I didn't have too much trouble getting interviews, I just had problems landing the jobs.

A degree does seem to be more standard here - certifications take over from it after a few years.

Done any linux?

There are a few linux certifications now that don't cost an arm and a leg to do.

Even (at least one of) the guys who fix the PCs in Futureshop are A+ - certifications are everything over here.

Yeah lots of Linux, although the majority of my experience has been commercial flavours like HP-UX, AIX and Solaris. I even have my own collection of servers both at home and one in California, but they all run BSD! To me, UNIX is UNIX, and Linux is just another flavour!

Might look into the certs if they are worthwhile.

No guarantees, but it doesn't do any harm to look.

The A+ people do a Linux+ certification.

Unix suffered badly from a mainframe type reputation - Linux presents itself as a cute penguin.

Linux is catching on here cos it's cheap and we know what Calgarians are like when it comes to spending money.

The real problem with working out what to do here to get a job is that most of the jobs aren't advertised ......

Exactly, the certs will only do so much good if the jobs are advertised.

Mind you, I do seem to be getting a little more interest from the recruiters now I removed all reference to being British from my resume. Might get me to the next step, but it's still not the step where they award the job!

The art of writing a resume is to tell them what you want them to know and to miss off what you don't think they'll want to hear.

As a past interviewer in the UK, my list of interview tips are:

1 - Don't turn up hungover or stinking of stale beer

2 - Don't turn up looking as though you've been in a fight - blackeyes don't look good

3 - Try to get some sleep the night before - yawning doesn't look good

4 - Don't attempt to bullshit about something you're clueless about

5 - Be on time

6 - Brush your teeth

7 - Don't wear a tweed suit if the weather is above the mid-20's - if you must, dry the sweat off your palms before shaking hands

In Canada, I taylor my resume for each job I apply for, sometimes I really go for the brown nose stuff if I think it's what would please them.

As for interviews - your 100% right.

I was an interviewer once too. I added a little twist. I'd spend 30 minutes or so interviewing them on technical issues, and if I liked what I saw, it then moved on to the personality test. A quick pint in the pub often allowed the candidate to show their true colours in an informal environment.

That technique will shock Canadians, and may even shock people outside London, but it was so successful, that I'd use the same technique here if I ever got to the stage where I was recruiting people for my own business. Psychometrics, personality tests are crap compared to the real thing.

Just so happens that one member of staff I interviewed in that very way is one of my best friends - I'm even his best man for his wedding next year!

Hello everyone,

Am new to the board, and I 'll just like to say hello. What an interesting thread this is, and some of the points made are so true about the IT field here in canada.

Getting back into the field after arrival was a struggle, after years of working in the industry in England. Like someone said, it wasn't getting the interviews that was a problem, it was getting the job.

Certification is a huge thing here, sometimes preferred to a degree, and you really have to network to get your foot through the door. I managed to get a job after my wife applied internally for me where she works, this job was never advertised outside, I still had to go for the interview and prove myself, and a week later, I got a phone call asking me if I wanted the job ( Technical support consultant )? I took the job of course, and am really enjoying it.

Am now looking to take the network+ and MCP certs, by self study.

Welcome to the board Squarepants!

I'm beginning to think about certifications for the first time as a result of this thread. There are tons of UNIX certs I could take, they seem to be a walk in the park and cheap to boot.. Just took the HP-UX cert example test online and got one question wrong - I blame that on my HP-UX rustiness! Still an easy pass though.

Going to book that one for starters - its only $100. Then on to certs that could actually prove useful in this city

Bugger all to lose I guess, apart from some beer tokens

Well done squarepants - you've got into the Canadian way of doing things fast!!

Certs are really worth doing here.

Don't even try for a PC technician's job if you aren't A+.

With Microsoft certs, make sure you do the useful ones - get up to speed on the latest version.

I've got a degree, but I've never thought it to be worth much in terms of getting a job - up to date experience & certs are worth way more.

I got my British Computer Society charter before coming here too - it might have made a difference to the immigration people, but it didn't make that much difference when it came to getting a job.

Another fallout from the dot com bubble is that people flocked to get I.T. industry qualifications to get a piece of the action. Unfortunately now there's a surplus of qualified people. Add the outsourcing impact of India and you have a low job demand.

The situation for plumbers, welders etc is different.

Hi there,

I'd agree with this. I've been here just under three years (came over with a 1st Class Hons in Computing, got my MBCS and CEng - which I've now let lapse) and the thing that got me a job was a personal contact. The things that have kept my job are getting things like certs - Solaris, CCNP, AIX etc... For some reason the Canadian employers love certs. Can't really explain the obsesion with them other than to give some sort of level playing feild when pitching for contracts - never encountered this really in the UK in 16 years of IT work there.

Anyway, for my 2c worth - get the higher level certs like CCNP and above (for networking) to differentiate yourself.

Good luck.

Cheers- Steve

Dear all,
I am a Telecommunications Engineer with 8 years of experience in data transmission equipment and internetworking (Cisco boxes).
I am CCNA certified and I am preparing by myself for taking the CCNP certificate.
I would like to know how is the situation of the Canadian labour market for Cisco specialists?
Also, I would like to know which other certifications could be a good complement for an internetworking professional?
Thank you a lot in advance for your help, I really appreciate all the useful information that you give to the future immigrants.
Best wishes.

Lots of demand for Cisco, but usually in combination with something else.

Look at Workopolis & Monster - you'll get a better idea of what employers are looking for.

Does OpenBSD get much use in Canada? It being a native (the lead developer Theo is in Calgary).

I am one of the one's with no IT degree, but 8 years experience. AIX, Linux, Cisco, OpenBSD in blue-chip companies.

Networking (social) is key then?

Hi,

First of I'd like to say hello to evryone, I'm a newbie to this
forum ( not another one!)

I'm a Unix system admin with around 8 year experience, 3 are in the petroleum industry.
No certifications but I do hold under/postgraduate degrees

Currently I'm working in the Gulf but I'v become interested in moving to Canada.

I've heard positive stories about jobs, almost evryone I know from have found it relatively easy to get IT jobs.

Just want to be sure before I start the application process
Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,


O