wasss

I just got accepted to go to Canada on a working holiday visa with IEC, I am planning on moving to Toronto in either May or June because I figured it would be the best time to look for a job for the summer and to enjoy the summer weather.

Currently I work as a teaching assistant and would like to maybe do that in Toronto but not sure what the requirements are, if not I really don't care about what kind of job, I'll do waitering, receptionists, bar work etc, any advice about this and in general looking for a job? I know in BC you have to take a short course to serve liquor, and I need to make a Canadian CV template instead of a UK one.

That's about it really, any advice or words of wisdom?

suzeandmatt

Hi. I'm also in educational support. I'm in Alberta so not sure if the same can be said for elsewhere in Canada (though it probably can). I don't know what age you work with, but for working with early years you need to have passed a health check. Though you don't for older students.
But for all you need to pass a police clearance check here and generally have a child CPR certificate.
The majority of jobs will come up in time for September as that's the start of the year. Most in school educational support are 10 month terms as the academic year here is September to end of June.

There's lots of information over on the wiki as well in terms of employment. I've got no idea about liquor tests etc though. Sorry.

DandNHill

In Ontario you need your smart serve.

J-A-UK

Good luck - Do not set your expectations too high

Number 1 Canada is a different world !!
You'll need a Resume not a CV (Just a name)
You cannot do too much in Canada without the right license
I'm 2hrs from Toronto and now GM for a provincial wide company - We get applicants from all over the world and most are unemployable in Canada.

Security - License ($500 +)
I think window cleaner are licensed too
Bar Work / waiting tables - Smart Serve Certificate (Affordable)

Best see what you need to survive - Hopefully it'll not be too much of a shock - Best of luck

Tangram

A little self congratulatory saying your own post is a good post dontcha think lol

monemi

You don't need any licenses for office admin. My first job was through a temping agency doing clerical work. It was experience and got my foot in the door as a receptionist during university.

Job postings in Canada are wish lists. They will never find someone that has exact combination of experience and skills they list on job posts. Never. For instance, reception phone systems. If you've learned one, you know enough to work any of the others. Differences in systems are pathetically minimal but typically the person doing the hiring doesn't know that.

Human Resources, the people doing the hiring at most companies, don't know the job. Don't read the job postings too closely. If you're approximately qualified to do the job, apply. Many times they say they require so and so education to apply for entry level jobs, such as payroll. They don't. Job postings are mostly BS lists to scare off people who don't have life skills.

Obviously, don't lie about anything serious. Don't say you have certification that you don't have. But if you know excel, you can learn something like access in ten minutes. Or use lyndon.com or just playing with large volumes of data at home on access. I get the sense that people who didn't grow up with computers don't recognize that you don't need extensive training on every single program/system you use to do the basics. I didn't need CADKEY training to open ZIP-files and print them out on 34 X 44 inch drafting sheets. Too often places say they require ridiculous things for working entry level admin in estimates or sales. Just say you have some working experience with these programs because you won't get the job over a program like Adobe which my 7 year old uses to photoshop anime pics with. Don't let them disqualify you over petty stuff applying for entry level jobs.

Have fun!

Tigger1

I'm not really sure where to start with this....

As a recruiter I can assure you that my job postings are not BS and I also understand the roles I hire for, other wise how could I interview the candidates correctly? You may have had some bad experiences with organisations in the past, but please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

OP - I would suggest you look at temping at first, it's a good way for you to get an idea of the different office culture and working practices in Canada. Hit a few agencies as soon as you land and if you don't already have one create a LinkedIn profile (all about networking here). When applying for roles I'd look at contract and mat leave positions initially, that's no to say you can't be hired for a perm role too but some organisations are put off by the work visa.

Hope that helps!

monemi

Assuming you "correctly" interview candidates. I had a coworker in the accounting department who admitted privately that she lied about having experience doing accounts receivable to get her first office job. 20 years later, she'd gone on to become a chartered accountant. Anyone with the kind of skills and experience asked for entry level job posts isn't going to be looking for an entry level job because they're not entry level anymore. They're experienced. No one who is actually entry level is going to have the experience and skills asked for.

You might not like what I have to say, but it's the truth.

R I C H

A lot of garbage here. I hired 2 nurses last month, both fulfilled job requirements exactly. I wouldn't have hired them otherwise. We have a government mandate and contract to deliver, so it's important to have the appropriately qualified and experienced staff.

Our payroll covers 450+ staff, some on-call, some temps, some FT, some PT, 3 different unions, pension/maternity/benefit implications every 2 weeks to deal with etc etc. To suggest it'd potentially be an entry level job without qualifications is plain daft.

Job postings are about trying to find the best possible candidate for a job. You're correct that a 100% fit isn't always available, so compromises are made, but I certainly don't write BS lists to scare away candidates.

monemi

What are you talking about? This isn't relevant to the original post about entry level positions. Nurses aren't entry level positions. Obviously not all payroll jobs are entry level. However some payroll jobs are literally entry level clerical work manually filling in the blanks from time cards. I covered for them back when I was a receptionist while they were looking for someone and the job posting said they needed payroll certification and 2-3 years experience and a host of computer programs. It was BS. I've seen this crap enough times to know these jobs postings when you're looking for an entry level position like the OP are crap.

Siouxie

With respect, 20 years ago things were very different. Job hunting for newcomers to Canada who don't have specific skills that are in demand, do find it more difficult to obtain interviews/jobs. Sometimes, it's necessary to take an entry level position in order to progress and get the job you have experience and qualifications for. Many employers don't/won't even take previous experience from overseas into consideration for newcomers.

I certainly wouldn't encourage anyone to lie about their abilities or skills in order to obtain a job, however, I would agree that there's no harm in applying for jobs even if you don't have the exact qualifications they are looking for if you have relevant experience.

rivingtonpike

If you want to apply for the CEO role at IBM, then go for it. The Internet has made it ridiculously easy for anyone to apply for anything. Before I became a West coast beatnik, believe it or not I was a Headhunter in the City and one of the worst technological advances from a recruitment point of view was the advent of the Internet and the electronic CV. Now, with absolutely minimal effort and no expense, anyone could apply for anything - and they did! No longer did it require paper, an envelope and a stamp; just the click of a few buttons. On that basis alone, go for it! You might get lucky, get someone's curiosity and land the job. As they say, you have to be in it to win it!