Canada promises faster immigration, more student visas for India

TORONTO: Just days before Canadian parliamentary elections on May 2, political leaders are wooing Indo-Canadians by promising less waiting time for immigration and more student visas from India.

Speaking at a roundtable organized by the Canada- India Foundation (CIF) here, top leaders of the opposition Liberal Party promised a comprehensive relationship with India. They said their party government will take the bilateral ties beyond trade to increase immigration and tourism from India and foster deeper education and research cooperation.

Top Liberal Party leader and Toronto MP Bob Rae reminded Indo-Canadians the role played by his party leader and former prime minister Paul Martin in ushering in G20 to include India and other developing economies for wider consultation on global economic issues.

He said Canada should focus on its core competencies in engaging with India and leverage its expertise to continue to push for stronger nuclear ties with India.

Suggesting more visas for Indian students to study in Canada, John McCallum, MP from the Toronto suburb of Markham-Unionville, said Australia was "eating Canada's lunch'' in attracting Indian students and the federal government must usher in friendlier policies on visa and work.

Canada currently gets about 3,500 Indian students compared to over 40,000 going to Australia each year.

Rob Oliphant, MP from the Toronto constituency of Don Valley West, said his party had identified Gujarat as a great business destination 20 years ago. He said he was happy that the current Canadian government has recognized the importance of Gujarat by being a partner country at this year's Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Since Canada still doesn't have any official presence in Gujarat, he favoured a full consular office in the state.

Oliphant promised that his party government would reduce wait times for the family class immigration category from 11-13 years now to five to six years. He also said his party government would be more careful in addresses sensitive issues like the visit of union minister Kamal Nath here last year which led to protests by Sikh groups for his alleged involvement in the 1984 riots.

Bengali-origin Rana Sarkar, who is contesting for parliament for the first time from the Toronto constituency of Scarborough Rouge River, said that based on past history, his Liberal Party has "the DNA for dealing with India and now there is need for India 2.0 engagement strategy.''

Maria Minna, MP from the Toronto constituency of Beaches-East York, emphasized the need for serious engagement of the Indian diaspora for deepening Canada-India relations.

Canada-India Foundation leaders Aditya Jha and Ramesh Chotai, said the Indian diaspora was pleased that the Liberal Party recognizes its role in shaping Canadian policies.

Representatives of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, IIT Alumni of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization also quizzed Canadian politicians about India.

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Proving your age is an asset in a job search

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder

Worried that age might be a strike against you when applying for a job? Present yourself the right way and experts agree that you can turn that potential negative into one of your selling points.

"The key for older job seekers is to embrace rather than hide from what they have to offer future employers," says Tamryn Hennessy, national director of career development for Rasmussen College. "A lifetime of a variety of employments, household and family obligations and volunteer accomplishments can be assembled into a résumé and interview that a younger job seeker simply cannot offer."

So get set to put your experience to good use by doing these three things:

1. Concentrate on the job

If you spend your time demonstrating how you are the right candidate for the position, age need not even enter into the equation. "Never be defensive about your age or even focus on it at all," states Martha Finney, a Santa Fe-based employee engagement and career management consultant and co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market." "Focus on who you are and how what you bring to the table would meet the company's strategic objectives."

Hennessy suggests highlighting your suitability right from the start by looking at the key action words from the job description (such as "analyze," "design," "inspect," etc.) and matching them to your history. "Focus on your past experiences -- including non-industry, volunteer and family obligations -- where you have demonstrated accomplishments under these action word categories. Use the exact same action word and apply it to your experience, always being sure to offer quantifiable results."

2. Have confidence in your past

Lavie Margolin, author of "Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers," advises older job seekers to get in the mindset that age is a strength. "As opposed to a recent college graduate filled only with potential, the mature worker can demonstrate a track record of accomplishment throughout his career."

Let your years of real-life experience shine by presenting evidence of qualities employers value. These may include:


The ability to meet deadlines

Loyalty to a company, industry or cause

Flexibility and adaptability

Problem-solving skills

A strong work ethic

Leadership

Teamwork


To generate ideas, look at past performance reviews. Not only will this help provide concrete examples, but select words of praise can be incorporated into your application or interview to add credibility (as in, "My direct supervisor at company X noted in my evaluation that my thorough research on our three main competitors was instrumental to selecting the launch date of our newest product.").

3. Having equal confidence in your future

If worries over new methods or technologies are putting a dent in your confidence, take a class or two to get up to speed. Since one of the greatest fears about hiring older workers is that they are too set in their ways and unwilling to learn new things, this action also can show employers your enthusiasm for continual growth.

By law, age should not be a consideration for employment, yet many job seekers receive subtle (and not so subtle) clues that it may be an issue. If concerns about age do come up, try to tactfully redirect the conversation back to your abilities. Another tactic is to show that you are comfortable and happy with where you are. "Stress the great stage of life you are entering, one with fewer family distractions that will allow you to be the most reliable and dedicated employee possible," Hennessy suggests. Also worth pointing out: "Younger workers may have less understanding of what they want to do exactly in their career," Margolin notes. "An older worker has a better understanding of his interests and how they fit best into the market."

Watch, too, that you aren't blaming age when there is actually a different problem. "Don't assume you're increasing your chances of landing a job by applying for jobs that are beneath your experience level," Finney notes. "Overqualified for the position' isn't always code for 'too old.' Hiring managers wisely want candidates who are appropriate for the job level, so if you're experiencing a long string of application rejections, don't lower your sights, raise them. Only go after jobs that appropriate for your skill sets and experiences."

Finally, remember that employers want to hire likeable people who fit into company culture and can do their job. Treating interviewers as friendly equals and relating to them with relaxed confidence never goes out of style.

Beth Braccio Hering researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.

Foreign buyers buoy Vancouver housing

Image via Wikipedia

DAVID EBNER

On a recent trip to Vancouver, Jin Wang, a Chinese businesswoman, toured a large home – six bedrooms and seven baths – listed at $3.6-million in the British Properties, a wealthy enclave on the north shore overlooking the ocean and the city.

Ms. Wang and her husband, Hui Huang, made their money in the import and export of electronics, leveraging government connections in Beijing to do business in Shanghai. The Chinese nationals also expanded their business to domestic real estate in China.

Now, they’re looking to invest more heavily in Vancouver real estate. Three years ago, the couple first bought a $2.1-million home on Vancouver’s west side and rented it to a local family. Its value has since hurtled past $3-million. Back this month to scout more buys, Ms. Wang closed a deal for a $3-million home on Chartwell Drive in the British Properties and mulled the additional $3.6-million home on the same street.

Investments by Chinese buyers such as Ms. Wang and Mr. Huang are playing a role in helping to buoy the hottest real estate market in Canada, according to local realtors. Canadian realtors do not tally data on foreign investment in residential real estate, unlike the national realty association in the U.S., but widespread anecdotal reports from local players suggest investment cash from China is a small but significant factor, especially in the market for expensive homes. The additional demand may be helping to underpin a market whose prices seem to impossibly levitate above the typical local incomes in the region.

And it may increase, as more affluent Chinese aim to move, as well as invest their money abroad. There are nearly 600,000 high-net people worth at least $1.5-million in China this year, according to the consultancy Bain & Co. About 10 per cent of them have already left, another 10 per cent are planning to apply for immigration, and about 30 per cent are considering it, according to results based on Bain’s survey of 2,500 rich Chinese released last week.

The method of exit is to qualify abroad as an “immigrant investor.” In Canada, that means an immigrant must have a net worth of $1.6-million and make an $800,000 investment – figures that are twice what they were last year. The Vancouver region has already welcomed about half of 10,000 or so immigrants who come to Canada annually under such programs.

Yolanda Chen and Simon Yang arrived earlier this year as immigrant investors. The couple, and their six-year-old daughter, came for the same reason cited by a majority of people from China: a better education system. Ms. Chen, who was a television executive in Shanghai, has purchased a $2-million home in White Rock, south of Vancouver.

“It’s a better, and healthier, life here,” she said.

While realtors cite the influence of rich immigrants and investors on markets such as Vancouver, data suggest that the absolute number of buyers in such categories is small.

In the U.S. the most recent figures show that foreigners are a factor in real estate markets but not a massive one. Foreigners spent $41-billion on U.S. real estate from April, 2009, to March, 2010, about 4 per cent of the American market. Canadians accounted for about quarter, roughly $10-billion, of that total. Buyers from China counted for $3.3-billion, behind Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Of the properties purchased, half of them were bought as a primary residence, with only about a quarter for investment purposes.

The U.S. figures are the result of a survey by researchers at the National Association of Realtors. In Canada, there are no comparable numbers, “because there wasn’t demand for us to collect these statistics,” said Pierre Leduc, a Canadian Real Estate Association spokesman.

But the U.S. market results echo what realtors in Vancouver are seeing. Ian Gillespie, head of Vancouver developer Westbank Projects Corp., just opened a Shanghai office. In the company’s last major project, the $450-million Fairmont Pacific Rim luxury condo-hotel tower on the harbour, completed last year, Mr. Gillespie said about one-third of the apartments went to people with roots in China, largely for residences rather than investments.

“They’re not coming in to speculate, throwing money at things. They’re not trying to flip. They probably flip less than anybody,” said Mr. Gillespie.

Ms. Wang – who was scouting another home in the British Properties – buys for investment purposes, and although she and her husband don’t plan to move to Canada, the desire for a stronger education is a factor. Ms. Wang’s 17-year-old daughter lives in Vancouver, where she attends private school, a motivation for the family’s investment in the city.

“The weather is good, the scenery is good, and the education is good,” said Ms. Wang, speaking in Mandarin in an interview. “For the next generation, Canada is a more fair country.”

Last year’s Winter Olympics has sparked additional interest from overseas, said John Lichtenwald, whose Metro Vancouver Properties sold $3.7-billion of residential real estate in 2010 under the Re/Max banner. He estimated that about of a sixth of his firm’s buyers are foreign, led by those with China roots.

“The Olympics was a great advertisement program for all of Vancouver, it really helped,” he said.

Quickly rising home prices have led conservative commentators to point to the role of foreign buyers, though there is no evidence investment money is a primary fuel for the hot market. Peter Ladner, a business leader, recent mayoral candidate for the city’s conservative-leaning party and former city councillor, this month suggested foreign ownership of local real estate should be restricted to discourage “overseas property speculators.” The high cost of living hurts businesses looking to attract workers, he said.

The price of a “standard” two-storey house in the city and on the north shore jumped 10 per cent to $1.1-million in the first three months of 2011, according to research last week by real estate agency Royal LePage. The figure puts Vancouver at triple the national rate for a typical two-storey residence – an average of $379,000, up 4 per cent in the past year.

The city’s most recognizable real estate face, the condo marketer Bob Rennie, insists Vancouver has become a multipart market. There are some neighbourhoods, such as the west side, that can’t be judged on traditional metrics such as income to house price.

And while Mr. Rennie says prices in some areas such as the west side are “pretty frothy,” he leans on another exhortation common among realtors: In a city bounded by the mountains to the north, the water to the west and the U.S. to the south, hot neighbourhoods with spacious homes are rare.

“Even if it slows down, where is the supply?” Mr. Rennie said. “It’s not like we’re producing mansions.”

It is a message embraced by Guo Tai Sun, a 48-year-old who works in real estate and building materials in Guangzhou near Hong Kong. In April, he came to visit friends who had moved to Vancouver and to look at real estate investments. He’s not moving here but made an offer on a $2.5-million home on the city’s west side, popular among China buyers for the quality schools in the area.

“They told me it was a beautiful city,” Mr. Sun said. “I look at the potential of a city. I think Vancouver has great potential.”

Related articles

• Chinese investment surge hits housing market (globaltvbc.com)
• Foreign property buyers restrictions needed? (cbc.ca)
• Stymied at home, Chinese hunt for property abroad (financialpost.com)
• Ronnie Chan: No Bubble In China Real Estate (businessinsider.com)
• Luxury real estate booming in Vancouver (financialpost.com)
• Foreign buyers juice Canada’s resale housing market (theglobeandmail.com)
• Real Estate Investment is Open for Every Person with Great Urge to Succeed! (dohardmoneylenders.wordpress.com)
• Vancouver's luxury home sales surge (globaltvbc.com)

Program helps a new wave of Irish immigrants transition to Montreal

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MONTREAL — There's a steady increase in the number of Irish immigrants coming to Montreal for job opportunities.

The Canadian government has increased quotas in its working holiday program with Ireland and a new Montreal group is helping Irish immigrants make the most of Montreal.

Catherine McKee moved from Ireland to Montreal in January.

She studied French in university, and wanted to continue improving her language skills.

"I've lived in France previously, so I wanted a new experience and I thought that Montreal would be a good place to learn," she told CTV Montreal.

McKee quickly found work as a receptionist at an IT company.

She credits a newly formed group, called the Irish Immigrant Integration Initiative, with helping her get started.

"It all seems to be very well organized," she said. "They're really looking out for the Irish people that are coming in."

The group organized a networking event back in February. Newly-arrived immigrants had the opportunity to learn about Montreal's Irish community.

More importantly, they were introduced to potential employers. 

Michelle Vahey of the St. Patrick's Society of Montreal says that ever since the economic downturn there are fewer opportunities in Ireland. 

"Some companies folded, some other companies weren't taking on possibly as many graduates as they had done in the past," she said. 

Canadian and Irish governments also have a working holiday program agreement available for people aged 18-35. Canada has increased the number of Irish working holiday visas -- from 2,000 to 5,000 -- and the term has also been extended -- from one year to two. 

Vahey says it shows the strong ties between the two countries and stands to benefit both.

Related articles

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• It's time to make St. Patrick's Day a national holiday (macleans.ca)

How to get the most out of LinkedIn

LinkedIn isn't just a way to keep track of where old coworkers are working nowadays -- it's a tool that can help you navigate your job search, build up your network and stay informed in your industry. Knowing how to maximize the benefits of LinkedIn can help you throughout your career, not just when you need a job.

To start, be active on the social network and optimize your LinkedIn profile, says Craig Fisher, vice president of sales at Ajax Social Media. "The top misconception is that if you just create a LinkedIn profile, then you should get calls from employers or recruiters," he says.

Not sure how to build your LinkedIn presence? Here are six ways to make the most of LinkedIn:

Include detailed job descriptions

Don't simply list your current job in your LinkedIn profile. When recruiters browse the site to seek out potential candidates, they are interested in seeing a detailed version of your past experience going back about 10 years. Take the time to fill out your job history just as you would on a résumé, highlighting specific accomplishments under each role. "The more relevant detail and specific keywords that you include in your profile, the easier it will be for recruiters and employers to find you when they search for appropriate candidates for their openings," Fisher says.

Keep it professional

Checking the tone of your LinkedIn profile is key. While it's tempting to make it conversational, remember that it's not as casual as Facebook or any other social network that you use in your spare time. Over-sharing or using slang terms versus professional language may preventrecruiters from reaching out. Also be careful about including everything you post to Twitter on your LinkedIn profile," Fisher says. Additionally he suggests providing an e-mail or phone number to make it easier for perspective employers to get in touch.

Import content into your page

Use LinkedIn's other features to showcase work directly in your profile. For example, if you often create presentations or design websites, be sure to integrate those work samples in your profile. "Use the apps available on your profile page to import content into your page," Fisher says. Additionally, use the status to convey relevant industry information or point out news articles or research to your network.

Join industry or alumni groups

Even if you're not currently job hunting, participating in LinkedIn forums or groups can help you keep up with industry news. Stay active in the groups you join. Answer questions where you have expertise, share job tips or post new info to the group page. If others see you're an asset, they'll be more likely to connect with you and inform you about opportunities that come their way.

Keep making connections

The secret to LinkedIn is simple -- the more connections you make, the greater the chances that it can help in your job search. "Grow your network -- the more active you are, and the more people you connect with, the more people will see your profile," Fisher suggests. "After all, any of your friends or colleagues might know someone who could be a great lead for you." Take a systematic approach and re-evaluate your connections every month, or after you've completed a large project or started working with new clients.

Reach out for in-person meetings

Just because your connections are online doesn't mean it's not necessary to meet in person. Use LinkedIn to garner face-to-face communication such as happy hours, lunches or just a quick phone call with connections in your area. Meeting those in your network can help you cement online connections down the road.

Alina Dizik researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues for CareerBuilder.com. Follow @CareerBuilder on Twitter.

Sell yourself: How your job search is like running a business

There are many factors that contribute to a business's performance, but, for the most part, success or failure comes down to one thing: How well the company sells a product or service to its customers.

Try approaching your job search the same way. Are you doing an effective job of selling your product (you!) to your customers -- namely hiring managers?

Following are tips you can use to become CEO of your job search and run it like a successful business:

Deliver a clear message

What does this business do? That's often the first question customers ask when selecting a service provider.

Hiring managers ask themselves a similar question when evaluating job candidates. They want to know your story -- what skills and experience you have, what your areas of expertise are and what can you bring to the table.

Ask a friend or colleague to review your résumé, then without looking at the document, briefly summarize the key points. If he or she struggles to articulate the main themes, you may need to make some revisions.

Many job candidates put too much information in their résumés, whether it's a laundry list of routine duties performed in past positions or after-work interests. Take an objective look at your résumé and remove items that don't relate either to your professional abilities or the needs of the company.

Highlight your selling points

In order to stand out, a company needs to play up what makes it better than its competitors.

In this job market, you're in competition with numerous other applicants. Therefore, you need to describe for hiring managers what makes you unique. Do you have in-demand expertise? Years of experience? A proven ability to cut costs or drive revenue?

Look closely at the job ad, as well as the company's website and other materials, to see if you can get a sense of its mission, both for the open job and for the business overall. The better you can explain how your skills will help the firm achieve its mission, the better your chances of being asked to interview there.

Exude professionalism

If you walked into a law firm and saw employees playing video games and foosball in the lobby instead of tending to their clients, you'd probably have doubts about hiring them to represent you. The bottom line: Customers want to deal with a business that behaves professionally.

The same is true of hiring managers. Use your application materials to demonstrate your professionalism. One of the easiest ways to do so: Submit documents that are free of grammatical or spelling errors. It's also important to arrive early and dress appropriately for your interview, and to treat every employee you encounter at the interview with the same level of respect.

Protect your reputation

A company that doesn't properly respond to criticism risks damage to its brand, possibly resulting in lost business. That's why more and more organizations are using social media to respond directly to consumers, correct service issues and protect the company's reputation.

You can use social media to influence your reputation, as well. But be careful. Depending upon how you use it, you might actually harm your reputation. That's why you should always think twice before posting controversial comments to Facebook, blogs or any other public website. Many hiring managers search for information about job candidates online, and you don't want them to find anything that will make them think twice about hiring you.

Of course, social media and other online tools allow you to strengthen your reputation if used correctly. Adding insightful comments to blog posts, following industry experts on Facebook and Twitter, and actively participating in LinkedIn groups are all good ways to distinguish yourself among your peers.

Rely on multiple resources

If a company wants to introduce a new product, it won't rely on a single person to do it. People from several departments throughout the organization need to collaborate to develop the product so it has the best chance to succeed in the marketplace.

Similarly, you shouldn't limit yourself to just one or two resources when job hunting. In addition to relying on job boards, also spread the word about your search within your professional network. In fact, tell everyone you know, unless your job search is confidential. You can also have someone conduct your job search for you. By registering with a staffing firm, an expert recruiter can look for opportunities that match your skill set and ensure your résumé is seen by hiring managers.

Robert Half International is the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm with a global network of more than 350 offices worldwide. For more information about our professional services, please visit www.roberthalf.com. For additional career advice, follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/roberthalf.

Social media can kill your career -- but not the way you think Why to avoid being overexposed in a digital world

Rachel Farrell, Special to CareerBuilder.com

Social media has become the norm, both as a part of everyday life and as an integral part of your success or failure during your job search. You hear all the time about how to utilize social media as an essential part of your job search or about social media as one of the many ways you can get fired -- or not hired.

Usually when we talk about social media as a firing or non-hiring mechanism, it's in the context of your digital footprint: not posting inappropriate photos, racial slurs or nasty comments about your boss and colleagues, for example.

But now there's a new piece of the puzzle to consider: if an employer sees that you're overly active on social media -- they might question your professional commitment.

"If you are very active on social media an employer should question how your online activity is contributing to the company's mission and achievement of your individual goals," says Michael R. Neece, president and COO of JobTacToe.com. "An employer would certainly ask what is not getting done by you spending so much time socializing on social media sites."

There is the possibility that your social media activity is being mistaken for personal use when really, you're using it for professional reasons. If that's the case and you're still lucky enough to get an interview, address the issue verbally, says Ginny Clarke, president and CEO, Talent Optimization Partners.

"You might indicate that you were in active job seeking mode – presuming the overexposure was in terms of frequency, not questionable content," she says.

So what's the happy medium between being visible on social media but not so much that it ruins your chances at finding a new job?

"Most employers are looking at social media sites to find qualified job candidates," Clarke says. "Your goal is to be visible for networking purposes and to have a professional and personal profile that are up-to-date and descriptive enough for someone to make an preliminary screening of your suitability for a potential opportunity."

Aljolynn Sperber, account executive and social media manager, Marketing Maven Public Relations, Inc., says that having at least a Facebook and/or Twitter profile on the Web will do the trick  --  you just have to be cautious about your privacy settings.

"Just be smart about what is posted and customize your privacy settings. Good rule of thumb, don't post anything on the Internet that you might regret later," she says.

Here are six tips to avoid social media overkill and manage your online presence effectively:

1. Add to the conversation"Use LinkedIn to post your résumé online, contribute to industry- and occupation-specific discussions," Neece says.

2. Have more than one accountHave two social media accounts, Sperber says. "One that is geared toward your desired industry so employers can see that you're attempting to be active and another one for personal use." Be sure to protect your profiles so they aren't accessible to the public.

3. Score face time"Use online resources to get face-to-face or voice-to-voice with another person.  Each of us is most memorable and most influential in-person," Neece says.

4. Just say noIf your social media profiles are protected and a potential employer requests to follow you, don't feel obligated to accept, Sperber says. "That's what your other 'professional' account is for."

5. Stay positive"Don't bad mouth any of the companies that you're applying to, especially if you feel the interview didn't go well," Sperber says. If you put something on the Internet, it's out there for anyone to see.

6. Keep things to yourselfDon't publicize that you're going to an interview or just finished an interview at a company. Some companies do not like to have their recruiting process -- or that they're even having one -- publicized, Sperber says.