iancampbell9

Hi officially moved to Canada and married in July & August but honeymoon and visit home means its been more like 5 months now.

Just celebrated my 30th b'day here and all ok apart from the job situation - finding HR particularly hard to get into so been coaching football to keep myself busy.

As soon as that comes in we'll be very happy!

Ian

(Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Burlington, Toronto - depending on job).

tracys

Hope you find a job soon

JB0591

Hi Ian

I am in same situation, nearly 5 months in and no job yet. Are you getting much response on your resume? I have been successful with my resume in that I get calls from companies and agencies. I have had some interviews but dont seem to be able to find either a company that is willing to commit or who knows what they want.

Have you gone down the agency route at all, if you have, what are your dealings like with them?

Cheers

JB

iancampbell9

Hi JB,

Not too much response to be honest so I have changed it numerous times and sought advice on it - apparently my resume was more of a CV so I have tinkered with the structure etc, hopefully i'll have some more luck soon.

From speaking to other ex-pats it seems that HR is particularly hard to get into as Canadians aren't too trusting on foreign experience/qualifications when in reality the UK and Canada are actually very similar with regards to employment law and HR practices.

Agencies here have been very much like 'contact us when you see a specific job that you're interested in' and they dont seem too interested, I guess the way the market is they can afford to be choosey and dont need the extra work signing people on when they can probably easily fill the vacancies with their current candidates!

Good luck to you too mate!

JB0591

Hi Ian

Good luck to you as well.

Have you sought the help of an employment centre such as the Y centres etc? I found them to be very useful. They provide workshops on networking and resume writing etc.

Cheers

JB

iancampbell9

yep done all that - I signed with VPI and have job developer etc and attended those classes that you mentioned!

Novocastrian

I don't think anything could be further from the truth.

I'd broaden your search field if I were you.

Good luck anyway.

mandymoochops

I would agree - there has been many a thread from people who were just let go on the spot without warnings.

iancampbell9

Novocastrian - perhaps you'd like to shed some further light on that comment of yours, whilst I appreciate that there are numerous differences and I wasn't ignoring them I meant that compared to other countries the laws are broadly similar - the comment 'broaden your search' without any depth isn't particularly helpful - what specific legislation are you referring to?

Mandymoochops - what contracts, professions and reasons? Do you always agree with someone on a forum that says that they were let go without warning? Presumably you're talking without a balance perspective, guessing that you haven't spoken to said employers too?

Not trying to criticise but there is not much info in your posts that actually helps especially the first which suggests that I'm making it all up without providing any examples at all!

Thanks anyway!

phat-dave

unrelated but i remember when i started, i asked my HR lady if we got paid fortnightly... the look on her face was priceless.... absolutely no idea what "fortnightly" meant....

deadset....

Novocastrian

I'm not an HR specialist, so I can't rise to your challenge to cite specific legislation. Moreover I don't doubt that compared to say, Japan or China or Zimbabwe, HR practices here and in the UK may well be broadly similar.

Nonetheless, surely your own negative experience so far has prompted you to question whether things aren't done rather differently here?

By "broaden your search" I simply meant to suggest that you apply for other positions outside of HR, perhaps to support yourself while you do a recognized Canadian certificate course in HR.

dbd33

I fired someone I'd worked with for years because he, or more precisely, his wife, had a child. I fired another, similarly after a relationship lasting several years, because he said he would no longer answer the telephone while driving. In neither case did I give any notice of the need to leave the building though I did give them each two week's pay. I know of someone being fired last month after ten years with a major firm because his new supervisor didn't care for his religion, again marched out of the building, knick knacks mailed, two weeks pay given. The knub of the matter being that, in Canada, people are employed at the whim of the supervisor, no matter how long someone has worked for a firm or how good a job they have done "wore ugly tie" is still good enough grounds for dismissal.

I feel that this sort of flexibility is not available to employers in the UK though I cannot point to specific legislation inhibiting it. In comparing the UK and Canada the employment laws are, I think, quite different in that the UK has some. Since it's so easy to de-employ people in Canada one is even more bemused at the need for a HR department here than there.

iancampbell9

Sorry I assumed that you did actually know what you were talking about having said 'I don't think anything could be further from the truth'.

Thanks for the suggestion of try something new - genius!

iancampbell9

You fired someone because their wife had a child and another for not wanting to compromise their driving - you come across as a complete cretin!

dbd33

Maybe. My point is that I'm at liberty to be a cretin, in the UK there are laws about that sort of thing.