At your first industry event in Canada, you walk in with twenty copies of your resume, ready to ask about openings. Twenty minutes later, you have had three polite conversations about hockey, the weather and someone's weekend hike, and nobody has mentioned a job. That is not a failed event. That is how networking in Canada works: relationship first, opportunity later.
Some roles are filled through people who already know each other, before or instead of being posted on job boards. Building a network is how you become one of those people. This guide explains what networking means here, how informational interviews work and where to start, with links to our detailed guides on each step.
Networking in Canada means helping, not asking
Canadians tend to be wary of anyone who asks for a favour in the first five minutes. What works is the opposite: show interest in the other person, ask about their work and offer something when you can, such as an article, an introduction or a job posting you saw. People remember who was useful to them.
A good opening question is about them, not you: "How did you get into this field?" or "What's keeping your team busy these days?" When they ask about you, have one sentence ready: "I'm a civil engineer with eight years in infrastructure projects. I moved to Calgary in the spring and I'm looking at municipal and consulting roles." Our guide to writing your elevator pitch shows how to build that sentence, with a full example.
The informational interview: the habit that opens doors
The most useful networking tool in Canada is also the least known to newcomers: the informational interview, often called a coffee chat. It is a 20 to 30 minute conversation with someone who works in your field or at a company you are interested in. You ask about their job, their industry and how people get hired there. You do not ask for a job.
People say yes more often than newcomers expect, because most of them were once in your position. WorkBC suggests reaching out on LinkedIn to people at the organizations you are targeting and asking for an informational coffee interview (WorkBC, networking on social media). A short request works best:
"Hi Daniel, I'm a project coordinator who moved to Vancouver from Mexico City last year. I noticed you've spent several years at TransLink, and I'd value your view on how project teams work there. Would you have 20 minutes for a coffee or a call in the next couple of weeks? I'm not asking about openings, just trying to understand the field here."
If you have never contacted a stranger this way, our guide on how to contact someone you don't know covers who to choose and how to word the first message. For the conversation itself, use our questions to ask in a coffee chat. End by asking: "Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?" One good conversation often leads to the next.
Where to start in your first months
You can meet useful contacts almost anywhere, but some places give you more chances per hour:
- Professional associations in your field run events, committees and mentoring. See our guide to professional associations in BC for examples.
- Volunteering puts you next to people who see your work every week. Read why volunteering boosts your career.
- Newcomer employment services often run mentoring programs and employer events. Find one near you with IRCC's newcomer services finder.
- Everyday activities such as a run club, a sports league or a gallery membership. If you live in BC, our list of places to network casually in Vancouver has specific clubs and venues.
If you don't know which associations or people matter in your field, you don't have to work it out alone: a one-hour Face-to-Face with an advisor from your industry includes a networking strategy built for your situation. Our guide on how to prepare for your Face-to-Face helps you use the hour well.
Networking events: prepare, then follow up
Mixers, conferences and association evenings follow the same pattern. Before you go, pick two or three people you want to meet. During the event, aim for a few real conversations rather than a pocket full of contacts. Within two days, follow up with a short message that recalls what you talked about.
Our checklist on how to get ready for your next networking event walks through each step, including what to say to join a group and how to leave a conversation politely. Two related guides cover the details: business cards and LinkedIn QR codes, and follow-up emails for the days after.
Online networking counts too
A lot of Canadian networking now starts or continues online. LinkedIn is where people check who you are after meeting you, and where you can reach people you have not met yet. Comment thoughtfully on posts in your field, join the groups of your professional association and send a personal note with every connection request, never the blank default. Our tips for networking online and our LinkedIn strategy for your job hunt go further.
Networking in French and in Quebec
In Quebec, after-work networking often takes the form of a cinq à sept: a late-afternoon gathering of colleagues or contacts for a drink, roughly between 5 and 7 p.m. (Office québécois de la langue française, in French). If you are invited to one, go: it is the Quebec version of a networking evening. You may also hear "tu" sooner than you expect in Quebec workplaces. Let the other person set the tone and follow their lead.
Outside Quebec, francophone professional life is organized around community organizations, and many of their events are bilingual. If you speak French, those rooms are smaller and often warmer than English-only events. Our guide on how to prepare for a bilingual networking event covers where to find them and how to switch languages smoothly.
Keep the relationship alive
A network is not a list of names. Check in every few months: congratulate someone on a new role, share an article that fits their work, or tell them when their advice helped you. When a position opens, they will think of the person who stayed in touch.
And once you are settled, return the favour. Answering a newcomer's questions over coffee costs you half an hour and may change their year.
The conversation about hockey was the first step
Back to that first event: the person who talked to you about their weekend hike is now a contact. Send them a message this week, ask one person in your field for a coffee chat, and repeat the process at your next event. If you would like to practise your introduction or plan who to approach in your field, book a 15-minute career consultation with our team.
