Linda Ryan;
Advising Program Manager for
BCCA-IN
If you don’t know where or how to start building your career then this is the blog for you. It’s short, sweet, genuinely blunt but based on lived experience. The top five things you need to do are outlined below and the ironic thing is none of them mention resume, job hunting or LinkedIn because they are all about attitude and approach. These elements, I have come to believe, are the building blocks of any successful life transition. So here goes...
Get focused
Adopting the mindset of 'I'll take any job' is one of the most unhelpful approaches to career transition, especially in a new country. It’s also not a sustainable strategy because taking ‘any job’ will leave you unfulfilled, unproductive and unhappy.
Getting focused on what you’d truly love to be doing 1, 5, 15 years from now is probably the smartest thing you can ever do. Look at your interests, your aspirations, your existing education and experience and then look at the professions, requirements, and local labor market conditions to find a balance of what’s possible. By focusing on up to three ‘possible’ role types you want to pursue, you provide yourself with a decision making filter for a range of specific activities that you must define and act upon in order to be successful.
Get real
If you haven’t accessed the high-level labor market information for your city, province and profession, then now is a good time to do it. Job Bank is Canada’s national employment service, available as a
website and
mobile app. It helps you find work and plan your career by providing an overview of everything you should know about a range of professions. From basic education/certification requirements and credential recognition, to career paths, role title variations, earning potential and even local job demand, this tool is invaluable.
Get knowledgeable
Know how important it is to identify if your profession is considered regulated or unregulated in Canada. Once you confirm this, understand what it actually means for your goals and adjust your career-building activities accordingly.
Get prepared
Understand the difference between education evaluation and credential evaluation in preparing for career success and determine if you need to start working on it. If you're confused, read
this.
Also, get comfortable with planning. In fact, you should have a Plan A and a Plan B (maybe even a Plan C) for your career. And expect to change these plans as your circumstances and learned experience changes.
Get on with it
Building your career is your accountability, no one else’s. It is healthy to ask for help and seek guidance from the experts. It is smart to read the latest how-to tips. It is fundamental to leverage free newcomer and settlement services. It also makes great sense to build your connections with likeminded peers in your local industry.
But, at the end of the day, it’s up to you to take consistent, constructive action towards the life you want to build. No one else can do it for you. So, get into action and check-in regularly with the feedback your connections or activities provide-then adjust your plans or expectations and keep on doing.
Linda Ryan is the Advising Program Manager with BCCA-
Integrating Newcomers, a government funded, Canada-wide, free, pre-arrival career coaching service for high skilled construction professionals immigrating to Canada (*BCCA-IN).