ftmN Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Hi all, Just have a few questions about living in Canada, specifically about the job and cell phone market. My partner and I are moving to BC from Australia in the next couple of weeks and any advice or tips you can provide would be very appreciated. We are initially moving to Vancouver and are willing to move for work wherever in BC. a ) What is the best approach to applying for jobs? I work in IT (currently a manager for a government agency) and have been applying for jobs for the last month. I have applied for approximately 14 jobs and have not received any correspondence from any employer. I know the job market is very competitive in BC, especially around IT and it's a lot about who who know. Is there a best proforma/process for applying for jobs in BC (calling before submitting a resume etc)? Any tips for applying for jobs now and once over there is appreciated. My partner works in the health industry so she will not be able to apply until she has passed some exams. b ) How is the quality of the cell phone companies outside of the big few? I was thinking about going with freedom mobile(have checked plans on comparecellular.com). I would like the mobile plan to be fairly vast, good amount of data, calls etc. I was wondering if I went with freedom, and for example went traveling throughout BC, would I lose data signal/location when traveling between smaller towns/how good is the signal strength? c ) Once we find a job we will move into a shared house or furnished house by ourselves. What are the best websites for this? (e.g. craigslist/flatmates etc). Any questions please let me know! Thanks for your time. Have also posted this elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 a) I'm much less experienced, but just finally got a job in accounting after months of searching for a permanent full-time position. The first time, it took me about 50 applications to get a job and that one was a temporary one. After getting experience, it was much better for me. I haven't noticed anything that seems to be drastically different in BC from other places, just try slightly mixing it up maybe if something isn't working. I changed the style of my cover letters a few times and also altered the focus of my resume once or twice. b ) I've personally only used Rogers and Fido, both of whom I've found to be adequate for what I need. My mom uses a lesser known company in Solo and she does have service problems more than I do. Many of the smaller companies have strong signals in small patches, but not everywhere. The larger ones will have service everywhere except more remote places (such as on hikes away from the urban areas or when traveling the wilderness). c) Can't give advice on this as I'm looking to move out for the first time within six months or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck_In_Paradise Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Koodo for phone plans. Give them a check. If you have an unlocked phone already, you can just pay for a monthly plan, which is way cheaper than the Rogers/Bell/Telus options with a contract. Plus Koodo uses Telus towers, so the service is great in western Canada! Highly recommendd them. As for websites looking for housing, Craigslist and Kijiji are the ones I've used in the past. Kijiji is a Canadian based website so it may be better than CL. Definitely use both though to shop around. Be warned, the prices are going to be pretty high. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken. Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 This is a good resource for job searching http://www.civicjobs.ca/mobile/ Also headhunters/recruitment agencies are very useful as they are constantly trying to fill positions. Linkedin can be helpful for growing your network good luck its tough out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 1 hour ago, ftmN said: Hi all, Just have a few questions about living in Canada, specifically about the job and cell phone market. My partner and I are moving to BC from Australia in the next couple of weeks and any advice or tips you can provide would be very appreciated. We are initially moving to Vancouver and are willing to move for work wherever in BC. a ) What is the best approach to applying for jobs? I work in IT (currently a manager for a government agency) and have been applying for jobs for the last month. I have applied for approximately 14 jobs and have not received any correspondence from any employer. I know the job market is very competitive in BC, especially around IT and it's a lot about who who know. Is there a best proforma/process for applying for jobs in BC (calling before submitting a resume etc)? Any tips for applying for jobs now and once over there is appreciated. My partner works in the health industry so she will not be able to apply until she has passed some exams. b ) How is the quality of the cell phone companies outside of the big few? I was thinking about going with freedom mobile(have checked plans on comparecellular.com). I would like the mobile plan to be fairly vast, good amount of data, calls etc. I was wondering if I went with freedom, and for example went traveling throughout BC, would I lose data signal/location when traveling between smaller towns/how good is the signal strength? c ) Once we find a job we will move into a shared house or furnished house by ourselves. What are the best websites for this? (e.g. craigslist/flatmates etc). Any questions please let me know! Thanks for your time. Have also posted this elsewhere. Only advice you need is: Bring Cash.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 15 minutes ago, drummer4now said: Only advice you need is: Bring Cash.. Didn't realize you were Albertan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PunjabiCanucks Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Buy an Umbrella.... Indeed is a good place for job searching in my opinion, you may best off living outside metro vancouver in terms of costs for gas and housing (skytrain will be your best friend and worst enemy at times). Welcome to BC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Try Whistler, they seem to hire your people exclusively. And the good news is you won't even have to learn to speak Canadian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftmN Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 59 minutes ago, PunjabiCanucks said: Buy an Umbrella.... Indeed is a good place for job searching in my opinion, you may best off living outside metro vancouver in terms of costs for gas and housing (skytrain will be your best friend and worst enemy at times). Welcome to BC Thanks! I was thinking about living in coquitlam or probably Victoria. Dont want the expense of living in the city. Wherever gives the best options for IT jobs. @JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo yeah I've heard aussies have a bad rep at certain mountains, only drink, party and generally wreak havoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizarre Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 18 minutes ago, ftmN said: Thanks! I was thinking about living in coquitlam or probably Victoria. Dont want the expense of living in the city. Wherever gives the best options for IT jobs. @JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo yeah I've heard aussies have a bad rep at certain mountains, only drink, party and generally wreak havoc. What kind of IT role would you be looking for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftmN Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 4 minutes ago, Bizarre said: What kind of IT role would you be looking for? Some form of leadership/manager role, don't want to take too much of a step backwards professionally. Currently work as a manager for a government organisation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 42 minutes ago, ftmN said: Thanks! I was thinking about living in coquitlam or probably Victoria. Dont want the expense of living in the city. Wherever gives the best options for IT jobs. @JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo yeah I've heard aussies have a bad rep at certain mountains, only drink, party and generally wreak havoc. I was just kidding with you, there sure are a lot of you folks up there though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftmN Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 37 minutes ago, JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo said: I was just kidding with you, there sure are a lot of you folks up there though. Haha all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arrogant Worms Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 As far as jobs best to ask here.... http://forums.redflagdeals.com/careers-f58/ And Victoria is expensive....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drummer4now Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 3 hours ago, nucklehead said: Didn't realize you were Albertan I am actually from BC and I was just joking.. I would say the biggest shock someone from Australia will notice is that here we actually have name brand orange juice... I swear everywhere I went in Sydney the stores all carried the same generic brands.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftmN Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 1 hour ago, The Arrogant Worms said: As far as jobs best to ask here.... http://forums.redflagdeals.com/careers-f58/ Seems like a good place to post about this sort of content, thanks. 44 minutes ago, drummer4now said: I am actually from BC and I was just joking.. I would say the biggest shock someone from Australia will notice is that here we actually have name brand orange juice... I swear everywhere I went in Sydney the stores all carried the same generic brands.. There's main brand orange juice everywhere hear lol. Wouldn't take too much out of your Sydney experience, a large majority of australians hate Sydney and its not very indicative of our culture or lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Wow, so the average Oz is embarrassed about Sydney, didn't know that. What else do you hate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aladeen Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 3 hours ago, nucklehead said: Wow, so the average Oz is embarrassed about Sydney, didn't know that. What else do you hate? Dingos. They eat their babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I'm in IT, and unfortunately, it's getting harder and harder to get jobs here in Canada. I got lucky this year, but took a 20% pay cut to get what I have now. Which is way better than the 10 months of unemployment I had. A lot of IT jobs have been farmed out to India now. Get on LinkedIN if you're not there already. There are a lot of recruiters - but very few good ones. What I found the hardest was, local places here want local references (I grew up here, but lived in the Calgary area for 13 years) and was working remotely when I got laid off last year. So you need some "local" character references. SItes: Best Jobs Canada, Workopolis, Indeed, Monster. I also was looked on https://www.bcjobs.ca/ as well as kijiji. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownky Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 4 hours ago, nucklehead said: Wow, so the average Oz is embarrassed about Sydney, didn't know that. What else do you hate? Fosters. Boat people. Kiwis. The Australian Government. Poms. Bogans. On a more serious note, ftMN, you'll probably have better luck getting out of the greater Vancouver region. Start off elsewhere, preserve your savings. It's expensive to live in the lower mainland, even if you're used to Aussie pricing. You're going to get paid less too. You'll also find that most positions like the one you're looking for are filled internally... so get your foot in the door rather than hope to hop to the top. You might hit one just right, but keep in mind you're still competing with some of the Albertans who didn't fare so well in the Oil crash, looking for 'better' than what they have... along with other people and nepotism (par for the course). It's not really rosy to be honest. IT sucks right now unless you're a programmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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