Finding employment means you need two things: contacts and
skills. The right combination of both means you are one step closer to finding the right job for you.
Skills involves having the education, training and experience for a job. For many, this involves post-secondary education
of one kind or another. People aiming their sights on certain professions, like medicine or teaching,
generally go to university, while others interested in entering the trades
go to a technical school like NAIT. Many educational programs
offer co-op or apprenticeship programs, where you actually get experience in your chosen field. For example, Educations students at the U of A
student teach, while engineers have a co-op.
But sometimes education is alone not enough to give you an edge in today's competitive marketplace.
Sometimes heading to a recruiting agency is the right thing to do. Recruiting agencies are
commissioned by business to fill positions for them, and pay the agency a fee once
the position is filled. Some of the better-known agencies in Edmonton include
David Aplin and Associates and Harcourt and Associates.
It also never hurts to keep an eye on job advertisements in local newspapers. Every Saturday there is an extensive Careers section in the Edmonton Journal, in addition to the daily classified listings.
Hitting the Internet can open up job possibilities as well. Getting your resume online can give you
an edge by showing potential employers you are Internet saavy, as well as giving you an Internet presence by which employers can
find you. One such resource is Edmonton Resource Network, which, for a fee,
will post highlights of your resume, a short biography and contact information.
Searching the Internet for jobs can help you find up to date job listings that are even more current than anything in the printed media.
Several sites now exist that summarize the listings in newspapers, as well as from the sources of the people who run the sites,
making for resources that are very comprehensive and valuable. Edmonton Jobs is one such site which
can link you up with employers, agencies and job banks. Edmonton Worklinks brings you
job listings from printed sources, as well as job boards of interest to Edmonton and Alberta-based job seekers. The boards include postings
for positions with the City of Edmonton, University of Alberta and Edmonton Public Schools.
Do you know of any excellent resources for job seekers? Please let me know.
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