Canada Informational Interview Guide 2026 - The Newcomer's Best Tool

Key Takeaways

• A large share of Canadian roles are filled through networks, which is exactly what newcomers lack on arrival.
• Informational interviews are a recognised professional convention here, so asking is normal rather than presumptuous.
• You are asking for twenty minutes about their work — never for a job, and never for a referral in the first conversation.
• Alumni, fellow newcomers from your country, and immigrant-serving organisations are the highest-yield starting points.
• Referrals grow out of these conversations later; treating them as a direct ask is what makes them fail.

The Canadian job market runs on referrals more than most people expect, which is precisely the disadvantage a newcomer arrives with. You have no network, and the channel that fills the most roles is closed to you.

The informational interview is how you open it. It is a well-established Canadian convention, people say yes more often than you would expect, and it converts into referrals over time — provided you do not treat it as a job request in disguise.

This guide covers who to ask, exactly what to say, and what to do afterwards.

Before any of it, get your resume Canadian-ready — the free ATS score checker.

What it actually is

A short conversation — usually twenty to thirty minutes, often virtual — where you ask someone about their work, their career path, and their industry.

What it is not: a job interview, a pitch, or a request for a referral. Those come later, if at all.

Why people say yes: the ask is small, talking about your own work is pleasant, and Canadian professional culture treats this as a normal thing to do. Many people you approach were helped this way themselves.

Why it works for newcomers: it addresses the underlying problem behind the Canadian experience objection — that employers cannot assess an unfamiliar background. A conversation replaces uncertainty with a person who knows your work is real. See the Canadian experience problem.

Who to approach

In rough order of response rate:

Alumni from your university, including from your home country's institutions. A shared alma mater is a genuine connection and alumni respond well.

People from your home country working in your field in Canada. They have been where you are, and response rates are notably high.

Immigrant-serving organisations' mentorship programs. Formal matching with an established professional in your field, usually free, and consistently underused — see the Canada bridging programs guide.

Professional associations. Members expect networking and events are built for it.

People in roles you want, found on LinkedIn. Lower response rate, unlimited supply.

Former colleagues who moved to Canada, if any.

The message

The ask has to be small, specific, and easy to decline. Under 120 words.

Hi Priya — I'm a supply chain analyst who moved to Toronto from Bangalore three months ago, and I've been trying to understand how the sector works here compared with what I knew.

I noticed you moved into logistics analytics at [Company] a few years ago. Would you be open to a 20-minute call sometime in the next few weeks? I'd genuinely just like to hear how you found the transition and what the work is actually like here — I'm not asking you to help me find a job.

Happy to work around your calendar, and no problem at all if you'd rather not.

Thanks either way.

Why this works:

• Specific connection — same sector, similar transition
• Explicitly not a job request, which removes the reason people ignore these messages
• Small, bounded ask — twenty minutes
• Easy out, stated plainly
• Short

The general approach adapts from networking messages for referrals and how to write a cold email to a recruiter.

What to ask on the call

Prepare five or six questions. Let them talk.

• How did you get into this field in Canada?
• What surprised you most about working here compared with elsewhere?
• What does a typical week actually look like?
• What skills are most in demand right now?
• How do people usually get hired at your company?
• Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?

That last question is the engine. It turns one conversation into two, and two into four. It is also low-pressure, because you are asking for a name rather than a favour.

What not to do:

• Do not ask for a job
• Do not ask for a referral in the first conversation
• Do not send your resume unless they ask
• Do not run over the time you asked for — end at twenty minutes unless they extend it

Afterwards

Send a thank-you within a day, referencing something specific they said. Short.

Follow up on any suggestion they made. If they recommended a certification, an association or a person, do it — and tell them you did. That is what turns an acquaintance into a contact.

Stay in touch occasionally. A brief message every couple of months. When a role opens, you are someone they know rather than a stranger asking for a favour.

The referral comes later. Once you have had two or three exchanges and they know your work is real, asking about a specific opening is a completely different conversation from a cold request.

Common Mistakes

Asking for a job in the first message. It converts a small, easy request into a large one and is the main reason these messages get ignored.

Not stating explicitly that it is not a job request. Saying so plainly is what makes people comfortable saying yes.

Writing a long message. Under 120 words gets read; a career history does not.

Omitting the easy out. Without it the ask carries social pressure, which people resolve by not replying.

Not asking who else to talk to. It is the question that compounds one conversation into a network.

Running over the agreed time. You asked for twenty minutes; ending on time is what makes people willing to speak again.

Never following up on their suggestions. Acting on advice and reporting back is what converts a contact into an advocate.

Only reaching out while unemployed. Occasional contact when you need nothing is what makes a later ask easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is asking for an informational interview normal in Canada?

Yes — it is a recognised professional convention, and many people you approach were helped the same way earlier in their careers.

Should I ask for a job or a referral?

Not in the first conversation. Ask about their work and career path. Referrals grow out of the relationship afterwards, and asking too early is what makes people decline.

Who is most likely to respond?

Alumni from your university, people from your home country working in your field, and members of professional associations. Formal mentorship programs through immigrant-serving organisations have the highest yield of all.

How long should the conversation be?

Twenty to thirty minutes, and end on time unless they extend it. Respecting the boundary is what makes a second conversation possible.

Should I send my resume?

Only if they ask. Offering it is fine; attaching it unprompted makes the request feel heavier.

What if nobody replies?

Normal. Response rates are a numbers game — send a polite follow-up after a week and keep approaching new people.

How does this lead to a job?

Through the accumulated network. After several conversations you know people who know your work is real, and a referral from them is an entirely different proposition from a cold application.

Have your resume ready before the conversations start. Check your ATS score free.

Make This Practical

Start with the two highest-yield groups: alumni from your university, and people from your home country working in your field in Canada. Both have a genuine reason to respond, and response rates are far above cold outreach.

Then write the message properly — under 120 words, naming a specific connection, stating explicitly that you are not asking for a job, bounding the ask at twenty minutes, and giving an easy out. That combination is what makes strangers say yes.

Finally, run the conversation to build the network rather than to extract a favour. Ask about their path and the market, always ask who else you should speak to, end on time, send a thank-you within a day, and act on any suggestion they made — the referral arrives two or three exchanges later, from someone who by then knows your work is real.