Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Hi there,

It's been a while since I was on here and a lot has changed. I've been living in Nova Scotia since April as I was lucky enough to find an employer who wanted to bring me over. I'm loving it and so happy that I made the move. The thing missing is my husband! He stayed behind to sell the house and hopefully find a job, but it's not going to plan. The house is still on the market with only one viewing and although hubby has updated his resume to say that he can start work straight away he's not getting any responses, at all :(

We had decided that he'd move over when either the house is sold or he gets a job, but nothing is biting. We've had friends in his line of work look at his resume and they say it's great. We also, have friends who have forwarded his resume to people looking for staff. He's applied for countless jobs and still nothing. He's even been over and walked into loads of places we knew were hiring. He's really well educated and worked for a big company in the UK for 20+ years and has great references. We just don't understand it and he's starting to get really downhearted about it. Plus, financially it's starting to hit us as our savings have gone so he has can't just move over as we won't be able to afford the house in the UK.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? Does anyone have any advice on how to get this moving along so we can get him here asap?

Any help will be gratefully received

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

That must be frustrating for him.

What does he do for a living? Does he need Provincial Certification - is it a Regulated profession or trade?
Does he have Permanent Residency or an open Work permit in place already?
Unfortunately, unless his profession is one that is sought after, his UK experience and references don't really count for anything - it's Canadian work experience and references that are generally looked at positively. Has he Canadianised his resume https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Resume ?

Have you had a look at the various articles in the wiki? There's some very useful info there - if you've no time then look at the quick job hunting one for now https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick...uctions-Canada :)
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Categ...Hunting-Canada


Have you considered renting your house out, if you are not likely to sell in the near future?

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Hi Siouxie,

He's a Data Analyst which he's done for many years with real success. He also has a Master Degree in Physics. We've had English and Canadian friends who are in his line of work look at it his resume, as well as agencies etc.. and he's not had any negative feedback. He's got an open work permit and our PR application has been submitted. There's really nothing that put an employer off. It's just not working for some reason

We looked into renting the house out, but there are houses being rented in our area for less than we pay on the mortgage so we wouldn't be able to afford to make up the difference. Plus, we did this before and the loopy juice tenant ended up costing us $1,000's in unpaid rent and damages. I'd avoid it now if possible.

I'm seriously considering giving it till Xmas, and if he still hasn't had any luck going back and starting again myself.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Good that he's making contacts and developing a network - that's usually key to finding a job here. Friends (English or Canadian) may not be that knowledgeable about what employers will look for in the resume - a lot of the time it's not generic but specific to the job applied for (particularly the cover letter) and using key words used in the advert in the resume. So much is done with automated software now when picking candidates. Does he have a Canadian (or at least a Gmail) email rather than a UK ISP one - and does he have a local phone number for them to contact him on? Has he included in his cover letter that he is legally able to work in Canada rather than putting down 'work permit' or whatever - many employers won't understand and think it's temporary or they need to obtain an LMIA in order to employ him... (grasping at straws, just trying to think of all aspects)...


Has he contacted these people? Seems like they might have some jobs that would suit. You can designate different city - I just chose Halifax for ease. They are approved for the Global Talent Stream for the Atlantic Pilot Project - so will be more conversant with overseas candidates. They originally posted in our 'jobs available Canada forum' - but they are a very large company, so are likely also to have current jobs available.. worth taking a look and perhaps getting in contact with them..

https://cgi.njoyn.com/cgi/xweb/XWeb....age=joblisting
https://www.cgi.com/en/canada/careers

:)

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

My wife and I did something similar in our move to Halifax. I stayed behind to revamp our house for renting out (which has gone brilliantly so far thanks to a cracking agent). I must have made 5 trips of 3-4 weeks each over to go job hunting and I finally got the nibble that enabled me to pull the trigger and move. Halifax is a weird market to job hunt in. I put out lots of resumes to different places, updated my LinkedIn, walked the streets and visited offices, went to job fairs etc. The job fair thing was informative inasmuch as I understood that, here at least, you need to get in front of a human being. Once you do that, at least in my line of work, they really do make good efforts to see how they can take you on (I am presuming the existence of relevant experience). The issue is getting in front of a human, even with agencies. I had applied to several companies on line and got turned down every time. When I met the "talent acquisition manager" for one of these companies, she was giving me her card and trying to set up a meeting. Rambling response but I hope it gives a bit of additional comment to the very good ones above.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Thanks for the responses. The link you sent me Siouxie is great thank you. As it happens one of our friends is a Manager at the company in the link (small world). He did look at hubby's resume and gave him some contacts for job openings but alas nothing yet. I've sent the stuff to my O/H to see if it's of any interest to him.

Hubby has been over once, but finances and work commitments make it hard. It's like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place! We're crossing fingers and toes that the house sells and he can come over with some cash in his pocket and do the job search while here. Perhaps we need to change our tatics somewhat.

Hopefully, this will blow over and we'll be wondering what the stress was about in a few months. But like I said earlier, if he's not here by Xmas I'm not staying here indefinitely on my own regardless of how much I like it here. It's no fun without your O/H

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

An acquaintance did that many years ago, could not find the job he wanted, ended up in fast food, became a manager, went on and got a job more in his field a few years later. Retired from it with a small pension, does his own thing no. His dream job never did come along, but he did OK.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

That's close to what I did. Except when I moved and was living locally, I got a job within a week. Data analyst is quite a broad job description. It may be that his tool set needs updating. Does he know Caldera? Is he using Tableau or OBIEE?

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Thanks guys

Our house in on as cheap as we can go. We've priced it so we can cover the outstanding mortgage, fee's and have enough left to buy hubby a cheap car, that's it. The problem is in our area, there are quite a few house for sale and some are stupidly cheap (although they are in really bad condition). We have gone in at less than market value in the hope that it'll peak someones interest.

We've spoken many times about him lowering his expectations about a job and it's not something he's prepared to do, at least till he gets here that is. I think once he's here he'll take any job to get some money coming in so the priority is to get the house sold above all else.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Has he considered consultancy work and/or signing up with agencies? I would also suggest he has a strong profile on LinkedIn (clearly show his experience, technology etc.) and show that he is open to opportunities (this is an option on his profile) and also be very clear about his working status and availability to start work with a date or timeline. As a corporate recruiter, I used LinkedIn A LOT to find candidates for roles and more and more companies are doing this now.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

We just took the plunge and both quit and came over and started the job hunt more or less immediately. My partner found a job after a month whereas I was unemployed for 2.5 months before getting a good job. Emotionally It can be demoralizing and he should expect to get alot of negativity about lacking Canadian experience etc.

I just don't think there's a better way than being here and seeing the lay of the land and speaking to people. The biggest problem I found was the incredibly long recruiting process some companies have here, so you might hear nothing for a couple of months after you apply and then they call you out of the blue.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I cant add anything new to what has already been said. The chances of finding the right job immediately are very slim. He will find "a job" as soon as he is based in NS, will it be what he wants, most likely not, but it will help pay some bills until he finds something suitable. I was working within 3 days of arriving, albeit in an entry level job, but it took me 10 years and changing provinces, away from NS, to get back to the same level that I was when I left the UK. I was told on 5 occasions in NS that my resume and skills were exactly what they wanted, but to come back when I was Canadian...just they way it is there often.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

It does however happen.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

So does winning the lotto.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

The odds of getting a job are slightly better than 14,000,000:1 I would suspect!
Although I did win the lotto last week, but did not get a job.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I dont play often but I may have won more times on scratchers than winning jobs....lol

Never won the big prize however.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I found a job within three weeks in a company that wasnt initially looking for anyone but met with me anyway. I started on the same amount as I did in the UK but with a dollar sign in front of it. I was there for a year and will remain ever grateful to them as because of that job we were able to have a status, buy our home and start our new lives. Fast forward 5 years and I was earning more than I probably would be in the UK and in a job I love, still in NS. We are now 7 years in and I continue to be happy.
Hubby was in the police in the UK and it took him a while, and eventually a chat around a firepit, to even get his first proper job, at the airport, for the commissionaires. That led to his job as a sheriff about 18 months later. All is still good for him.
Its a leap of faith for sure but we wanted to be here and live this life so much that it made it worth it. Having said that, I am not sure I would choose to do it all over again without taking a deep breath first.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Hi.
That sucks he's having the problems he is...
I've had very good success with this web site...
indeed.ca

Post his resume and search for jobs in your area and I'm sure in a short amount of time he'll be getting responses.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I work in IT and have over 30 years experience and found it almost impossible getting any feedback to job applications while in the UK. To be frank, it was a waste of time trying. When we arrived in Toronto, I networked with several recruitment companies and met recruitment advisors in person and got myself a Canadian cellphone and address. You need to be here to get a job. It is not what you know, it is who you know that counts.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

:goodpost:
+1

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

That's exactly what we plan to do if our EE application is successful. As a manager in the UK who's job involved recruitment for several years (thankfully not anymore, I HATE recruitment) I would frankly toss CVs from anyone based abroad, or even far away in the UK straight in the bin. Why faff around when there are many other applicants based locally with the same skillset?

As has been said many times on here, unless you have extremely specialist skills that are in dire need over there, why waste your time and theirs? Petrifying as it is to move without a job and watch your savings potentially whittle away, I'd rather go there with a Canadian-style resume and a plan of who to contact / network with / apply to and hit the ground running on day one.

Contracting employers in your field from over here, knowing that you won't be able to start for a couple of months or so just risks annoying them so they'll be less likely to employ you when you do get there, IMHO.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

:goodpost:

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I wonder if Loraine has ever seen many of these posts??

There has been no comment from her for some time, yet there are some good ideas!

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Yes. Hubby needs to get on a plane and be on the ground to get a job.

OP, there are tons of previous threads on this topic, many in the same predicament as you, and they've all gone the same way. You need to be on the ground and not try to do it long-distance.

I would also set a red-line financially for when you pull the plug. Unfortunately this gets overlooked by most migrants. Moving country is one of the hardest things you will ever do, it may or may not work out, but you need to set an exit point (ideally before you leave the UK) for where you decide it isn't working and you need to go back. Otherwise you run the risk of having it not working but just saying "if we give it another two months . . . if we give it another two months . . . if we give it another two months . . ." and then all your savings are gone.

The reason you set the exit point before you leave the UK is to ensure that emotion and the heat of the moment don't sway things.

So, in conclusion . . .

1. Hubby needs to get on a plane
2. What is your financial exit point?

I would, be contrarian here and also take the house off the market. Your future in Canada does not sound secure at this point. If hubby comes over and gets a secure job, by all means put the house on the market.

So, what is your financial exit-point or red-letter day? If Hubby isn't going to get on a plane - Christmas sounds reasonable as the prospects of things changing much aren't good.

Good luck.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

So it's been a couple of months and things aren't going so well. I love my job and I'm starting to really settle here. Went back to the UK in Sept for my birthday and TBO couldn't wait to come back. Problem is hubby!

Hubby is here and has been for two weeks with the hope of finding a job and being able to hand his notice when he goes back this week. Unfortunately, this isn't working out well. He's applied for sooo many jobs, rang them all to follow up (more than once) and even been into the companies in the hope of speaking to someone but NO ONE is coming back to him. Friends and even my boss' have looked at his resume and said it's great, so why is he finding it impossible??

The house still hasn't sold and we've not had a single viewing. It's been on the market since July and we've reduced the price.

I really don't want to give up and go back, but unless something drastic happens soon I may have to. We are really starting to struggle now, running the house in the UK and our apartment here. I'm seriously thinking of saying if he's not here by Xmas that I'll have to pack up and go back.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? How long did you give it till you called it a day on the Canada dream?

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

My ex-work colleague got laid off last January and is still looking for work. The company I work for has been downsizing for the past three years. However almost every other retail store is advertising for work. I think higher paid jobs are still limited. I did get a job offer earlier this year after looking for 2 years. However it was no better than what I have now, maybe worse.
4 years ago it only took me 3 months to get a job after my company relocated. A lot depends on timing. When I first moved here 10 years ago when the world was falling apart, it took a week to find a job.

A lot is going to depend if hubby is prepared to take a job that is "below him".

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Your husband may have to take any job that will bring in an income while he looks around.

Service industry, retail, etc etc

Don't give up until you have tried everything.

He almost certainly will not find a job from the UK, so he should get over here permanently get a rental agency rent your home out ............... they're best suited to finding a tenant and handling any problems than a relation or friend. Get some income coming in from that.

Then look around for jobs that he can do temporarily until "his" job turns up.


Get him back here pronto as a "settler", stop trying to get him set up before he comes.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Thanks for the replies,

We've looked at renting out the house and isn't a viable option. When the property market slumped houses in our area were being snapped up for peanuts, this then lead to cheap rentals. Our next door neighbor pays less in rent than we do on a mortgage! Then add on the agent fee's and the insurance and we're losing out big time. The market is picking up but just not quick enough.

I have looked at We Buy Any House which isn't the way I wanted to go, but seeing as the house is costing money and time every month perhaps it's an option to just get rid, make the clean break and get hubby here. They actually aren't as bad as I though they would be. Not made up my mind, but considering it

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Maybe you could get 3 new valuations for fair market value - and ask what similar properties are selling for in your area - you could look online to check that too.. https://www.zoopla.co.uk/house-prices/

Then relist with purplebricks or 4sale by owner, or similar, at the lower price - you'll still probably make more money than you would with 'buy any house' type of companies who usually pay around 70% of fair market value (less fees) - not what your house is currently listed at. If you price your property right, you will sell it. I once had a house in the UK on the market for 2 years and had 2 sales fall through due to the potential buyer not being able to get a mortgage, not helped by the Estate agent sending people to view who couldn't afford it or were looking for something bigger! It was sat empty and I was despairing as I couldn't afford the mortgage payments and council tax, let alone 2 mortgages and council tax on 2 properties (long story). I saw a couple hovering outside - no estate agent in sight - and invited them in and showed them around with their parents, told them I would drop the price (by 10%) especially for them 'because I could see they loved the house' :D - they made a full price (less the 10%) offer within a day, which I accepted. Don't know if you have your house listed with an estate agent, but do check their online listing and make sure it's correct.. you could also get a friend to make an inquiry 'looking for a (insert description of your property) house in (your area) and see if they are offered a viewing. I once listed my house, did that and found they were listing it as smaller than it was (not the 1st house above, lol) and weren't offering it for viewing! If everything checks out, ask the estate agent what their advice is to get a quick sale.. is there something you need to do to the property - declutter, stage, decorate, tidy up the front, .. whatever it takes, right?

Unfortunately 2-3 weeks isn't enough to job hunt and nowhere near enough to get an offer.. many times you can wait a month or more just to find out if you are going to get an interview, (also check the closing date for applications, you won't hear anything for at least a couple of weeks after that date, possibly longer). Then the wait for an interview date, then a 2nd interview date - and then perhaps wait another month (or more) to find out if you have the job - once they have conducted their background checks / contacted references etc. That's not for every job, of course - sometimes if they are in a hurry to hire and few candidates, you might hear within a month, but Canada generally is very slow through the hiring process. Patience is a virtue you learn fast here!

I agree, get him over here a.s.a.p - presuming that he wants to be here, of course, let him get any job - it doesn't have to be in his profession! Anything to tide you over until the right job comes along - and to give the process time!

Best of luck..
:)

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/halifax-...ts-35881010067

Halifax job fair end of his month.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/free-dar...ts-36234466264

Dartmouth job fair a bit earlier.

I would highly recommend your husband gets his CV prepared, his LinkedIn up to date, and goes along. Like I said in my earlier comment, this gets one in front of a human being. The recruiters may not be in his field but there may be something where transferrable skills come into play to at least get him a job and you guys some cash flow.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

He shouldn't get disheartened if he didn't find something in 3 weeks.

I very recently got a job offer which took 4 months of trying, with a success rate of a physical interview a month (not great I know) For the job I got, the process from phone interview to conclusion has taken 3-4 weeks, so again a bit of time.

But, I got there and I'm sure your hubby will be able to do the same. Just need boots on the ground and a bit of patience!

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Your story is a real struggle but I have to sympathise. It seems that you have listed the house cheap - maybe it's too cheap and people think it has issues? Maybe your agent could advise on this.

Will definitely help if he puts your Canadian address and a Canadian phone number on his CV - I think you can get a number that will forward to his UK mobile at a cost or Skype.

I sympathise because we own three properties and could not sell our house in six months, got two silly offers on the other properties. We live in northern England in a dead-end town so prices have been flat for 10 years. It is really depressing when that happens. And when you are moving to a place where the house prices are several times what your house is worth.

I have decided to go ahead get work and then await the wife in six months (I hope). So there's probably quite a few in the same boat as you.

Keep paddling, you'll get there.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Loraine what about using
www.purplebricks.co.uk

I think they have people every where who could help either sell or rent out.

Get hubby to come over and if needs be work for Walmart to start with, just to get some canadian work experience, and more importantly he will get to know people. It IS all about WHO you know over here, not what you know,

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

+1!


Suggested upthread :)

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

I would advise your husband would look at all areas around his field. Even if it's a sideways step. What other skills does he have that are marketable?

I say this because I'm an engineer by trade, but when working as an engineer in the UK I had gained experience in competitive tendering. In Canada it took me 6 months of hard work to find a job. I'm talking being out every day walking around Calgary looking for work. It was nothing short of completely sh*t and massively demoralising. But after 6 months I seen a job at the city working in a specification writing and procurement type position. I went for it and got it.

It's not what I did, its definitely a step down but I quite enjoy it, there's an engineering department which are showing interest in me. I can work towards my accreditation, I'm out of probation next month and my boss is giving me a 5k rise plus another 5k in 6 months and he's said I can choose any projects from the team and he'll give them to me. It's really paid off and helped us start moving forward.

From my short time here ive met a lot of people. They all say the same thing, it can be hard to get started but if you are humble, work hard and don't mind stepping down a position or two then you'll really fly up the ranks and do well for yourself.

Your position sounds hard and stressful. Try and stay positive, best of luck to you.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Great post Shakyuk. As an immigrant you have to be versatile and adaptable. You have to be prepared to retrain and work outside your field.

Both my husband and I retrained. Had to. My husband has been really successful and has a wonderful job in a high profile organization which he loves. But it took time and determination: when he first came he did a ski season up one of the mountains pulling skiers out of creeks, earning very little. But he met a lot of people and skied free for the winter.

I'm always busy but I have several part time contracts. I used to teach at university in the UK on yearly contracts. I'm just now starting to get a couple of contracts to teach but in my new field so that's interesting. It's taken time: 6-8 years.

Re: Hubby needs help finding a job. What's going wrong?
 

Admitedly, I'm not in the most populated bit of Canada, but the rule of thumb here seems to be that you apply for a job and are unlikely to hear anything for three to four months, if you are successful enough to get to the ineterview stage...which is demoralizing in the extreme. I've heard this from everyone; it's also the reason why people don't apply for lots of jobs here.

Fighting the sense of feeling useless, when you send off application after application with never an acknowledgment is dreadful...and many of us on here have experienced it. I have done just about everything since coming to Canada, I cleaned houses for a long time, which I actually enjoyed, but I'd never done it before. At year 6 I am now in a well paid job with the Government, but only on a one year contract, that they have just renewed...but I had a very long time in an appalling wilderness and was losing hope occasionally.

Moving to Canada can seriously damage your sense of self and take you a long time to get back to where you were, mentally and financially, before you came here. I think it has been worth it to us as a family, but it's by no means been an easy process.

My very best of luck to you and your husband, you have to really fight at times when you haven't got the energy left. Hope it gets better:thumbup: