Addressing Immigration-Related Interview Questions in Canada’s Construction Industry

All these positives aside, there are some clear risks to employers when hiring newcomers that you should be conscious of. It’s critical that you can understand your weaknesses and ideally tackle them head on to give your employer confidence that you are up for the challenge of adjusting to a new country and making a successful long term contribution in your new role.

Before we dig into the three risks, it’s critical for you as a newcomer to take into account that a potential employer and you may have different definitions of time and job success. Factor into account that level of training required in your role and it may help you realize that most employers would expect a minimum of 2-3 years of commitment from a skilled hire in order to justify the level of training and development costs. Think long term, even though it may be hard for you in light of so many moving parts.

Settlement Risk

Namely the risk that you will not settle long term in your chosen location. Whether you are a Canadian citizen returning from abroad or even a Canadian changing city, you are exposed to this risk but it tends to be a little great when you are new to the country as there is a lot of change occurring in a short time. The key is that you are not alone.

Best advice here is be positive and be enthusiastic about what lies ahead. After all. Fortune favours the brave! Highlight some traditional Canadian things that you have done or are excited to do and give the interview panel the impression that you are ready for the rollercoaster that is settling in a new country. Try to leave them with the impression that you are resilient and excited to take on whatever challenges are ahead.

When it’s your opportunity to ask questions, try to acknowledge the settlement risk by asking:

“What advice would you give to me as a newcomer settling in Canada?”

“Are there other newcomers I could connect with to get advice on how the get the most out of city X?”

Immigration risk

Unless you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you will need to address the issue of immigration risk. If you are an international candidate without local experience, then the interview panel will need to be convinced that you are planning to stay in Canada beyond 3-4 years. Otherwise, investing in training your is not a smart investment for them.

Despite Canada being a diverse and multicultural country, employers are extremely conservative when it comes to hiring international workers on a temporary work permit. If you are a temporary work permit holder (e.g. IEC working holiday visa or spousal work permit) then do some research on the process for applying for permanent residence so that the employer understands your intent. Your temporary work permit is the elephant in the room, so address the issue straight up from the start. Mention a temporary work permit instead of a “working holiday visa” and use the term “relocation” to add permanence to your term in Canada. The words you choose carry more weight than you may think. After all, an employer sees you as an investment for the company. Their goal is to hire, train, and retain an employee for the long term.

It’s encouraged that you have a good idea of how you may transition to permanent status in Canada once you have built up some Canadian work experience and speak with intent to this transition in the interview. You’ll be better prepared for that step, and your potential employer will have greater confidence that Canada is your long-term home. See the helpful links to Express Entry and the Canadian Experience Class immigration program here:

• Express Entry
• Canadian Experience Class

When it’s your opportunity to ask questions, try to acknowledge the immigration risk by asking:

“Given my goal is to transition from temporary to permanent residency in Canada, how supportive is the company with immigration processes for their employees?”

“If I can prove myself with great performance, is it feasible that the company will support my transition to permanent residency in Canada?”

Lack of Local Experience

All countries like to do things their own way, and Canada is no different. Although construction is a global industry, Canadian employers will need to understand that you are committed to learning and adapting to the Canadian way. Construction methods, contracts and processes can be different between countries. Acknowledging that a learning curve exists and that it can take time to adjust is the best way to deal with this issue.

Yes, the reality is that Canadian’s 100% overvalue local experience but taking this stance is not going to help you in an interview so remember to play the game and acknowledge how important it is that you can adjust quickly.

Some recommended questions below that will deliver a proactive approach to your lack of local experience

“What does the learning curve typically look like for a newcomers in this role?”

“What can I do today to help me adapt quicker to this role?”

“What advice would you give me as a newcomer adjusting to {role}?”

“Is there parts of my global experience potentially help me become a better {role} in Canada?

The key impression you want to give is that you will give respect to adjustments that may be required to be a success in your role in Canada. The most successful newcomers come in full of questions so that they can understand why the role is performed the way it is in Canada and then over time they can great contribute ideas based on their knowledge of the Canadian way and their global experience. This is where innovation comes from but the key is that the newcomers demonstrates the right attitude and shows respect to the local way, even if it seems backwards. Canada is not an innovator but a laggard in most respects so there is often a better way of taking on a task and you have the opportunity to present this change if you can temper your enthusiasm. There are huge opportunities for those who can deliver change in an enthusiastic and respectful manner as delivering ideas that you have worked with for years can be presented as game changing innovations in Canada. It’s all relative, so embrace Canada for better or worse!

Newcomers that come to a new market with a sense of arrogance about their knowledge of experience will typically struggle to get buy in from peers. Change management is all about leading change and that’s almost always through working with key stakeholders and motivating them to try new things and making progression their idea, not yours.