A New Engineer in Canada’s take on Job Interviews

How a New Engineer in Canada can Prepare for Meeting with Potential Canadian Employers

Perhaps one of the most, if not the most, challenging aspects of the job search for newcomers to the engineering field trying to enter the Canadian workforce, is the interview process. New engineers, eager to enter the job market, may not have as clear of an understanding of the interviewing process, particularly in the context of the Canadian job market and organizational norms within Canada.

This goes double for new immigrants. It can be quite difficult for newcomers to Canada to land a job interview with potential employers. There may be numerous factors, including access to resources, language and cultural barriers and lack of Canadian work experience, that hold a newcomer to Canada back from getting an interview with a firm that they have applied to.

When an interview has finally been arranged, it is imperative that the new engineer present themselves in the most ideal manner so that they are able to effectively demonstrate their skills, knowledge and abilities. The interview process is meant to screen for promising candidates and determine whether they are suitable for the specific role. Organizations use the interview process to better understand the candidate by asking them relevant questions in regards to their employment and educational background, which would provide insight into their skills and qualifications. In addition, the interview is a way for the employer to get a sense of the candidate’s personality, character and social skills.

One of the keys to a successful job interview is presenting oneself in a professional manner. How a candidate (whether they be a newcomer to Canada, or a someone who has been around a while) appears, and the way they carry themselves, establishes the tone for the interview. From an interviewer’s standpoint, the way the interviewee chooses to enter the interview in terms of appearance is, is the way they are representing themselves. In other words, one’s appearance is a reflection of themselves – and an unprofessional appearance does not send the proper message when looking to land a job. An overall neat and clean appearance is essential for the job interview. Additionally, dressing in a professional manner (e.g., conservative business attire) gives potential employers the message that the candidate takes themselves seriously as a professional – all of this conveyed by the way you appear. This judgment could be made within seconds of meeting you.

Organizations look for individuals whose personal goals align with their organizational mission and objectives. In other words, it is important for companies to have employees that fit in with the established culture of the firm. How does one determine whether or not they are able to fit in with a firm? One simple way would be to take the time to research and evaluate the policies, standards and cultural framework of the firm they are applying to. By determining the aforementioned, a candidate will have a greater understanding of where the company is headed and how it is looking to grow. The candidate will be able to use this useful knowledge to demonstrate to the potential employer that they understand not only what the organization is about, but also how they see themselves fitting in with the organization.

If you are a newcomer to Canada looking to find work in Canada, head over to www.newcanadianjobs.ca. If you are an engineer, you can find all the jobs you are looking for at www.jobsforengineers.ca
If you are an employer looking to hire a Newcomer to Canada, you should look at www.newcanadianjobs.ca/post-a-job/

Finally, take a look at our other employment resources below.
www.CanadaYouthWorks.ca
www.AboriginalJobBoard.ca