BMO, CIBC, RBC and TD Named Top Employers for New Canadians

At a time when the Bank of Montreal (BMO) is planning continued expansion in the Midwestern part of the United States, the institution has also been selected as one of the most welcoming employers for newly-minted Canadians seeking work.

Recently EFC reported that BMO CFO William Downe is planning on hot and heavy expansion in in places like Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota-with a particular appetite for retail lenders and wealth management professionals. Now, Canadian publisher Mediacorp Canada has named the bank to its top-40 list of list of all stripes of employers reaching out to those new to BMO's home country in 2011.

Also singled out for praise in an alphabetic ranking by Mediacorp published by the Globe and Mail were Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, and TD Bank Financial Group.

In fact, all four Canadian banking giants were cited for mentoring and other programs focused on helping those new to the country and those with cross cultural issues to find meaningful employment.

Editors at <a href=https://www.mediacorp.ca/cew.html target=_blankMediacorp Canada - a publisher of employment aids like the book Who's Hiring - selected winners based on the following five criteria:

1.) Programs designed to assist employees who are recent immigrants

2.) Reduced employment barriers, such as by recognizing foreign educational credentials and experience

3.) Assistance for employees with having their foreign professional or educational credentials recognized in Canada

4.) Programs such as internal coaching or mentoring

5.) Managers and employees receive training in cross-cultural issues or inclusiveness

Specifically:

· BMO employs 26,781 full-timers in Canada and was selected in part for effectively providing new Canadians with information on the hiring process at the firm and allowing job seekers with an opportunity to network directly with BMO employees. BMO participates in the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council's Mentoring Partnership Program and has paired 23 mentees with mentors from its IT division.

· CIBC, with 33,136 full time Canadian workers, offers new Canadians including tips resume writing and interview skills tips, offers newcomers with paid internships and offers a special section on its Website for career applicants who are new Canadians on its recruitment website.

· With 51,000 Canadian employees, RBC's careers website has a stream for job-seekers who are new Canadians. Like CIBC, RBC provides newcomers with internship opportunities to help them gain local work experience.

· TD Bank, with 38,907 full-time Canadian employees, is a participant in the TRIEC Mentoring Partnership program, and has offered some mentees permanent positions at the bank. In partnership with ACCES Employment Services, TD reports having hosted a networking event to connect newcomers to recruiters from the bank, where the recruiters offered resume development advice and facilitated mini-interview sessions. TD also developed in-house training for employees who are new to Canada, which covers a range of topics including business language skills and the Canadian business culture

Clearly, Canada's banking industry was very well represented in top-40 ranking for 2011, which also mentioned expat-friendly practices by Xerox Canada and Pitney Bowes Canada. Accounting firms Deloitte & Touch Ernst & Young and KPMG also made the list, as did financial services technology provider Davis & Henderson Limited Partership.