A Guide For Newcomers to Toronto - Employment Resources




kevin@buckleysearch.com                             Tel:   (416) 865-0695 toll-free 1 (866) 996-9984

The following links are a starting point to familiarize yourself with the many organizations and websites that assist you in orienting yourself to the resources, facilities and programs available for newcomers to the GTA. Foreign-trained professionals and tradespeople are encouraged to review these sites to help in planning their job-search.
If you are in freight forwarding or ocean/airfreight logistics, see this page for the most up-to-date listing of Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers and Steamship Company Websites in Canada on the Internet: http://www.buckleysearch.com/review.htm

One of the key areas of focus for people for whom English is a second language is to have their English skills assessed by accredited ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers. There are links below to connect you to the organizations that provide Assessment services.

It is also helpful when you are in a new country to connect with cultural associations that speak your language and can identify with your concerns. They also serve as a strong link to the ex-patriate business community to help facilitate your job-search in unfamilar surroundings. See the links below for more information.

Distances in Toronto require a clear understanding of the time required to commute to your new job. Use Mapquest to determine the time and distance bewtween your home and your prospective place of employment.

Use Google, the leading Internet Search Engine to research industries, associations, potential employers, etc.

The Human Resources Development Canada government ministry provides Employment Resources Centres throughout the GTA which offer physical locations and services to assist in the job-search process. See the 211Toronto.ca link below.

http://www.on.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/english/: - Ontario Regional programs and services

Ontario Employment Standards: Ontario Ministry of Labour regulations governing Hours of Work, Vacation time/pay, Public Holidays, Minimum Wage, Overtime, Pregnancy and Parental Leave, Termination & Layoff, Severance Pay, Pay Administration, Benefits Plans, Complaints Handling

To connect with recruiters that are specialists in working with foreign-trained professionals, please see:

The Canadian Directory of Search Firms: is published by Mediacorp which also publishes Canada Employment Weekly, Who's Hiring, The Career Directory and Canada's Top 100 Employers, among others. The Directory can be purchased at a business bookstore and contains a CD-Rom for easy searching. It lists recruiters by their focus, industry, specialization, region and position/salary level.

Newcomers  are sometimes surprised to find that their overseas experience is not valued as highly by employers as candidates who have well-established local experience. Recruiters are hired by employers to find and refer people with specific training, experience and skills. If the employer insists on certain local experience, contacts and business reputation in the candidates they want to hire, recruiters must abide by the clients' wishes. No recruiter is allowed to charge money in Canada for representing you. There are Consultants who will charge a fee for a specific self-marketing program, generally they are classed as Outplacement Consultants and identify themselves as such.

Directory of Canadian Recruiters: an on-line list of links to recruiters in many different disciplines in Canada

For more information about working with Recruiters in Canada please see: Recruiters- What To Look For

http://www.skillsforhire.org:  SkillsforHire connects internationally trained professionals with Canadian employers

http://www.newcanadians.org: International professionals and trades people seeking employment in their profession or trade
Permanent Resident, less than 5 years in Canada – Kitchener Waterloo area

http://www.geocities.com/torontotenants/: Excellent resources for job sites and job skills programs also

Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants: Newly formed agency regulating Immigrant Consultant sector

http://211toronto.ca/index.jsp: An excellent site with extensive resources and links, including detailed information about Employment, Education and Training Services

http://211toronto.ca/fs_eet.jsp:  This link provides information about Employment Assessment and Resources centres - physical facilities available for use by the job-seeker by region of the GTA.

http://www.settlement.org : An excellent site for newcomers providing information about Employment, Social and Community programs available, including an Ontario government forms downloading service
http://www.settlement.org/site/EM/home.asp: Employment Standards, Labour Market information, Job listings, etc.

http://www.costi.org: Provides educational, social and employment services to help all newcomers in the greater Toronto area

http://www.costi.org/abtcosti/centre_cal_for.htm: Centre for Foreign-Trained Professionals and Tradespeople

Toronto's Virtual Employment Resource Centre: provides free job search resources and a wealth of information, links and useful tools for the Toronto job seeker. http://www.jobstart-cawl.org/index2.htm: Jobstart, another excellent site for newcomers

http://relocatecanada.com/mississauga/cultural.html: Cultural Associations links for newcomers from around the world - categorized by country of origin

http://www.city.markham.on.ca/mpl/links_multi.htm:  Multicultural / Multilingual Resources Links

http://www.language.ca/assess/on.html: Language Assessment Centres in Ontario. The Assessment Centres employ certified CLB assessors to administer the Canadian Language Benchmarks Assessment, the new Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test, and the Canadian Language Benchmarks Literacy Assessment.

http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/mul_esl_index.jsp: Learning English and other languages - Toronto Public Library

http://www.workinfonet.ca/cwn/english/index.cfm?cat=1: Workinfonet.ca Job Search Resources page

http://www.workinfonet.ca/cwn/english/index.cfm?cat=3:  Prior Learning and Assessment Services

http://www.on.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/english/offices/toronto/lmi/local_lmi_e.shtml: Workwaves.com – Toronto Labour Market
Information Service of Human Resources Development Canada

http://www.salaryexpert.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Home.Dsp_HomePage: SalaryExpert.com – salary ranges for a wide range of occupations in the GTA area

http://www.skillsforhire.org:  SkillsforHire connects internationally trained professionals with Canadian employers

http://www.newcanadians.org: International professionals and trades people seeking employment in their profession or trade
Permanent Resident, less than 5 years in Canada – Kitchener Waterloo area

Specific Job-Search Techniques and Tips

Your Resume- Your Career Passport
E-Resumes- What Works Best
Making Contact- Using The Internet
Cover Letters- Brief & Focused
Job Boards - Your Internet Postings
Assessing Potential Employers
Questions To Ask Employers
Being Interviewed
Negotiating Your Salary
Avoiding Office Politics

Suggested link: www.eresumes.com
for the best site on the Internet regarding E-resumes
Suggested link: www.rileyguide.com
extensive resources for on-line Networking and Job Search topics

Tips on Self-Marketing: Step-by-Step Self-Marketing Plan

Gather your Resources:
Review the publications and on-line resources which follow these Tips and make a list of the telephone numbers and email addresses of the intended recipients of your resume.
Do Research on the Internet:
To obtain executives names and contact information visit the websites of companies and click on their 'Contacts' page.
Concentrate on those Companies who can utilize your Experience:
Check the Yellow Pages for Bi-lateral Trade Commissions and Chambers of Commerce:
Find out if there is a local Chamber of Commerce or Trade Commission for bi-lateral trade between Canada and your home country. See page 1324 in the Toronto Central-East Yellow Pages for a listing. See pages 105 and 106 under 'Associations' for additional Chambers of Commerce and bi-cultural organizations. Sometimes these organizations will be aware of native-language newspapers or job-board resources which you can investigate.
Make sure your Resume is error-free:
If English is your second language, have it reviewed by someone who is fluent in english to ensure that the text is clear and there are no mistakes in spelling, grammar or sentence construction. The same applies to any cover letter which you might wish to include. Also, if you have an email address, be sure to note this for people to follow up with you. Anyone can open a Hotmail or Yahoo email account for personal use.
Send your Resume to the right Hiring Authority:
If your background is sales & marketing, send your resume to the Sales Manager or Director of Sales. If your background is export operations, send it to the Export Manager, and so on. For the best result, send your resume to the person who would logically be involved in making a hiring decision for your experience level.
Research and verify the Spelling of the Hiring Authority's name:
It is more effective to send your resume to an actual person rather than a position title. We strongly recommend that you take the time to research the right name of the intended recipient of your resume.
Make your Email message brief:
Busy executives dislike having to scroll through a long email message to get to the core of the message. State your objective clearly and briefly in a few words. Make sure the Subject header clearly expresses your objective. Do not expect to get a response, state your intention to follow up with a telephone call.
Ask for the Executive's opinion of your experience:
People like to give their opinions. Rather than request a meeting, ask for the recipient's comments on your resume and experience when you call them back. Asking to set up a meeting without having established a basis for interest is usually not very productive. Call back within about 48 hours of having sent an email. Calling back immediately after sending it may not allow the recipient enough time to read it.
Follow up with a Thank-you message or card:
Showing your appreciation for someone's time or guidance is an excellent way of developing positive contacts in your job-search.
 

kevin@buckleysearch.com                             Tel:   (416) 865-0695 toll-free 1 (866) 996-9984