Why International Students Need to Start Networking in Canada Immediately

Unlike living in your home country, you will not know as many people as before or have a network of people who can help you out. In your home country, you might have your parents who can introduce you to a family friend or their professional network in order to help you in your job search. In Canada, unfortunately, you might now know many people and people don’t know you. 

As an international student in Canada, you are already at a disadvantage as compared to the locals because you don’t know your network in Canada and have to build one on your own. Your friends, old colleagues are not here to give you the referral you need. If you plan to settle down in Canada and launch your career here, you must start “networking” now. 

Access to hidden job market

Networking allows you to tap into a hidden job market. Job search in Canada is very different from many other countries. In North America, many jobs are not being advertised. In fact, 80% of job opportunities out there are not being posted online and employers rely heavily on referral! 

Get referral

Referral candidates who get interviewed are 40% more likely to be hired! Employers want to hire someone they can trust. Oftentimes, they ask existing employees to refer someone they know to apply for the role. Getting yourself out there by networking increases the likelihood of you knowing someone in the company you are interested in applying to and getting a referral. 

Build connections

Networking is the best way to meet new people with similar interests. Just like making new friends, networking helps you form meaningful relationships and friendships in Canada. 

Build your personal brand

When networking, you are getting to know others and others are getting to know you. As an international student, you have to build a reputation for yourself among your own network. Personal brand allows you to be top of mind and memorable. This eventually leads to more people in the network remembering you and might refer you to a role. 

Find a mentor

Another solid reason why you want to network in Canada is to find a mentor who can guide you through your career. A mentor is someone who has experience in the area that you are interested in getting into, someone you can learn from their experience. Start networking with the Isempower mentors in our community, learn more here.

Grow your network and get hired.

At Isempower, we understand that networking is not a familiar concept for international students. A lot of us find networking challenging, we get it! Our free community platform is built so that it makes the networking process extremely easy and less intimidating. Start meeting other international students across Canada and network with the professional mentors today.