How Do I Find A Job In Vancouver, BC?

Posted on 06. Jan, 2010 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Working Abroad
2 comments

Unless you’re being sent here by your employer (you lucky duck!), your main preoccupation will probably be to find a job.

You’re eager to get a head start on your job search before moving to Vancouver, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Is it even doable to look for a job when you’re not in the country? Argh – so overwhelming!

You may not be able to get a firm job offer before leaving, but if you follow this two-part strategy, you’ll be much closer to landing the position of your dreams soon after you get here.

Before you move

Realistically assess your job prospects

Realistically is the key word. Your credentials and your professional skills may be highly respected and in high demand in your home country, yet that won’t necessarily make you employable in Vancouver.

The first step is to check if your occupation is a regulated profession in Canada.

If it is, getting your foreign credentials recognised is sometimes possible, but it’ll be a long hard slog and you’ll need a way to support yourself in the meantime.

Is Vancouver a good fit for your skills?

Most jobs here are in retail, tourism/hospitality, and a few specialised fields such as video game development, construction/real estate, or the movie industry. There is a financial district downtown, where some banks, accounting and law firms have their regional operations.

However, the bulk of job openings comes from small and medium businesses. This means that you can’t limit your job search to the biggest local companies. You need to define precisely what you want to do, and target the most dynamic organisations – big or small – in your field.

It also means that if you’ve always had typical corporate jobs (like middle management, HR, marketing, etc), you’re going to have to be a little creative, because there aren’t many headquarters and big corporations around here.

Have a clear job search strategy

You must be extremely clear on what you’re trying to achieve by coming to BC, in order to make the right professional moves:

• What are your career goals? What about your life goals? How committed are you to living in Vancouver?
• Does your visa restrict you from taking certain jobs? How long does it allow you to stay?
• What do you have to offer local employers?
• How long are you willing to remain unemployed, or to stay in an entry-level job just to pay the bills?

Make as many local contacts as you can

Relocating abroad has become ten times easier since internet became widespread. Social media in particular is a godsend for us expats. So get online, and make all the local connections you’re going to need.

Vancouver bloggers can answer your questions about life here. LinkedIn. Biznik and Twitter contacts can help you with your job search. Expat forums and online networks will provide tips, moral support and links to useful resources on pretty much any subject imaginable.

Once you arrive in Vancouver

Send applications, but don’t stop there

You can visit this page for links to the main job listing sites in Vancouver. However, this is not the only way to find a job here – or even the best way, in my opinion.
Send applications if an ad catches your eye, but don’t use that as an excuse not to get out there and network.

Network. Every single day

It doesn’t matter if you do it online or in person (although face to face is certainly preferable), but you must make an effort to meet new people every day. Go to events, volunteer, join a club – allow yourself to have fun in the process… no one ever said that looking for a job had to be boring!

Now is the time to call on the contacts you made before leaving – let them know you’ve arrived, and that you’re looking for a specific kind of job.

Ask for referrals and introductions. Set up informational interviews. Get your name out there. The more visible you are, the better.

Build a support network

As we all know, looking for a job can be hard and scary. Especially when you’re doing it in an unfamiliar environment, far away from your friends and your family.

It will make your life much easier if you surround yourself with like-minded people who understand what you’re going through. Namely, fellow expats who are new in town and looking for a job.

Being a city of immigrants, Vancouver has plenty of expat clubs that can provide fellowship and moral support. I coordinate monthly get-togethers for newcomers from all over the world via the expat network InterNations.org. You can also try Meetup.com, one of the BC Newcomers Clubs, or do a Google search to see if your community has a cultural centre in Vancouver.

Was this post helpful? Do you need more personalized job search advice? Contact me to schedule a one-on-one consultation.

Emmanuelle

Images via Duane Storey (top) and svacher (bottom), via Flickr Creative Commons