Ruby Murray

Nada....zip......zilch.......nothing!

I have had a few interviews in recent months, took great time making myself look smart and presentable, arrived in very good time, shown positivity and enthusiasm in wanting to become employed by the company, and I have left the building sure I cracked a great impression and got the job. One week goes by, then two. No phone call, nor a letter either to "thank you for taking to time to attend the interview but unfortunately, on this occasion you were unsuccessful"...blah, blah, blah

It is still one of my gripes I have here that some Canadian employers don't give a cr#p about thanking applicants for their time in applying to fill a vacancy at THEIR company. This has happened to me after 4 interviews and the lack of acknowledgement definitely deflates your enthusiasm for the next interview. As for applying for some jobs via email and expecting some form of acknowledgement of receipt and "your application and Resume will be considered", it rarely happens.

I'm only having a vent about a little frustration of mine. Some of you here may have had lots of similar experiences, and those about to embark on the Canadian immigration path may confront this niggling issue. Some (or most) Canadian employers don't adopt the British post-interview etiquette you will be used to in the UK, but that's life here I suppose. I was brought up well to be thankful and give thanks and when I get lack of that in return, it gripes me.......OK vent over

shelly1

Hi there
I have a friend living in Sask that is also going through the same experience as yourself, she's attended 20+ interviews and is still waiting for most of them to get back to her, I keep telling her to stick at it, but she's getting very disillusioned with the fact that she's waited so long for pr and now she can't get a job, she's convinced its because she's not Canadian,
I keep telling her that they'll all offer her employment at once
So Good luck and stick at it
Shelly

dentaltech

i know what you mean about the email thing , as a dental technician we have got some good job sites but it is frustrating , as an exercise one day i emailed to all the jobs regardless of where they were , ie canada or the usa and i never got one reply back out of 30. but i did fill in a job questionaire on the same board and out of the blue i had 3 job interview requests , 2 of which wanted me in Canada by the weekend , i flew out and attended one interview for a week and the other guy drove 3 hours to interview me over dinner, in the end i was offered both jobs and choose the one i felt best fitted my future requirements , i have negotiated my hols and pay and so all is great ,

so after all my hard work emailling people and to date after 4 months no one replied , i was found , interviewed and got a job.

i quess i am just lucky

Rich_007

Hi, yes it is different. There are plenty of things different from the UK workplace, done different, given less/more importance etc.

Many job ads have fax #'s only and/or emails where you rarely ever get a reply. DO NOT take it personally if no comeback to your application, just move on. Of course, callbacks will really help, keep calling to see if the position has been filled or where the decision making process is at. Have you tried placement agencies ? They often link in well to the hidden job market plus can tailor you to suitable employers with the 'right approach' to match yours. Tried cold-calling with resume in hand ? Obvious questions; is your resume totally 'Canadianized' ? Do you have any written references easily presented ? This helps remove the doubts somewhat.

If you do get chance to earn a position where you can change/influence the situation of job opening communication then do so - while treading carefully - but remember, it's just a different approach here.

All you need is to luck out on finding an employer who will recognize your skills'n'experience and the value you can offer - irrespective of background/culture etc. Remember that in reality all immigrants offer some higher chance of 'workplace risk', Brits maybe in some cases less so, more so in others.

Good luck, persevere, it's tough and I've been there myself but do avoid taking it all personally, that will just eat you up from the inside like a flesh eating virus

Rich.

sysclp

I think this is a culture difference perhaps. From what I have seen, Canadian companies expect the applicant to write them a "thank you for interviewing me and I really want this job" kind of suck up letter a day or two after the interview. Have you tried that yet? Too many applicants for too few positions makes it an employers market so they don't feel they own anyone any courtesy.

Rich_007

That's old skool...the market's certainly not like that in Kelowna/Alberta. Even if employers do hang on to that old tired deluded mindset, makes them feel more powerful and self important. The reality/effect of their mistakes will kick in soon enough though.

Rich.

sysclp

It is still that way in the Toronto area. Computer jobs in particular supposedly get over 500 applicants per position still.

Rich_007

Nasty...time to diversify/retrain.

Plumbers, sparkies, joiners ?

Rich.

Ruby Murray

Hi and thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences and advice.

I have been registered with 3 recruitment agencies since February as a Receptionist temp. I've been out on several "day" posts and a couple of temp-to-longterm ones but I have found the expectations of a Receptionist here are practically like an Administrator's role, with knowledge and handling of invoicing and some accounts payable/receivables - that's just something I don't have experience in. My most recent post, last week, (which was supposed to have led to a permanent position) ended because the woman above me was becoming increasingly frustrated by my lack of experience in dealing with invoicing, packaging slips, work orders, purchase orders, etc.....it was above and beyond me and her attitude towards me was very belittling. I blame the agency in the first place for putting me forward with such high regard and now it's fallen flat in my face making me look inadequate. In the UK, I worked for many years as a Receptionist/Typist and was very good at my job, but here the responsibilities are different. I've now decided I'm not sticking to office work and am going to apply for a more manual/production job where there are no airs and graces and I can be on the go more. Always did fancy myself in steel toe caps I will let you know if I'm successful on that one

Rich_007

Har !!! People like that will have a big wakey-wakey over the next few years....their inability to train and coach people will show them up for what incompetents and dullards they are, and those companies/people who can work with promising 'raw materials' and maximise their human potential will reap the rewards. It's a clear competitive advantage, folks.

Times 'a 'changing but some peeps aint. Their problem, their stupidity. As I said it's not personal, just their own ignorance and stupidity.

Rich.

or4ngecrush

My two cents, It happens here too I've applied for many jobs recently and not all of them reply, most don't then I find out after handing in an application form that the person already has the job. grrrr

Craftybanshee

Sorry to hear you've had a tough time with jobs jaycee. I've always worked in an office too, most recently as an temp. Administrator (since last Nov.) and I don't do invoicing either. Just typing, answering the phone and photocopying. I've looked at jobs on the Calgary Herald website in the past and noticed that many of the Admin. ones involve invoicing etc. too. I'd be no good at that, I left school with no Maths qualifications, as I did'nt like Maths and did a Secretarial course instead.

Good luck in your new career venture

AnyaT

Employers usually do not reply to initial applications. It is irritating but to be expected as they can get several hundred applications for just one job. However after the interview stage, I think you could expect some sort of notification. It speaks volumes about an employer that can't be bothered to get back to the few people they interviewed to let them know how things turned out. These are the employers I hope find themselves hopelessly understaffed and bleeding people once the baby boomers start retiring en masse and employers find they have to fight for skilled people.

I am of two minds about thank you notes following interviews. I know a lot of resume sites say you should send them but I have yet to meet anyone who actually does this. I've sent a couple but got the impression the employer didn't really appreciate the additional "sucking up," so I stopped. I don't think they help much anyway - the interviewer has already made up their mind about you after the first few minutes generally and I doubt toadying little notes are going to change their mind much after the fact.

kbryant

I feel for you, had exactly the same thing when looking for a job upon arrival here and it is so frustrating. Got to 3rd round interview for a government job here and they too did not make any kind of contact to let me know I hadn't got the job. Stick with it

Ruby Murray

Thanks CraftyB,
I always hated maths too, and the thought of having a job where the responsibility is to keep track of people's accounts and payments, etc.....it kept me awake all night so I had to tell one job I just couldn't stay. It's just not worth it if you lose 2 nights sleep over worrying about a job. I've also found that the role of the Rec/Typist has changed nowadays....I'm not sure whether it's because this is in Canada or whether the same applies to the UK also....but there just doesn't seem to be as much typing involved anymore - just boring data entry and corresponding to email. I'm told it's ever since the wonders of email evolved, that made the requirement of the Typist to type out the correspondence, obsolete.

When we came back last year, I tried so hard to find an office job, but didn't have Excel experience. The only place I could get a job was at a local 4* hotel in their Laundry Dept, on $10 an hour, working 5 weekends out of 6 I worked there for 4 months and it paid for my Excel course at Red Deer College. It was once I had that and added it to my Resume, that the agencies accepted me, but my skills and experiences are still regarded as Entry Level here. I also went to Secretarial Training College, in Manchester, as a teenager and worked in some great jobs with no problems. You've only to take a look at the Red Deer College's website at the Office Administration course to show you what that entails and what your future employer will expect you to know.

Oh well....such is life, as they say