Tuesday, January 12, 2010

How to find a job in Vancouver

Every now and then I get messaged by people on travel forums about finding work in Vancouver. From my personal experience, finding decent work in Vancouver can be a continual work in progress. It can be tough, frustrating, and even disappointing. It's even moreso if you're not already living here, you don't have connections, or any in-demand skills. And even if you do, that doesn't guarantee anything. Often I find it's all about being in the right place at the right time. It's also very much about who you know.

I always describe Vancouver as having a "niche" economy. The industries are varied: video game development, mining & geology, academia, TV & film, internet marketing, IT, healthcare, yoga, real estate, tourism, outdoor recreation, hospitality, restaurants, etc. But it's not a city I'd recommend if you're into corporate ladder-climbing, head offices, and big global companies in general. I mean, sure, it exists, but corporate culture's not what dominates here. Vancouver is not a headquarter city in the way that Toronto or Calgary are; it's a peripheral city. But there are a lot of grassroots DIY movements around here for the industries that don't dominate. It's just a matter of finding them.

One way to immediately get a sense of what's going on in Vancouver's is to skim through the list of BC's Top Employers.

Another way to get your finger on the pulse of Vancouver's job market is to browse some local job boards. There are of course the usual Canadian standards like Jobshark, Workopolis, and Monster, but I thought I'd compile a list of the lesser-known but equally-useful job boards out there so that we can have a one stop shop. It makes a good starting point, if not just to provide some insight into the types of jobs available in and around Vancouver.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to finding secure employment in Vancouver, but I do like to help where I can! :)

Alliance for Arts and Culture (great site for jobs in arts & culture)

BC Jobs (everything)

BCIT (technical academic - staff & faculty positions)

British Columbia Employment (jobs with the BC provincial government)

Charity Village (jobs in the nonprofit sector)

City of Burnaby (municipal positions in Burnaby)

City of North Vancouver (municipal positions in North Van)

City of Richmond (municipal positions in Richmond)

City of Surrey (municipal positions in Surrey)

City of Vancouver (municipal positions in Vancouver)

Craigslist Vancouver (everything)

eluta (Very cool - it's like the Google search of Canadian job listings)

Emily Carr University (fine arts academic - faculty & staff positions)

Go2HR (tourism, restaurants, & hospitality)

Joint Vancouver Job & Gigs Board (IT, Web 2.0, etc.)

kijiji Vancouver (everything)

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (academic - faculty & staff positions)

Langara College (academic - faculty & staff positions)

Make A Future: Careers in BC Education (teaching & staff positions)

SFU (academic - faculty & staff positions)

Tech Jobs Vancouver (IT, web 2.0, video games, etc.)

Techvibes (IT, Web 2.0, etc.)

UBC (academic - faculty & staff positions)

Vancouver Police Department (policing & civilian positions)

Of course, feel free to contribute your own tips!

14 comments:

Paul said...

Thanks for this useful resource.

You could also find many student jobs, internships, and entry-level jobs in British Columbia at http://studenthire.ca

Muskie said...

This is a good list, but the website that seems to find the most jobs in Vancouver or anywhere for a given keyword search in my opinion is Indeed. A lot of jobs get posted to Twitter and there are Twitter-centric jobsites now too. You have to follow a fair few Vancouverites though to make this work.

هیچستان said...

I really suggest you to read this article about finding a job in Canada. It is pretty general but worth reading: http://www.entrancity.com/en/mtl-en/ws/work/findjob

Anonymous said...

You might wanna take UBC off that list. Although there so many job postings in UBC, they are not available for outsiders, there's a long list of people who get first crack at any position especially staff positions before outsiders, see the following link, even professors and managers are forced to hire from this pool UNLESS you know someone as that's the only way to get a staff position at UBC, I've learned this first hand, if anyone out there have any ideas, please let m know.
http://www.hr.ubc.ca/administrators/recruiting/prioritizing-applications/

Madelyn Capozzi said...

Another great way for a skilled individual to find a good job in Vancouver is to get on the radar of its recruiters and headhunters. LinkedIn is pivotal for recruiters to find talent, but remember: top talent can also find recruiters. The recruiting process can go both ways if a recruitment firm is approached by a highly skilled individual. Some recruiters will find a job suitable to that person and then “sell” that person to the company, negotiating their salary and benefits for the better along the way. Even entering your resume into a talent acquisition agency’s systems will increase your chances of being offered a job exponentially. Magnus Personnel is one such agency that always welcomes new applicants and keeps postings up-to-date: http://magnuspersonnel.com/ Good luck job seekers!

Chantel said...

I like the links you suggested, they are very helpful! Thanks.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips. I am just graduating this semester and this info is pretty helpful. At least now I know how to get things started.
Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Skip UBC AND SFU. They only hire within. If the place is an union, skip it. It is impossible to get in. I have been unemployed over a year and i have over fifteen years experience in management. I accepted a cashier job at Save on Foods. I have bachelors degree in Economics and an accoubting designation. I cant get a job in Vancouver.

Tough job market if you are over forty years old. The job market in Vancouver is great for new grads and new immigrants.

Anonymous said...

Hi everyone,

I am an Algerian and I am going to move to vancouver B.C I have a U.S. Government experience as I served for the U.S. Government and I was wondering if I can find a job in vancouver? I am a lawyer and I have a legal background, with a legal, human resources and commercial professional experience
Your help is much much appreciated

Anonymous said...

Very true..Indeed is one of the best sites for job hunting.. Im surprised it wasn't mentioned on the above list..

Steve said...

Great post! We have just created a larger verison of this on 50 things we wish we had known before moving to Vancouver http://sunsettravellers.com/moving-to-vancouver/

Unknown said...

Hi I'm Algerian too and I'm also considering moving to Vancouver after my studies. Did you manage to find anything ? Was the immigration process difficult to manage ? Sorry if these questions are a bit indiscrete.

Unknown said...

Hi I'm Algerian too and I'm also considering moving to Vancouver after my studies. Did you manage to find anything ? Was the immigration process difficult to manage ? Sorry if these questions are a bit indiscrete.

Claudio Muñoz said...

Thank you very much for this useful information. I`ve got a position after review periodically ads about Vancouver Jobs, I recommend this website for all those who are seeking an opportunity in Canada. Best Regards.