Tag Archives: job market

Career help: Alberta

Posted by Daria on

I have spent many hours on the Internet looking for the correct resources. I have looked at the staffing agencies, various books, blogs and sites… My desire to better myself and other work spaces led me to people who are in charge of helping Albertans to find jobs (of their dreams?). There are people out there that spend money on research and various publications in order to keep the unemployment at its lowest. 

I would like to recommend,  familiar to many, site www.alis.gov.ab.ca. I think that it is very helpful for  Career Planning, Education, Jobs questions… I mean I did learn about this site when I was in High School, taking Career and Life Management Course. I am still not sure that I have learned too much from the course itself, but the resources were there, except when you are in Grade 10 you care very little about real job and thus real income. 

So the point is if you want to get help check out  www.alis.gov.ab.ca

Career Information Hotline was superb and I did use e-Resumé Review Service (https://alis.alberta.ca//ep/eps/hotline/resume.html). You can also submit your resume on-line and it will get read, edited, and sent back to you with very helpful remarks. You can do it all from the comfort of your own home! It is always good to get other people to suggest new ways to improve things.  

You can also view their Publications, most of which are available in the PDF format. Many of the publications are for Employees as well as Employers. Great resources for small offices, big companies, career sites, and for you and me at home!

I had looked at many of their publications. Here! a couple to start:

1. Creating a New Future: The job-loss workbook   

 excellent little workbook, cheesy graphics, all about managing change with a positive spin, Q&A re: Employment Insurance, Dealing with the loss (job-loss), Tips and Tools to help with coping and hoping, Developing a new Plan, plus Resources info. Good pencil and paper excercise for the new jobless.

2. Advanced Techniques for Work Search (the best one!!!)

104 pages of work excercise, helps to identify your own work skills, help with resume and cover letter, interviews, awesome for just sitting down and re-examining your self and work even better than just aimlessly searching the net for tips. very glad that this book is available to people.
There are many other publications on that site… go check some of them out. Let me know what you think! I hope this information was useful!

 

Staffing Agencies Experiment: To Friday or not?

Posted by Daria on

Last week I have received a phone call from the Friday Professional Group Inc.. They wanted me to come in for the staffing agency interview…. nothing new there I guess. I however did not feel comfortable with the amount of information they requested to bring: 3 employer business references, SIN, Alberta Health Card, Drivers, and some other sort of ID…. All IDs requested were of great importance and I know that according to the  Alberta Employment Standards not all of that information is required for the interview! (?) Bah! I might as well give them the key to my house and my bank account! No Way!

The conversation made me feel uncomfortable and I did not go. I am sure some people will find a job through them, but it won’t be me.

 :(

Have you ever had that problem? Is it ok to request so much information over the phone? Scam? What are the regulations regarding collection of private information for the staffing agencies? Why would they need my AHC?

Staffing agencies experiment: Bowen, works?

Posted by Daria on

About a month ago I’ve started working on my social experiment and at the same time waiting for the positive results… I have been to a few screening interviews. My last S.A.E. was with Bowen. I came in with a lot of expectations and a lot of hope for a better future. I did think that their office was conveniently located on the 7th Avenue, easily locatable and accessible by the Calgary Transit.

When I walked into the office, I was offered a coffee/tea and had a chance to sign in and have a look around. After a short wait I was introduced to my recruitment specialist and we had a short and straight to the point interview…  Turns out that there are very few jobs available. End of summer is a very slow season, because those who have jobs- end up going on vacations, while our resumes collect dust. Others, who do not have jobs- make sure that those piles grow bigger and the competition gets harder!

I did learn a lot about my resume, however. I have changed my resume yet again and I hope it will help me to find an administrative job of my dreams. :) I know I say that a lot, but how else does one stay positive!?

Overall, I felt that Bowen had a more personal touch, but nothing has come out of it just yet… 

S: Service

(plus) Good. Pleasant atmosphere. Very personal. They have a great site and a Bowen Blog that has some great tips on employment.

(minus) Results of the computer tests I took were not explained at all… How does one improve?

A: Attitude

Positive, but a bit dull. It might have been dull due to the rainy day.

E: Employment

No offers yet.

Staffing agencies:experiment update

Posted by Daria on

I am now applying to a few more staffing agencies… However I was only contacted by one. I will go visit them this Thursday. I will make sure to be ready:) for anything!

Manpower Inc
Manpower
 OfficeTeam

I am not sure how I feel about the Office Team registration process. It took about 40 minutes and it was hard to clearly explain the skills I have, due to the program they use. After registration I was told that there were no jobs available of any kind for me, so I had to go and change manually what type of jobs I am interested in. :(

 OfficeTeam

Staffing agencies: ‘S.A.E.’ boom or bust experiment

Posted by Daria on

Yesterday, after dropping off a few resumes in the downtown core (Calgary) I found myself very aware of all the different staffing agencies hidden between coffee shops, restaurants, and rent-a-car businesses. It got me wondering how good those companies really are…

At the beginning of my search I have applied to a job which turned into an interview at Randstad . That was my first Staffing Agency Experience. My S.A.E. I guess it was not bad. The Girl who interviewed me was very nice, asked all the right questions and had a very positive attitude. I liked her. The whole process took about two hours. It included an interview with that girl and various computer tests. I consider my computer skills to be closer to an advanced level, I do have a blog :), and I did well on the tests. (At least that is what I’ve been told by the Girl.) As a result I got referred to a different position from the one I applied for originally. I even got a second interview. It was HR related position and the other girl was much more ruthless during the interview process. As I never heard again from the other girl, and she did not answer my follow-up email, I came to the conclusion that I was not ‘a suitable candidate’. Overall it was a bitter-sweet experience. I got my first S.A.E., had two practice interviews, and had to completely rethink every word on my resume as a result. The bitter part is that since December 2008, I did not hear about any other opportunities through Randstad, and had to phone and check twice if they still had my info on file. The Girl said that it was my responsibility to notify them if I see something that they offer and I think I am suitable for… I thought that they were in charge of doing that… Was I wrong?

Yesterday I have decided to run this social experiment on my blog: apply to various staffing agencies and let others know what I thought of the experience, and in the process have information on various staffing agencies be available to my readers.

Earlier today I have submitted my resumes to the companies following below . How long will it take them to respond to my needs?

My S.A.E. Candidates Are:

Ranstad

Placement group

 Friday 

 

 diversified

 aboutstaffing

 I will be interested to see how helpful this companies can be to us, people in search of great employers!

S.A.E. or the Staffing Agency Experience will be rated according to:

S: Service
A: Attitude
E: Employment
“What do you think about staffing agencies and the type of work they do? Have you ever had to go to a staffing agency to find a job of your dreams? What aspects do you like or dislike about staffing agencies?”