roland_poly
Other than monster, indeed, jobs.gc.ca and workopolis , you need to connect to local recruiting agencies, some of them such as randstad, si systems, procom, lyrgroup brainhunter, etc deals in tech jobs. Connect through their websites. Also have a very strong Linkedin profile and try to connect people in industry and recruiting . 9 years is good experience to build a good one.

I have a question - When did you apply for the immigration ? which year/month and was it under skilled worker. ( only for my personal curiosity). Thanks

Testing is in good demand all year long. Come down sooner, instead of waiting for the Summer.

Agree with San-Hugo. Connect to the local recruitment agencies by visiting their offices personally, simultaneously look for the volunteer opportunities as well, tailor your resume to the Canadian standards, brush-up your English speaking skills, presentation skills, invest in a good fitting Suit and a leather shoulder bag for your papers/laptop, etc. I know some of my tips may sound strange to you, but remember the old adage - First impression is the last one.

Also, if you drive a Car in India, do not forget to bring along your Driving license, Insurance history papers, and International Driving License.

Sooner you come, sooner you will settle. If you have nothing much to do in India anymore, just hop on as soon as possible.

And, don't worry about the Canadian weather much. It's almost an year long thing.

Last, but not the least - go through this website for an organization that offers paid internships for International qualified and skilled individuals:

https://www.careeredge.ca/en/home

Good luck!

Hey san-hugo

I have been building my LinkedIn profile over the years, and yeah like you and febpreet said, I think it would be wise to connect with Recruitment agencies.

To answer your question -
"I have a question - When did you apply for the immigration ? which year/month and was it under skilled worker. ( only for my personal curiosity)"
I had applied for immigration in May 2014, and it was under Federal Skill Worker.




Hi febpreet,

These are really good tips. I had questions regarding volunteering though (mentioned below), but let me know if they need to be addressed in a different topic-thread.

1) How can we apply to be a volunteer? Are there any factors to keep in mind before choosing an organisation / service to volunteer with?

2) Here in India I had been volunteering for causes that I had interest and passion for, like - education for underprivileged children and rural youth empowerment. However, while volunteering in Canada, would you advise to volunteer for a cause that interests me or volunteer in activities that are related to my profession?

3) Do Canadian employers look for a candidates volunteer experience?

Thanks

Hi febpreet,

There are really good tips. I had questions regarding volunteering though (mentioned below), but let me know if they need to be addressed in a different topic-thread.

1) How can we apply to be a volunteer? Are there any factors to keep in mind before choosing an organisation / service to volunteer with?

2) Here in India I had been volunteering for causes that I had interest and passion for, like - education for underprivileged children and rural youth empowerment. However, while volunteering in Canada, would you advise to volunteer for a cause that interests me or volunteer in activities that are related to my profession?

3) Do Canadian employers look for a candidates volunteer experience?

Thanks

Hi febpreet,

There are really good tips. I had questions regarding volunteering though (mentioned below), but let me know if they need to be addressed in a different topic-thread.

1) How can we apply to be a volunteer? Are there any factors to keep in mind before choosing an organisation / service to volunteer with?

2) Here in India I had been volunteering for causes that I had interest and passion for, like - education for underprivileged children and rural youth empowerment. However, while volunteering in Canada, would you advise to volunteer for a cause that interests me or volunteer in activities that are related to my profession?

3) Do Canadian employers look for a candidates volunteer experience?

Thanks

In essence, volunteering just means that you work for your employer for free (say 2 or 3 months) before he will hire you.

Volunteering is composed of many areas :

1. Some employers want Canadian experience. So to put in your resume that you have worked in Canada, some volunteer. Say that you (as a tester) will be employed in a logistics office for 3 months. At the end of 3 months, the logistics company will not hire you but they will give you a reference letter stating that you worked your duties properly and were a good worker. This will give confidence for some software company to hire you.

2. Let us talk of the same company. It may be in the habit of getting people every 3 months, who will work for free. After you, it will hire someone else for 3 more months of free work. However it may give you a reference letter and a phone number of your supervisor who you can use as a reference. In Canada, reference is very much essential. They need 3 people to refer. It can be anyone. I have in the past used my friends (in different fields) as my reference.

3. Next is working as volunteers in the company that may potentially hire you. In this way Gabriel volunteering / career edge comes of good use. They have good contacts / money from the govt. so that they will teach you for 2 months (resume making / how to talk to Canadian employers/ networking etc) and at the end of 2 months, get you a volunteer job in the compay that can hire you (say Rogers or Macafee etc..). This is by far the best bet. in 90% of cases you will be hired. Even if not, you will get a good reference letter at the end.

Volunteering in Canada means 2 different things. One as I have listed above and the second (once you are well settled in your job) do as you volunteered in India.

Welcome to Canada.

Murali

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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.

Just wondering , what's your thought process behind moving out of India ? Not necessarily about coming to Canada, but in general getting out of India .

Especially since you are in IT with almost 10 yrs of experience, so I am assuming you must have a good pay cheque . Do you NOT like it in India ?

What's the ACTUAL reality on the ground in India ?

TK always tells us that things are great in India , especially after Modi came in. Apparently Things are NO longer as bad as the 90's & even 2000's . But mostly in the last 4-5 yrs or so things have improved a lot in India , corruption wise , jobs wise, standard of living wise etc.

Apparently the standard of living in India is almost on par with that of the West, & the cost slightly lower ..so Why do people still want to move out of India ?

On one hand , I hear stories of NRI's returning home in droves as the opportunities in India are much better & the life is also much better , and then on the other hand I see well qualified & well educated people like you , wanting to get out of India .

So , which is the real India ? Have things drastically improved in India in the last few yrs or likely to improve a lot in the next few yrs ( say 5yrs -10 yrs ) or is it the same Old ..same old ..like corruption, bureaucracy, red tape , VIP culture , no law & order , bad infrstructure , no hygiene , no sanitation, pollution, population etc etc.

I have friends who tell me how great life is in the NEW India & I have others who can't wait to get out. Is it simply a matter of perception, or is one right & the other totally wrong ?

Confused

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Originally posted by roland_poly

My total and relevant experience is 9 years, but you are right, having no Canadian work experience could be a challenge initially.

Yes Murali I am moving as an immigrant and planning to be there by July 2015. Are job openings in Canada throughout the year (with the exception of December being a holiday season) ? I have heard that February to June is the peak time for job seekers but I am not sure how genuine that information is. Can you confirm this please?

My specific skill-set is Mobile Software testing (Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian etc) and its application testing with good hands-on experience of automation.

Apart from indeed.ca and monstor.ca are there any other similar job search sites? Does it help to get in touch any recruitment agencies?

Thanks
Roland

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