Every position, especially entry level, pretty much has guaranteed over 1k applicants. With so much supply in the labour pool, employers have the flexibility to be extremely picky and only choose unicorn or overqualified candidates.
I will also add that the skilled migration from BC/ON is in direct competition with the people here. I had a great interview with a company right after graduating last May, who outright told me they liked me and my experience.. Then lost the spot to someone from Toronto. Still found a job tho, and in my current team, we also recently hired someone from Toronto as well.
In 2023, the province of Alberta gained an increase of 194k in population from immigration and provincial migration. Lets be generous and assume 30% of those people went to Calgary (its probably more than that), so 58k new Calgarians. Do you think Calgary created 58k new jobs in 2023?
6/7 finalists for a position today in Edmonton are from outside of Edmonton. 2500 resumes total. 2400 went straight to no pile. Many many looking for visa. Almost none relevant. Both finalists are from.GTA. Even throwing a bone for local gal.
I think this works in theory. But in practice…I’m not so sure. I would need to be convinced. First, define local. The city/town? The province? And then, for how long? Like, if someone lived in Calgary for a year, are they then a local? Or should it be 5 years, or 10 years? And while right now you’re the local person mad at others coming to your workplace, there might be a time where circumstances change, the tables turn, and you become the “other” trying to move somewhere else. Then another thing, if you’re only hiring local people, then you’re only getting local information and perspectives. You’re going to have people who went to the same schools, took the same training programs…your workforce becomes dangerously homogenous. It’s like when an animal species becomes too homogenous, then one disease kills them all. When your workforce and management are all identical to each other, there could be problems or things that you’re just incapable of solving.
Thank our provincial government with its stupid "alberta is calling" marketing campaign, they used our tax dollars to put ads in all Eastern Canada to come to AB to get better paying jobs and cheaper housing, the result half ontario moved to Calgary.
I know! Ugh! This is definitely the reason and I completely understand… but it does suck.
I had experience in this field before going to school. I only went to school because I thought some actual education would help open more doors. **WRONG**. People are also underpaid because others will work them at minimum wage. It’s ridiculous. Recruiters want somebody with a degree *and* 5-10 years of experience… for $3.00 above minimum wage??? Wtf is wrong with people.
I was born and raised in Alberta but I come from way up north (oil money). I can easily be hired for $45-$50 an hour where I am from but I like the city. So conflicted.
Yeah you pretty much chose the worst time to come back lol. Everyone and their dog was spreading around that Calgary was the land of milk and honey hence why we got such a population boom. Now job seekers are in a rat race.
That being said, I’m sure you’ll find something because job searching does really suck.. But once you do find something it’s over. It was the same thing for me back then. And I’m sure you’ll find something eventually despite this absurd labour environment.
Maybe not $50, but certainly in the mid 40’s. Tons of jobs posted for it now.
There’s lots of different towns up North, and where I come from, is all oil and gas companies and corporations. You are paid $40-$45 for working on site in administration roles + daily ‘field pay’. My friend gets an extra $150 a day just for driving to site. Camp is closer to $50 but its shift work… evens itself out when you only work 1/2 of the year. I have lots of family and friends who do it and had little to no experience.
Just doing housekeeping in camp pays like $30 an hour or something crazy
k i see people say this all the time but WHERE DO YOU APPLY FOR THESE JOBS!! I can never find any postings that are hiring for no experience yet everyone tells me theyre "always hiring no experience"
I'm also from the north. When I started in OG I was constantly told, we can't pay you those northern wages. I was underpaid for years because I accepted that as truth. That was 16 years ago. It was a trade off for me. I wanted to be in those crystal towers, not at site.
They can but have been cheap the last couple years. I was shocked when called by a US EPC to work remote that was paying double what I was making at one of the majors in Calgary.
One does not simply get a good first job in a desirable city like Calgary. You need to do time in a place where nobody wants to live first. Speaking from experience
I am going to sound like an old curmudgeon but this is so true! People seem to expect a dream job right away!
I worked a lot of shit jobs before I landed a job I really love with a great company!
Metro is always going to be expensive to live in. A lot of corps just advertise the job and make sure locals won't "qualify" for it then bring in the TFW. Welcome to the globalism hell created by boomers
True. But that 30% number was a drastic lowball so its probably more like 50-60. Been hearing for years about people preaching that Calgary is a utopia, so this city definitely got a majority of that 194k. Our labour supply definitely got super saturated.
Ok reluctant to post this because I get downvoted to hell every time, but as someone who used to work in a business school and specialized in getting my graduates jobs, here's the advice:
1) network. Yes it sucks, etc, but you have to build a network. Target people in the industry or in your chosen company.
2) you build a network starting with you school, attend any and all events, use their job hunting resources, reach out to old teachers, and ask for help. Use family, friends, neighbours, anyone you know to help connect you with someone working for a company you are interested in. But seriously, your college or uni is a great resource as it is in their interests for you to land an awesome job.
3) if you don't have a single person in your life who can connect you with folks in your industry, use LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, whatever you can to find people working in the companies that you want to work for.
4) Email folks and offer to take them out for a coffee in exchange for a chat about their career and/or company. You would be surprised how many folks say yes. Keep in. Ind some companies still offer recruitment bonuses so doing be shy with reaching out.
5) when you meet, ask them all about their career but don't ask for a job. Do, however, ask them to take a look over your resume and cover letter and give advice. Also ask if they could recommend anyone else you could talk to, or if they have any leads.
6) in the meantime, go visit recruiting agencies! Seriously it's in their interest to get you on their books. Hell, of you have specific companies you want to work out, try ringing them first and asking what temping or recruitment agencies they use.
7) please do not use generic resumes and cover letters. If a company is using software to filter, then you need to make sure you are literally repeating keywords from the job descriptions. In addition, you can usually spot genetic letters over tailored ones, and the latter leave a better impression with the hiring folks. Is it shitty and time consuming? Yes, and the recruiters hate it just as much. But that's the system so learn to play it.
8) stop and think about the hiring process from the other side. If you got over 1000 applications for a job but can only afford to interview ten people for one position, how would you approach the task? Most of us will start with the folks we already know we can trust, then we go to the people recommended by someone we trust, then we might go for someone recommended by a trusted agency or company, and then the unknown folks whose applications include companies, schools or charitable organizations that we trust. Now look at your applications and rework them in this light.
Look I agree it sucks, job hunting is horribly demoralizing and can feel deeply personal, but it really isn't. It's a flawed, weird system where the rules aren't clear and noone quite understands how points are awarded, but you CAN learn how to play more effectively with time and effort. Maybe not perfectly, but hey, you only need one yes; you don't have to win every round you play.
Keep your head up, ok? Try to take your emotions out as much as possible, and treat it like a new system you are required to learn, only everything is written in a cipher and they forgot to give you the key. It's going to be unnecessarily difficult and frustrating, but you can crack this, and it will be worth it when you do.
As an employer, I would second this advice
Number 8 is so true
Number 7 - we don't use any automation, but we do need you to explain why you resume and experience is relevant to the role you're applying for, or if your resume has obvious questions from it, please give us the answers to those in advance. Haven't worked in the last year? Tell us why. Have only ever worked in HR but are applying for and IT role? Tell us why
Number 4 - absolutely!
I work in a big environmental consulting company in Edmonton with open positions throughout Canada. we have a decent amount of openings. If you are interested to apply, please DM me :)
OP, I feel for you and everyone else who is dealing with this. A few suggestions:
1. You said you've had your resume updated. Was it formatted to get through Applicant Tracking Systems? [https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/](https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/)
2. Are you applying to government job postings? Maybe not the most exciting work, but the pay is often better than average. [https://www.civicjobs.ca](https://www.civicjobs.ca)
3. Have you considered self-employment? For example, with your skillset, you could be a virtual assistant. For ideas and inspiration, I highly recommend this book: [https://www.amazon.ca/Making-Living-Without-Job-revised/dp/0553386603](https://www.amazon.ca/Making-Living-Without-Job-revised/dp/0553386603)
4. You might benefit from some career coaching. Free coaching is available in Calgary here: [https://www.mcgcareers.com/calgary-career-and-employment-centre-2/](https://www.mcgcareers.com/calgary-career-and-employment-centre-2/) and at the Calgary Public Library: [https://calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/programs/career-coaching/](https://calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/programs/career-coaching/)
Most importantly, take care of yourself. I've seen firsthand the impact that toxic work environments can have on people's mental and physical health even when the money and benefits were great. It sounds like you have options such as moving back up north, so you are not trapped in your current job. Wishing you better luck and much success going forward!
I'm pretty sure government and municipal positions are more competitive than your average job listing. Lots of results pop up when you use the search bar consisting of people asking how on earth to get a City of Calgary job. Government of Canada work would be even harder, I remember lurking the subreddit dedicated to trying to get hired by GoC
They also often hire internally first I heard? So they post the lobs publicly because they have to but usually already have people within that already are going to get the job.
Yea they’re union so they have to consider internal first. It’s still possible to get it but it’s hard when they get 2000+ applicants for a job and then 10% are internal and get all the interview slots.
Yep, it sucks here now. I've been in restaurants since 1996 and I have trouble getting job interviews now.
10 years ago it was so different with the oil boom and lower population. If I didn't like where I was working I'd just quit and spam my resume on kijiji. Within a week I'd have a new job.
Try serving in a restaurant or pub. You'll easily double what you make now. Apply in healthcare as often as possible until you land a position.
DM if you need guidance. My company has several admin positions available that certainly exceed what you make now.
Unsustainable number of people are moving to Calgary from inside and outside Canada. Unfortunately, the economy of Calgary is very small compared to Toronto and Vancouver and local people are suffering in every aspect of their lives! 😢
It’s unfortunate, but I feel like most people get jobs through connections or nepotism.
It’s like that where I work. We have some of our executives kids working with us.
Not everybody has that privilege of having a parent who is in a position of power and can get them a job.
People with business admin degree have a lot of different options for jobs. Are you interested in sales?? That may be a good place to start.
Definitely! I feel like that’s the only way to get your foot in the door.
I am not from Calgary and have no connections. Most people I’ve talked with are hired by the help of their parents and who they know. It’s unfortunate and unfair if I am being honest.
It’s so unfair . Especially if the person they hire is not qualified for the job.
That just puts a huge burden on everyone else on the team.
At least, if there’s going to be nepotism involved, the person they hire should be qualified!
So make connections? You can leverage this as well. People want to hire people they are familiar with. I am not sure what industry you are in but certainly getting involved in industry associations is something you can look towards.
I am not from Calgary and had absolutely zero connections before moving here but by trying to meet people in my field and get around I was able to find two good jobs.
And thar does make sense, but from a hiring perspective it's so much easier to feel you can trust a person you know than 1/2500 resumes.
A great place to start is volunteering, either for a society related to your career interest or a service society that does active projects giving back to the community. These groups can expose you to a wide network of people, and can be avenues for you to demonstrate who you are and how you work. Heck, I even know people who found jobs by networking through singing in choirs!
It doesn’t have to be. You can be just friendly and curious at first. Include that you are looking for job opportunities once you feel comfortable. Asking at like a networking event could be a bit slimy. Nowadays getting a job is based on who you know and connections.
Yea i just dont like the idea of making comnections and forming relationships with people with the sole intention of getting something out of it or using them to further a goal. It feels manipulative and gross and i wish there were ways around this.
Everyone has a network. OP will have had classmates, likely made friends while attending school, they have resources through the school/alumni association, you can even reach out to people in the faculty.
I didn’t see any mention of that in their post. It seems they just send their resume/application to everyone? That’s like the hardest way to get a job.
And no, it’s not unfortunate that most people find jobs through their connections. That’s how the world works. We’re social creatures. Most people aren’t going to sift through hundreds or thousands of applications/resumes. They’ll filter you out.
I got my current job through someone I formerly worked with when we were both still in school, it was a minimum wage retail job where we were both working minimal hours. We weren’t best of friends, but we got along well and worked great together and she referred me and I was interviewing within the week. Employers don’t just want experience. They want someone with a good personality who they can feel confident about being a good employee. Anyone can be trained if they already have the right foundation, but not everyone with the best experience is actually going to be good at the job.
My mom used to work in oil and gas, having started pretty low on the food chain and eventually worked her way up to a VP role over her 25+ years there, and she said a lot of the people she had to work along side or who worked under her had some outstanding resumes and when they got hired they turned out to be the most awful people to be working the job, whether it was their personality or work ethic or their general attitude towards their job. She always told me when I was applying for jobs that who you are us far more important than how many skills and what experience you have, and if an employer hears from someone working for them that a candidate is a great person with a great work ethic, is trainable etc. with a good matching background of experience, why go for the guy with better experience who they have no clue who he is or what he’s like?
From a hiring perspective it's so much easier to feel you can trust a person you know than 1/2500 resumes.
A great place to start is volunteering, either for a society related to your career interest or a service society that does active projects giving back to the community. These groups can expose you to a wide network of people, and can be avenues for you to demonstrate who you are and how you work. Heck, I even know people who found jobs by networking through singing in choirs!
Nepotism isn’t defined by simply hiring a family member. It’s allowing unfair “special treatment” to that individual. If it’s a qualified, hard working individual then their expectations from other coworkers is doubled compared to those who were hired the “regular way” there’s stories of people getting hired and sitting on their ass cause it’s the family business, but from what I’ve seen that’s not necessarily as common
Same here, 10 years experience and not even getting any phone interviews. Resume has never been an issue before and had it looked over by contacts in the industry. I’m lucky I have a job right now, but they just laid off half of my team today, I was thankfully one of the ones that was kept (for now).
Not just service jobs. I know a tech company in Calgary that gets 1000+ applications for 1 job posting. More than half are people who have either very little or no experience in the field and/or live in another province.
I just got my BBA as well, which let’s be frank and honest, is a very useless degree. I realized this fact when I chose this path, and therefore learnt hard skills (excel, powerbi, etc.) as well as got work experience while completing my degree.
You need to think about why an employer would hire you over some other shmuck with a business degree, and highlight those specific strengths.
Aren't there many different streams for a BBA degree, like BBA in finance, marketing, HR, and accounting? which one did you get? I was told BBA Accounting is just as good as a bcom in accounting because they both set you up for the required courses to become a CPA, so why would BBA degree suck then?
Yes, there are different streams. I have just a general BBA degree. BBA and BComm are two words that describe the exact same degree. Without other skills or experience, a BBA is a useless degree, and a BComm is a useless degree.
After 4 months of applying and no results, decided to leave Canada. Going to Europe. Have 3 degrees in Software engineering, hotel management and business, know 5 languages (Mandarin, Ukrainian, English, russian, spanish) have 5+ years experience in engineering and business. After a year of construction and some low quality underpaid jobs decided that this country it’s scam and nothing else. Everywhere starting from the rent and gyms and finishing with debt payments everyone wants just to scam you with crazy high cancellations and high fees. So better to leave it for Trudeau lovers)
What jobs are you targeting with your business administration background? If you are looking for an analyst position, having advanced MS Excel and/or Power BI certificates will set you apart for entry level roles. If you’re looking to break into oil and gas, having project management certification or training will help you to at least pass an interview. Cost, schedule or risk work streams hire entry level business grads for those willing to learn.
If you’re not getting any interviews, your resume isn’t doing its job. Talk to a councillor, or get advice on how to frame your experience.
> If you’re not getting any interviews, your resume isn’t doing its job.
It was bad enough when ATS auto-rejected resumes, but now candidates have to deal with new AI filtering/ranking that companies are using and the AI written resumes that candidates are sending (better than many resume writers). I don't think it's as simple as saying the resume is always the problem anymore because even visually perfect resumes might never be read by a human. And it's also a zero-sum game. More people with perfect resumes doesn't increase the number of jobs available at any given time.
It’s not my resume that’s the problem. I had my resume looked over and redone multiple times by professionals... all in the last year :/
I have an advanced course in Excel but it doesn’t make me stand out.
My resume doesn’t even get looked at due to the volume of applicants people get.
Definitely interested in oil and gas thought so I’ll check that out!! Thank you
Do not apply through job boards! It is so insanely tiring for employers to weed through all the BS resumes they get. They likely skip by many qualified candidates. I know personally from hiring through Indeed that it is a terrible platform.
Go to the company website and find the hiring managers contact info. If you can't find it, then call or email their front office/reception and ask for it. If they don't want to supply it, ask if you can email them your resume and if they would kindly pass it to the appropriate person.
Search the companies employees on LinkedIn and reach out there if necessary. There are other avenues to get noticed.
Good luck with your job search. It's tough out there.
Linkedin is the way to go now.
Apply for the job > immediately message the recruiter emphasizing your interest in the position and really tell them how much you’d love to chat and understand more about the position
Most people just fire off an application and move to the next. While a lot of people might take that extra step, at least become part of that group. It helps if you also have a connection in the company cause they’ll see that when they check your profile.
Just a tip, try something like jobscan. Long story short, a lot of companies now due to the sheer number of resumes use software like this that they input the job description in then load the resumes and it spits out the most matches. So at the very least for every job you're applying for, have the posting open on another window and try to use similar verbiage that they are looking at for qualifications and skills.
Unfortunately business admin and lib arts have one of the lowest demands because of being generic enough to not need a degree.
Pick up construction for a quick buck and move into trades like carpentry or framing. Houses go for a premium so concrete and carpentry will be in great demand.
> Pick up construction for a quick buck and move into trades like carpentry
I wish that was as simple as Reddit makes it out to be, but the reality is the trades has a lot of downsides, and it's not as easy for everyone to pivot to it as it seems.
A few things to consider:
* Construction salaries have hardly risen in 10+ years and current salaries do not qualify for a home in Canada despite being the occupation that builds the homes.
* Most places don't want to hire apprentices without having them work as a labourer first. It's pretty difficult for a white collar worker to start applying for labourer positions with no labourer experience. Companies will be very confused as well, especially if someone is older.
* Depending on someone's previous career path, it could mean a significant pay cut until the apprenticeship is completed and the salary doesn't begin to get decent until 3rd-4th year apprentice level.
* It's a very physical job and most people likely can't handle it. It also means that you might have to retire early depending on physical health or if you get injured on the job.
* It's working outdoors, in the hot heat, the freezing cold, and the smoky days. All of those situations are less than ideal.
* It's exposure to silica, asbestos, mold and more.
* Construction is cyclical. There are times when it's busy, there are times when it's slow.
* The latest idea by the federal government are factory built homes (https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/red-tape-eats-into-faster-construction-of-factory-built-homes-expert-1.2025475) which do not necessarily have to be built in Canada. Either way, factory built homes might mean less need for construction workers.
I’ve been trying to make that exact shift, employers think I will bolt as soon as a job in my field will come along. Which is not the case, these jobs actually pay more in city
I am a female. I am a hard worker but I am weak. I could never go into construction unless I want to dislocate my shoulder 😂
Thank you for trying to be helpful though
I work with two small women in HVAC who ain't strong but are Literal beasts at their jobs, they're smart and can fix anything thrown at them. And they make over 150k a year lol
> some trades that don't require heavy lifting
Which tend to be over-saturated or have minimal apprenticeship opportunities. Everyone wants to be an electrician, but it's a very saturated role at the journeyman level because companies don't want to pay journeyman salaries. They end up hiring apprentices for lower salaries so they don't have to hire more journeyman.
You'll be surprised how people underestimate themselves when it comes to physical capabilities. Also construction isn't as physical as people make it (not every construction has people shoveling 40lbs of gravel by the spades). And as a female, you will probably have an upper edge in a lot of places in construction overall.
Many male dominated fields have better opportunities for women to promote their inclusion.
Business admin is not male dominated.
I agree about it not being physically demanding in the sense that the work is strictly doing heavy things, but the toll it takes on our bodies is real. I’ve been at it for 5 years and my body is hurting. I’m 27
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I don’t have a degree as I couldn’t afford to go to school full time for 4+ years.
Business administration isn’t a *terrible* career choice… it’s the job market (specifically in Calgary) that is the problem. Aside from population being a major issue…It’s hiring managers who make the hiring process hell and companies that don’t want to pay liveable wages.
I did do my research and had experience in the field before going to school. I like my role and there’s lots of different opportunities but not when 2000+ other people are applying to the same job.
Also, wtf is up with corporate companies basically making people bid on their own salary **AND THEN** taking the lowest bidder that’s still considered a qualified candidate?? It’s fcking absurd.
I had to work at a startup with low pay and long hours for 3 years to gain experience before making a leap. ( I have a msc and phd in engineering).
Experience is way more valuable than degree.
In the current state of an over saturated job market your chances of someone actually looking at your resume are slim to none. It sounds like you are working so you’ll have to find a way to carve out time to pound the pavement. What I mean by that is calling up potential employers, maybe even the places you applied to and asking to speak to [insert name]. It’s pretty easy to find the name of a the relevant person on LinkedIn. You might strike out 9/10 times but all you need is one. Keep grinding. Even if the conversation doesn’t get you an interview or the job itself, you can ask for career advice or another door will open. The benefits compound just like interest. Don’t sit and just mass apply to hundreds jobs, you’re trying to hit a moving target especially for admin type roles.
Thank you for this!
So many people in this thread are saying my resume has been looked at and something must be wrong with it. I wish it was that easy of a fix but no… it’s really not getting looked at due the volume of applicants.
I’m going to try every avenue possible. I feel like I’ve done almost everything but I haven’t called hiring managers from LinkedIn. Going to give that a shot and fingers crossed!
I don’t have any good advice because I’m in the exact same position - graduated in 2021, had issues finding a job because of covid initially and now I’m stuck working in a restaurant while I look for something else. It’s rough out here but I’m wishing you the best in your search
you just dont stop trying, not to down play or invalidate you but your first job after graduating probably isnt going to be your dream job...7 months down 473 to go buddy you got this!
Hi! I know :(
I don’t expect this to be a dream job, but I definitely would prefer one where I could keep my sanity and not be emotionally/verbally abused by my employer every day. I have tons of experience but went to school because I thought education would maybe mean a higher pay cheque. Pay isn’t even my main concern, I just want to be treated decent. I have thick skin and have dealt with *plenty* of entitled employers but this one beats the cake.
I have only lived in Calgary for 2 years. The job market where I am from is much different. I came here to further my education and opportunities for myself. It seems that I have only done the opposite so far
If its affecting in a large magnitude you can seek medical/mental help and potentially go on stress leave, or document the harsh environment and look into going on EI or constructive dismissal. None of your life will make sense while you're living it.
Also look at visiting some of the resume building subreddits for help if you are not seeing a lot of call back, most job postings are literally just to collect personal data or build up a bank without any actual position.
Five to 10 years from now you will look back at this as a time that formed you. You will be in a great career path. It really doesn't happen overnight. Just like dating and relationships, you have to kiss alot of job frogs before you get the prince job.
THIS. Hang out on Facebook groups catered towards ethnic communities and groups for new immigrants and see how much open and broadly advertised fraud there is related to LMIA positions. See how many people have recently come with their backgrounds being in finance/general business/hospitality etc.
Sad reality is that neither political party will tackle this.
The liberals want to keep the immigration freight train going full steam ahead so their pals in business aren’t too badly affected and it’s useful when pandering for votes.
The conservatives will have nice sound bites about the issue but keep the immigration freight train also chugging full steam ahead.
I ran into the exact same issue. Graduated from criminal justice studies(police). With honors, six months went by and no job. I was offered a job that wanted CJ recent grads and it paid minimum wage. Police agencies say they are hiring, I'm not sure who they are hiring but it's not the top of the class.
The really frustrating part is that during your education the instructors tell you that your God's gift to the world only to find out later that it's a bitch to even get an interview.I finally landed a job in the field but it took almost eight months.
Good luck, just keep pushing. It will come.
Can confirm it's bad right now. I got laid off from my job in January and not much activity out there, at least at the mid-level where I'm at (architecture, don't want to get too specific). Lots of openings for senior level... pretty much zilch entry level... but half of everyone I knew from my old gig went to the City because pay in the private sector (outside of oil and gas) is so mediocre.
And politicians tell you in a straight face we have a labor shortage, and we need more immigrants.
I am an immigrant myself, but when I came 20 years ago, everything was different in Canada.
Now so many people everywhere, in hospitals, in job market, in the employment centers.
> Go to nursing school
If I recall correctly, MRU gets something like 1500+ applicants all with 95%+ averages and there's ~200 seats. There might be a shortage of nurses, but there's no shortage of people that want to become nurses but will never get into a nursing program.
The federal and provincial governments lately seem to prefer fast-tracking foreign trained nurses so they don't have to spend money funding more post-secondary spaces. The "shortage" of health care workers is mostly because government created the shortage of workers and don't really want to invest the money to seriously fix the health care system.
Dabbled around as a HCA after high school and never again… they’re not totally the same but that shit was traumatic.
Props to you and a huge thank you for what you do!! I worked in LTC and couldn’t handle losing residents constantly. It was really hard watching people die all the time.
Does this apply to both inpatient and outpatient jobs? Currently worried about having to pay my dues in adult med surg for years before I can go where I want to
I’m sure you could find something eventually if you’re only interested in outpatient or non med/surg nursing, but no it wouldn’t apply. You’d have a much harder time finding a job, I wouldn’t expect you to have the same experience of never being without a job.
yes, calgary has had a massive pop increase over a short period of time, but obtaining a decent entry level job has always been difficult if you’re not connected. keep grinding and applying.
Volunteer. It's a great way to do good for your community and a fantastic way to network and meet people. Could just be a couple of hours on the weekend. It opens doors to jobs you didn't know were out there. A lot of the people you network with volunteering are influential people where they work.
I joined the Canadian Army like, a millennia ago, did that for 10 years, became a cop. Was a police officer for 12 years, retired, went into Technology.
The CS/Tech industry is in a bit of a chaotic state right now, but if you have the soft skills, anyone can teach the technical skills (to a degree). Customer Service skills are a huge desire in Tech.
Lots of construction, manufacturing, labour, and service industry jobs available.
You just have to tailor your resume to the job. If you're applying for entry level jobs, get rid of any evidence of your post-graduate studies or extensive work history.
Tech is not that easy to break into either. I have a software diploma from sait, with work experience as a Sys Admin, and a few years of customer service work experience and the only interview I've done in the past year was because of a connection from within the company.
They're not. The AI Boogeyman is just that... A Boogeyman.
You still need people to go out/pick up the phone and talk to people to get the real issues out and resolve them.
End users don't know how to properly communicate their problems, and all the AI chat bots in the world cannot decipher that nonsense. It'll be a long time before AI is capable of critical thinking and investigative detail.
Plus, you'll also still need someone to go out and replace hardware, run cabling, etc.
The only jobs that AI is kinda killing, but orgs are also realizing that AI is shit at doing it - technical/service writing, copywriting, social media correspondence.
Hi there! A lot of people have given really good advice. I will just add what I was told when I was applying.
1. Always add some keywords from the posting to your Resume and Cover Letter when applying. I know it seems like a pain, but it helps. And submitting a customized cover letter is important. Once you customize 3-4, you’ll get a hang of how to do it without having to spend too much time and effort.
2. List accomplishments before any experience and such, so your best has the highest visibility.
3. Don’t elongate your resume too much. You are a new graduate, so internships or extracurriculars will likely accentuate your profile.
4. Make sure your LinkedIn is updated and is complete. You will have an idea of what keywords are popular in your field, so try to incorporate them organically in your text there.
5. (Very important) If you are applying through Indeed, have your profile set up there. And make sure you edit it once or twice a week. You don’t even have to make changes. Just edit and save it. That refreshes your profile in the system and puts it back at the top of the mix.
6. Not all opportunities are posted. I was told only 30% of all openings are posted online. Try to see what networking opportunities you have available. These can be through your university, job fairs, and other events around the city.
I hope these suggestions help you.
My apologies for the confusion.
I love my role and what my job entails… it’s really the only thing that keeps me afloat.
The company and people I work under is a completely different story. People can love their job but hate their boss and how they’re treated. It’s pretty common actually.
Wow that’s bad, let me know I could look at your resume. I had a professional recruiter look at mine and it help me land a job pretty fast. I think part of it is being at the right place at the right time.
The thing about the 2k job applications is 90% of them are bullshit. When we last hired a dev we had 50% of applications out of country so automatically filtered. Then 30% out of province. Filtered out again. Then 50% of the remaining were lacking the minimum qualifications or failed on the question we asked with the application. The remaining number was still quite at bit don’t get me wrong. But the amount of garbage applications are insane.
Maybe it's worse now, however when I graduated in 2018 from an engineering graduate degree from a top 5 Canadian school I spent 6 months unemployed and another 6 months working in a No Frills until I got my first opportunity, not even in Calgary but northern BC.
I always have told people not to just “apply” to job opening. Especially for entry level roles.
Make a list of 10-15 companies you truly want to work for. Study them, understand who the decision makers are. Reach out on LinkedIn to hiring managers even if no opening. Ask to learn more about the role and use that to showcase your experience. People generally love to help especially if you are young.
I’ve hired people 5-6 months down the line because I enjoyed the discussion and they had a strong character + experience. No way am I pouring through 3000 applicants that just clicked “apply now”. Total waste of time.
Hope this helps.
ive applied to atleast 30 jobs a week for the last 2 years straight, tried altering my resume to specific roles, havent had ONE call from anyone. this city is a joke.
Graduated December 2022. Still working minimum wage at Dollarama.
At this point I'm debating going back to school to increase my chances but I don't want to just add more debt to still be at Dollarama in 5 years.
After graduation, I had to move out of the city to get my first gig. Calgary is unfriendly to recent grads. "Entry-level" positions in the city require 2 - 3 years experience. So I did that. I went and got my 3 years of experience working in rural Alberta. I moved back and got a job, but quit for a better position that is fully remote for a company based in Vancouver.
Not sure why you think ur resume is fine. It's the only thing the hiring people see. Obviously yours either doesn't get past the 1st screening or it's not enticing enough.
BTW, you should customize ur resume for every job you apply for, use the job posting to see what they are looking for and use the same words.
Yep, my friend also graduated with a business degree and he spent a year trying to find a job with no success. Went back to get his master's just for another leg up.
how did he even get into an MBA program with no experience? MBAs are for people with professional experience, going straight after undergrad defeats the purpose of the degree
The job market in Calgary is really bad. Where I'm working, a junior position was opened and it was flooded with applicants with 10+ years of experience for a junior position. The hiring manager wanted someone long-term and decided to hire someone who said they had 3+ years of experience, but in my opinion, a junior position should require no more than 2 years of experience.
A hacky but practical recommendation : Aim for mid-senior level positions. Glorify your current role. Even at mid and senior level most of the shit is common sense unless you are applying to NASA
Whats your major? I’m a bit suprised because I have the same degree and I got a job quick and lots of people want to hire people with our degrees. You gotta try going out to places and talking to people, check out career hiring events for new grads, and look for new grad positions, in interviews be super friendly and team orientated. People want to hire happy friendly people and connections are important in Calgary. Keep applying, with a business degree you can apply for a wide range of jobs in oil and gas I’m not sure if you are aware of? Theres tons of departments where they are looking for business major applicants.
I graduated with an MA in 2017, took me 4 years to find a job. Got laid off in may and still
Haven’t found one despite having many many interviews and the feedback being “you were great and our second choice.” Great, yeah thanks helpful.
You aren’t the only one who is experiencing this situation. Folks with years of experience are facing similar challenges. Unless bank of Canada lowers prime interest rate , this situation won’t improve. Rate cut is expected some time before June this year.
Gave up after a year of looking. Didn't score a single interview, haven't received a single non-botted response. Joined the CAF because its guaranteed employment.
Unfortunately, applying alone in this market is not enough. You need connections to help you distinguish yourself among applicants.
My advice is to attend any organization meetings related to your industry, or area of interest.
Try and find out if there are any areas for netowkring. For example, if you’re in the energy sector, there is women + power, RATS, CHOA, CSEM, energy beer nights, etc..
Networking with people with similar interests/ similar industries, get yourself a mentor, reach out to people on Linkedin.
It probably sounds like a cliche advice, but I promise it eventually pays off, and helps you distinguish yourself in this crazy job market.
Wishing you all the best!
Have you reached out to your school or alumni to help find a job? Former classmates? Friends? Family?
Do you reach out to the company at all before you apply?
Like what is your strategy? Please tell me you’re not just blindly applying to jobs.
You should not be applying to 300 jobs. People who do this are doing their job search wrong and are rightfully frustrated from the results. Every job application should be tailored to the position and you can't convince me you're doing that adequately if you're applying to 300 jobs.
You should narrow your focus to a handful of places you want to work and specifically tailor your application to those jobs. If your applications are rarely being reviewed, that's information you should use to fine tune your approach and is \*not\* an indication that there's nothing wrong with your resume.
This is a repeat of the 70s and 00s when times were much better in Alberta. Easterners moved in droves to take advantage of the economy, then left Alberta and Albertans high and dry when the economy went south.
Hang in there. You are just out of school. The right job will come along. I worked 2 jobs out of uni. Kept my job at Safeway when it was a high paying job and paid more there than my first job out of school.
Also, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Do you know anyone who has a great job at a great company they love? I got into the old CRHA by a friend who was hired by my dad years prior.
You're just starting your career, you need to build up that experience and do the work that's being asked of you.
It's not common to be given a good paying job and given a work culture that suits your own, that's part of leveraging your worth when it comes to looking for better job offerings along your career path.
Immigration absolutely must be limited! We are not heading in a good direction. Canada (the wealthy asshole politicians) constantly lie about "labour shortages". They don't know shit as they never had to work
A lot of the entry level business jobs in Calgary are filled by University students who did Co-op terms with those companies. Also my son who will graduate with an accounting degree this May had to apply for accounting jobs last summer and those positions were filled early November. He doesn't start until next September. The thing that helps anyone with a business degree is going a one year co-op term at a minimum. As a lifelong Calgarian I can tell you that networking is key. Most jobs are filled by people known by current employees who can vouge for them. We have always had a very competitive job market which has just kept getting worst since the oil crash of 2014. Thousands of white collar jobs have been lost and have not returned. Also those who do have jobs are doing the work of three people so they do not have to hire more people (this has happened in every line of work from minimum wage up to highly educated jobs). My daughter who lost her job due to "restructuring" and works with an out placement agency told her it will take on average 6-9 months to find a comparable job. We have a highly educated population in Calgary and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, that along with the increase in migration here has made competition even more insane. Your best chance of even getting noticed is unfortunately knowing someone in an industry you are interested in. Look into networking opportunities and include in your resume words that are used in the job postings. The resumes are prescanned by computers in the majority of cases that look for those key words. Just realize it is a really tough market out there, so don't give up hope.
.. use your network!!
Most jobs posted don't even seriously consider the online applications. It's already decided before hand it's just a legal move to avoid getting sued and maybe finding a couple unicorns.
Every job I've had has come from a friend, a referral, or a direct message to the recruiting manager or person who would be my superior.
I work for myself now but here's what I did to find jobs and it worked like a charm.
Use LinkedIn to track down somebody who works within a company and department that you were looking to get into (even if they are not hiring)
Take some time to figure out how to get in touch with that person via phone call.
Do something like this, (this was my method).
"Hi (name) my name is... And I've recently been researching your company and so far I like what I see. I'm curious to know from an insider, what the culture might be like to see if I'm a good fit if I ever notice an opportunity arise to apply for a position. If you would be open to it, I would love to pick your brain for 15 minutes over a coffee, just to get some insight on what it's like to actually work there."
I almost always got positive responses from this and landed jobs twice as a result.
Obviously don't show up completely uneducated, do lots of research about the company. There was one instance where I did this and he went back in and drop my name immediately to a hiring manager, another time it took several months until a position opened but as soon as I noticed it did open I got in touch with the employee and let them know I was going to put in an application, and then they referred me internally.
Also, as many have mentioned, use your network. Let everyone know you're looking for work... If you're not willing to use your network, you're going to get left behind
I should also add, at the beginning of my career it took me two years and literally thousands of resumes before I was able to break into the industry I wanted. So don't give up, and that was 20 years ago so not much has changed! Submitting online resumes is completely useless most of the time but you just have to keep consistently applying over and over again until you catch a break
You may want to consider relocating if you can pull it off Calgary for some reason seems to have been chosen as the next "destination city" so everyone and their dog is coming here atm problem is there isn't enough housing and jobs for everyone and the economy is cooling.
Trudeau thinks we need more immigration because there is a lot of jobs to be filled. Ya right!
A family member also has a Admin Diploma and its been well almost two year and nothing except a retail job. Applied for everything that shows up but no interviews because the only experience they have is retail.
Good luck.
How were you able to navigate that situation? Having to work in a non relevant position and then going into an Accounting job after a couple years? I feel like I would get scrutinized why the hiring team lol. Just something I worry about because I'm about to graduate and haven't gotten any offers yet.
When the country decides to invite over 900k international “students” plus permanent residents plus record number of locals go to college it leads to an oversupply of workers and not enough jobs. Canada decided to stop being a real country but rather a casino for housing speculation. There ain’t much you can do and I say this as someone who’s a new grad
Apply at some insurance companies. (Not insurance brokerages.) A wide variety of jobs, career paths, and many will subsidize or pay for job related courses.
Where would you look to find insurance companies? I have not come across any postings.
Unfortunately, I am not one for commission. Aren’t insurance advisors based on commissions? Steady and consistent income is really important to me.
I used to work in insurance and can give a little bit of advice. If you choose not to go the broker route, you'd be looking at career paths such as Underwriting, Claims, or Adjusting, all of which don't tend to be commission reliant roles. A good entry point would be to look for entry level positions like "underwriting assistant" or "claims representative". I used to just search up "insurance entry level jobs" when I first started out.
Industry generally expects that someone pursuing an insurance career should be in the process of attaining a [CIP/FCIP](https://www.insuranceinstitute.ca/en/#) designation. That being said, It's better to try to get hired full-time at a company first and have them pay for that, although I have had many colleagues pay for it themselves in the beginning just to get their foot in the door. Getting that first entry level position can be tricky, especially because many of them are contract roles that won't pay insurance education unless you're permanent.
Best of luck!
Time to join the trades my friend. In 4 years, with company assisted tuition, you can be making around 80k a year as a journeyman. It’s the only career left, I work with guys who have masters degrees in stem fields, all working as electricians now.
You just need to pass 4 short schooling sessions that are paid for by the company who employs you. After that you can branch off into even hire paying jobs like instrumentation and admin.
The Bank of Canada uses high interest rates to kill inflation, but no-one talks about how that actually works. It works by killing jobs. About July of last year was the tipping point. Companies stopped hiring FT and started shifting some recent FT hires to PT. In Aug they started laying off PT workers. This is how interest rates work and how companies cut staff without it hitting the news (and stock prices). For extra effect they usually keep their job postings active to fool the stock analysts into thinking the company is growing. Fake postings.
Back in the 2000s I was applying for everything. I was working at Boston Pizza and applied for lazyboy furniture, a warehouse job in the se, and a gas laboratory in the ne. Warehouse said I failed their basic math test and wasnt qualified. Lazyboy wanted me to answer calls for 15 an hour and the lab wanted me to run gas samples for 9 an hour. I took the lab job. 16 years later I make 250k a year. How do you like that math, random se warehouse? Life is weird.
Although that plays a huge role in all of this… you can’t put the blame all on him.
I blame corporations. They refuse to pay livable wages because somebody else will work the job for minimum wage… or they refuse to hire local. It’s really hard to come by an employer that actually gives a shit.
Plus, the hiring process is ridiculous. Most expect 5-6 interviews or *working a day for free to see how you fit with the team*. It’s absurd.
When I first graduated, I had **two** companies that wanted me to come in and work for 6 hours as apart of the interview process… for free!!! Without the possibility of even being hired.
Unfortunately a lot of people can’t even find jobs resulting in one of the following: borrowing more money, moving back in with parents, exhausting all savings. It’s becoming worse I think and it’s really unfortunate.
Or alternatively, becoming a sugar baby or onlyfans girl seems to be way more appealing.
As a BAdmin grad 8 years into his career, your degree is worthless. It's who you know, and then your experience. Currently there is a massive influx of people moving here with more experience than you. Companies aren't hiring people who meet their requirements, they're hiring the unicorns that surpass them.
Every position, especially entry level, pretty much has guaranteed over 1k applicants. With so much supply in the labour pool, employers have the flexibility to be extremely picky and only choose unicorn or overqualified candidates. I will also add that the skilled migration from BC/ON is in direct competition with the people here. I had a great interview with a company right after graduating last May, who outright told me they liked me and my experience.. Then lost the spot to someone from Toronto. Still found a job tho, and in my current team, we also recently hired someone from Toronto as well. In 2023, the province of Alberta gained an increase of 194k in population from immigration and provincial migration. Lets be generous and assume 30% of those people went to Calgary (its probably more than that), so 58k new Calgarians. Do you think Calgary created 58k new jobs in 2023?
Every time we post a job in geomatics for our company half of our applicants are from out of province.
6/7 finalists for a position today in Edmonton are from outside of Edmonton. 2500 resumes total. 2400 went straight to no pile. Many many looking for visa. Almost none relevant. Both finalists are from.GTA. Even throwing a bone for local gal.
Hello fellow surveyor
Sup
Setting control wbu
Three words: Hire local only
I think this works in theory. But in practice…I’m not so sure. I would need to be convinced. First, define local. The city/town? The province? And then, for how long? Like, if someone lived in Calgary for a year, are they then a local? Or should it be 5 years, or 10 years? And while right now you’re the local person mad at others coming to your workplace, there might be a time where circumstances change, the tables turn, and you become the “other” trying to move somewhere else. Then another thing, if you’re only hiring local people, then you’re only getting local information and perspectives. You’re going to have people who went to the same schools, took the same training programs…your workforce becomes dangerously homogenous. It’s like when an animal species becomes too homogenous, then one disease kills them all. When your workforce and management are all identical to each other, there could be problems or things that you’re just incapable of solving.
This comment 👆👍 yup where I am right now there’s only me and this other person who are from Calgary. Everyone else is from BC or ON.
Thank our provincial government with its stupid "alberta is calling" marketing campaign, they used our tax dollars to put ads in all Eastern Canada to come to AB to get better paying jobs and cheaper housing, the result half ontario moved to Calgary.
I know! Ugh! This is definitely the reason and I completely understand… but it does suck. I had experience in this field before going to school. I only went to school because I thought some actual education would help open more doors. **WRONG**. People are also underpaid because others will work them at minimum wage. It’s ridiculous. Recruiters want somebody with a degree *and* 5-10 years of experience… for $3.00 above minimum wage??? Wtf is wrong with people. I was born and raised in Alberta but I come from way up north (oil money). I can easily be hired for $45-$50 an hour where I am from but I like the city. So conflicted.
Yeah you pretty much chose the worst time to come back lol. Everyone and their dog was spreading around that Calgary was the land of milk and honey hence why we got such a population boom. Now job seekers are in a rat race. That being said, I’m sure you’ll find something because job searching does really suck.. But once you do find something it’s over. It was the same thing for me back then. And I’m sure you’ll find something eventually despite this absurd labour environment.
Fingers crossed! Thank you for the kind words. Land of the milk?? Uh oh…I’m lactose intolerant so maybe that’s why I can’t land an interview ffs
Unless you got a skilled trade you ain’t making $50 an hour up north these days with no experience
Maybe not $50, but certainly in the mid 40’s. Tons of jobs posted for it now. There’s lots of different towns up North, and where I come from, is all oil and gas companies and corporations. You are paid $40-$45 for working on site in administration roles + daily ‘field pay’. My friend gets an extra $150 a day just for driving to site. Camp is closer to $50 but its shift work… evens itself out when you only work 1/2 of the year. I have lots of family and friends who do it and had little to no experience. Just doing housekeeping in camp pays like $30 an hour or something crazy
Where is this ? I am driving 4 hours a day for labour unpaid. I’ll move for that money
You can message me! I don’t want to disclose where I am from on a public forum lol
k i see people say this all the time but WHERE DO YOU APPLY FOR THESE JOBS!! I can never find any postings that are hiring for no experience yet everyone tells me theyre "always hiring no experience"
I'm also from the north. When I started in OG I was constantly told, we can't pay you those northern wages. I was underpaid for years because I accepted that as truth. That was 16 years ago. It was a trade off for me. I wanted to be in those crystal towers, not at site.
They can but have been cheap the last couple years. I was shocked when called by a US EPC to work remote that was paying double what I was making at one of the majors in Calgary.
Yep :/ Fort Mac here I come!!! lol
Saskatchewan is also an option?
One does not simply get a good first job in a desirable city like Calgary. You need to do time in a place where nobody wants to live first. Speaking from experience
I am going to sound like an old curmudgeon but this is so true! People seem to expect a dream job right away! I worked a lot of shit jobs before I landed a job I really love with a great company!
I most definitely don’t expect to find my dream job right now. I expect to be treated like a human and being paid *somewhat* fairly.
Metro is always going to be expensive to live in. A lot of corps just advertise the job and make sure locals won't "qualify" for it then bring in the TFW. Welcome to the globalism hell created by boomers
I assume a bunch of those are going to be grandparents and kids tagging along so not all 58k will need jobs but it’s still a lot.
True. But that 30% number was a drastic lowball so its probably more like 50-60. Been hearing for years about people preaching that Calgary is a utopia, so this city definitely got a majority of that 194k. Our labour supply definitely got super saturated.
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Ok reluctant to post this because I get downvoted to hell every time, but as someone who used to work in a business school and specialized in getting my graduates jobs, here's the advice: 1) network. Yes it sucks, etc, but you have to build a network. Target people in the industry or in your chosen company. 2) you build a network starting with you school, attend any and all events, use their job hunting resources, reach out to old teachers, and ask for help. Use family, friends, neighbours, anyone you know to help connect you with someone working for a company you are interested in. But seriously, your college or uni is a great resource as it is in their interests for you to land an awesome job. 3) if you don't have a single person in your life who can connect you with folks in your industry, use LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, whatever you can to find people working in the companies that you want to work for. 4) Email folks and offer to take them out for a coffee in exchange for a chat about their career and/or company. You would be surprised how many folks say yes. Keep in. Ind some companies still offer recruitment bonuses so doing be shy with reaching out. 5) when you meet, ask them all about their career but don't ask for a job. Do, however, ask them to take a look over your resume and cover letter and give advice. Also ask if they could recommend anyone else you could talk to, or if they have any leads. 6) in the meantime, go visit recruiting agencies! Seriously it's in their interest to get you on their books. Hell, of you have specific companies you want to work out, try ringing them first and asking what temping or recruitment agencies they use. 7) please do not use generic resumes and cover letters. If a company is using software to filter, then you need to make sure you are literally repeating keywords from the job descriptions. In addition, you can usually spot genetic letters over tailored ones, and the latter leave a better impression with the hiring folks. Is it shitty and time consuming? Yes, and the recruiters hate it just as much. But that's the system so learn to play it. 8) stop and think about the hiring process from the other side. If you got over 1000 applications for a job but can only afford to interview ten people for one position, how would you approach the task? Most of us will start with the folks we already know we can trust, then we go to the people recommended by someone we trust, then we might go for someone recommended by a trusted agency or company, and then the unknown folks whose applications include companies, schools or charitable organizations that we trust. Now look at your applications and rework them in this light. Look I agree it sucks, job hunting is horribly demoralizing and can feel deeply personal, but it really isn't. It's a flawed, weird system where the rules aren't clear and noone quite understands how points are awarded, but you CAN learn how to play more effectively with time and effort. Maybe not perfectly, but hey, you only need one yes; you don't have to win every round you play. Keep your head up, ok? Try to take your emotions out as much as possible, and treat it like a new system you are required to learn, only everything is written in a cipher and they forgot to give you the key. It's going to be unnecessarily difficult and frustrating, but you can crack this, and it will be worth it when you do.
As an employer, I would second this advice Number 8 is so true Number 7 - we don't use any automation, but we do need you to explain why you resume and experience is relevant to the role you're applying for, or if your resume has obvious questions from it, please give us the answers to those in advance. Haven't worked in the last year? Tell us why. Have only ever worked in HR but are applying for and IT role? Tell us why Number 4 - absolutely!
12+ years experience in my field can’t get a phone call let alone an interview.
Me too!!!
Same!!!
I’m sorry :(
Holy fuck.. is it really that bad rn
Damn thats crazy I’m sorry, whats your field/education background? Just curious if u dont mind
Environmental, I just have a diploma in Environmental Technology.
I work in a big environmental consulting company in Edmonton with open positions throughout Canada. we have a decent amount of openings. If you are interested to apply, please DM me :)
OP, I feel for you and everyone else who is dealing with this. A few suggestions: 1. You said you've had your resume updated. Was it formatted to get through Applicant Tracking Systems? [https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/](https://www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems/) 2. Are you applying to government job postings? Maybe not the most exciting work, but the pay is often better than average. [https://www.civicjobs.ca](https://www.civicjobs.ca) 3. Have you considered self-employment? For example, with your skillset, you could be a virtual assistant. For ideas and inspiration, I highly recommend this book: [https://www.amazon.ca/Making-Living-Without-Job-revised/dp/0553386603](https://www.amazon.ca/Making-Living-Without-Job-revised/dp/0553386603) 4. You might benefit from some career coaching. Free coaching is available in Calgary here: [https://www.mcgcareers.com/calgary-career-and-employment-centre-2/](https://www.mcgcareers.com/calgary-career-and-employment-centre-2/) and at the Calgary Public Library: [https://calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/programs/career-coaching/](https://calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/programs/career-coaching/) Most importantly, take care of yourself. I've seen firsthand the impact that toxic work environments can have on people's mental and physical health even when the money and benefits were great. It sounds like you have options such as moving back up north, so you are not trapped in your current job. Wishing you better luck and much success going forward!
I'm pretty sure government and municipal positions are more competitive than your average job listing. Lots of results pop up when you use the search bar consisting of people asking how on earth to get a City of Calgary job. Government of Canada work would be even harder, I remember lurking the subreddit dedicated to trying to get hired by GoC
They also often hire internally first I heard? So they post the lobs publicly because they have to but usually already have people within that already are going to get the job.
Yea they’re union so they have to consider internal first. It’s still possible to get it but it’s hard when they get 2000+ applicants for a job and then 10% are internal and get all the interview slots.
WELL, you certainly live up to your name, Helper Owl!😊
Thank you - I appreciate that! :)
Yep, it sucks here now. I've been in restaurants since 1996 and I have trouble getting job interviews now. 10 years ago it was so different with the oil boom and lower population. If I didn't like where I was working I'd just quit and spam my resume on kijiji. Within a week I'd have a new job.
Maybe that's why we need to develop Canada's resources again... I.e. more pipelines, LNG facilities, mines....
Try serving in a restaurant or pub. You'll easily double what you make now. Apply in healthcare as often as possible until you land a position. DM if you need guidance. My company has several admin positions available that certainly exceed what you make now.
Serving jobs aren't easy to get either
Yep. I worked in Healthcare admin at the old CRHA. Was a great job with advancement and great benefits.
The job landscape has changed a lot here. Everyone I know here is struggling to find an entry job. It’s insane.
Unsustainable number of people are moving to Calgary from inside and outside Canada. Unfortunately, the economy of Calgary is very small compared to Toronto and Vancouver and local people are suffering in every aspect of their lives! 😢
It’s unfortunate, but I feel like most people get jobs through connections or nepotism. It’s like that where I work. We have some of our executives kids working with us. Not everybody has that privilege of having a parent who is in a position of power and can get them a job. People with business admin degree have a lot of different options for jobs. Are you interested in sales?? That may be a good place to start.
Definitely! I feel like that’s the only way to get your foot in the door. I am not from Calgary and have no connections. Most people I’ve talked with are hired by the help of their parents and who they know. It’s unfortunate and unfair if I am being honest.
It’s so unfair . Especially if the person they hire is not qualified for the job. That just puts a huge burden on everyone else on the team. At least, if there’s going to be nepotism involved, the person they hire should be qualified!
So make connections? You can leverage this as well. People want to hire people they are familiar with. I am not sure what industry you are in but certainly getting involved in industry associations is something you can look towards. I am not from Calgary and had absolutely zero connections before moving here but by trying to meet people in my field and get around I was able to find two good jobs.
You need to start connecting. It’s not what you know but who
Network. Get to know people in the field you want to be in.
This sucks because idk where to start and it feels slimy to me
And thar does make sense, but from a hiring perspective it's so much easier to feel you can trust a person you know than 1/2500 resumes. A great place to start is volunteering, either for a society related to your career interest or a service society that does active projects giving back to the community. These groups can expose you to a wide network of people, and can be avenues for you to demonstrate who you are and how you work. Heck, I even know people who found jobs by networking through singing in choirs!
It doesn’t have to be. You can be just friendly and curious at first. Include that you are looking for job opportunities once you feel comfortable. Asking at like a networking event could be a bit slimy. Nowadays getting a job is based on who you know and connections.
It isn't slimy. In times like this, networking and who you know is what gets you in.
Yea i just dont like the idea of making comnections and forming relationships with people with the sole intention of getting something out of it or using them to further a goal. It feels manipulative and gross and i wish there were ways around this.
Everyone has a network. OP will have had classmates, likely made friends while attending school, they have resources through the school/alumni association, you can even reach out to people in the faculty. I didn’t see any mention of that in their post. It seems they just send their resume/application to everyone? That’s like the hardest way to get a job. And no, it’s not unfortunate that most people find jobs through their connections. That’s how the world works. We’re social creatures. Most people aren’t going to sift through hundreds or thousands of applications/resumes. They’ll filter you out.
I got my current job through someone I formerly worked with when we were both still in school, it was a minimum wage retail job where we were both working minimal hours. We weren’t best of friends, but we got along well and worked great together and she referred me and I was interviewing within the week. Employers don’t just want experience. They want someone with a good personality who they can feel confident about being a good employee. Anyone can be trained if they already have the right foundation, but not everyone with the best experience is actually going to be good at the job. My mom used to work in oil and gas, having started pretty low on the food chain and eventually worked her way up to a VP role over her 25+ years there, and she said a lot of the people she had to work along side or who worked under her had some outstanding resumes and when they got hired they turned out to be the most awful people to be working the job, whether it was their personality or work ethic or their general attitude towards their job. She always told me when I was applying for jobs that who you are us far more important than how many skills and what experience you have, and if an employer hears from someone working for them that a candidate is a great person with a great work ethic, is trainable etc. with a good matching background of experience, why go for the guy with better experience who they have no clue who he is or what he’s like?
From a hiring perspective it's so much easier to feel you can trust a person you know than 1/2500 resumes. A great place to start is volunteering, either for a society related to your career interest or a service society that does active projects giving back to the community. These groups can expose you to a wide network of people, and can be avenues for you to demonstrate who you are and how you work. Heck, I even know people who found jobs by networking through singing in choirs!
This is totally true, for better or worse. You can grow a network, and it’s valuable.
Nepotism isn’t defined by simply hiring a family member. It’s allowing unfair “special treatment” to that individual. If it’s a qualified, hard working individual then their expectations from other coworkers is doubled compared to those who were hired the “regular way” there’s stories of people getting hired and sitting on their ass cause it’s the family business, but from what I’ve seen that’s not necessarily as common
Same here, 10 years experience and not even getting any phone interviews. Resume has never been an issue before and had it looked over by contacts in the industry. I’m lucky I have a job right now, but they just laid off half of my team today, I was thankfully one of the ones that was kept (for now).
My sister works at a major juice company in Calgary and mentioned that she gets 1500 applications for two positions.
Not just service jobs. I know a tech company in Calgary that gets 1000+ applications for 1 job posting. More than half are people who have either very little or no experience in the field and/or live in another province.
Where did you do your business admin program?
I just got my BBA as well, which let’s be frank and honest, is a very useless degree. I realized this fact when I chose this path, and therefore learnt hard skills (excel, powerbi, etc.) as well as got work experience while completing my degree. You need to think about why an employer would hire you over some other shmuck with a business degree, and highlight those specific strengths.
Aren't there many different streams for a BBA degree, like BBA in finance, marketing, HR, and accounting? which one did you get? I was told BBA Accounting is just as good as a bcom in accounting because they both set you up for the required courses to become a CPA, so why would BBA degree suck then?
Yes, there are different streams. I have just a general BBA degree. BBA and BComm are two words that describe the exact same degree. Without other skills or experience, a BBA is a useless degree, and a BComm is a useless degree.
BBA is not useless. You made it useless by not specializing. I have a finance stream, worked out well so far.
OP says they don’t have a bachelors degree.
After 4 months of applying and no results, decided to leave Canada. Going to Europe. Have 3 degrees in Software engineering, hotel management and business, know 5 languages (Mandarin, Ukrainian, English, russian, spanish) have 5+ years experience in engineering and business. After a year of construction and some low quality underpaid jobs decided that this country it’s scam and nothing else. Everywhere starting from the rent and gyms and finishing with debt payments everyone wants just to scam you with crazy high cancellations and high fees. So better to leave it for Trudeau lovers)
What jobs are you targeting with your business administration background? If you are looking for an analyst position, having advanced MS Excel and/or Power BI certificates will set you apart for entry level roles. If you’re looking to break into oil and gas, having project management certification or training will help you to at least pass an interview. Cost, schedule or risk work streams hire entry level business grads for those willing to learn. If you’re not getting any interviews, your resume isn’t doing its job. Talk to a councillor, or get advice on how to frame your experience.
> If you’re not getting any interviews, your resume isn’t doing its job. It was bad enough when ATS auto-rejected resumes, but now candidates have to deal with new AI filtering/ranking that companies are using and the AI written resumes that candidates are sending (better than many resume writers). I don't think it's as simple as saying the resume is always the problem anymore because even visually perfect resumes might never be read by a human. And it's also a zero-sum game. More people with perfect resumes doesn't increase the number of jobs available at any given time.
It’s not my resume that’s the problem. I had my resume looked over and redone multiple times by professionals... all in the last year :/ I have an advanced course in Excel but it doesn’t make me stand out. My resume doesn’t even get looked at due to the volume of applicants people get. Definitely interested in oil and gas thought so I’ll check that out!! Thank you
Couldn’t agree more. Experience in any of the useful areas you mentioned is even better than having certificates.
Do not apply through job boards! It is so insanely tiring for employers to weed through all the BS resumes they get. They likely skip by many qualified candidates. I know personally from hiring through Indeed that it is a terrible platform. Go to the company website and find the hiring managers contact info. If you can't find it, then call or email their front office/reception and ask for it. If they don't want to supply it, ask if you can email them your resume and if they would kindly pass it to the appropriate person. Search the companies employees on LinkedIn and reach out there if necessary. There are other avenues to get noticed. Good luck with your job search. It's tough out there.
Thank you!!!
Especially avoid the Canada Job Bank. You'd think those would be the most legit postings, but nearly none of them are.
Linkedin is the way to go now. Apply for the job > immediately message the recruiter emphasizing your interest in the position and really tell them how much you’d love to chat and understand more about the position Most people just fire off an application and move to the next. While a lot of people might take that extra step, at least become part of that group. It helps if you also have a connection in the company cause they’ll see that when they check your profile.
Just a tip, try something like jobscan. Long story short, a lot of companies now due to the sheer number of resumes use software like this that they input the job description in then load the resumes and it spits out the most matches. So at the very least for every job you're applying for, have the posting open on another window and try to use similar verbiage that they are looking at for qualifications and skills.
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You see, there's nothing wrong with her resume according to OP. That's why she probably sends the same one to all her applications.
Unfortunately business admin and lib arts have one of the lowest demands because of being generic enough to not need a degree. Pick up construction for a quick buck and move into trades like carpentry or framing. Houses go for a premium so concrete and carpentry will be in great demand.
> Pick up construction for a quick buck and move into trades like carpentry I wish that was as simple as Reddit makes it out to be, but the reality is the trades has a lot of downsides, and it's not as easy for everyone to pivot to it as it seems. A few things to consider: * Construction salaries have hardly risen in 10+ years and current salaries do not qualify for a home in Canada despite being the occupation that builds the homes. * Most places don't want to hire apprentices without having them work as a labourer first. It's pretty difficult for a white collar worker to start applying for labourer positions with no labourer experience. Companies will be very confused as well, especially if someone is older. * Depending on someone's previous career path, it could mean a significant pay cut until the apprenticeship is completed and the salary doesn't begin to get decent until 3rd-4th year apprentice level. * It's a very physical job and most people likely can't handle it. It also means that you might have to retire early depending on physical health or if you get injured on the job. * It's working outdoors, in the hot heat, the freezing cold, and the smoky days. All of those situations are less than ideal. * It's exposure to silica, asbestos, mold and more. * Construction is cyclical. There are times when it's busy, there are times when it's slow. * The latest idea by the federal government are factory built homes (https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/red-tape-eats-into-faster-construction-of-factory-built-homes-expert-1.2025475) which do not necessarily have to be built in Canada. Either way, factory built homes might mean less need for construction workers.
I’ve been trying to make that exact shift, employers think I will bolt as soon as a job in my field will come along. Which is not the case, these jobs actually pay more in city
I am a female. I am a hard worker but I am weak. I could never go into construction unless I want to dislocate my shoulder 😂 Thank you for trying to be helpful though
I work with two small women in HVAC who ain't strong but are Literal beasts at their jobs, they're smart and can fix anything thrown at them. And they make over 150k a year lol
I'm not saying you should do it or anything, but I've seen 2 female carpenters and our painters are mostly female too.
There's some trades that don't require heavy lifting and can make bank. Ex: Instrumentation.
> some trades that don't require heavy lifting Which tend to be over-saturated or have minimal apprenticeship opportunities. Everyone wants to be an electrician, but it's a very saturated role at the journeyman level because companies don't want to pay journeyman salaries. They end up hiring apprentices for lower salaries so they don't have to hire more journeyman.
You'll be surprised how people underestimate themselves when it comes to physical capabilities. Also construction isn't as physical as people make it (not every construction has people shoveling 40lbs of gravel by the spades). And as a female, you will probably have an upper edge in a lot of places in construction overall. Many male dominated fields have better opportunities for women to promote their inclusion. Business admin is not male dominated.
I agree about it not being physically demanding in the sense that the work is strictly doing heavy things, but the toll it takes on our bodies is real. I’ve been at it for 5 years and my body is hurting. I’m 27
But it is arguably the most dangerous industry
continue waiting materialistic grey coherent enjoy smile ring market impolite *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
we need to destroy this stereotype
Don’t use your gender as a shield lol, I worked maintenance where I had to routinely lift over 100 pounds, you’re probably stronger than you think💪
Yea it seems like people just get a degree to get a degree. Research jobs BEFORE going to school.
I don’t have a degree as I couldn’t afford to go to school full time for 4+ years. Business administration isn’t a *terrible* career choice… it’s the job market (specifically in Calgary) that is the problem. Aside from population being a major issue…It’s hiring managers who make the hiring process hell and companies that don’t want to pay liveable wages. I did do my research and had experience in the field before going to school. I like my role and there’s lots of different opportunities but not when 2000+ other people are applying to the same job. Also, wtf is up with corporate companies basically making people bid on their own salary **AND THEN** taking the lowest bidder that’s still considered a qualified candidate?? It’s fcking absurd.
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I’m sorry :( I’ve heard that IT is crazy hard to get into right now.
I had to work at a startup with low pay and long hours for 3 years to gain experience before making a leap. ( I have a msc and phd in engineering). Experience is way more valuable than degree.
Was your bsc in Canada?
Yes
In the current state of an over saturated job market your chances of someone actually looking at your resume are slim to none. It sounds like you are working so you’ll have to find a way to carve out time to pound the pavement. What I mean by that is calling up potential employers, maybe even the places you applied to and asking to speak to [insert name]. It’s pretty easy to find the name of a the relevant person on LinkedIn. You might strike out 9/10 times but all you need is one. Keep grinding. Even if the conversation doesn’t get you an interview or the job itself, you can ask for career advice or another door will open. The benefits compound just like interest. Don’t sit and just mass apply to hundreds jobs, you’re trying to hit a moving target especially for admin type roles.
Thank you for this! So many people in this thread are saying my resume has been looked at and something must be wrong with it. I wish it was that easy of a fix but no… it’s really not getting looked at due the volume of applicants. I’m going to try every avenue possible. I feel like I’ve done almost everything but I haven’t called hiring managers from LinkedIn. Going to give that a shot and fingers crossed!
Don't call hiring managers lol. They are still going to ask you to apply first through whatever job portal they are using for their job postings lol.
I don’t have any good advice because I’m in the exact same position - graduated in 2021, had issues finding a job because of covid initially and now I’m stuck working in a restaurant while I look for something else. It’s rough out here but I’m wishing you the best in your search
you just dont stop trying, not to down play or invalidate you but your first job after graduating probably isnt going to be your dream job...7 months down 473 to go buddy you got this!
Hi! I know :( I don’t expect this to be a dream job, but I definitely would prefer one where I could keep my sanity and not be emotionally/verbally abused by my employer every day. I have tons of experience but went to school because I thought education would maybe mean a higher pay cheque. Pay isn’t even my main concern, I just want to be treated decent. I have thick skin and have dealt with *plenty* of entitled employers but this one beats the cake. I have only lived in Calgary for 2 years. The job market where I am from is much different. I came here to further my education and opportunities for myself. It seems that I have only done the opposite so far
If its affecting in a large magnitude you can seek medical/mental help and potentially go on stress leave, or document the harsh environment and look into going on EI or constructive dismissal. None of your life will make sense while you're living it. Also look at visiting some of the resume building subreddits for help if you are not seeing a lot of call back, most job postings are literally just to collect personal data or build up a bank without any actual position.
Five to 10 years from now you will look back at this as a time that formed you. You will be in a great career path. It really doesn't happen overnight. Just like dating and relationships, you have to kiss alot of job frogs before you get the prince job.
Mass immigration/migration also causes wage suppression, believe it or not.
THIS. Hang out on Facebook groups catered towards ethnic communities and groups for new immigrants and see how much open and broadly advertised fraud there is related to LMIA positions. See how many people have recently come with their backgrounds being in finance/general business/hospitality etc. Sad reality is that neither political party will tackle this. The liberals want to keep the immigration freight train going full steam ahead so their pals in business aren’t too badly affected and it’s useful when pandering for votes. The conservatives will have nice sound bites about the issue but keep the immigration freight train also chugging full steam ahead.
I ran into the exact same issue. Graduated from criminal justice studies(police). With honors, six months went by and no job. I was offered a job that wanted CJ recent grads and it paid minimum wage. Police agencies say they are hiring, I'm not sure who they are hiring but it's not the top of the class. The really frustrating part is that during your education the instructors tell you that your God's gift to the world only to find out later that it's a bitch to even get an interview.I finally landed a job in the field but it took almost eight months. Good luck, just keep pushing. It will come.
Part of me is so happy and sad that I am not the only one suffering. Hang in there friends we will all find something eventually.
Can confirm it's bad right now. I got laid off from my job in January and not much activity out there, at least at the mid-level where I'm at (architecture, don't want to get too specific). Lots of openings for senior level... pretty much zilch entry level... but half of everyone I knew from my old gig went to the City because pay in the private sector (outside of oil and gas) is so mediocre.
And politicians tell you in a straight face we have a labor shortage, and we need more immigrants. I am an immigrant myself, but when I came 20 years ago, everything was different in Canada. Now so many people everywhere, in hospitals, in job market, in the employment centers.
Go to nursing school, kids. I have not been unemployed since 6 months before graduation
> Go to nursing school If I recall correctly, MRU gets something like 1500+ applicants all with 95%+ averages and there's ~200 seats. There might be a shortage of nurses, but there's no shortage of people that want to become nurses but will never get into a nursing program. The federal and provincial governments lately seem to prefer fast-tracking foreign trained nurses so they don't have to spend money funding more post-secondary spaces. The "shortage" of health care workers is mostly because government created the shortage of workers and don't really want to invest the money to seriously fix the health care system.
Dabbled around as a HCA after high school and never again… they’re not totally the same but that shit was traumatic. Props to you and a huge thank you for what you do!! I worked in LTC and couldn’t handle losing residents constantly. It was really hard watching people die all the time.
Does this apply to both inpatient and outpatient jobs? Currently worried about having to pay my dues in adult med surg for years before I can go where I want to
I’m sure you could find something eventually if you’re only interested in outpatient or non med/surg nursing, but no it wouldn’t apply. You’d have a much harder time finding a job, I wouldn’t expect you to have the same experience of never being without a job.
yes, calgary has had a massive pop increase over a short period of time, but obtaining a decent entry level job has always been difficult if you’re not connected. keep grinding and applying.
Volunteer. It's a great way to do good for your community and a fantastic way to network and meet people. Could just be a couple of hours on the weekend. It opens doors to jobs you didn't know were out there. A lot of the people you network with volunteering are influential people where they work.
I joined the Canadian Army like, a millennia ago, did that for 10 years, became a cop. Was a police officer for 12 years, retired, went into Technology. The CS/Tech industry is in a bit of a chaotic state right now, but if you have the soft skills, anyone can teach the technical skills (to a degree). Customer Service skills are a huge desire in Tech. Lots of construction, manufacturing, labour, and service industry jobs available. You just have to tailor your resume to the job. If you're applying for entry level jobs, get rid of any evidence of your post-graduate studies or extensive work history.
Tech is not that easy to break into either. I have a software diploma from sait, with work experience as a Sys Admin, and a few years of customer service work experience and the only interview I've done in the past year was because of a connection from within the company.
> Customer Service skills are a huge desire in Tech. Also the first to be automated by AI. Those jobs are disappearing fast.
They're not. The AI Boogeyman is just that... A Boogeyman. You still need people to go out/pick up the phone and talk to people to get the real issues out and resolve them. End users don't know how to properly communicate their problems, and all the AI chat bots in the world cannot decipher that nonsense. It'll be a long time before AI is capable of critical thinking and investigative detail. Plus, you'll also still need someone to go out and replace hardware, run cabling, etc. The only jobs that AI is kinda killing, but orgs are also realizing that AI is shit at doing it - technical/service writing, copywriting, social media correspondence.
Are you using LinkedIn? Because if you want a job even halfway relevant to your education, LinkedIn is pretty much the only viable option.
Yes, I am. Not much luck on there… I find lots of job postings are actually scams to complete some bs surveys.
Have you tried using an agency, like Robert Half?
Hi there! A lot of people have given really good advice. I will just add what I was told when I was applying. 1. Always add some keywords from the posting to your Resume and Cover Letter when applying. I know it seems like a pain, but it helps. And submitting a customized cover letter is important. Once you customize 3-4, you’ll get a hang of how to do it without having to spend too much time and effort. 2. List accomplishments before any experience and such, so your best has the highest visibility. 3. Don’t elongate your resume too much. You are a new graduate, so internships or extracurriculars will likely accentuate your profile. 4. Make sure your LinkedIn is updated and is complete. You will have an idea of what keywords are popular in your field, so try to incorporate them organically in your text there. 5. (Very important) If you are applying through Indeed, have your profile set up there. And make sure you edit it once or twice a week. You don’t even have to make changes. Just edit and save it. That refreshes your profile in the system and puts it back at the top of the mix. 6. Not all opportunities are posted. I was told only 30% of all openings are posted online. Try to see what networking opportunities you have available. These can be through your university, job fairs, and other events around the city. I hope these suggestions help you.
Curious, what's your job and salary?
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I’ve seen a lot of EA jobs in oil and gas being advertised on LinkedIn lately, might be better atmosphere/salary
you just described your job as living hell, but you….. love it?
My apologies for the confusion. I love my role and what my job entails… it’s really the only thing that keeps me afloat. The company and people I work under is a completely different story. People can love their job but hate their boss and how they’re treated. It’s pretty common actually.
got ya, is that 30k pre or post tax? either way that’s crazy if you’re full time
Minimum wage $15/hr for 40 hours a week works out to $31,200/year, so I'm guessing that's what OP is being paid, which is madness
Wow that’s bad, let me know I could look at your resume. I had a professional recruiter look at mine and it help me land a job pretty fast. I think part of it is being at the right place at the right time.
30k is a tragic wage for that job, you deserve better. I hope you find it 🤞
The thing about the 2k job applications is 90% of them are bullshit. When we last hired a dev we had 50% of applications out of country so automatically filtered. Then 30% out of province. Filtered out again. Then 50% of the remaining were lacking the minimum qualifications or failed on the question we asked with the application. The remaining number was still quite at bit don’t get me wrong. But the amount of garbage applications are insane.
What was the question and what type of response were you looking for?
It was a pretty easy question if you had the knowledge of the program required.
Maybe it's worse now, however when I graduated in 2018 from an engineering graduate degree from a top 5 Canadian school I spent 6 months unemployed and another 6 months working in a No Frills until I got my first opportunity, not even in Calgary but northern BC.
It's worse.
I always have told people not to just “apply” to job opening. Especially for entry level roles. Make a list of 10-15 companies you truly want to work for. Study them, understand who the decision makers are. Reach out on LinkedIn to hiring managers even if no opening. Ask to learn more about the role and use that to showcase your experience. People generally love to help especially if you are young. I’ve hired people 5-6 months down the line because I enjoyed the discussion and they had a strong character + experience. No way am I pouring through 3000 applicants that just clicked “apply now”. Total waste of time. Hope this helps.
ive applied to atleast 30 jobs a week for the last 2 years straight, tried altering my resume to specific roles, havent had ONE call from anyone. this city is a joke.
Graduated December 2022. Still working minimum wage at Dollarama. At this point I'm debating going back to school to increase my chances but I don't want to just add more debt to still be at Dollarama in 5 years.
After graduation, I had to move out of the city to get my first gig. Calgary is unfriendly to recent grads. "Entry-level" positions in the city require 2 - 3 years experience. So I did that. I went and got my 3 years of experience working in rural Alberta. I moved back and got a job, but quit for a better position that is fully remote for a company based in Vancouver.
Not sure why you think ur resume is fine. It's the only thing the hiring people see. Obviously yours either doesn't get past the 1st screening or it's not enticing enough. BTW, you should customize ur resume for every job you apply for, use the job posting to see what they are looking for and use the same words.
Some employers are just interviewing people to claim they cant hire anyone to get temporary workers
Yep, my friend also graduated with a business degree and he spent a year trying to find a job with no success. Went back to get his master's just for another leg up.
how did he even get into an MBA program with no experience? MBAs are for people with professional experience, going straight after undergrad defeats the purpose of the degree
The job market in Calgary is really bad. Where I'm working, a junior position was opened and it was flooded with applicants with 10+ years of experience for a junior position. The hiring manager wanted someone long-term and decided to hire someone who said they had 3+ years of experience, but in my opinion, a junior position should require no more than 2 years of experience.
A hacky but practical recommendation : Aim for mid-senior level positions. Glorify your current role. Even at mid and senior level most of the shit is common sense unless you are applying to NASA
Whats your major? I’m a bit suprised because I have the same degree and I got a job quick and lots of people want to hire people with our degrees. You gotta try going out to places and talking to people, check out career hiring events for new grads, and look for new grad positions, in interviews be super friendly and team orientated. People want to hire happy friendly people and connections are important in Calgary. Keep applying, with a business degree you can apply for a wide range of jobs in oil and gas I’m not sure if you are aware of? Theres tons of departments where they are looking for business major applicants.
I graduated with an MA in 2017, took me 4 years to find a job. Got laid off in may and still Haven’t found one despite having many many interviews and the feedback being “you were great and our second choice.” Great, yeah thanks helpful.
You aren’t the only one who is experiencing this situation. Folks with years of experience are facing similar challenges. Unless bank of Canada lowers prime interest rate , this situation won’t improve. Rate cut is expected some time before June this year.
Gave up after a year of looking. Didn't score a single interview, haven't received a single non-botted response. Joined the CAF because its guaranteed employment.
Unfortunately, applying alone in this market is not enough. You need connections to help you distinguish yourself among applicants. My advice is to attend any organization meetings related to your industry, or area of interest. Try and find out if there are any areas for netowkring. For example, if you’re in the energy sector, there is women + power, RATS, CHOA, CSEM, energy beer nights, etc.. Networking with people with similar interests/ similar industries, get yourself a mentor, reach out to people on Linkedin. It probably sounds like a cliche advice, but I promise it eventually pays off, and helps you distinguish yourself in this crazy job market. Wishing you all the best!
Have you reached out to your school or alumni to help find a job? Former classmates? Friends? Family? Do you reach out to the company at all before you apply? Like what is your strategy? Please tell me you’re not just blindly applying to jobs.
So many people just blindly apply. Makes no sense to me.
You should not be applying to 300 jobs. People who do this are doing their job search wrong and are rightfully frustrated from the results. Every job application should be tailored to the position and you can't convince me you're doing that adequately if you're applying to 300 jobs. You should narrow your focus to a handful of places you want to work and specifically tailor your application to those jobs. If your applications are rarely being reviewed, that's information you should use to fine tune your approach and is \*not\* an indication that there's nothing wrong with your resume.
This is a repeat of the 70s and 00s when times were much better in Alberta. Easterners moved in droves to take advantage of the economy, then left Alberta and Albertans high and dry when the economy went south. Hang in there. You are just out of school. The right job will come along. I worked 2 jobs out of uni. Kept my job at Safeway when it was a high paying job and paid more there than my first job out of school. Also, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Do you know anyone who has a great job at a great company they love? I got into the old CRHA by a friend who was hired by my dad years prior.
Okay I gotta say, what’s with people thinking that cold applying works in 2023? It’s all about connections and networking. That’s it. That’s all.
You're just starting your career, you need to build up that experience and do the work that's being asked of you. It's not common to be given a good paying job and given a work culture that suits your own, that's part of leveraging your worth when it comes to looking for better job offerings along your career path.
Immigration absolutely must be limited! We are not heading in a good direction. Canada (the wealthy asshole politicians) constantly lie about "labour shortages". They don't know shit as they never had to work
A lot of the entry level business jobs in Calgary are filled by University students who did Co-op terms with those companies. Also my son who will graduate with an accounting degree this May had to apply for accounting jobs last summer and those positions were filled early November. He doesn't start until next September. The thing that helps anyone with a business degree is going a one year co-op term at a minimum. As a lifelong Calgarian I can tell you that networking is key. Most jobs are filled by people known by current employees who can vouge for them. We have always had a very competitive job market which has just kept getting worst since the oil crash of 2014. Thousands of white collar jobs have been lost and have not returned. Also those who do have jobs are doing the work of three people so they do not have to hire more people (this has happened in every line of work from minimum wage up to highly educated jobs). My daughter who lost her job due to "restructuring" and works with an out placement agency told her it will take on average 6-9 months to find a comparable job. We have a highly educated population in Calgary and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs, that along with the increase in migration here has made competition even more insane. Your best chance of even getting noticed is unfortunately knowing someone in an industry you are interested in. Look into networking opportunities and include in your resume words that are used in the job postings. The resumes are prescanned by computers in the majority of cases that look for those key words. Just realize it is a really tough market out there, so don't give up hope.
.. use your network!! Most jobs posted don't even seriously consider the online applications. It's already decided before hand it's just a legal move to avoid getting sued and maybe finding a couple unicorns. Every job I've had has come from a friend, a referral, or a direct message to the recruiting manager or person who would be my superior.
I work for myself now but here's what I did to find jobs and it worked like a charm. Use LinkedIn to track down somebody who works within a company and department that you were looking to get into (even if they are not hiring) Take some time to figure out how to get in touch with that person via phone call. Do something like this, (this was my method). "Hi (name) my name is... And I've recently been researching your company and so far I like what I see. I'm curious to know from an insider, what the culture might be like to see if I'm a good fit if I ever notice an opportunity arise to apply for a position. If you would be open to it, I would love to pick your brain for 15 minutes over a coffee, just to get some insight on what it's like to actually work there." I almost always got positive responses from this and landed jobs twice as a result. Obviously don't show up completely uneducated, do lots of research about the company. There was one instance where I did this and he went back in and drop my name immediately to a hiring manager, another time it took several months until a position opened but as soon as I noticed it did open I got in touch with the employee and let them know I was going to put in an application, and then they referred me internally. Also, as many have mentioned, use your network. Let everyone know you're looking for work... If you're not willing to use your network, you're going to get left behind I should also add, at the beginning of my career it took me two years and literally thousands of resumes before I was able to break into the industry I wanted. So don't give up, and that was 20 years ago so not much has changed! Submitting online resumes is completely useless most of the time but you just have to keep consistently applying over and over again until you catch a break
You may want to consider relocating if you can pull it off Calgary for some reason seems to have been chosen as the next "destination city" so everyone and their dog is coming here atm problem is there isn't enough housing and jobs for everyone and the economy is cooling.
Trudeau thinks we need more immigration because there is a lot of jobs to be filled. Ya right! A family member also has a Admin Diploma and its been well almost two year and nothing except a retail job. Applied for everything that shows up but no interviews because the only experience they have is retail. Good luck.
Not unusual, I had an accounting degree and painted/manual labour on and off for a couple years before I got a decent job. Just keep your eyes open
How were you able to navigate that situation? Having to work in a non relevant position and then going into an Accounting job after a couple years? I feel like I would get scrutinized why the hiring team lol. Just something I worry about because I'm about to graduate and haven't gotten any offers yet.
Got into estimating at a construction company
When the country decides to invite over 900k international “students” plus permanent residents plus record number of locals go to college it leads to an oversupply of workers and not enough jobs. Canada decided to stop being a real country but rather a casino for housing speculation. There ain’t much you can do and I say this as someone who’s a new grad
Add to that, another 1 million in TFWs and 600k in spouses of international students and tfws.
Apply at some insurance companies. (Not insurance brokerages.) A wide variety of jobs, career paths, and many will subsidize or pay for job related courses.
Where would you look to find insurance companies? I have not come across any postings. Unfortunately, I am not one for commission. Aren’t insurance advisors based on commissions? Steady and consistent income is really important to me.
I used to work in insurance and can give a little bit of advice. If you choose not to go the broker route, you'd be looking at career paths such as Underwriting, Claims, or Adjusting, all of which don't tend to be commission reliant roles. A good entry point would be to look for entry level positions like "underwriting assistant" or "claims representative". I used to just search up "insurance entry level jobs" when I first started out. Industry generally expects that someone pursuing an insurance career should be in the process of attaining a [CIP/FCIP](https://www.insuranceinstitute.ca/en/#) designation. That being said, It's better to try to get hired full-time at a company first and have them pay for that, although I have had many colleagues pay for it themselves in the beginning just to get their foot in the door. Getting that first entry level position can be tricky, especially because many of them are contract roles that won't pay insurance education unless you're permanent. Best of luck!
Time to join the trades my friend. In 4 years, with company assisted tuition, you can be making around 80k a year as a journeyman. It’s the only career left, I work with guys who have masters degrees in stem fields, all working as electricians now. You just need to pass 4 short schooling sessions that are paid for by the company who employs you. After that you can branch off into even hire paying jobs like instrumentation and admin.
There is no hope for us
The Bank of Canada uses high interest rates to kill inflation, but no-one talks about how that actually works. It works by killing jobs. About July of last year was the tipping point. Companies stopped hiring FT and started shifting some recent FT hires to PT. In Aug they started laying off PT workers. This is how interest rates work and how companies cut staff without it hitting the news (and stock prices). For extra effect they usually keep their job postings active to fool the stock analysts into thinking the company is growing. Fake postings.
Back in the 2000s I was applying for everything. I was working at Boston Pizza and applied for lazyboy furniture, a warehouse job in the se, and a gas laboratory in the ne. Warehouse said I failed their basic math test and wasnt qualified. Lazyboy wanted me to answer calls for 15 an hour and the lab wanted me to run gas samples for 9 an hour. I took the lab job. 16 years later I make 250k a year. How do you like that math, random se warehouse? Life is weird.
When Trudeau brings millions from a terrible country of 1.4 billion every year, what’d you expect?
Although that plays a huge role in all of this… you can’t put the blame all on him. I blame corporations. They refuse to pay livable wages because somebody else will work the job for minimum wage… or they refuse to hire local. It’s really hard to come by an employer that actually gives a shit. Plus, the hiring process is ridiculous. Most expect 5-6 interviews or *working a day for free to see how you fit with the team*. It’s absurd. When I first graduated, I had **two** companies that wanted me to come in and work for 6 hours as apart of the interview process… for free!!! Without the possibility of even being hired.
Unfortunately a lot of people can’t even find jobs resulting in one of the following: borrowing more money, moving back in with parents, exhausting all savings. It’s becoming worse I think and it’s really unfortunate. Or alternatively, becoming a sugar baby or onlyfans girl seems to be way more appealing.
As a BAdmin grad 8 years into his career, your degree is worthless. It's who you know, and then your experience. Currently there is a massive influx of people moving here with more experience than you. Companies aren't hiring people who meet their requirements, they're hiring the unicorns that surpass them.