Dear Sandra,
I’ll soon be completing my degree and since it’s been a few years (well, 20 to be honest), since I’ve had to look for a job, I’m wondering where to start looking on my own. As I’m single and without kids at home, I don’t care where I go, though I’d prefer to stay in Canada. Are there internet sites specific to Canadians that one can go to? Thanks.
Joblessly Confused in Dauphin
Dear Joblessly Confused,
Since I don’t know what field of work you are looking for, I’ll give you some generic advice, and hopefully it helps other students as well.
First of all, job sites. There are tons of them! Here are just a few:
http://jobs.gc.ca Here you’ll find job postings with the federal government. If you are interested in provincial government employment just search your local provincial web page. For most provinces there is a link on the home page to jobs currently available. There is also a section for recent (or upcoming) post-secondary graduate students.
http://jb-ge.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca The National Job Bank is free for employers and employees to use. It lists opportunities provided by employers across Canada. They also have current links to various major newspapers’ career and classified sections across Canada.
http://careerclick.com This site has a job bank as well as the ability to post your resume for employers to see, and you can register to receive a weekly email updating you about job postings relevant to you.
http://workopolis.com Claims to be Canada’s biggest job site, though I don’t know how to go about proving that! Includes job listings, articles about job and career planning, and a resource center to help you locate information about job training and job-targeted post-secondary education.
http://monster.ca Here you’ll find job listings as well as career advice. You can also post your resume for employers across the country to browse. Be careful, though. Some working people have posted their resumes online hoping they might get lucky and land a dream job, only to have their current employer find their listing!
http://actualjobs.com A simple site with an estimated 20,000 + job vacancies posted daily from across Canada. You can search by location, or by company.
Second, I’d suggest surfing the websites of large corporations or institutions that relate to your field, as most of these sites have a current job postings page and/or human resources contact information. I’d also suggest checking out the websites of cities/towns you might be interested in locating to; current job vacancies are usually also linked off the home page. And, if you don’t want to go on-line, go to your local library and browse through career advertisements in various newspapers across Canada.
With modern technology, there are so many ways for employers to advertise positions with their company that it becomes impossible sometimes for employees to find these ads. Prepare yourself for days of endless surfing, GOOD LUCK!
Sandra
I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! TELL ME YOUR TROUBLES. YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IS ASSURED.
This column is for entertainment only. Sandra is not a professional counsellor, but is an AU student who would like to give personal advice about school and life to her peers. Please forward your questions to Sandra care of smoore@ausu.org
