In my work as an immigration lawyer I receive an enormous number of resumes from people who hope to immigrate to Canada, either permanently or as temporary workers. Unfortunately, the vast majority of such resumes are so badly prepared that I simply cannot tell what job the person has worked at. I have no idea what those people have done; let alone what they are qualified to do.

It is impossible for me to do an immigration assessment based on a resume like that. I have to believe it also makes it impossible for a Canadian employer to figure out if the candidate has the requirements for the job.

I want to make this absolutely clear: I am saying that well over 90% of the resumes I see are useless to me, or to a Canadian employer.

People outside Canada are already at a significant disadvantage when it comes to finding a Canadian employer.

First, there are millions of people around the world who are highly educated and under-employed. They are qualified and ambitious, but frustrated. Candidates need to know they are competing with people from all over the world who are just like them. That means they have to do a very good job with their application.

Second, candidates outside of Canada may have a hard time finding out about job openings in Canada, unless those job openings are listed on a public web site.

Third, it may be impossible for them to attend at a job interview in Canada.

Fourth, too many candidates are either weaker in English than they realize, or they are writing in their local version of English, and many Canadian employers are not familiar or comfortable with that form of English.

Generally speaking, it appears that unless a candidate grew up in Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, the British West Indies, or some similar country where the mother tongue and first language is English, the candidate should consider some English language training at least.

You will notice that I did not put India or Pakistan on that list. I respect that English is very widely spoken in both countries. But most of the problematic resumes I referred to above come from India and Pakistan. English is a rich and adaptable language. The versions of English that are widely spoken in India and Pakistan are legitimate but are versions that Canadian employers are not familiar with; and the standard style of writing resumes is not the style Canadian employers are used to.

Fifth, it appears that Canadian employers are interested in different characteristics than employers of other countries. Here is a simple example. In Canada it actually looks bad to put one’s religion on a resume. You will be hired on the strength of your job skills, not because you are a Muslim or a Christian or an atheist, for example. Nor do we usually see irrelevant hobbies (such as watching television) on Canadian resumes.

Sixth, a Canadian employer who wants to hire a foreign worker has to get permission from the Canadian government to do so. These bureaucratic requirements take time and will also likely cost the employer money. These cost factors discourage Canadian employers from hiring foreign workers unless they really need to.

Seventh, once the Canadian employer has permission to hire the foreign worker, the worker has to apply for and obtain a work permit, from a visa office outside of Canada. Some visa offices can process a work permit application in a few weeks. Other visa offices can take up to a year to process a work permit application. It is outrageous, but that is the way it is. The time lost is another cost factor that discourages Canadian employers from hiring foreign workers.

I recommend that people who are interested in Canadian jobs spend some time working on their Canadian-style English language skills, study how Canadians write resumes, study the Canadian labour market and be prepared to work hard and deal with discouragement when they look for work. There are some coaches out there who can help, like Jerrold Jones of LifeLongEd.ca.

But never pay someone to find you a job in Canada. In Canada, and in many other countries, it is actually illegal to charge a worker a fee to find the worker a job. That is because such schemes are so often scams and even put the workers at risk of abuse.

It will take care, perseverance, and dedication to find work in Canada, and there may be much more frustration than success.

But the rewards if it works are wonderful, and may ultimately lead to Canadian citizenship for the worker and his or her spouse and children.

Author:James Gregory