So you visited London recently… maybe for one of the many festivals or maybe you and your friends came up to check out the Labatt Brewery… and once you were here you fell in love with the place. Don’t worry, you’re not the first. You returned home and started making plans to relocate. One of your first concerns, of course, is going to be finding work. In this post, I want to give you a primer on London’s economy and job market so that you’ll be better prepared when job hunting begins.
A great deal of London’s economy is centered on the information technology, insurance, and medical research fields. If you have a background in any of these you are already working with a steep advantage. The majority of the medical research done here is in the areas of life sciences and biotechnology, and almost all of it is either done by or supported by the University of Western Ontario.
Whether you’re involved in the aforementioned industries or not, there are many resources available to you to assist you in your job search and make the process as organized and smooth as possible.
Employment Agencies
Employment agencies (or, headhunters as they’re lovingly referred to) are companies that literally reach out to the thousands of contacts they have with the human resources departments of local companies and try to find an open position that suits your needs and your experience and/or education. I mention these first because they are by far the most convenient way to search for work. Companies like Manpower, ABL Employment, and Matrix Staffing Solutions are all companies with offices in London that are there at your disposal.
The Internet
Seeing as you’re reading this very article, it’s fair to assume that you know how to use the web at least to an extent. The internet can be your best friend when it comes to job hunting. There are several sites out there that exclusively list jobs in London. On top of that, there are big sites like Monster.ca that cover wider areas. Online classified ads also offer lists of tons of job openings for you to peruse
Newspapers
London’s largest newspapers are the London Free Press and The Londoner. Both have extensive classified sections, usually online as well, that list tons of available positions in London.
Salaries
The salary base in London is comparable to other equally populated areas of Canada. Again, the areas mentioned above – medical research, information technology, and insurance – are the focal point of London’s economy, and as such the higher-paying jobs are to be found there. In the case of the insurance field, as an example, the average annual medical billing and coding salary are $45,000 for coders in general practice environments, whereas coders in larger providers and in hospitals can make much more.
Final Thoughts
When searching for a new job, no matter where it is, there are certain key things you’ll want to remember. Check out this informative site www.forums2001.ca which offers a lot of great advice on job hunting in Canada. Things like your presentation, both on paper and in person as well as your ability to follow etiquette and ask the right questions are things that will give you a leg up on all the other candidates who are competing for your job.
Happy job hunting, and welcome to London!