Canada Job Consultants: Do You Need to Hire One?

With Canadian booming job market, it might be the right time to embark on a new career journey. But, whether you’re getting your first job or want to explore new territories, the question arises, are Canada job consultants worth it?

In this article, I’ll look into recruitment agencies in Canada and how they work. I’ll also tell you about how to get a job in Canada, so let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

How Do Job Consultants Work in Canada?

Everyone understands job search challenges, and job consultancy might be the answer for you if you’ve been actively trying to get a new job and haven’t had much luck.

Placement consultancy, job consultants, or recruiting agents link job seekers with companies looking for specific industry skills. So, hiring a job consultant might save you time and effort if you’re new to the market or currently looking for a career shift.

These professionals offer different services to help you stand out during the hiring process. They create a platform to link employers with potential employees, so you can both find each other easily.

You can hire a job consultant to write your resume from scratch, improve it, prepare you for the interview, and elevate your chances of getting your desired job.

In addition to paperwork, job consultants can help with networking.

Job consultants Canada benefits include helping you understand your potential in the Canadian market and finding a job that suits your dreams and qualifications. You might get frustrated easily if you’re looking for a new job in the wrong place, but a professional can help you by suggesting different job titles, employers, or even locations, so you can eventually land the right job.

Can a Foreigner Apply for a Job in Canada?

In order to work in Canada, you’ll need a valid work permit, depending on your nationality and your target job. A work permit isn’t required if you have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

If you don’t have a work permit, you can still apply for jobs to Canadian employers that are open to hiring international candidates.

The specific Canadian business owner/employer would first have to apply for LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment). LMIA is a document that serves as proof that there is no other qualified Canadian or permanent resident available to do the job, and therefore it justifies him or her to hire a foreign national.

Applying for LMIA is lengthy and costly; therefore, Canadian employers prefer hiring candidates who already have a work permit.

If you’re a foreigner aspiring to work and live in Canada, there are different permanent and temporary immigration programs that you can apply for.

My partner and I first arrived in Canada on a working holiday visa, which grants you an open work permit. Once you’re in the country and have a work permit, it’s much easier to find a job in Canada.

If you build a good relationship and reputation with your employer, they might be more willing to help you extend your visa with LMIA based work permit.

How Can I Get a Job in Canada Easily?

Finding a job in Canada might not be an easy task and requires a lot of effort and time.

With that said, here are some factors that can increase your chances of getting hired:

Language Skills

English and French are both part of the culture in Canada. If you speak both languages, your chances of getting hired will amazingly improve. French is especially important if you want to work in Quebec. Although speaking both languages will be a big plus, in most cases, English is sufficient.

Accreditation

If you’re a foreigner or a Canadian who has studied abroad, you might have to get your credentials validated and approved. This is crucial, especially if you want to work in regulated industries, such as law, medicine, or engineering.

Optimized Resume

When you’re applying for a job, you must ensure that your resume is optimized for the Canadian market, the industry, your particular employer, and the job you’re applying for. This means that you should make sure that your resume is accurate, precise, and to the point, with the right keywords highlighted to show your expertise in a certain industry.

Adjusting and tailoring your resume for every job you apply for might sound like a lot of work, but it’s the only way to grab your potential employer’s attention. Of course, you’ll have to keep the overall outline, but you might list your skills and past experiences differently.

Networking

Networking is something that a professional job consultant can help you with. The Canadian Government offers a website that lists all available jobs, but a job consultant can narrow your search and connect you with the right people. You can also apply for jobs via online job boards, such as Indeed or contact companies directly through their website or social media platforms, such as LinkedIn.

Who is Eligible to Work in Canada?

Any foreigner is eligible to work in Canada once they get a work permit. Yet, some foreigners are exempted. This is determined based on the job they’re applying for and other exemption criteria that should be assessed individually.

If you’re a foreigner and you’re applying for any of the following positions, you can get the job without a work permit.

Aviation incident investigator.
Crew member.
Referee or judge.
Athlete or coach.
Clergy.
Examiner.
Event organizer.
Foreign government officials or one of their family members.
Performing artist or movie producer.
Media crew.
Military personnel.
Short-term researcher or highly-skilled worker.
Students working on campus.
Health care student.

How Can You Get Sponsored to Work in Canada?

Although your Canadian employer won’t be able to sponsor you to work in Canada, they can still help you get the job you want by applying for a Labour Market Impact Assessment. With this document, you can easily apply for a work permit to be able to work in Canada.

Without a work permit, you can’t work in Canada, even if you have a valid visa on your passport. So unless the job you’re applying for is one of the ones listed in the previous section, you should get your work permit ready before you can actually get a job.

Do Job Consultants Charge Money?

Yes, job consultants provide the employer and employee with various services, and they get paid for them. This is how they make money.

Recruitment or hiring agencies charge employers for every position filled, even if it’s filled internally. The fee depends on the company’s size and the nature of the job.

In most cases, the company will pay a percentage of the job’s salary directly to the job consultant. This percentage will be deducted from the employee’s first-year salary. In some cases, there will be a placement fee if the job is filled internally by someone who already works for the company.

The fee deducted is between 20% and 30%, depending on the market and the job in question. Yet, in some cases, you’ll be charged higher.

In specific industries like IT and telecommunications, hiring agencies work differently. In this case, the hiring agency hires employees and then lends their services to companies that look for particular skills or services. The company pays the employment agency directly instead of the employees because they actually work for the recruitment agency.

Job consultants can also take a cut without the employee knowing anything about this arrangement. The consultant will request a higher salary for the job, which includes the fee charged for finding the right employee.

Which Skills Are In Demand in Canada?

Getting a job in Canada can be easier if your skills are in high demand. Specific hard skills are highly desirable, and if you’re looking for a job and have some of these skills, your chances of landing one will be much higher.

In addition to these hard skills, certain soft skills improve your hiring chances in any field. These include flexibility, communication, leadership, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

Software Development

Software and web development skills are in high demand, especially for those who specialize in mobile applications. With relevant experience in coding, you’re likely to receive one of the highest salaries in the Canadian market.

Graphic Design

This is another hard skill that is always in high demand as employers are constantly looking for talented graphic designers that can work on designing their logos, web pages, products, and brand images.

Nursing

Skilled nurses have several good work opportunities in Canada. So, with experience in this field, you won’t probably wait for long before you get a job offer.

Accounting

If you have relevant accounting experience, you’ll have several job opportunities to choose from. Canadian companies are always hiring accountants to work on different tasks.

Which Jobs Receive High Salary Offers?

There’s a shortage of certain skills in Canada, which puts specific jobs in high demand. If this is your specialty, you’ll get a more lucrative offer.

Here’s the list of some job positions that are offered higher salaries because there aren’t enough candidates to fill in the demand.

Clean energy specialists and project managers.
Community and planning managers.
Health care specialists and managers.
Financial analysts, editors, advisors, and managers.
Banking and investment managers.
Information system analysts, consultants, and managers.
Human resource specialists and managers.
Web designers and developers.
Data analysts and administrators.
Software engineers and developers.

What Is a Good Salary in Canada?

There are different factors that determine what a reasonable salary would be in Canada. The first one is the position you’re applying for. You might get a good salary for an entry-level job, but it won’t be as satisfying if you’re offered the same salary while you have relevant experience in the field.

On average, receiving CA$ 44,850 per year, or CA$ 23 per hour, is considered a good salary for a mid-level job in Canada. This salary is high enough to support a single person.

If you’re applying for an entry-level job, you should expect to receive CA$ 31,200 per year. However, managers and experienced professionals in certain industries can get paid up to CA$ 90,714 per year.

Salaries in Alberta are typically higher than in other Canadian regions. This means that you might have to move to receive a higher salary for the same job.

In general, the cost of living in Canada varies by religion, and you also have to consider your family situation and other obligations to determine if a salary offer is good enough. This means that you should make more money than what you have to spend on rent and other living costs. You should also be able to put away some money for savings.

For example, rent prices are higher in British Columbia than in Alberta, while salaries are typically higher in Alberta. So, if you decide to move for the same job and salary, you’ll live more comfortably.

Is Hiring a Job Consultant Worth It?

Whether you’re Canadian or a foreigner, you’re probably asking if hiring a job consultant is actually worth it. Would you be able to land the job of your dreams on your own without having to pay someone for their services?

As a matter of fact, even with the help of a job consultant, it might take months before you can actually get the job you want in Canada. This country is highly attractive to skilled professionals, and it offers a lot of benefits that tempt people to travel and settle. This means that several people might be applying for the job you want.

It takes a lot of time and effort to find the right employer, and you might be wasting your energy looking at the wrong places. This is why hiring a job consultant is totally worth it, as you’ll be targeting employers who actually look for an employee with your set of skills.

The consultant might also help you apply for different jobs at other locations that you haven’t considered since they’re aware of the market dynamics. It’s possible to search for a job on your own, but with the help of professional Canada job consultants, your task will be much easier.

Wrap Up

Canada job consultants are hiring agencies that match potential employees with employers. If you’re new to the market or looking for a career change, this might be your best opportunity to land a lucrative job offer.

Hiring agencies help Canadians and foreigners get jobs that suit their expertise and skills. So, you’ll be saving time and effort while getting professional help from experts. Hiring experts will also walk you through different documents that you need to process before you can actually sign a contract, and they get paid directly by the employer in most cases.