How to Search for Hospitality Jobs in Canada

In this post, we reflect upon the process of searching for hospitality jobs in Canada

Canada is a country which is brimming with possibilities. Various international workers are vying to get hotel jobs in Canada.

Hospitality Jobs in Canada are extremely prized and thus landing a dream job in the hospitality industry of Canada is not simple.

In this post, we have discussed a streamlined and structured approach to Canada Hospitality Jobs.

So, read on for a detailed guide.

This post is a step-by-step guide to simplify the process of searching for hospitality jobs in Canada and we are not providing any shortcuts as “There is no shortcut to success”.

Let’s get on with the details now.

This post will work you through to give an idea of the Canadian Hospitality industry and approach the job search in Canada.

1.  Know the Top Hospitality consultancies and Career portals for Canada

Hospitality consultancies are very useful for helping you no matter what section of the hospitality sector you belong to.

Such consultants discuss with you the bright career prospects in a job, and your eligibility and help find suitable jobs for you.

This is even more important for foreigners looking for hospitality jobs in Canada.

These consultancies have job portals where you can sign in with a username to know about the progress of your recruitment.

In addition to this, these career portals give information about hotel jobs available and the eligibility criteria for such posts.

Here is a list of top consultancies based in Canada:

1.  Jross Hospitality Recruiter

Jross Hospitality Recruiters is one of the most trusted Hospitality consultancies run and managed by people from the Hospitality industry. They have several offices and a huge hospitality network across Canada.

2.  Renard International

Serving the hospitality industry for more than four decades, Renard International Consultancy is an experienced and dedicated center for you.

It ensures 100% client satisfaction so that the clients get exactly what they are looking for. It helps provide clients with cost-effective recruitment plans which help employers find the right candidate. In this way, it also helps potential employees find the best jobs for themselves.

It ensures that the hospitality business gets the most committed and motivated employees and the employees get the top employers.

3.  Global Hospitality, Canada

If you are looking for Executive Hospitality Jobs in Canada, this might be your best bet. It is a leading recruitment and executive firm which also provides career opportunities for job seekers.

It ensures that a hospitality company gets the ablest and most competent leadership due to the fact that it possesses great experience in this field.

There are several other avenues to look for hospitality jobs in Canada like Workopolis which also has a lot of restaurant jobs available.

2.      Some basic terms to know for Hospitality Jobs in Canada

Applying for hospitality and tourism jobs in Canada involves certain steps which need to be followed.

Furthermore, searching for Hospitality jobs in Canada is comparatively an easier process, in some ways, for the locals as compared to the immigrants from across the globe.

You must also have prepared a résumé or a curriculum vitae (CV) before you apply for a job regardless of the nature of the job.

A cover letter is sometimes also very important as a good cover letter can leave a good first impression which is the first step in getting a good job.

After you’ve got your SIN and prepared all the documents, you should be all set with the basic things for applications.

Hospitality professionals who are not from Canada need to know a few more basics.

There are two major ways to enter Canada for work

1. Immigrate as a Federal Skilled Worker
2. Work in certain trades approved by regulatory authorities

If you already are aware of your trade and want to check if it comes under the approved categories, you can search the directory of occupational profiles. Professionals from these categories are in great demand in Canada.

If you don’t fall under the ‘do not require work permit’ list (most hospitality professionals don’t fall under this category), then employers have to get a Labour Market Impact assessment to hire international employees under the temporary foreign worker scheme.

Hospitality professionals who have queries regarding immigration eligibility and methods of immigration can visit the authorized site by the Canadian government regarding immigration services in Canada.

3.      Get an idea of Average Salaries and other details

There is ample resource on the web to explore salaries in hospitality jobs in Canada.

We recommend Payscale and Glassdoor for your initial research on various salaries.

Our post on Hotel Management salaries should also help in your research on exploring salaries of various types of job roles in the hospitality industry.

You might think about why you should be bothered about these before you start applying. It is important for three reasons in particular.

1. If some fraudulent companies approach you with unrealistic salaries, you are safeguarded.
2. You can negotiate well during your job interview.
3. You can have an estimate of expenses and savings to check if it is a good idea to leave your current job or not.

Do your research on the cost of living in Canada as well to help you in judging the salaries and savings.

Also, get some idea about tax deductions, housing facilities etc. as that will again help you stay away from fraudulent offers.

4.      Learn about Top Hospitality Employers in Canada

The hospitality industry in Canada is booming despite the recession worldwide which means it is able to meet up the challenges it faces with an iron fist.

Hospitality job in Alberta along with Calgary has seen a recent boost and thus these are areas worth exploring in Canada.

Many of the young graduates are trying to find jobs in this industry and many have been quite successful in this regard.

Due to the fact that the hospitality industry is prospering each year, we find many hotels and restaurants making it to the list of top employers in Canada.

There are a lot of top hospitality employers in Canada like Delta Hotel and Resorts, Earl Restaurants Ltd., Flight Center Canada, Keg Restaurant Ltd. and so on.

Apart from these, there are hotels like Fairmont, Hilton Worldwide and Hyatt along with global Chains like Pizza Hut that top the chart in terms of generating hospitality jobs in Canada.

You can also look at the Top Hospitality Job portals in Canada to look at the existing vacancies they might have in Canada.

5.     Know The Canadian Hospitality industry in detail

When the whole world is reeling with unemployment woes, the Hospitality and tourism sector is creating millions of jobs. Canada has a fair share of these newly created hospitality jobs.

Have a look at the below infographic by Hilton Worldwide. The US and Canada need around 10 Million more hospitality professionals and are behind only the Asia Pacific in terms of employment rate.

Tourism and hospitality jobs in Canada are expanding by defying all odds.

The hospitality industry is an extremely diversified industry which includes services like lodging, transportation, event planning and some related fields in the tourism sector.

The different forms of transportation such as airlines, cruise lines etc. are also considered a part of the hospitality industry.

Canada Hospitality jobs can be segregated into a lot of sections.

Following are a few sectors that are being actively pursued by Hospitality professionals in Canada:

1. Cruise liners
2. Hotel Management
3. Restaurants
4. Aviation industry
5. Event Management
6. Theme parks and other facility management
7. Public Sectors and Hospitals
8. Travel agent

Check our post on the Hospitality Industry Sectors to learn more on this subject.

Restaurants are the key contributors to the hospitality industry in Canada and develop almost a quarter of the total jobs in Canada.

The story is similar across Canada with restaurants becoming a key contributor to hospitality jobs in Canada.

Seasonal hospitality jobs in Canada have taken a leap over recent years.

Canada has been welcoming immigrants for many years.

The size of the country and its huge coastline also make sure that the Cruise industry and Aviation sector flourishes alongside the Hotel and restaurant sector.

However, the attractiveness of the country, its somewhat easier immigration norms, and the salary offered have been major attractions for hospitality industry professionals worldwide.

Searching for hospitality jobs in Canada is thus not everyone’s cup of tea as there is always a huge competition.

6.      Beware of fraudulent activities and fake consultancies

If the offer is too good to be true, probably it is a fraudulent job offer or a fraudulent immigration offer. Please do not pay anyone anything before going through things in full detail.

Fraudulent people can get hold of you through the below activities:

1. Mail from the hotel- Check if it is from the official e-mail ID (Moreover, hotels will not mail for jobs)
2. Mail from unknown consultancies without physical address promising jobs
3. Mentioning salaries and benefits in the first mail
4. Through messages or calls from someone promising a job (Meet them first)
5. Through LinkedIn messages (unfortunately, even LinkedIn can’t prevent these frauds)
6. New Hotel opening job requirement (The fraudsters find it easy as new hotels have all jobs)

Just don’t get into the trap.

7.  Use social networking websites

Building a strong network of contacts can also open many doors of opportunities for you. It helps in sending out the message that you’re looking for a job. This is especially important for the hospitality industry.

Look out for the social media circle of Canada to explore Canada’s hospitality jobs through your developed networks.

The most popular one still is Linkedin and you must join groups that have information on Jobs in Canada.

Some of the popular LinkedIn groups are ‘Canada Jobs’ and ‘USA Canada Chef job jobs Chefs Restaurant Luxury Hotel Hospitality Manager’.

It is also advisable to follow a few top Hotels of Canada and hospitality influencers of Canada.

Twitter is a strong social networking site, particularly in the USA and Canada. It is always good to have a Twitter account and you can follow quite a lot of job consultancies and immigration consultants to get regular updates about hospitality jobs in Canada.

8. Apply directly to hotels or through authorised agencies only

A hospitality career in Canada is sought by a majority of hospitality workers.

So, just to make sure, you don’t forget, it is important that you keep yourself away from the temptation to use shortcuts.

Check earlier points which have ample instruction and resources on employers, agencies and job portals.

Please use these along with your social network to look for a suitable job.

If you are consistent with your job applications and utilize the above resources and information, you are sure to land a decent hospitality job in Canada soon.

Give yourself a 3-4 month window to prepare well and apply through trusted sources only.

9. Prepare for the job interview and application

To enter into the hospitality business, you must learn to effectively sell yourself. Effectively selling yourself can mean a lot of different things but the first step in selling yourself is to know yourself and your strengths.

You must highlight those strengths and share your experiences with a passion. You need to show this at the time of application and then at the time of interview.

It is also important to know about your long-term plans.

A person who knows where he or she sees himself/herself in the long run in the hospitality industry has a much higher chance of breaking the entry barrier as compared to someone who doesn’t appreciate the power of dreaming.

Learn about the company you’ve applied to as it determines the experience you need to be considered for the job.

To be good in hospitality services you should have a polished set of soft skills. The set of regular and soft skills include:

1. Communication– when in the services industry, you always have to be on your toes, to serve. Serving also requires you to communicate well with your customers. Communicating involves you to listen well, speaking well enough to get your message through and having the ability to resolve the issue.
2. Working as a team
3. Being flexible and adapting to new changes that are made by your employer
4. Being true to yourself, your employer and the industry
5. Awareness– Having experience and understanding of business and situations along with interpersonal skills to handle situations well.

So if you have these skills, good! And if not, try to develop these soft skills so that you can get through the job interview easily.

Getting a job in the services industry can be a challenge but, if you have these skills and are confident about it, there is no way that you would not be able to get in.

So be sure that you have what you need to get a job in the hospitality industry in Canada, and your ‘how’ will automatically be answered.

Also, check our resource on Top 7 Hospitality Questions with Answers.

10. Always cross-check the job offers

Let’s say you have received a job offer from Hyatt, Toronto, they must be aware of the same. Is that not common sense?

So, it is important just for the sake of verification to check from your employer. You can be smart in terms of asking so as not to sound stupid while cross-checking the offer.

Here are a few smart ways to cross-check your offer from your employer:

1. Get the email from the official website and drop a thank you email.
2. Connect to the HR Manager on LinkedIn and then thank him/her.
3. Call the Human resource department of the company to check the details of the offer and to confirm the joining date.
4. Mail the human resource department if they would need any other documents or references.
5. Make a couple of friends in the hospitality organization on Facebook and LinkedIn who could get this cross-checked.

Also, if you find something fishy, you can check with the consulate about the authenticity of the job offer which you have in your hand. It’s better to be disappointed now than once you have lost your time and money.

Thus, it is always good to cross-check.

So, just reach out to your local Canadian consulate through email or phone and get your offer cross-checked and authenticated.

It is also better to do this as the place would be familiar and comfortable to you when you approach the consulate again for your work visa.

11. Organize your travel to Canada

Now when you get over the gruelling tasks and start basking in the glory of securing the dream hospitality job in Canada, don’t forget to organize your travel properly.

What’s the big deal you might be thinking?

But, think again.

You will be scrutinized properly before you are allowed to enter Canada.

So, go through the checklist before you start partying and celebrating your success.

1. Do you have all your documents organized?
2. Have you applied for and received your Visa?
3. Do you have your police clearance certificate from your home country?
4. Have you got the medical done as this is required for nationals from many countries?
5. Do you have the Canadian Dollars needed for your first month as the first salary is a month away? Take some extra cash along to be in a safe zone.
6. Do you need to book your air ticket yourself? If yes, book before the airfares take a leap.
7. Have basic amenities ready and packed.
8. Arrange for your hotel booking if it’s not prearranged.

Conclusion

Hope you found the list interesting and informative It reveals the process of approaching Hospitality jobs in Canada while providing useful resources to get started with your hunt.

Also, have a look at our other resource about the J1 Visa of USA  for those looking for cultural exchange programs or internships in the USA.

All the best!!