The CIMA mentoring program was set up to assist
members that have recently moved to Canada. The objective of this
initiative is to assist members and students to adapt to the employment
market in Canada and to assist them to develop their network of
contacts. CIMA members have strong resumes based on their international
management accounting qualification and their strong international
work experience. However, there are certain nuances that are specific
to the Canadian employment market and the objective of this program
is to assist members to understand and adapt to the specific expectations
and norms of the Canadian Employment Market.
On or prior to arrival, you may sign up
to the mentoring program via the CIMA Canada website. The link to
sign up for the mentoring program is on the home page of the CIMA
Canada website.
Ensure you have your CIMA Certificate, copies of references and
contact details of those than can confirm the references. This will
greatly speed up the process of job hunting.
.
There are three main accounting bodies in
Ontario;
1. The Certified Management Accountants of Canada www.cma-canada.org
2. The Chartered Accountants of Canada www.cica.ca
3. The Certified General Accountants of Canada www.cga-canada.org
Mutual Recognition with CMA Canada:
A Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) exists between CIMA and
CMA Canada. The MRA provides a fast track route for members of
CIMA to become members of CMA Canada and vice versa. Details of
the MRA are set out on the home page of CIMA Canada.
On moving to Canada or immediately prior
to your move, register with the CIMA Canada Mentor program
via the website; |
http://www.cimacanada.org/mentee_registration.jsp |
A mentor will contact you via the contact
details provided when you register. |
The mentor will initially talk to you on
the phone and then schedule a one on one meeting with you
at a mutually convenient time. |
The mentor will be able to provide you with: |
An overview of the job market in Canada |
Adapting your resume to the needs of
the Canadian employment market |
Introduce you to recruiters |
Be available to discuss any employment
challenges |
Introduce you tom other members and
help you develop your network of CIMA Members in Canada |
The mentoring coordinators will also organize
training courses from time to time that will be relevant.
These will include presentations on resume writing, |
interview skills, presentations skills etc. In addition,
they will be able to provide information on federal and provincial
programs that assist newcomers to |
Canada. |
You never get a second chance to make a
first impression! |
After your resume, the interview is the
most important aspect of any job hunt. You have about 30 seconds
to make the right impression with the employer. Though most
people won’t say so out loud – first impressions
are lasting impressions, and a bad one could cost you a job
that you would be perfect for!
Preparing in advance can help lower your stress level as well
as help you perform better during at the interview. Here are
some key steps to help prepare for a successful interview:
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You need to prepare |
Research the company to learn as much
as you can. Use the information to demonstrate your knowledge
and interest during the interview. The Internet is a great
resource to help you find out. Check out their website, do
a Google search, and don’t forget the websites of your
local newspapers to see if this company has made any headlines
lately. |
Rehearse. Practice your facial expression,
eye contact, handshake and body language. Review likely interview
questions and practice answering them. If you can, find someone
to role play the interview with you and give you feedback
about how you’re doing. This will help you to answer
these sorts of questions professionally and without sounding
like you’ve memorized it. If no-one is available for
you to practice with, read in front of the mirror, and watch
yourself answer. Yes, you’ll feel silly, but it’s
a great way to really smooth out any wrinkles in your answers.
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The Interview is the most important thing
you have on that day. Some employers may spend most of a day
with you, have you meet a number of people, tour their facility,
take screening tests and other activities. Other employers
may get right down to business and you can be in and out inside
an hour. However, you do not know which kind of interview
you will have in advance, so you do not want to feel rushed,
or to leave the impression you have more important things
to do than participate in the interview. |
Dress as if you already work there. Men
usually wear ties, dress shoes and often a sports coat. Women
always wear hosiery and dress shoes. Stay away from trendy
looks, go with classic conservative. Avoid displaying anything
that may take attention away from your skills and qualifications
-- tattoos, nose rings, loud makeup, etc. -- unless you are
interviewing at a place where managers, employees and customers
alike dress in that style. |
Go alone. Don't bring a friend or relative.
It may sound obvious, but it's been known to happen. If someone
needs to drive you to the interview, leave him or her outside
the building. Arrange to meet after the interview. There is
only one exception to this: if you require a person with you
as an accommodation of a disability. In that case it is perfectly
acceptable to bring in this person, however, you may want
to alert the interviewer in advance so they can prepare adequate
seating. |
Arrive a few minutes early. Always make
sure you allow extra time if you are unfamiliar with the location.
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At the Interview: |
Be polite. Show respect to everyone you
meet, whether it's the boss, the receptionist or a prospective
coworker. There are a million urban legends of people who
were rude to the receptionist only to find that it was really
the boss conducting a test to see how the interviewee really
behaved! |
Focus on what you can offer the interviewer
to address the company’s problems. The employer needs
to understand the benefits of hiring you not to hear that
you want the corner office and need to make rent payments. |
Bring two copies of your resume with
you. This shows that you are prepared in the case that more
than one person is interviewing you, and even if they have
copies, you can use one to refer to as you answer questions.
|
Think about what the interviewer really
wants to know. Think of yourself as a product with features
and benefits you need to sell to customers. How does that
shape your answers (no, it’s never a good idea to call
yourself ‘a bargain at any price’, or to try to
sell yourself like an infomercial – Wait! There’s
more!) Think of an interview more like shopping at a sophisticated
retail store, where no-one is going to discuss the price of
the merchandise, but the sales person will describe to you
in detail how wonderful your life will be with this product!
|
Use your own judgment whether or not
to discuss your disability. If your disability will affect
how you perform the job, it may be a good idea to discuss
how you would accomplish the essential duties that the job
requires. In Canada, the employer is NOT allowed to ask you
about the nature of your disability, but remember, if the
employer cannot understand how you would perform the job,
he/she may assume that you cannot. It is a good idea to make
sure that you communicate your abilities, and use concrete
examples, where possible. For more information about disclosure,
click here (link to disclosure article). |
Ask the employer some questions. In your
preparation, you may have found that you had questions about
the company. It’s always a good tactic to ask insightful
questions during the interview. It sets you apart from the
rest of the pack of applicants. Questions show that you've
done your homework about the company, and that you're as interested
in finding out how you'll fit in and achieve your career goals
as they are in learning if you're the right person for the
job. You may not have as much time as you'd like to ask all
your questions, so plan to ask the most important questions
first, in case the interviewer closes the interview before
you've had time to ask them all. |
Never, ever ask about salary, vacation
or other benefits during a job interview. Doing so communicates
that you are only interested in what you are going to get
out of the job. Remember, the point of the interview is to
communicate what you have to offer the employer, not the other
way around. The time to talk about money and other goodies
is after the employer has offered you the job. |
Make sure you say “Thanks!”
|
Follow up with a thank-you letter to
the interviewer to let him/her know that you appreciated their
time. In cases where the decision is between two very close
candidates, a thank you letter can tip the scales in your
favour! |
There are several methods of recruitment,
the main ones being through a recruitment website, recruitment
agency or direct hiring. |
Recruitment Websites |
Popular sites include: |
www.workopolis.com |
www.monster.ca |
www.jobbank.gc.ca |
As well as some industry specific sites
such as www.charityvillage.com |
These websites will usually have a section
devoted to your profile where you may create your resume and
cover letters using various templates. You also have options
to receive daily email updates of new vacancies. |
Recruitment Agencies |
It may be a good idea to register with
more than one agency as each company has different client
and/or specialties and geographies that they cover. An important
point to bear in mind when registering with an agency that
a company may use more than one recruitment agency to find
employees which will mean that your resume may be sent to
them more than once. To avoid this ensure that you find out
as much details from the agency before they forward on your
details to their client. |
Recruitment Sites for Finance and Accounting
professionals |
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Programs in Ontario for skilled immigrants
|
There are several programs to assist
skilled migrants in settling into the local job markets, some
of them are free. |
Enterprise Toronto - http://www.enterprisetoronto.com/ |
Enterprise Toronto is an innovative public
and private sector alliance created to provide one-stop sourcing
of services and programs tailored to meet the needs of the
Toronto's Entrepreneurs and small businesses. |
Job Connect - http://www.jobconnectontario.org/newsite/index.html |
A free employment service to help Job
Searchers who are out of school and work find full time employment.
The program is funded by Employment Ontario, and services
employers and job seekers in Acton, Brampton, Georgetown,
Halton, Milton, Oakville and Peel. |
A handbook for job seekers new to Canada from Toronto Region
Immigrant Employment Council: http://triec.mentoringsoftware.com |
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