first job in a foreign land

Hi there, it’s Uylander.

Upon immigrating, is it wise to take the first job or wait until a position becomes available in your area of expertise? Immigrants want to enter the workforce upon immigrating to a new country. Let me share a story; I recently spoke with a friend who immigrated to Canada over ten years ago. In our conversation, she said something significant. As immigrants, we are often told that we need to start over. Most times, immigrants look for labour or cleaning jobs instead of professional employment or jobs they have been trained for.

This led me to think, is it best to try and get a quick job, even if it is not in your field, or should you try and get a job in your area of experience? As you can imagine, there are pros and cons to both options. Let us examine them in detail:

Pros

• Canadian Work Experience – You will be able to enter the workforce and gain Canadian work experience. This Canadian experience will subsequently help with any job you may have, exposing you to the culture and how Canadians operate. For instance, in most Canadian workplaces, safety is highly emphasized. By entering the workforce, you can get training and complete the certifications required before you begin working. Some of these certifications are transferable, depending on the industry. For example, many organizations require Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS) certification. Here are additional ways to get Canadian work experience.
• Achieve Financial Goals – You will be able to start earning and be able to pay your bills. Most immigrants immigrate for economic reasons; the faster you can secure employment, the sooner you can start achieving your financial dreams, including paying your bills, saving and investing.
• Create Friendships – You will be able to start making friends. Leaving our jobs in our country of origin also means leaving behind friendships we would have built with our coworkers. Securing employment would allow you to create new relationships and expand your network. Some of these relationships will last a lifetime. In addition, you will be able to secure references for your next job.
• Career Change – Your interest in the new field/industry may increase, resulting in changing professions. One of the things about immigrating is the ability to start over and change anything we want, including our careers. When we came to Canada, my husband suggested, “seeing that you’ve always wanted to do nursing, this may be your chance.” Fortunately, I was able to secure employment in education. It was a different position than I had, and there were many new things to learn. Still, at least the sector was the same – post-secondary education. Immigrating offers the opportunity to change careers and pursue our dream jobs, which may involve returning to school for retraining.

Cons

• Waiting for an Offer -You will be spending time waiting to get an offer in your field. Instead of watching the days pass by, you could use this time to get the required certifications and any free training available in your area of expertise. In the example above, my friend said her husband got an accounting job in December. This means that from April – November, he was not working.
• Inadequate Job Search – Once you have a job, you may need not have time to engage in a proper job search. We agree that applying for jobs and updating our resumes can be time-consuming. If you are busy working, you may need more time to spend on this activity.
• Inability to attend interviews – Once you are gainfully employed, you will not have the time to attend interviews. If you have just entered the workforce, you will not have earned paid time off to attend interviews. If you do not get the job for which you interviewed, you may feel frustrated and annoyed.
• Becoming Complacent – One significant disadvantage is that that starter job meant to be a temporary solution may become your long-term job, as you risk becoming comfortable and complacent.

You may wonder if there are any advantages to waiting until a vacancy comes up in your field or whether you should get started immediately in any available position. It depends. It depends on whether you have the financial resources to pay your bills for the next six months. It all comes down to planning. When immigrating, it is best to plan for unforeseen circumstances. One unexpected event would be to put aside six–twelve months of living expenses so that you will still be able to live if you do not get a job right away. These funds will also give you the space to do a proper job search and choose the best offer instead of the first one.

We make different decisions based on what is at stake. If paying your light or energy bill is extremely important, you may make a decision outside your long-term best interest.

Conclusion

Securing employment in your field gives you confidence that it will be more advantageous than choosing the first offer. You would know how to perform the job already; the only things that would be new would be the organization, people, and culture.

Our family situation will dictate what we do, and as such, each person must weigh the pros and cons. Only some people can wait for 6-8 months without a job. After all, bills need to be paid. Should you take a stop-the-gap job or wait it out? I would love to hear your thoughts.