Hey Halifax, where are all your job job’s?
You know what I mean? Like landscaping, or dish washing, or serving. I’m not a nanny with 5 years experience, or a sous chef with a gold seal. Where I came from you could get a job because you need money, without waiting for a month for your resume to get looked at.
Other provinces find a way to create jobs and don’t need to raise the HST to 15%. Most Nova Scotians are great, the place is beautiful, but everything else is kind of a drag.
p.s. $7.50 for a gallon of milk is a rip off. And don’t tell me to go home because I complain about the lack of jobs. Trust me, I want to, but I have 1 more year of school left, and it’s back west for me.—Tired of superstore jobs and handing out leaflets
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2010.
Halifax employers like to do a personality test type interview, sit on your resume for a bit like a bird does to her eggs, then eventually get back to you. I have yet to get one dishwashing job in this city and won’t bother again. Apparently they’re looking for Robert De Niro, Batman, or some other superhero to wash their precious dishes.
I have worked in the restaurant business basically all my life; and getting a job in Halifax was one of the most ardous missions i’ve ever gone on and after like 5 weeks i got a shit ass entry level catering gig; I’ve been looking for 3 weeks in Vancouver and i got like 4 job offers; fuck back in the 80’s i could get 4 jobs a day in Toronto; the service industry in Hali. is fucked (enough with the haddock for gods sakes too)
What’s a gallon?
It a ship propelled by slaves…maybe their hiring…
OP, I know it is difficult. Trust me, I know. Finding a job in NS, a good job, is not easy.
But have you called up any of these landscaping companies (etc.) and made attempts to go meet with the owners/managers and let you know you are available?
One of the biggest “open secrets” of job hunting is that most jobs are never advertised. Looking at ads and job postings is not a waste of time, but it’s just a tiny sliver of what is actually available.
I am not making this up. I have had many different jobs in my life, but only 2 have been the result of an ad that I replied to. ALL the rest, including my last job (a “professional” job at that), I have because I called the place, asked to speak to the appropriate person (owner or department manager), met with people to present a resumé/business card and talk about my qualifications, and let them know that I am available if/when they need someone. Making connections.
A good place to start, after telling EVERYONE you know that you are looking for work, and after you have exhausted existing ads and postings (and Career Beacon) . . . is with the phone book. Yes, they still print this, and it’s useful for two reasons:
1) the companies are alphabetically grouped in logical categories, and
2) you can get a sense of the size/professionalism of a company by the way it presents itself in it’s ad.
So: OP: start making phone calls, set up some meetings, present your best self and get out there and let people know you are available to work.
Good luck!
If you are having a hard time finding a job, maybe it’s time to adjust your strategy. Employers are looking for educated people who stand out…not generic dime-a-dozen graduates.
It’s a fact that around here employers usually go with who they know. Someone knows someone who knows someone else who might know someone who is looking for a job. And that person happens to be the cousin of so-and-so’s brother who worked with such-and-such’s best friends daughter who took care of the business owners dog for a few days. The solution: Ask the people you know.
Security or Call centers…
Where the hell are you looking? All three of those types of jobs are all over Kijiji and the Canada Job Bank and have been for months.
stop buying your milk at the corner store if thats what you pay per gallon.
Why go through all the trouble of posting, interviewing, hiring etc for these jobs when you can just hire John’s young fella that lives up the road. Ran into John the other day down by the walmart, said the young fella is lookin for a job – the missus is suing him for child support so he needs to get a few dollars so he can put diapers on der dirty arses. Anyways, I’ll give John’s young fella a shout there in a few days, see if he can come shovel that shit pile I need moved.
And thats how hiring for “jobs” is done in Nova Scotia.
it’s totally all ‘who you know’ …
keep your rolladex of colleagues so that when they leave, down the road they can poach you as well.
always be ready to work, there is only 1 degree of separation in halifax
I’ve never had a problem finding a job in Halifax. I’ve had a hard time finding the sort of job that I’d want, perhaps, but… there’s always been *something* out there for me. That said, I’m more of an indie cafe sort of girl, and I’ve never worked as a server/dishwasher; perhaps those jobs are harder to find.
I have to agree with most the bitchers and the advice is sound .
Around here OP – you have to DIG DIG DIG man !!! Post your own looking for labor work on kijiji – seriously man – I know plenty companies that operate labor type work always check the boards for employees off kijiji.
If you really want that job your appling for – you’ll get it . Don’t drop a kitchen work resume off at the front bar and expect someone to actually hand it to the kitchen. Walk the fuck in and ask for the chef and tell him you wanna work . Same as anywhere . Yellow pages are a good place to start your calling search .
I really like you love NS and the HRm . Thats a bonus point for you . It’s just around here – you need to stand the fuck out and be aggressive in your search and find the right person to talk to . The secretary at a landscape business isn’t the one to talk too . Find the lead hand and be aggressive and sell yourself. It works different around here then other provinces OP .
Last time I actually had to work around here – i just bought a dump truck and knocked on doors and checked the by law sites for properties under infraction for clean up and knocked on doors . Any good at painting ? Cost you around 300 bucks to get started painting houses and whatever . Honest to hell man – start your own shit . NO work ? Create it !!
I understand what you mean, I think.
It’s like, how am I supposed to get into a certain industry, when every single job available in that industry requires experience in that industry?!
Sometimes, though, you just have to settle. (Don’t even stop looking after that.)
wow insightfull
I hate to condone this …but…
If you actually have knowledge in an industry but no experience in the actual force . Do this -Have a friend answer his phone with ” hi this is ? from X company. Then embellish your resume to reflect a year in it .Your buddy can reference you as an employee with experience. Bullshitting I know – but it works if you actually know what your doing .
Now you better know what the hell your doing , and you can pull it off . Other then that – entry level to trades is easy . Everyone starts off as a labor monkey apprentice . Then you gain your experience.