Networking and informational interviews in Canada

Why does networking matter so much in Canada?

Because some jobs are filled without ever being advertised. Job Bank notes that many vacancies are filled informally, with information passed along among managers, employees, business associates and acquaintances. Networking gives you access to this hidden job market and lets people know you before a posting goes up.

Job Bank’s page How do I search for jobs? (opens in a new tab) describes networking as an effective way to reach the hidden job market, either in person or online: joining a professional association, creating a LinkedIn profile, or attending seminars and workshops. Job fairs are a concentrated version of this: see how to prepare for a job fair and your 30-second pitch.

For newcomers, networking has an extra benefit: it partly makes up for the Canadian experience you do not have yet. Someone who has met you can speak about you, introduce you to others or explain what an industry expects. That is often the difference between a resume that gets skipped and one that gets a careful read.

The data points the same way. In a Statistics Canada study released in April 2026 (opens in a new tab), 38.3% of recent immigrants who had difficulty finding a first job cited a lack of contacts in the labour market, just behind a lack of Canadian experience (42.2%). Each informational interview tackles both obstacles directly.

What is an informational interview?

An informational interview is a short conversation with someone who works in the occupation, or at the company, that interests you. Its purpose is to learn: how the industry works, which skills matter and which employers are hiring. It is not a job interview, and you do not ask for a job.

The Government of Alberta’s alis site makes this point clearly in its guide to informational interviews (opens in a new tab): you would not use an informational interview to ask for a job. It is a way to get up-to-date, accurate facts about an industry, occupation or organization.

That framing puts the other person at ease. People are far more willing to give a few minutes to share their experience than to screen a candidate. And if the conversation goes well, they will often be the ones offering to refer you.

How do you ask for an informational interview?

Send a short email or LinkedIn message: introduce yourself in one sentence, explain why you are contacting this person specifically, ask for a brief conversation at a time that suits them, and make it clear you are not asking for a job. The more specific the request, the more likely it is to be accepted.

Sample message:

Hi Ms. Thompson,

I am a financial analyst who recently moved to Calgary after eight years in banking overseas. Your path into risk management at X really interests me. Would you be open to a 15-minute call or video chat at your convenience? I am trying to understand the local market better; I am not asking you for a job.

Thank you for your time, Nadia Benali

A few ground rules:

• Be targeted. Choose someone whose role resembles the one you want, ideally someone you met at an event or who was introduced by a mutual contact.
• Respect the time you asked for. If you asked for 15 minutes, wrap up at 15 minutes and offer to continue another time.
• Follow up once. If there is no reply after a week or two, one short, polite reminder is enough; then move on to someone else.

Which questions should you ask?

Ask open questions about the person’s path, the reality of the work and the market, starting with the most important ones in case time runs short. Prepare five or six that match your goals, and research the company first so you do not ask anything you could have found online.

The last question is the most valuable: it turns one conversation into several. Take notes after the call rather than during it if writing would get in the way.

How do you follow up afterwards?

Send a short thank-you message within two days, mentioning a specific piece of advice you took away. Then check in a few weeks later to share what you did with it. That follow-up turns a one-off meeting into a lasting professional relationship.

The alis guide recommends sending a card or email of thanks within a day or two, then following up again two or three weeks later. If the person introduced you to someone, let them know how that conversation went: it is the best thank-you you can give.

Keep a simple record of your contacts: name, date of the conversation, advice received and next follow-up. After a few dozen conversations, it becomes impossible to remember everything. The same principle applies after a job interview, as covered in our article on the thank-you email after an interview.

How do you use LinkedIn without being pushy?

Personalize every connection request, never send a resume or job request in your first message, and engage with the person’s content before asking for anything. A complete, up-to-date profile is essential too: it is the first thing the other person will look at.

A few habits that are appreciated in Canada:

• A note with your invitation that explains in one sentence why you want to connect.
• No sales pitch and no resume link as soon as they accept.
• Thoughtful comments on posts in your field rather than just likes.
• A clear headline that says what you do and what you are looking for.

To polish your profile, read our guide to the LinkedIn profile in Canada. Newcomer settlement services, funded by IRCC outside Quebec (opens in a new tab) or offered by Accompagnement Québec (opens in a new tab), also help eligible people find networking activities and meet employers.

How can Postulio help?

Postulio’s tools use your profile to prepare a LinkedIn headline and summary, a short introduction pitch and a follow-up email. These are drafts: you review them, adjust them to your own voice and send them yourself. When a conversation leads to an application, application tracking keeps it in one place with its stages and sends follow-up reminders by email.

The Premium plan adds a newcomer path that covers networking, plus one session a month with a person, your choice of mentoring, resume review or mock interview. A mentoring session is a good chance to prepare your questions or rehearse your pitch. Postulio does not contact anyone on your behalf and does not promise a job. To broaden your approach, read how to land a first job without Canadian experience.

Sources

• Job Bank, How do I search for jobs? (opens in a new tab) — hidden job market, networking, LinkedIn.
• alis, Government of Alberta, Use information interviews to learn about careers (opens in a new tab) — requesting, length, questions and thank-you notes.
• IRCC, Find free newcomer services near you (opens in a new tab) — job search help outside Quebec.
• Québec.ca, Integration service for immigrants (opens in a new tab) — Accompagnement Québec.
• Statistics Canada, The Daily, Labour market experiences of recent immigrants, 2019 to 2025 (opens in a new tab) — time to a first job and reported difficulties. Statistics Canada Open Licence.