Canadian Immigration experience

Hi, my name is Ferdaus; I came to Canada as an immigrant in the independent professional category of Electrical & Electronic Engineer. This profession was in one of the greatest requirements / demands according to Canadian Immigration site at time of applying(2001).

I came from a third world country whose news comes up in the world media usually when there is a natural calamity or disaster.

Most of my professional background is in Telecom & Computer Networks. By this I mean, installation, testing, configuring sand commissioning of computer & telecom networks. I was also worked in the technical writing and the wireless side of Telecom.

Canada is a great country no doubt but only if you have the means to live here. Independent professional like me, I believe, has only their profession to make respectable livelyhood. For me, it is now almost three years attempting to get into my profession or an equivalent one in Toronto, Canada but in vain so far.

My current application for jobs averages to almost a hundred per month and each one them with a customized cover letter as I've been taught in the Job Shop seminar. So far without an interview. Interviews are only called for independent sales agents or by the normal call centre companies. The advertisement to the independent sales agent are so subtle that one initially is bound to assume it to be the other one, that is a job offer.

I've attended job shops, even almost ended up using my valuble time in YorkDale's half year long almost full time coop programme where they teach you that 80% of the jobs are hidden and one has to work for prospective employers for "free". That is one has to dig them out. The tools to dig out, I am sure everyone knows, Cold calls, Networking and similar ones.

As a new immigrant to this vast, rich and welcoming land, how can one find networking people for the prospective jobs other than your peers, who are also mostly in the same state. How can one make successful cold calls when the caller is butted out by the "firewall" receptionist of the prospective company. Did anyone reading this had a greater success?

I believe the Canadian Immigration site should also include that process of Cold calls, Networking and so on in their site and define the terms also so that the prospective immigrants can prepare well ahead.

Please share your story.......