• 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management (Cap reached)
• 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
• 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists
• 2151 Architects
• 3111 Specialist Physicians
• 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• 3113 Dentists
• 3131 Pharmacists (Cap reached)
• 3142 Physiotherapists
• 3152 Registered Nurses (Cap reached)
• 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
• 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
• 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
• 4151 Psychologists
• 4152 Social Workers
• 6241 Chefs
• 6242 Cooks
• 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
• 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
• 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)
• 7242 Industrial Electricians
• 7251 Plumbers
• 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators
• 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• 7371 Crane Operators
• 7372 Drillers & Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction
• 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

See also:

Dentists eligible for immigration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker program

38 job categories listed in bid to clear backlog; critics say the move offers'no solutions'
Nov 29, 2008 04:30 AM Toronto Star

If you're planning to move to Canada, you'll have to check the list first.
Thirty-eight in-demand occupations were unveiled by the Harper government yesterday, setting out a new selection criteria for skilled immigrants, allowing those with relevant skills to be fast-tracked into the country.
The occupations include jobs in the field of health, skilled trades and the finance sector. Details of the long-awaited "ministerial instructions" were posted on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website (http://www.cic.gc.ca/), and come into effect immediately. continue reading @ Toronto Star

See also:

• Fast-Track Occupations List

Not all opportunities are equal -- Canadian job market is no exception

Quotable quote: They came to Canada in 2002, but sadly, writes Rashid, "in terms of
finding jobs, up until now I have noticed that no place except McDonald's welcomed us." more extracts in The Story That Brought Me Here

NB. Before you read, there is a punchline now in 2008: The Canadian Experience Class
And the fine print says: "...when an employer tells you you have no Canadian experience, there is at least one thing you can say, “No, I don’t, but my training is considered to be equal to…. [PDF] No Canadian Experience?”

Those who are living in this land of opportunities, must remember the bottomline: immigrants are not just born, nor they are kids (only adults immigrate, kids are sponsored).
Positive outlook: To be an immigrant doesn’t mean that you have to limit your life and keep away from “ordinary” activities that most of the settled people do. This sounds a two way approach in helping new immigrants, and new immigrants making use of all opportunities to get settled as early as possible.
See also:

• Employment Equity - Myths and Realities

Related post: Not all transitions are equal -- Canadian educational scenario is no exception
On the same shelf:

• All Qualifications Are Not Equal @ Many Immigrants to Canada Are Falling Behind

Canadian Resume is Unique: Is this uniqueness hype or hope?

What do you do if you wish to apply for a job in Canada?

For Tips, Sample Resume, Canadian format (aka Canadian style resume, Canadian acceptable standard), Helpful Advice & Related Services contact me  

Canadian oldies are shocked if they hadn't applied for a job in the last ten years or so--they learn that writing a resume is a rocket science. New Canadians learn very soon that they have to be educated: all-about-the-RESUME writing, wording, phrasing and polishing their own expressions.

You may say, need a job, go submit a job application (aka resume, CV, Bio, profile, portfolio, etc.).
But, how different is this Canadian application form, from the rest of the world, and different from the American mosaic?

Recap: Canadian job market looks for a resume's format (word), size (3 pages only, including cover letter), language (Canadian English), style (bulleted, indented, textual), content (objective, education and professional background, skills--soft and hard, etc., etc.), and much more...*

And what are the experiences of the Canadians in this regard? Read the following opinions / statements and leave a comment, so that others know what you think on this subject:

• "Your value proposition, Graham explains in her book, is made up of three components: your employer's buying motivators (the reasons an employer will want to hire someone), your supporting qualifications (credentials that validate your claim to resolve the employer's buying motivator) and the added value (special talents and contributions) you bring.
  Until very recently, the value proposition was one of the greatest differences between Canadian resumes and American resumes" "Canadian resumes are becoming much more like marketing brochures. People are starting to distinguish themselves from other job seekers and are steering away from the templates you find online or in many books. They're using colour, charts, graphs, pictures, interesting bullets and lines." [Canadian resume book a first of its kind] ...Written by and for Canadians, this book will enable you to: ... Comply with Canadian legislative requirements*** related to résumé writing [Best Canadian Résumés, by Sharon Graham]
• "The format for the Canadian Resume is similar to the Chronological CV with the length generally being 2 sides of A4. Your name and contact details would be at the top centre followed by your career history and work experience in reverse chronological order with the most recent job detailed first." Note: "There are some differences within Canada itself with regard to job search. In English-speaking Canada you have to actively market yourself but in the French part of Canada it is more formal." [Canadian resume]
• "Most International Résumés contain private and personal information that goes against Anti-Discrimination laws in both Canada and the United States. If any of the following are included in an existing Résumé, it may be overlooked by the hiring Manager or Human Resource Specialist, losing the opportunity to be selected for an interview." [How to live in Canada]
• "We send immigrants to workshops on writing Canadian resumes, Canadian interviewing and Canadian workplace communications, and still we watch as they spend months looking for work. Some simply give up." [Mercado de trabalho para imigrantes no Canadá, Najia Alavi]
• "Our CVs in Venezuela are VERY different to Canadian resumes, we have to have a picture in the CV, our marital status, our age, and every little thing you can think up that Canadian resumes don't have and don't want." [Canadian resume @ A new life in Canada]
• "German resumes feature some additional information that would be "unwanted" in Canadian resumes. for example, it is expected that the German resume includes a photo of the applicant, his/her date of birth, his/her place of birth, ..." [interesting differences]
• "One of the most important tools that will help you find a job in Canada is your resume. The way you prepare this relevant document may be a CRUCIAL factor when you look for a job in Canada." [Three Crucial Elements to Prepare a Resume]
• "Turning your Canadian-style resume into a CV should not be a much-dreaded ordeal."[Turning a Resume into a CV]
• "employer likes the cover letter they'll move on to the resume, if not both will go to the recycle bin. ..." [Research: Employers, Salaries, Relocation]


• Its a myth that there's one standard prescribed Canadian format for a resume which will guarantee success. No such thing that I know of. Making a good resume is a continual process of refinement and you'll just know when you have one that works for you.[Canadian Desi: Canadian style CV]
  

Despite all-of-the-above stated requirements, in reality you may or may not get a job. PERIOD. On this very significant step of applying (with a unique Canadian resume i.e, "A resume fit by the Canadian requirements, complied meticulously by every applicant"), there are no figures to show actual the return-on-investment for an individuals' time, money, energies and other resources.**

Q. All this marathon is hype (with the drafting, compiling, focused, and loaded with Situation, Action, Result Synergies) or hope for a change?
A. No idea. Even if there is an answer, who will bell the cat, and when?
See also:

• Librarian faces racism at trial if extradited, lawyer tells court
• How To Prepare For An Interview
• Introvert and Looking for a Job - You are not alone
• Job Pathfinder - Join the race
• Show Your Business Plan
• A Cover Letter Pinpointing Their Needs and Your Skills (e.g., Canadian librarian)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
*Most job seekers are reminded the formula in searching (and the time they must be willing to allocate): full time search for a full time job, part time search for a part time job, and a casual approach to this may result in a casual job.

**Did the resume got a job, or a job came because of the Network? Interestingly, there is another factor to find an opportunity. Ironically, resume --job search engines, job workshops, coop, soft-skills, hard-skills, and if you have paid $250 for a beautifully crafted three pager, etc.--are not the be-all and end-all. The other factor, i.e., NETWORK, is common here: "it's not what you know, but who you know that counts..." Source. Read a testimony on this best practice.

Dealing with Discrimination During Your Job Hunt

"In an ideal workplace, staff would be hired based on work ethic, education and experience. Unfortunately, some employers may still be behind the times." By Jennifer McFee, @ Toronto sun

For new immigrants to Canada, employment experts offer five key pieces of advice on how to handle the sensitive situation of prejudice during a job hunt.
1. Assess the situation.
2. Eliminate objections.
3. Address the issue.
4. Develop a support system.
5. Keep positive.
Continue reading

See also Amazon's related titles:

Not all transitions are equal -- Canadian educational scenario is no exception

The relationship between a) inequality of educational opportunities and b) inequality of educational outcomes is a dictum (or punchline) true for both the Canadian educated and those educated abroad.

Some of the profressions require Canadian certification (see Regulated occupation). For example, if an engineer qualified in a foreign country comes to Canada, he has to complete his professional competency test in Canada.
But, there are many jobs --skilled and professional -- that donot have a certification and local assessment (see Non-regulated occupation, Skill Types, Skill Levels, plus much more). Such professionals must be tested and hired in other ways.

Interesting quote on how to find a solution for the Canadian new comers:

"...Controversially, it would make sense to assign newcomers to a particular geographic area, e.g. if you want in to our country, you must have "x" type of skills and can only live in a certain city or town. You must live there for at least five years and use your skills there, or else "no soup for you" (e.g. no landed status, no access to government benefits). Sounds rather harsh. And useless unless our government expedites the recognition of pre-existing credentials, and provides more supported "Canadian experience" programs so that employers will hire these newcomers..." Mark Swartz @ Any Canadians out there? - Secrets of the Job Hunt Network.

Please join our poll (poll is right up in this blog--right column, top side) on Canadian experience: Myth or reality. The poll is open now and your opinion is highly appreciated.

See also:

• Statistics Canada. The Dynamics of Overqualification: Canada’s Underemployed University Graduate
  More than one-half (52%) of recent immigrants with a university degree worked in a job requiring only high school education at some point during the six-year period. This was almost twice the proportion of 28% among their Canadian-born counterparts. April, 2006.
  
• Alberta Federation of Labour. Background Information on Temporary Foreign Workers
  
  
• [pdf] Like Sons and Daughters of Hong Kong: The Return of the Young Generation, Janet Salaff, Professor Emerita, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Honorary Research Fellow CAS, HKU, (corresponding author, contactsalaff@chass.utoronto.ca) [There is global competition for skilled labor, and as a result, transnational migrants have become important resources. The term “transnational” refers to people’s connections between different global locations, as manifested in their personal moves and flows of in- formation in which they are involved. In this sense, transnationalism is a concrete embod-iment of globalism. Our qualitative research studies 24 transnational young adults, who migrated with their families from Hong Kong to Toronto (1985-1996, at ages 8-19). Ten years after the Handover, many children of immigrant families who obtained overseas citizenship and education and are now facing the choice of where to work and live. This paper analyses the factors that contribute to the residency decisions being made by the children of those who left. Our analysis incorporates: (1) Macro-level processes: the citizenship rights of this younger generation in two countries and how labour markets re- cognize their training, credentials, and experience; (2) Meso-level processes: the family, social networks, and organizations that create transnational contacts; (3) Micro-level pro- cesses: personal definitions of the situation that include their notion of home and identity.
  We find that while some of the younger generation chose between Hong Kong and Canada, many are transnational in their intentions, not choosing to permanently return to Hong Kong nor to permanently remain in Canada. We find that their social networks greatly influence their settlement decisions. Having roots in Hong Kong they are able to fit easily into society, but their return should not be taken for granted. They need to be motivated to return, their complex needs should be addressed.]

Related post: Not all opportunities are equal -- Canadian job market is no exception