A lot of international students have the perception about graduating with a master’s will lead to getting a high-paying job immediately after school. This is partially due to the employment landscape in their home countries – where fresh graduates are hired based on the degree & school they go to or even the strong social networks that work as a reference system.
Hiring in Canada works differently. Not only do international students have to demonstrate their ability to perform in the role, but they also need to build up trust with potential employers & hiring managers. Especially when we have no or little Canadian work experience.
As a Master’s degree student, job searching will be a bit different. Employers often have higher expectations of you and you have unique needs. There are some factors to consider while looking and applying for roles:
1. Stage of the organization
Companies have different stages, first, understand whether the company that you are interested in is in the mature, growing, or declining stage.
2. Determining the risk tolerance for the specific roles
Understanding organizations’ risk tolerance levels for fresh graduates. Whether or not they require candidates for specific roles to start contributing from day 1 vs. giving time to onboard (and contribute as they scale).
3. Determining applicable skills learned during the masters and the importance it holds in the organization/ industry.
You have plenty of opportunities during your Master’s program to develop expertise in certain areas. This will help guide you in your job search. Identify how important your level of knowledge is and how the organization/industry values it.
4. Determining the support organizations have to offer
Organizations that have mentorship initiatives have a general tendency to pair up fresher graduates with experienced professionals. This allows for structured professional development. In such roles, showcasing learning ability & advocating for continuous improvements is given more weight than directly contributing to business performance indicators.
5. Thinking about future professional advancements vs. short-term wins
Developing an aligned short-term & long-term vision helps to determine a career trajectory. Candidates that are able to present the story about where they want to be and what skills they want to be proficient at in the short & long term are likely more successful than candidates who just focus on getting hired either for the compensation, title, or organization.
6. Taking time for skill development
One big myth is that having a gap year on the resume reduces the chances to get hired. It is totally acceptable in taking time after graduation to develop more technical skills and work part-time to pay bills. Candidates who can explain very clearly what skill they developed, showcase samples of work, and demonstrate how the skills are relevant in the jobs they’ve applied for tend to get more attention from hiring managers than candidates that simply apply without context.
