Landed permanently in Calgary exactly four weeks ago. I am a qualifies accountant (ACCA, CGA) as well as a masters degree in finance and investment with over seven years of banking and investment reporting experience from the UK.

I have applied for quite a number of roles online and registered/applied with recruitment agencies. But so far haven't had any success yet. One agency told me I was over qualified for a three month contract accountant role they had.

Am I expecting too much too soon, given that I have been here for only four weeks? Are things generally slow compared to the UK?

I have been applying for roles in Calgary and Edmonton.

Anybody has an experience to share?

TA

Hi & welcome to Calgary My husband and I arrived in Calgary back in August. We are both qualified accountants (ACA) with 6+ years experience.
I'd say it took us around 4-5 weeks to find a job. My husband got his role (6 month contract) through Robert Half on their contract side. I was also registered with them, but accepted a 3 month contract which I had applied for directly.

We both found that most of the bigger companies, or roles as senior level finance that we applied for directly - we didn't hear anything back. I think the lack of Canadian experience is the main concern to companies.

I applied for quite a few jobs from kijiji - ones that I was overqualified for, but I adjusted my resume/application accordingly and highlighted more of the lower level stuff I had done. The role I am in at the moment is in accounts, but not a qualified accountant role. However, I took it because a. it's a job! and b. To get that all important Canadian experience on my resume.

Good luck in your job search, it also may be worth calling companies to follow up on your applications. I think, from my experience, they do work a little slower - I applied for my current role and assumed I wasn't going to hear anything, however 3.5 weeks later I got a response inviting me to interview.

Also, if you're not registered with Robert Half, I'd recommend them.

Don't just apply for advertised jobs, knock on doors, drop off resumes, join the local chamber of commerce, rotary, any business organisation you can think of and in person. Too many rely on social media these days to make connections.

The global job market is more who you meet and know. Just responding to ads makes you just another resume and not stand out from the crowd.

I got my first job offer in Canada at Heathrow on my out to Vancouver and my second one at CYVR on my way back to London. In my trade jobs are never advertised, always a flood of people looking for work and the ones that stand out are the ones who get the jobs.

There is a lot in what cherryj says. It can be difficult to get a job without Canadian experience and, obviously, difficult to get Canadian experience without a job.

Part of the Canadian experience thing is how you will fit into the workplace. It is hard to change your personality but be confident yet easy going. You are a team player who can take the initiative when needed.* You love Canada and are comiitted to building your future here.

The other part is techincal. Whatever role you are going for, try to anticipate the way Canadian law, tax and regulatory requirements will impact you and make sure you have them covered off. Be a safe pair of hands.

You are in a good position in that you are in a city with a shortage of workers and in an in-demand profession. Follow Aviator's advice and get out and meet people. There are many companies that will recruit through their contact network if possible, before advertising or hiring recruitment consultants.

You will find work soon.

* be ready to explain in an interview some problems you have encountered in a workplace and how you resolved them with the team and by leading the team.

Thank you all for your prompt advices and sharing your experiences with me. That is exactly the type of advice am looking for. Will definitely share with you the outcome of the job hunt.