Anyone seeking employment in the HRM like myself? What I’ve come to find out is that Halifax is just a pool of call centres or crappy behind the counter jobs at your local fast food restaurant. Nothing really worth your while (if you know what I mean).
And here’s the kicker: If you actually find anything worth doing for more than 6 months…good luck getting the job. Halifax prides itself on the motto “it’s not what you know…it’s who you know”.
How logical is that???
This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2008.
welcome to the real world!unfortunately, and i hate to disappoint you, it’s not just Halifax.but keep your chin up, and good luck in your search.
Haha, did you see the ads all across the country marketing Halifax’s “booming” economy? I think it was called, Come Home to Nova Scotia- such a load of crap! There were a couple of NS career fairs set up at a local hotel that had absolutely nothing to offer- not that I expected it! I especially loved how the NS government screwed a bunch of skilled immigrants into paying $130,000 to get a job with solid Canadian experience and relevant to their field only to sucker them out of their cash and send them to gut fish in Glace Bay! Now the bastards won’t give them their money back. Fuck, can you imagine getting suckered to go to Nova Scotia from the otherside of the world, not to mention from another part of Canada? All to work in a fucking call centre- woo hoo. The NS government should be ashamed!
sounds like lynn well-informed.and you know what? she’s right too.
oops, typo…(correction here)sounds like lynn’s well-informed.,,,and you know what? she’s right too.
I understand your frustration! Halifax is such a poor and pretentious little city, job-hunting is brutal there! Even on a professional level, the attitude some people have when you’re submitting a cv! As if you’re sprawled out across the sidewalk in front of them, filthy and begging for spare change! Unless of course you know the assistant director, who just so happens to be your next door neighbour, and very good pal!I’ve been gone for 3 years, and I find it dissapointing when I come back to visit to see that there’s still so little promise (aside from the arrival of Banana Republic and Mac, of course, harhar). Most of my friends have already left or are leaving, even the ones who’d rather stay in Halifax. There arent enough opportunities there! It’s too bad, because Halifax is really nice, in certain ways.I stupidly spent 5 years in university studying to have a career which is totally economy-reliant (and also over-rated, underpaid, and quite frequently, boring as hell!).. Once I left though, I found a good job very quickly. I really hope you find something soon in Halifax if it’s where you want to be. Good luck 🙂
I think a big part of the problem is that so many people come to Halifax to get educated, either through the (many) Universities or community colleges. There is no way a city the size of Halifax is going to be able to support as many people as it trains. I also don’t think getting a job based on who you know is exclusive to Halifax either. It happens everywhere. You might just find out about it more here because the grapevine is shorter. .
That may be true but if NS can’t employ the large amount of university grads, what business do they have parading around this country and the world pretending to be a gold mine of opportunity? Its pathetic!
it’s true, getting a job based on who you know is not exclusive to Halifax. corporations do rely on references, some even pay you a bonus for bringing in a fellow-graduate or ex-colleague.perharps, examine your resume to see if your presentation is needing some re-wording.do submit a well-prepared cover letter. getting the first interview requires not only a CV telling HR you have such and such a degree.HR look for certain things during initial-selection. first interview over the phone is becoming the norm.so be prepared to have all your answers and sell yourself.do you sound confident? do you speak too much, too fast…are you too casual… during the interview?truly, it is an art to master. unfortunately, we can’t all be hired.however, knowing those pointers HR look for could certainly help you get noticed . at least, HR will think, “well, he’s been reading up on how to survive that first interview,etc”.lastly, Miles mentioned “there is no way a city the size of H …support as many …as it trains”that is something to remember,which is why it wouldn’t be a bad idea to prepare yourself for being a freelance, or look into starting your own business.if your skill is one that is already saturated in the job market (quote: “… with so many graduates working in mac or call centers”), it’s even more difficult to rise above the crowd. this is where you have to keep up with your upgrading and be a keen competitor. there are jobs to be found, you just need to be persistent and always be on your toes.firms want the best candidate, it’s up to you to convince them that you are that candidate.good luck in your search.
I agree lynn, NS shouldn’t be saying it’s something it’s not. I also think Nova Scotia is missing out by not trying to capitalize on the fact that they have such a young and well-educated potential workforce. There are all kinds of service, information, research-type inductries that Nova Scotia could excell at that would not be hindered by our distance form major business/commercial centers like Toronto, NY, Montreal etc. NS just needs to invest in the potential that is already here. Many Nova Scotians want to stay in their home province but have to leave for better opportunities and many people who come to NS for school would like to stay too. I don’t know why NS will support call centers and not IT, Biotech etc
I completely understand where you are coming from. I searched and searched for a job in Halifax after my contract ended. I have two degrees and there was absolutely nothing but call center jobs, cooks and labourers. There is nothing wrong with those jobs but seriously – that is ALL there was! I ended up moving to Iqaluit, Nunavut early in January where the money is great, jobs are plentiful and it is frickin’ freezing! I would love to be home but I need to be able to eat so I have to be here. It’s unfortunate that so many people have to take such drastic measures just to make enough money to pay our student loans and feed and clothe ourselves. I love the East but something’s GOT to give…
Lol, although I realize a good cv, portfolio, and self-presentation are crucial, it’s about more than that. The jobs need to be available, and from what it seems, many of them are not in Halifax! As soon as I left, I found more work than I could take on. I can remember having 3 interviews in one day and with each, I was offered the job at the end of the interview. I’m not bragging at all, I’m just saying the opportunities are extremely limited in Halifax, because the economy here BITES.
Granted, NHM, I agree, I am new here having worked all across our fair land. It’s the same everywhere else, as Miles pointed out too.But you may be correct in saying there’s less openings here.I may be wrong, but I submitted 6 CVs and was hired in 3 of the 5 who called me in for the 2nd interview. Perharps, it was timing,or perharps, it was because I went directly.I don’t feel you are bragging either. Some of us are better at spotting opportunities than others. Experience counts too, obviously.As I mentioned, you have to look. It’s not easy, but I found iteasier than when I was in Mtl . Over there you’re competing not just with more graduates from McGill,etc… most new graduates from the US and Europe, pick MTL too. They say it’s because of the great night life, but that’s another story we can bitch till the cows come home:PI found jobs there too, but you have to accept schedules that are less flexible because they know another bunch is waiting for you to quit.As for Miles mentioning IT jobs. It’s all a matter of competition in the marketplace, and preference of location. IT seems to land in Montreal and Calgary before Halifax. Not every firm wants to come this far east.
so someone else has been in E-communication i see.paragraphs, paragraphs, paragraphs, LOL
Although I.T. is not my field, it seems to me that it is an industry that could be centered anywhere, if that anywhere (i.e. Halifax) were made desirable enough. Why are we not focusing on that? Same with BioTech and Research. I’m not in business, so maybe I am totally talking out of my ass here, but it seems to me that with the few Biotech businesses that are here, the hospitals, Dal as a research-intensive university, and an educated workforce, most of the elements you need to support that industry are already in place.
OK, time to put my 2 cents worth here. Life is getting boring too ,lol.Good to know we’re not all just heating our bottoms all day at this bitch, and that each of us are really able to do more than bitch at the bitcher. Cool.Halifax is a lovely city, much friendlier than the city I was living in.The job market is not as plentiful, we don’t need anyone to tell us that. From what I read here, I am not the only one who’s worked elsewhere. True, we get lots more money elsewhere, in the boonies , for example, but either the standard of living there is excessive, or you have nowhere else to go.I can roughly guess what section of the career field most of us are in, admittedly, I too find it a bit challenging, if you must know, getting the odd contracts.The irony is that I came to Halifax after meeting so many haligonians or maritimers who went west. I came here because they were happier here. However, not too many of them are willing to return home, for all the same reasons you guys and gals are voicing here.It’s good to know you’re not alone. It’s a bitch , though,knowing there’s so many of us and so little to divide amongst ourselves. Maybe we can bitch at the govt to change the situation.There seems to be more of us here that are articulate enough.
There are jobs. Plenty of them. Look in the right places and accept $10 per hour for it and you’ll get it. If you ask for $15 or more, they come up with the excuse of “well we need someone with 7-10 yrs experience”. Kinda like telling you to fuck off and never contact them again! A lot of the jobs are not advertised through the job bank and what not. Mostly you’ll have to go through the phone book and contact companies that way. Some day one of them will hit. Unlike other provinces or countries that advertise online and other avenues, companies in NS seem to keep the advertising to themselves, maybe to give the job to someone they know, who might not even remotely have the education or experience they’re looking for.