Just wondering where all the jobs are in this city? I’m an educated individual who’s been told by many agencies that my resume and cover letter are great, yet I cannot find a job. I have walked the streets for weeks on end handing out resumes because “active job hunting” is the best way to do it. When not meeting managers, I am online applying for even more jobs of all varieties because I am not being picky here! Am I missing something? I guess it really does all come down to who you know and not how qualified you are. —Still Searching
This article appears in Apr 26 – May 2, 2012.
I noticed a sign at Fishermans Market on Bedford Hwy looking for people, try there…
there isn’t many jobs and when there is, they’re barely part time. that’s why i moved
Great that you are handing out your resume for positions ….. you do not mention whether those businesses you dropped off your resume are actually hiring at this time ….. April is usually the start of the fiscal year for many businesses and they would be in the early phase of budgeting and seeing where their dollars are best spent. Perhaps they have a proposal for a new hire in their plan and awaiting approval …….. too many things to consider here without factual information…..
Keep at it and do not settle for *a wage* unless it is something you can see yourself doing for a long time. Many people get into a rut when they accept the first offer and one year turns into 5 and then 10 and next thing you know you are another lifer like the trolls in the next cubicle ……… be true to yourself and only accept what is true for you.
if yu go, only looking for high end jobs o.p., there is very little around. bt if looking for just to make some cash, then there are cleaning jobs, call centers, even fast food joints to start you off. til your dream job should open up. try looking lower han the high end, and you will be hired in less than n hour sometimes. i did that, many times, til i decided that i had enougworking for other people. i have my own armed security company now, and before that, i had an internet based security thing going on. i installed and maintained systems i sold to stores and monitored it all from home. there are jobs out there, don’t be so fussy at first. build up to it.
From one of my favourite internet artists: “…Just remember that, hey, it’s rough out there in this market, and the odds are against you. But that’s just the numbers, not a reflection on you. It takes time, and many tries. It’s different for everyone. But it will work out in time. That is ALSO the numbers.”
THE EDUCATION-JOB DISCONNECT
“I am an educated individual who’s been told by many agencies that my resume and cover letter are great, yet I cannot find a job.”
The problem is a common one. The poster thinks that there is a cause-effect relationship between being “educated” and finding a job. But there is no cause-effect relationship since education, as opposed to training, is unrelated to a job. Education relates to the cultivation of the mind and not to the workplace.
Once you have grasped this simple truth you will have acquired inner peace. Then you can start your training and after that looking for a job. Good luck.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
So when i realize that I need training instead of schooling to get a job, this will grant me inner peace?? Figured that one out a while ago n still waiting for this inner peace youre talking about.
What sort of education do you have now? If your education consists of a BA and a first aid course, then your luck likely won’t improve.
And it really does come down to how qualified you are… or at least how qualified they perceive you to be 😉
I’m not advocating lying to potential employers, but you can always bend the truth slightly, or provide them your information in a certain order and method that encourages them to form positive judgements about you.
Also, I’d just like to point out that when going ‘door to door’ applying for jobs the receptionist should be the first target you attempt to impress. They’re the linchpin of any office environment. If you can get in good with the person responsible for passing on your resume and cover letter, then you’re much more likely to get that job.
Apply to Securitas. If they don’t hire you, something is seriously wrong. I’m not saying work for them, mind; you’d probably be better off starving.
there ARE jobs here, and great ones – but this is a city that is very much about “who you know.” I would suggest going to some free networking events or even targeting organizations you are interested in, finding out who is the decision maker and asking for 30 minutes of their time to find out more about what they do, what the organization does and how your skills/education/experience could be a good fit. Make sure to ask for referrals to other industry players, and eventually – you have a larger professional network in the city that can put you in touch with the opportunities that are here – they just aren’t advertised because “Fred’s cousin” or “Jenn’s college lab partner” gets the job before they go to postings.
RSVPs
: Troll/Toll Bridge (04/26, 12:41PM)
If (a) you have realized the distinction between education and training and their relationship to getting a job as you claimed to have done but (b) have not found inner peace, then you have misunderstood the nature of cause-effect relationships. You should have taken philosophy.
: The Captain (1:01PM)
“If your education consists of a BA and a first aid course, then your luck likely won’t change.”
Your dismissive reference to a BA – assuming it is with a reputable major (philosophy comes to mind) – indicates the poverty of the mind behind the comment, i.e., your’s. As a consequence, your banal references to being “qualified” miss the mark since the principal qualification is – wait for it – having a mind. You can shuffle your papers and play around with the receptionist all you want but your advice is hollow. Cultivate your mind!
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
It must be frustrating OP. All I can advise is to keep plugging away and look for opportunities abroad. Best of luck.
OB: For you,
http://www.forces.ca/
Montreal…
I wouldn’t say I was being dismissive towards those with a BA, my remarks were logical based on my interpretation of the current job market. Admittedly, I was thinking more of a Bachelor of Art in English, which is fairly common. Based on the information I’ve received from the employers I’ve talked to and worked with, a BA seems to be undesirable as compared to a trade or job-specific training. Even my extensive first aid courses count for nothing because employers would rather someone with WHMIS.
“You can shuffle your papers and play around with the receptionist all you want but your advice is hollow.”
My advice is not hollow, in fact it’s grounded in case studies and actual results. All of my knowledge of astrophysics counts for naught when I’m applying for a job with an architect, as a result I must employ other methods of selling myself, ie: being nice to the receptionist so that she might shuffle my resume to the top of the pile. I’ve used those very techniques to gain two desirable positions, as well as using them to help friends and peers get their own jobs.
And as Banal as my comments might seem to you, the obvious does escape some people. Just because having a mind (I’m assuming you mean critical thinking ability) is the principle qualification doesn’t mean it’s the only qualification. I’d rather have someone with half a brain and a whole personality working for me, than a brainy robotic personality who thinks they know everything.
Also, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me stupid. My comment was misinterpreted. I pride myself on life long learning and am continually trying to improve myself. If you know next to nothing about someone it’s usually not a good idea to attack their character.
Cheerio!
RSVP
: TheCaptain (04/27, 10:15AM)
You seem to have completely misconstrued the point of my comment which, in a nutshell, maintained that having a BA in particular and the purpose of education (as opposed to training) in general was the cultivation of the mind and not simply training for a job. Your comment about a BA, when coupled with a training in first aid, naturally appeared dismissive. However, you still seem unable to uncouple the concept of education with job preparation. Your current comments bear this out:
1. “… my remarks were logical based on the current job market. Admittedly, I was thinking of a Bachelor of Art(sic) in English, which is fairly common.” But a Bachelor of Arts in English relates to education, not to “the current job market.” It doesn’t matter how common or uncommon it is. Rather, it is self-justifying without any reference to any “job market.”
2. In respect to the receptionist you write, ” I must employ other methods of selling myself.” Passing by the questionable ethics of “selling oneself,” your focus on the job market remains unbroken. It would be odd, for example, for a Bachelor of Arts in English to talk about “selling himself.” It would be odd because there is no need to do so since, once again, one does not obtain a Bachelor of Arts in English to get a job.
3. In respect to my reference to your comment about being qualified being “banal” you write that, “I’d rather have someone with half a brain and a whole personality working for me, than a brainy robotic personality who thinks he know’s everything.” Your contrast between someone with half a brain and a whole personality on the one hand and a brainy robotic personality who thinks he knows everything on the other is, well, banal. What does it mean to have a “whole personality” and why can’t someone who is brainy have one? Conversely, why can’t someone who has half a brain be robotic? In other words, your contrasts are incoherent.
4. You protest that “If you know next to nothing about someone it’s usually not a good idea to attack their character.” Of course I wasn’t attacking anyone’s character, just their intelligence as reflected in their comment, which is not the same thing. But, in the interests of consistency, you might apply your “good idea” to yourself. Since you know next to nothing about me is it a good idea to call me a brainy robotic? (I assume, perhaps wrongly, that I am not the one with only half a brain.)
My point is simple. Education and training are distinct concepts. The latter is justified on the basis of job preparation. The former is self-justifying.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
Speaking of misconstruded…
Why would coupling first aid training and having a BA be dismissive? Do you feel first aid isn’t as important? I understand that the purpose of getting a degree is not to get a job, but to learn.
1) There is very much a need to sell oneself. I would imagine the majority of people in university, right now, are there so they can stamp a BA onto their resume. Thereby submitting a quantifiable amont of “education” to an employer, making it quite relevant to “the current job market”. They would be using their education in lieu of training. You have to strut your stuff in order to get a job, that’s includes making your resume look sexy with a bunch of letters after your name.
2) Honestly, that comment wasn’t in reference to you, I try to to avoid making fun of people too much. I made a generalization. Ahem*… In a work environment, I feel it’s better to have someone who communicates well and is capable, versus someone solely focused on intelligence. And I never said a robot couldn’t have a personality, in fact, I know know a few who do have one.
http://images.wikia.com/en.futurama/images…
3) No need to adhere to my own rules, you happened to take my comment too personally. Someone’s intelligence, as projected through their profile personality, is unarguably a part of their character… and you called me stupid ( “…indicates the poverty of the mind behind the comment,”)
I think everyone here understand that education and training are different things.
RSVP
: The Captain (04/27,6:37PM)
“I think everyone here understand (sic) that education and training are different things.”
Well, what do you know? That’s been my whole point all along but, on the basis of your comments, it wasn’t clear that it was yours as well. (I think you’re wrong about “everyone here” understanding that education and training are different things. Review any thread dealing with job qualifications for confirmation.) Anyway, congratulations and welcome aboard!
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
True, maybe everyone doesn’t understand that concept.
I recognize the point you were addressing. I never challenged that. I was making a different point. I understood you point of view, I was merely promoting my own.
And did you just congratulate me for debating with you? I’m the Captain, I should be saying “Welcome Aboard”!
um sorry you had to resort to “walkin the streets”
You’re applying for jobs you’re not qualified to do.
I guess no one told you that after graduation you’re back at the bottom again.
And if money is your immediate concern, may i suggest Teletech? Best damn tech support call center ever to exist. The job sucks but they do the best they can to make you happy. You’ll be content there while you spend evenings building up your portfolio and weekends volunteering with mentors in your field and applying for new jobs until you ARE competent enough to do the one you want.
montrealman called the captain stupid, did he?
haha.. that’s quaint.