Is it possible to find job opportunities in an industry without prior experience when job seeking?
Given the current job seeking situation in Canada, it can be challenging to get a job without any work experience. Recently it has become relatively difficult for candidates with no experience to find a desired job. However, here is the good news. There are some ways for even beginners to get a decent job in Canada.
These are the frequently asked questions from job seekers:
- I’m an international student in Canada, but can I get a job without any related experience?
- I’m a domestic student and am about to graduate from school, but can I get a job without any prior experience?
- How difficult is it to find a job in Canada?
- What is the current job seeking situation in Canada?
In this article, you will learn some beneficial tips about job seeking for beginners in Canada. Whether you are a domestic student who doesn’t have any working experience or an international student who wants to create your career from scratch, you will find all the information you need in the following sections.
Current Job Seeking Situation in Canada
According to the Labour Market Information published by the Government of Canada, The overall working population is increasing while the unemployment rate is slightly increasing too. Also, job vacancies are not as high as Q2 2022, so we can say the job seeking situation is still tough.
As a premise, you have to compete with other candidates who may have more experience than you in the job seeking field.
Since there are so many candidates in one hiring position, employers have to narrow the application pool. Therefore most positions (even the entry-level positions) have the requirement of two to five years of experience to narrow the candidates and find the ideal ones.To be chosen as an ideal candidate for the company, it is inevitable to show that you have the skills to do the job well.
Job Seeking for Beginners Tip 1: Leveraging Prominent Job Boards
In Canada, it is common for job seekers to use the job boards dedicated to job seeking like Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor.
These online job sites provide a number of fresh job opportunities posted by various industries. In most job boards, you can filter job listings based on your preferences. Also, there is a function called “job alerts” that sends you suitable job opportunities based on your keywords and criteria.
Even for beginners who don’t have prior experience, these job boards can be useful to find your ideal position.
You can refer to this article for how to write a LinkedIn profile: https://ccccollege.com/optimize-linkedin-profile-tips-for-job-seekers/
Job Seeking for Beginners Tip 2: Expand Your Social Network
In North America, one of the most common ways of job seeking is “Networking” or ”Connection”. In fact, there are so many positions only available for referral regardless of the level of the position. Moreover, most job posting forms have a column that lets you write down if you have any “Referral” or not. There are some precedents that candidates without experience get an ideal job by referral. That proves how important it is to expand your network as much as possible for future job seeking.
Job Seeking for Beginners Tip 3: Spark Your Career Path with Volunteering Opportunities
Starting volunteering is another important tip for job seeking. Volunteering can help enhance your resume because volunteering in a related field will be your experience.
Volunteering is also a good way to practice a new job field if you have not decided to change your career. You may not experience the full range of job duties, but it would give you some aspects of the job roles.
Additionally, there is an opportunity that your volunteering might be your full-time job if your performance is well enough for the employer.
Job Seeking for Beginners Tip 4: Taking Co-op programs
The 4th tip for beginner job seeking is the Co-op program. According to the government of British Columbia(Link),the Co-op Employment program offers post-secondary students the opportunity to gain work experience in the BC Public Service. This program allows students to explore the public service sector and enhance their skills by working on projects related to their field of study.
The Co-op Employment Program ensures that the assigned work aligns with the student’s academic discipline, placing significant emphasis on training, learning, development, growth, support, and mentoring. Co-op work terms typically follow 4-, 8-, or 12-month auxiliary appointments, corresponding to the post-secondary trimester system: Winter (January to April), Summer (May to August), and Fall (September to December).
Here it the advantages of the Co-op program:
- You can gain career-related work experience before embarking on the job seeking upon graduation
- You can expand your connection and networking during the co-op period.
- You can be more competitive in the job seeking field by having practical skills.
Create Career College (CCC) provides several 2-year diploma co-op programs for international students. We have a wide range of programs from IT-related programs like No code & UI/UX programs to hospitality or accounting diplomas. Therefore, students can choose the course based on their interest and their future job seeking.
Job Seeking for Beginners Tip 5: Get Ready for the Interview
Once you gain enough experience from either volunteer or Co-op program, you should work on applying for hiring positions as much as possible with your resume & portfolio. At this point, it is critical to constantly enhance your resume & portofolio. Once you get invited to the interview process, you have to practice for the interview as much as possible.
CCC also provides several supports related to job seeking such as enhancing resumes and mock-up interviews. Not only do we have some co-op specialists who can support students for creating LinkedIn profiles or enhancing resumes, but also we have several regional advisors who can support international students in their own language. If you are interested in our Co–op program, you can contact us:
To learn more about our support, You can visit: https://ccccollege.com/co-op-program-ccc-find-a-job-4-ways/
Conclusion
In summary, breaking into the Canadian job seeking without experience can be tough, but there are effective strategies for beginners. Leveraging popular job boards, networking, volunteering, and participating in Co-op programs offer avenues for gaining a competitive edge. CCC exemplifies this approach, providing international students with tailored 2-year diploma Co-op programs and comprehensive job-seeking support. With these resources and a proactive mindset, beginners can navigate the challenges and establish a successful career in Canada.
