Features

Expat in Canada (Online Only)

January 25, 2013

By Sumedh Nene

Have you ever considered checking out Canada—not for a five-day hop in Vancouver and Ottawa as a tourist, but as a place to work, stay… migrate? I did three years ago and it’s a swell place to be—provided you land a job! Looking for a job in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) can be interesting, and an art at times. You might have worked in 10 countries without any issues, but landing your first gig in Canada can be tricky, like winning a hard-fought game of chess. You’ll face barriers here and the following mistakes can derail your efforts:

  • Your résumé is longer than two pages, with your marital status, father’s name, and passport/visa information taking up expensive real estate.

  • You rely only (or heavily) on job boards, recruiters, and staffing agencies to get you an interview.

  • You prepared well for your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), but get caught off-guard in the behavioral interview.

  • You are unaware that 80% of the job market in Canada is hidden.

  • You are unwilling to do contract work and find volunteering a complete waste of time in your job search.

As a career technical writer who also speaks on job-search techniques using social media in the GTA, I intend to spill the beans, make you aware of the lesser known evils of the Canadian labor market, and generally try and increase awareness. I will discuss the following key things specific to technical communicators in the GTA:

  • expectations from résumés, what’s in/out, length, format, and tailoring for a good fit

  • interviews and what you can expect during a typical exchange of questions and answers

  • awareness of the local labor market, the art of job-hunting, and the related good stuff you should know

  • roles most in demand and who hires

  • some avenues for further education

Your Resume, Profile, Biodata, CV… Whatever

I think résumés are the starting point of a job search anywhere, so that’s where I’ll start. What mainly changes geographically are the expectations, format, and the level and types of detail. In India (where I am from), I remember recruiters asking for my bio or biodata. Here in Canada, I’ve almost always heard it referred to as a résumé.

Very rarely did I see recruiters excited with résumés longer than two pages; however, I’ve noticed a drastic change in their attitudes over the last year or so. Of late, I’ve been asked to include details, such as technologies used, my specific contributions to projects, team size, relevant project details, and so on. Based on the years of experience, recruiters are not put off by four- to eight-page resumes anymore. I’ve tried at least 20 to 30 versions since coming to Canada in late 2009, and by far the one I’ve had the most success with has these sections:

  • Contact details. Email and phone, with the physical address being optional (I don’t include it and have never been asked for it).

  • Brief career summary. Highlights of my career (companies, technologies, domain, types of documentation developed) that would be appealing for the kind of job I’m applying for. If I’m going after a banking gig, my telecommunications, supply chain, and health sector exposure get the boot.

  • Authoring tools and Technologies. A quick mention of the tools and technology I’m comfortable being around and have used (ideally). However, I’ve noticed that including something that I really haven’t used but is in the job description gives me the extra push I need to play with the evaluation version of the software—a neat little trick to expand one’s skillset.

  • Industry experience. Needless to say, this is the longest section of my résumé. It includes the company name (if contract, I include my direct client), my designation, dates, tools used, and my specific contributions and achievements on that job. After my first job, I started mentioning the location. However, if you are new to Canada and have yet to gain "Canadian experience," I suggest hiding behind the benefit of doubt and not mentioning the location. From what I’ve seen, "no previous work experience in Canada" becomes a primary criterion for getting filtered out early.

  • Education. If you have more than five years of experience, I’d put that first and education second. However, if education is your biggest asset, this section could warrant primary real estate on the first page.

What is a must-do here in Canada is tailoring every résumé for the job you apply for. I spent four years in Singapore and over six years in the Silicon Valley as a technical writer, but nowhere can I recall having to customize my résumé to the extent I do here. Back then, one résumé fit most of my needs. Things have changed since the early 2000s. Every résumé I send now is optimized for the keywords from the job description. I use a Word Cloud tool, such as Wordle.net, for this purpose. When I’m after a trainer opening, most of my writing experience hides in the cupboard or under a table, with only a subtle mention of any transferrable skills. When going after a writing gig, my public speaking and teaching experiences are only used if the job requires effective presentation skills.

As I said earlier, searching for jobs in the GTA can be interesting. Separating my writing and training experience in two separate résumés has worked out well. One last warning:, recruiters in the GTA hate typos and careless mistakes in résumés, and even the technical geeks and developers are not exempted.

Interviews—behavioral questions and tests

Interviews here are rarely mundane. They’re generally very practical and pertaining to the specifics of the job. There’s almost always a behavioral component and an occasional test to prove that you can walk the talk. Here are some of the interesting discussions I can recall:

  • Use the white board to illustrate the most challenging documentation project you handled—what the challenges were and how you handled them?

  • Why are we so subtle and well behaved with our co-workers, but tend to get frustrated and vent on family at home?

  • How do you manage stress?

  • How would you handle a tricky situation (that they narrate)?

The best advice a job seeker can get for Canada’s job market is research. Conduct a comprehensive, 360-degree research on the job, company, role you are going for, and the interviewer. And, the place to start is, well, social media. Look for employees of that company on LinkedIn, see who you might know, and connect with whom you can. I’ve had much luck contacting technical writers working where I was going for an interview and asking them about non-confidential stuff like the culture, tools, and technologies in that organization. All these findings can then be used to showcase your research skills and impress the interviewer.

The work culture in Canada is very open and friendly. While some companies do have a Bermuda culture, that is not the norm (neither does the GTA have the weather apt for that culture). Working from home or working remotely is in its infancy, with the use of VPN tokens generally reserved for the snow day and other occasional emergencies. An 8–4 or 9–5 culture is far more prevalent than "come in and leave when you like."

The job market that’s hidden

An astounding and a very well-documented fact about the Canadian Labor Market is that over 80% of available jobs are never posted. You wouldn’t know this if you’ve never been in the labor force here, but this statistic promptly grabs your attention the minute you venture out on your job-search adventure. Well, if jobs are never advertised, how are they filled, you ask? By networking (see http://indus.stc-india.org/2010/10/canada-calling). If you thought you could just stroll into Canada with work authorization and land your first job at will, think again. The job market here is as much your skills and expertise as it is who you know, because the most preferred way of filling a requisition is by referrals and word of mouth. Unlike in other places, where contacting a few recruiters and placement agencies is your key to getting your first offer, the key here is becoming well connected within the industry. You can get started by using some of these avenues:

  • Local STC chapters. There are 2 chapters in the GTA: Toronto and Southwestern Ontario. There are regular meet-ups, networking brunches, socials, and events. You meet other writers or—if you’re like me—your potential competition when you’re looking for your next contract.

  • Volunteering. Hiring managers love to see "Canadian experience" written all over a résumé. Don’t underestimate the power of having volunteered or worked survival jobs for a while like dishing out Double-Doubles at Tim Hortons’, stacking up some homo milk at the No-Frills racks or taking orders for Poutine at a Burger King—they all teach you the skills of being part of the Canadian society and workforce.

  • Being active on social media. With Toronto getting the dubious honor of being in the top five most-congested North American cities to drive in, who has the time—or the guts—to physically make it to so many networking events that take place here all the time? Since 65% of top executives in Canada use social media for hiring, it pays to be active there. LinkedIn is the preferred tool, though Facebook and Meetup see huge traffic as well. Not being on social media while looking for a job in the GTA is like sending a résumé without your name and contact information on it.

  • Contacting recruiters. While relying solely on recruiters is hardly effective, leaving them completely out of your job search strategy would not be wise. Many agencies have blanket or open POs with large companies, and once you’ve been able to establish a good rapport with a few recruiters, getting your foot in the door becomes a little easier. Again, using LinkedIn to network with recruiters can be an effective use of your time.

  • Getting education from local institution. Regardless of your qualifications from overseas, it always pays to show some local education on your résumé. While university courses can be little expensive, short courses in your field from other public and private colleges as well as community centers can be most helpful. Modules can range from $100–400 and be over in a few weeks, adding some extra oomph to your résumé.

A typical tech writer in the GTA

Depending on your commute, your day likely begins bright and early—anywhere between 6:00-8:00 AM. You will likely be in a full-time, permanent employment; however, this is not always the most preferred type of employment for all writers in the area. Many prefer to be contractors and get themselves incorporated (start their own company). While they lose the luxury of having extended health benefits and paid holidays and vacations, it does come with the perks of generally getting a higher hourly rate, the option to claim certain write-offs for the taxes, and the opportunity to be picky about the types of contracts to accept.

The demand for technical communicators is everywhere in the GTA—this is evident both from the many industries that hire writers and the number of colleges that offer courses and certificates. George Brown College, for example, offers a certificate for working professionals with part-time, evening classes. Openings for many types of technical communication are most visible in banking, manufacturing, healthcare, policy, compliance and regulatory affairs, telecommunications, software development, and with the public sector at-large. If you are unphased by minus-30-degree wind chills in the peak of winter, give Canada a thoughtful look. I invite you to contact me if I can be of any help.

Sumedh Nene is a passionate technical writer-trainer and has worked as such in Singapore, Australia, the United States (Bay Area), and India before moving to Toronto, Canada. He teaches technical communication at George Brown College and is the owner of CrackerJack WordSmiths, Inc., a communication company helping the public sector, IT companies, and banks meet their training and documentation needs. In his free time, Sumedh enjoys mentoring writers and helping newcomers learn the art of landing jobs in Canada. He has recently started blogging on Canada and technical writing at http://sumedh-techwriterblog.com.