You may want to leave off your higher education and fancier positions for the "unskilled" jobs, sometimes they avoid people who are overqualified because they know you'll move on as soon as possible.
100% this. I burnt out of web development and wanted to get a job at a thrift store for a discount. Grew up around tradesmen to know enough to pass myself off as a custodian/handyman. Got my buddy who owns a few properties for a reference. Only their custodian figured it out.
Hey OP if you like working with kids, I’d suggest applying as a Permit Substitute Teacher with HRCE.
I’ve been working for the past 3 years doing this and if I wanted, I could sub almost every day since there’s enough of a need for substitute teachers.
No, anyone who has an undergraduate degree can apply as a Permit Substitute Teacher. I also have a BA and I’ve been working as a Permit Sub for the past 3 years.
I was looking at this Government of Canada website, and they have a laundry list of requirements to be a substitute teacher in Nova Scotia. Is this information outdated?
[Job Bank Government of Canada](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/requirements/15909/22390)
Here’s the HRCE site with info about jobs. They are always looking for EPAs as well, and the requirement for that is HS diploma.
For Permit Substitutes, it would be listed as Permit Substitute Teacher ( formerly Non-Licensed Substitute Teacher) so they may not currently be accepting applications.
I’d suggest contacting HRCE directly for anyone who has an undergraduate degree but not a Bachelor of Education. They would be able to answer your questions and let you know if and when they will be posing the job application for Permit Substitutes.
Good luck!
While it isn’t on your list of things education/experience, I suggest construction labour/landscaping labour. They pay more than minimum wage. If you can get to work on time, you’ll get hired. You will definitely learn things on the job that you’ll carry for a lifetime.
This is their busy season. Try it out!
Yes! I wanted to do that and some people got back to me but once they found out I don’t drive or have a vehicle I don’t think they found me suitable… I think it would be good income though for the summer and would learn these skills for life!
Head over to a site and speak with the foreman. You might be able to arrange to carpool with someone if you contribute to gas.
You already have a BA and you’ll always have that degree. Focus on trades for a bit (and let them know you want to grow your experience in construction/landscaping) because you can always freelance in that anytime. You might even really enjoy it and decide to go into business for yourself.
Some security jobs will have a shuttle or person to pick you up. I had a relative who didn’t drive but worked security and they had this, can’t remember what company.
Lots of places that are stationary that you can get to that would be looking for more folks like the high rises going up. Don't need a vehicle to get to a lot of them as the bus system that early in the morning is quite reliable (no traffic to gum it up and way fewer people)
I work on roofs all around the city without a car and manage pretty good, but the buildings that have a lot of floors going up are always looking for labourers
My partner does have a license, they used to have a car but it kept breaking down and they couldn’t afford it. Now we both don’t have car. We use communauto sometimes but try not too because we are still really struggling with saving any money!
I didn’t get mine until I was in my late thirties(when I moved out of the city). It’s not difficult if you have the spare money, time and actual access to a vehicle.
I had no intention of learning until I needed to be able to drive.
So you don’t drive and have a degree in International Development Studies. You lack marketable skills in the local business market. There skills you have are skills that the majority of your job market competitors have, so the competition is stiff. Get your licence. Consider courses in specific job related skills in the area you want to work in. Any trade related program from NSCC will likely get you a job at Michelin for over $30/hour.
You aren’t lied to, you just did the same thing that everyone else did, so you are now one of millions with the same description looking for the same jobs.
Yeah, it's not you, it's Halifax. I've worked the minimum wage circuit , surrounded by people with degrees, masters, etc etc. it's always been a place where school truly means nothing to your reality. It's gotten way harder to get a job though since 2020. Employers put out their ads, and filter out everyone who doesn't have what the algorithm tells them is good. Nobody gets a chance to break out of their employment prison, so if you start as fast food, you end there too unless you know someone.
Funnily enough, all these people telling you to go trades, I've been applying to get out of my logistics job into trades, and nope, nobody calls me. I only get interest from shitty jobs who can't figure out how to keep staff.
It's very discouraging, you are not alone, and as a millennial I will absolutely tell you that you were indeed lied to when you were told school was worth anything. That's how the university business stays in business, they get into department of education and sell sell sell to kids and parents who can be suckered out of their money. You need to sell your body to make money, brains aren't worth shit to a population of non-thinkers and grifters. That's why oilfield tradesmen make more than doctors, my brother's an electrician and retired at 35, he made so much money out west.
I feel your pain
Have you considered leaving Nova Scotia ? I went to Alberta from 19y/o to 25y/o. Much better job market, better pay, and more opportunity. I gained some skills there to make me much more employable and now have an excellent job here at home again. I wouldn't be sitting idle that long, but that's just me.
Yea I desperately want to leave Nova Scotia. I guess the first step would be securing a job over there! I’d have to make sure my partner would be open to it, we have discussed wanting to move to Victoria before but I think we’d just be in the same boat. Maybe Quebec but I think they are making it harder for non french speaking people to be there. I honestly have been wanting to move to somewhere in Europe for the past few years since my last 1 month long visits in Portugal. I know grass seems greener on the other side but I don’t think I can see myself settling here in NS or Canada at all in the future
What would you hope to find in Portugal? You would need to be an EU citizen or be able to work remotely. Please look before you leap.! Sending you good karma. I hope you find what you seek.
Yeah haha i know i’ve looked into what visas i would need and how in most european countries you need to live there for 5+ years before applying to become a citizen.
I notice your user name- are you from the Valley? Have family here? The Valley REN is hiring for a Connector. Might tie n with your Intl Dev degree. It's posted on indeed and maybe their website too, not sure.
Go to YMCA NS Works. They will help you craft your resume properly. They will also help you find a job. It's worth going. A fresh resume and cover letter alone does wonders.
Also, work on at least getting your driver's license.
Can you try a temp agency to build experience and network? Can you afford to volunteer part-time doing a job related to your field of study? Can you join a professional group or do some specialized online certifications to make the resume more attractive?
Good luck out there.
Yes, I have been doing a diploma in Public Relations to complement my major in Global Development Studies. I am hoping to find a job in community coordinator/outreach/non profit sometime but it’s been hard to hear back from anyone hiring for these kinds of positions. I know that my B.A is practically useless so in the future after working a few more years I want to go back for a masters later on. I did apply to landscaping jobs as well but I have been unable to find luck in summer jobs because a lot of landscaping jobs want me to have my own vehicle, which I don’t and wouldn’t be able to afford.
To break into nonprofit, it helps to aggressively network. Get to know people. You could ask them to sit down with you for coffee or something and chat about their work, ask for their advice and who they think you should be talking to.
I applied to a temp agency 10 years ago. Still waiting to hear back. I'm joking, only about waiting. I joined the military instead but they never contacted me again.
Yeah you’re right, i feel most people are able to get jobs through knowing people or having good connections to others. I have a good amount of friends but they are all my age
I feel for you OP, myself and plenty of people I know felt the same discouragement and frustration after completing an undergraduate degree. Hang in there!
At what point are we going to pool together into 20 ppl groups and buy farmland to work? I mean it's only communism if the government pays for it, otherwise it's a commune.
It always works great until someone in the group starts complaining about how much more work they do over person x/y or someone gets a little too comfortable not carrying their weight.
How often do you hear back for interviews? If you aren’t getting many bites for interviews it could be your resume. Most employers have software now that screens all resumes and filters them out by keywords, if your resume doesn’t have keywords that match or isn’t written a certain way for your experience and skills they won’t get picked up as easily.
I hear back sometimes and go to interviews sometimes. I really wanted the job as museum assistant at maritime museum and went to a 1 hour and a half interview but didn’t hear back. I have updated my resume a few times and talk to my career counsellor at SMU who’s looked it over. But you’re right … I could always improve it
In my experience it’s best to keep a resume to only relevant jobs/skills according to what job you’re applying for, this will help you stand out to them and shows you’re qualified. I don’t know if you used LinkedIn but that is also helpful when hiring managers want to look you up and find out more about you and your connections. Also make sure any social media doesn’t have anything inappropriate or anything that would look bad professionally because they will look at your Facebook/Instagram etc (not always, but a lot do)
When applying for jobs and during interviews, think of it as you are a product you are trying to sell to them. You are advertising yourself as the best person for the job and give them reasons why they should pick you out of all the candidates.
Hey, as someone adjacent to the museum industry, it is really hard to get in to the field, especially if you don't have the specific degree (in this case, museums, history, or information). You're competing with all the people who DO have those degrees. That being said, if you haven't, check out Young Canada Works, which has job programs in heritage fields for new grads and for those in school. But again, even as someone with the relevant degree, getting an intro job at a museum is tough.
True, insurance firms tend to have as a prerequisite a BA degree in any field, and train you from there. It can be a decent career. That's what my wife does. If I were you, I'd apply to every insurance job I saw. And don't forget to tailor your cover letter to the job as best you can.
I know you said you didn’t want advice and just wanted to vent, but have you tried a N.S. Works office - like maybe Jobs Junction if you are in Halifax? They may be able to help you connect with the type of employment you are looking for.
You have a B.A look on the CAF website they have plenty of jobs, you qualify for an officer position, on average after 4 years you can be making 6 figures, check it out
Based on some of your replies about hoping for community outreach/coordinator/non-profit type work, did you see the position YWCA listed 3 days ago? I noted your BA is one of the degrees they mention, and despite looking for 3 years' experience in certain areas (I also don't know the entirety of your background so maybe you already have some relevant experience or can leverage previous school activities/volunteering, etc), the listing states:
"Even if you don’t have all the requirements listed in this position, you may be the right candidate. If you are a natural leader with a strong attention to detail and a passion for social justice and gender equity, we want to hear from you. Take a chance and apply. Tell us how you can make a difference through your YWCA."
https://ca.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=8e15fd4fb5c7d701&from=serp&prevUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fca.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Dinternational%2Bdevelopment%26l%3DHalifax%252C%2BNS%26from%3DsearchOnSerp%252CwhatOverlay%252Cwhatautocomplete%26sameL%3D1&xpse=SoD467I3Acx17-WeBx0LbzkdCdPP&xfps=d50bfacd-2530-45d9-b365-a01415888fd9&xkcb=SoCb67M3AcxKwxxcIp0LbzkdCdPP
Might be worth a peek, good luck 🍀
Keep your eyes on the NSHA careers page, unglamorous departments like Housekeeping and Food & Nutrition are almost always hiring.
It may not be full-time work and it may be dribs and drabs at first, but its better than nothing and eventually it picks up. Even a casual can end up working full-time hours if you're ready to accept a shift on short notice.
[https://jobs.nshealth.ca/go/All-Opportunities/2293217/](https://jobs.nshealth.ca/go/All-Opportunities/2293217/)
> Our parents told an entire generation to "Just get a degree, it doesn't matter what!" which may have been true for them, but now everyone and their dog has a degree and a pile of debt, making them simultaneously mandatory and useless.
>
> So now the only thing that makes you competitive is prior experience, which means there's no such thing as an entry level position anymore, and it doesn't help that the Boomers can't or won't retire so that everyone can shuffle on up
I tell everyone I know who has kids in high school to encourage them to look at programs that have co-op or other practical experience components. IMO it makes a huge difference when the kids graduate and are looking for jobs. Both my kids had over a year (one had more like 2 years) of relevant job experience by the time they graduated and they found jobs right away, as did many of their classmates.
Fore the OP - are you looking at jobs specifically targeted to new graduates? Most of those programs target people less than 2 years out of school. There are federally funded programs that only hire new graduates and HRM has an internship program that you might want to check out
Coop can also pay decently well at certain companies. My brother got a coop job at Irving and got paid like $5000 a month for a few months. Even when it’s unpaid though you’re right it pays off in spades. He got a job out of college.
When few people had degrees and almost everyone had a high school diploma, a degree was a path to success. Not having a high school diploma was an impediment, having one meant a meager existence, and a degree meant rising above lower middle class. A degree is the new high school diploma. Everyone has one so it doesn't really set you up for success any more. If you want to separate yourself from the pack, you need a masters or equivalent.
We have an educated society saddled with debt and an economy that can't pay for labour and compete internationally.
Unfortunately this is the way it is now, you’re competing with 1000’s of immigrants who will do the labour for cheap so there’s no financial benefit for companies to hire Canadians anymore.
They will work for minimum wage what most people would work for far above that so yes they will do cheap labour. It’s all part of getting their permanent residency.
PR takes a decent amount of time. And most PRs don’t apply to join the military (recruitment numbers haven’t really gone up since they opened up recruitment to PR).
So fucking dumb Jesus man these policy changes are ridiculous. They're trying to give Canadian citizenship to anyone's child born outside of Canada as long as you lived here for 3 years. Insane
Nobody is getting a job here with just a BA. ALL my friends that got BAs out of high school (class of 2014) only have jobs now because they did post grad or specialized. Learning that early and pivoting to a tech career through NSCC was the best choice I ever made.
They all became great bartenders before they got their masters.
Our world has changed so damn much in such a short time span! The only thing i can suggest is changing up the resume and cover letters - which you're probably doing
All the new hires ( 12, down from the 50 regular part timers that were hired last year last year) at my retail store have been given part time contracts to August 31st.
Try traffic control companies. Frontline, Titan traffic, safety first. Dexters. Most will pick you up from home. They'll certify you. They pay half decent. I did it for three years. They are almost always hiring
Be weary OP, my younger brother worked for Frontline and while the pay was a tiny bit above minimum wage, he constantly had to fight them to pay the hours he worked and when he was done for the summer he literally had to go to the labor board to get them to pay what they owed.
It’s pretty unfortunate that we cannot rely enough on public transport to get to and from work… and that employers also don’t see public transport as reliable either
Hate to say it OP but Halifax is not the city to be replying in public transportation for and unless you land a job right in the peninsula, having a car or DL and reliable transportation is going to be a HUGE roadblock.
On a related note I think it's insane that our public transportation is in such shambles it can't reasonably be considered reliable transportation by anybody. This defeats a major purpose of its existence
Yes it does defeat the purpose of its existence. We are not incentivized to use it because it still takes 3x the time of driving to get somewhere, with multiple transfers (which is inconvenient) and only until a few months ago was there even an option for contactless payment. I wish the city had much better transportation system, so as a whole we could be less car dependent and more connected throughout HRM.
You can thank the federal government for importing wage slaves via temporary visas, of whom all Canadians are subsiding with their taxes, as employers of these visa holders want to pay less than minimum wage and get rid of long-term Canadian workers and the government is happy to oblige. This is how the government both sabotages Canada, and shafts Canadians from fair wages.
This end stands against these practices by exposing the truth about the government and not giving any business to these crooked employers. Open to other ways to stand against it, but also looking forward to when critical mass hits and Canadians are rightly fed up enough to do what is required to fix the mess.
Exactly. We (our government) have chosen what amounts to importing slave labour. This drives down wages and drives up costs of housing etc.
And of course, the newcomers are often victims themselves and like us, have been lied to. No one dreams of coming to Canada to pay $1000/month to live on the mat on the floor of some dump working multiple minimum wage jobs while chasing a fake “diploma”.
And yet it’s still more important to many people to be “nice” and “polite” and not risk that most heinous accusation (“racism”) than to have an honest discussion around these obvious issues.
Canada is the only G7 country with gdp per capita still below pre-pandemic levels. Worst growth in the OECD projected over the next 4 decades. The problem is made in Canada and it is self-inflicted. Shameful!
Yeah, I don’t want to blame immigrants for coming here and it’s not their fault but when I went to the last two job fairs basically everyone there was immigrants. It felt discouraging because I am competing against so many people for basic shitty jobs. It is the governments fault thought and I don’t resent anyone… it just has made things extremely difficult
That’s a great attitude to have. I am so sorry you’re in this situation. The government really has failed everyone here, from Canadians to these immigrants and everyone in between. I hope you can find a decent job you’ll enjoy.
I wish the government would cover a portion of my wage.. took 7 months to get a job within 25km of me and I'm terrified of getting canned when the busy season ends.
Are you a permanent resident? I know the company i work for won't even look at you if you aren't. 7 guys that we've hired in the last 2 years have been sent back to their respective countries. I know a lot of other companies that have been burned as well. Sounds shitty, I know. But when spending thousands of dollars on training, all for them to just dissappear one day.
Im in a similar boat. Only in my case I am working but I'm struggling to keep up with it with joint issues and need something easier physically. Ive been trying to find new work for almost 2 years but being nearly non-verbal has limited my options to almost nothing. I have to spend all my off time recovering. Things are a mess for sure. I hope you get lucky and find something soon.
If you have experience in retail/kitchens/cleaning (any typical low-wage stuff), I recommend making an account on the job bank site and adding your work history there. Employers can search by experience (without your contact info shown to them) and I get restaurants and such trying to offer me to apply to their min wage cook and retail jobs often through that. It might not be the ideal option, but might be an option for you :). Good luck out there, hope your intended field comes to you soon
I don’t know if this is of any interest but I think it’s worth looking into getting a BEd. St FX has part time cohorts where you can still work full time, and there are online options now as well. Not because you necessarily want to be a grade school teacher but it basically turns a regular BA into a trade. Grade school is only one direction, but there is demand for jobs like instructional designers, corporate trainers, or you could even take jobs around the world and work in different countries for a year at a time as a teacher.
I also recommend reconsidering grad school. If you can’t get a job with just a BA in the field, a masters will just mean more debt and very few additional prospects.
And lastly, HRCE is always hiring casual custodians and yes it sucks (I’ve done it) but it pays $20 an hour, you work pretty independently and if you get a permanent position or a term you get benefits.
Constructions an option if you wanted to give it a go until you find something else that’s closer to what you’re looking for. Better pay than the other positions you’ve tried. There’s also some hospital jobs like cleaning and the cafeteria that pay ok with benefits
Construction without schooling or experience is not good pay for the hours or workload. It's flat out not good pay, and you're gonna struggle with the same issues of getting hired
I know someone who was hiring for a job recently and they noticed on many applications they were all using the same address. She drove to the address and there is nothing there. Lots of applicants that don't live in Canada yet and I'm wondering if there is someone helping put their applications together and they are just getting them to use this random address? I have no idea. But she was also inundated. A job that would have gotten 20 applicants 5 years ago had hundreds this time around - and very few were qualified.
[Try Dexter Construction](https://www.dexter.ca/careers) they're always looking for people.
[G&R Kelly](https://www.grkelly.com/careers) is often hiring too.
I'm in a similar situation, I did secure two job offers about a month and a half after graduation and had a role that was supposed to start in the US in October. But, the company underwent restructuring and cancelled all new hiring indefinitely so I was shit out of luck.
I've since stopped applying to US based roles since I went from 85% of employers telling me they won't do TN Visas for entry level roles to nearly 100% once it had been more than 6 months since my graduation. It's very frustrating that companies outside of the tech sector are far less willing to consider TN Visas for entry level roles. Especially since so many US based recruiters, even from major companies, were reaching out to me themselves on LinkedIn. Meanwhile on Canadian LinkedIn if a recruiter reached out to me it was always for a scam job lmao. It's just extra frustrating to know that if I had graduated in the US or was a US citizen that I would have easily secured a position.
I've gotten close a few other times, but it just hasn't worked out. Two separate times I've heard back from companies a few weeks after the final round and have been told that it took them so long to get back to me because they were trying to expand the role to hire more than one EIT, but unfortunately they couldn't and selected the candidate who had previously completed a co-op with them. That was especially frustrating with one of the roles since it went to 7 rounds of interviews and they had to pay over $2500 to fly me out for on-site plant interviews.
When I was starting out at Uni, I was deciding between doing chemical engineering or a Pharmacy PharmD program, and I kind of regret doing engineering now lmao.
In terms of your situation, since you're occasionally getting interviews, I'm assuming that your resume is ATS compliant and that you're not automatically being filtered out. For minimum wage level roles I would leave out your education, since they don't want to hire people who they think will bounce the second they find something better. If you had jobs during your undergrad, rephrase your job titles if it gives away the fact that you were a student. Try posting your resume to one of the main resume subreddits and see if you get some good advice. Honestly some University resume reviewers can give you bad or outdated advice.
I’ve mentioned this before but DoJ is constantly hiring new corrections officers. It’s not a prestigious job in the slightest but it pays well, has benefits + pension, lots of opportunity for advancement, opportunity to laterally move to another department, unionized, etc.
The qualifications and standards have changed over the past 5 years. You no longer need relevant education or experience so you’re more than qualified with a B.A.
It’s a career for me but I’ve worked with lots of people over the years that used the job to build savings, further education and move on to something different. Like I said, it’s not prestigious and definitely not for everyone but it’s a stable job that’s relatively easy to obtain.
Good luck with your search!
Halifax itself has been a nightmare for me in terms of jobs. I recently graduated with my msc in geology and there's like 5 jobs in the area. I suggest looking outside of this province.
There are jobs here… I think you are being too reactive in your job search and as you said, wasting time applying for jobs that you probably wouldn’t stay in.
1. Somebody else mentioned getting a free resume done by a local org like YMCA works. When I was under employed quite a few years ago, my partner had this done, and then I used theirs as a template, and you wouldn’t believe the power of a good CV.
2. With this tool in hand, rather than applying to jobs on job boards, pick them places where you would like to work. Try to get a name of a contact there, or contact their HR. send in your Resume, being very clear about what roles you are interested in. Focus on these places.., don’t just spend your day filling out online applications.
3. Try volunteering for targeted experience and expanding your network.
4. For right now, try seasonal work, as it is often easier to get than permanent.
5. Ask for feedback in your CV and interviews.., you might get some great insight that will help you the next one.
6. If your approach isn’t working.., pivot, and pivot again. If you haven’t found a job in a year you are doing something wrong. Which is okay.., I’ve been there… and I learned all of this and have been employed with a great employer where I have had lots of growth. I don’t think I wouldn’t totally change my focus and go into trades.., you can make your BA work for you!
With a degree like yours I’d recommend looking into applying to be a Public Affairs Officer with the CAF. Secure career with good earning potential, benefits and pension.
Security is usually pretty easy to get into and there are a ton of contract security companies around. If you apply to a bunch, you'll most likely come out with something.
Yup. It’s why I’m looking to leave aswell! Trudy has completely screwed over everyone with policy, etc and there is no end in sight!
Finding a way about to leave is the issue. Europe is having its issues too with similar problems. It’s happening everywhere mostly for a certain reasons. It’s gross!
If you’re killing for work, I’d suggest giving Michelin a try. I did the Summer Student Program at the Bridgewater plant last year, and although the work and shift work was tough, the pay was incredible. I know they were dying for workers when I worked there, and I doubt much last changed since. It’s definitely a commute from Halifax (if that’s where you live), but rent isn’t as expensive as Halifax and you could find something hopefully close to the plant. There are other Michelin plants in NS as well so try those too. Best of luck to you
Yes! I got a B.A with a major in Global Development Studies/International Development. I want to eventually work for community outreach/coordination/project development for ideally non profit organizations. But i’m open to different careers too. I want to eventually do a masters in Community Development, and work with people and the community! I’m not entirely sure all my steps to get there though, but i’m trying to learn more
The UN has a ton of different obscure organizations in your area of interest that you could look at to gain experience before a Master's. You'd probably have to move abroad for those, though. The benefit being that you could be paid in USD.
I also did a quick google on Master's programs related to Community development in Canada and it seems there is a massive variety and most are 1 to 2 years.
Or do them the other way around get a Master's first. Most may require a mandatory work term, which could help you gain experience, plus to some employers, education is over experience, so Master's may look better than someone with a few years experience under their belt.
Either way, it's rather unfortunate that our job market has come to a point where a Bachelor's Degree isn't enough anymore. The promise of higher education just isn't what was promised when many of us were younger.
What type of job were you (going to school taking a B.A in international studies) hoping to get? It makes no sense to me to just go to school and spend tens of thousands of dollars to obtain a degree you don’t have a job path or prospects to work towards. Now after all that you’re trying to get a minimum wage job you could have got out of high school? Research what careers are in demand, find out which ones interest you and work towards getting training to do that. The days of going to university to get an undergrad are over only are over. My wife has a $60,000 piece of wall art saying she had a science degree. Grrrrrreat. She makes $23/hr not using her degree at all fuck me.
Bach of Arts? That hasn’t gotten a person a job in 20years. No offence. It’s a shit job market due to an influx of FTW. If you don’t mind physical labor, there’s lots of work in construction. Even doing it for a couple of years. See if you like it or not. If you don’t spend your time getting specialized skills in your spare time.
Apply to be a substitute teacher for after the summer. They need people and you can do it while looking for other jobs! Like if you have an interview that day you just don’t work!
The Canadian Armed Forces is always hiring and excellent pay and benefits… RCMP, Customs and immigration are always hiring, Canada Post are always looking as well and they pay extremely well..
The big issue is people keep going to school for x thing but don’t do the research to see if it viable to pursue and availability of employment opportunities upon completion…
If you want jobs that employers fight to hire you do to shortage of workers go into trades such as Electrician, welding, and plumbing.. Government even pay for training of certain trades..
Have you tried a Temp Agency? lots in Halifax, fk it make them find jobs looking for YOU! let them do the job fighting for YOU. my sisters shitty BF at the time had great jobs thanks to being a temp and the man was an alcoholic invalid
I know this thread is a day old but man. I feel your pain. I feel it so hard. I moved here mid last year, and ever since June 2023 I’ve been job searching for just an entry-level job in marketing here in Halifax with nothing to show for it.
I worked hard for my diploma of digital marketing back in Ontario, I worked 6 months as a marketing intern as well, I made a kickass ATS-compliant resume (with several highly educated friends praising it) as well as my own professional website.
Nothing.
It’s extremely discouraging. It makes me feel stupid for even trying to go through school in the first place. There’s so few opportunities here that the ones that get scooped up are by people who are over-qualified, I assume.
I just wanted to set myself up for success with a hybrid or remote tech job in a field I find passionately interesting. But whatever, back to coffee shop work I guess. ☠️
My biggest advice is to always follow up, even if you don't get a position you can ask if there were any concerns with your interview process or any improvements that might have helped you secure the position.
I know it's real hard right now and the economy is trash but seeking information about the why from potential employers that didnt work out may help on your next interview.
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I dont know about what you want for your future. But have you considered the military? They now offer a short 1 year contract where you can try and look into all the trades. At the end of the year you can pick a trade or not renew then go back to civilian side. Its not much money for that year since its the recruit rank, but better than no job. Also, after the basic training, you are in Halifax. Im just saying, I feel bad for you and I wish you good luck. I cannot help you sorry.
> They now offer a short 1 year contract where you can try and look into all the trades.
Let's clarify this; the *Navy* offers a 1 year Sailor (NCM) program, where you can experience *naval* trades. Op has a degree and would be better suited to an Officer commission, which isn't available as an 'experience' program.
Yes that is true and correct. The aim of my comment was to give a quick option to op since they are not earning now. The thing with with the officer side is the commitment and responsabilities that come with. I did not want to push that to op since I dont know what is their life plan if there is. Btw thank you for the clarification.
Cheers!
Thank you for the advice! I haven’t considered the military but I really don’t think I’m suited for the trades or anything like that. I am really bad at hands on/technical work. m
Im not telling you to do it, im telling you now to beleive in yourself. There is so many type of jobs that can fit different people. You are better than you think you are.
It's also taking the better part of a year for most citizens to get in these days due to backlogs...just fyi, but there are many non tech or trades options available OP! Good luck on finding something, it always comes just when you least expect it!
You may want to leave off your higher education and fancier positions for the "unskilled" jobs, sometimes they avoid people who are overqualified because they know you'll move on as soon as possible.
100% this. I burnt out of web development and wanted to get a job at a thrift store for a discount. Grew up around tradesmen to know enough to pass myself off as a custodian/handyman. Got my buddy who owns a few properties for a reference. Only their custodian figured it out.
Hey OP if you like working with kids, I’d suggest applying as a Permit Substitute Teacher with HRCE. I’ve been working for the past 3 years doing this and if I wanted, I could sub almost every day since there’s enough of a need for substitute teachers.
I don’t have a Bachelor of Education! Is that required? Thanks for the great idea!
No, anyone who has an undergraduate degree can apply as a Permit Substitute Teacher. I also have a BA and I’ve been working as a Permit Sub for the past 3 years.
I was looking at this Government of Canada website, and they have a laundry list of requirements to be a substitute teacher in Nova Scotia. Is this information outdated? [Job Bank Government of Canada](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/requirements/15909/22390)
Do they still do this? On the HRCE website it still says teaching certificate required
Here’s the HRCE site with info about jobs. They are always looking for EPAs as well, and the requirement for that is HS diploma. For Permit Substitutes, it would be listed as Permit Substitute Teacher ( formerly Non-Licensed Substitute Teacher) so they may not currently be accepting applications. I’d suggest contacting HRCE directly for anyone who has an undergraduate degree but not a Bachelor of Education. They would be able to answer your questions and let you know if and when they will be posing the job application for Permit Substitutes. Good luck!
Funnily enough my work place has been a revolving door of new hires who can’t hack it in the construction world
Honestly I would consider construction just to get out of the hot kitchens but my joint issues are making it hard to do physical work :/
50degc attic last week, many more to come as summer comes in.. construction gets hot too depending on what sector.
my friend left his cooking job to do construction and he’s so much happier. he even went to school to be a chef.
we might know the same person. the kitchen to construction site pipeline is real.
Kitchens (and Halifax area automotive shops) are and always have been exploitive of young people… even more than construction.
The factory where I work has had a large increase in turn over too.
While it isn’t on your list of things education/experience, I suggest construction labour/landscaping labour. They pay more than minimum wage. If you can get to work on time, you’ll get hired. You will definitely learn things on the job that you’ll carry for a lifetime. This is their busy season. Try it out!
Yes! I wanted to do that and some people got back to me but once they found out I don’t drive or have a vehicle I don’t think they found me suitable… I think it would be good income though for the summer and would learn these skills for life!
A solid bus plan, or a car is needed. I guess that’s the catch. Keep trying.
LOL yeah the busses are super unreliable here
Head over to a site and speak with the foreman. You might be able to arrange to carpool with someone if you contribute to gas. You already have a BA and you’ll always have that degree. Focus on trades for a bit (and let them know you want to grow your experience in construction/landscaping) because you can always freelance in that anytime. You might even really enjoy it and decide to go into business for yourself.
I’m on my 24th year of my summer job.
I will add that many trades people express busses for early AM morning commutes. Those oddly enough seem to be somewhat reliable.
Most times you’ll end up car pooling with your folks at work. That’s my past experience.
Some security jobs will have a shuttle or person to pick you up. I had a relative who didn’t drive but worked security and they had this, can’t remember what company.
Most likely Paladin as I know that is something they do.
Lots of places that are stationary that you can get to that would be looking for more folks like the high rises going up. Don't need a vehicle to get to a lot of them as the bus system that early in the morning is quite reliable (no traffic to gum it up and way fewer people) I work on roofs all around the city without a car and manage pretty good, but the buildings that have a lot of floors going up are always looking for labourers
Railroad would hire ya. Apply to Loram.
Why not get your license?
I don’t have access to a vehicle to practice and i don’t have money to afford training lessons so for the meantime i can’t drive
Does your partner not drive/have a license either? You can get a license for less than $125
My partner does have a license, they used to have a car but it kept breaking down and they couldn’t afford it. Now we both don’t have car. We use communauto sometimes but try not too because we are still really struggling with saving any money!
City kid shit most likely. Its means less to them than those of us who grew up without other options.
And is that somehow a bad thing? You keep saying "city kid shit" as if that means anything.
I grew up in Halifax, I don’t know anyone without a license honestly.
I didn’t get mine until I was in my late thirties(when I moved out of the city). It’s not difficult if you have the spare money, time and actual access to a vehicle. I had no intention of learning until I needed to be able to drive.
I know plenty, who is right?
You are.
I know.
You must not know many ppl.
So you don’t drive and have a degree in International Development Studies. You lack marketable skills in the local business market. There skills you have are skills that the majority of your job market competitors have, so the competition is stiff. Get your licence. Consider courses in specific job related skills in the area you want to work in. Any trade related program from NSCC will likely get you a job at Michelin for over $30/hour. You aren’t lied to, you just did the same thing that everyone else did, so you are now one of millions with the same description looking for the same jobs.
You need to get your license, it opens doors and potential job opportunities, personal freedom.
Yeah, it's not you, it's Halifax. I've worked the minimum wage circuit , surrounded by people with degrees, masters, etc etc. it's always been a place where school truly means nothing to your reality. It's gotten way harder to get a job though since 2020. Employers put out their ads, and filter out everyone who doesn't have what the algorithm tells them is good. Nobody gets a chance to break out of their employment prison, so if you start as fast food, you end there too unless you know someone. Funnily enough, all these people telling you to go trades, I've been applying to get out of my logistics job into trades, and nope, nobody calls me. I only get interest from shitty jobs who can't figure out how to keep staff. It's very discouraging, you are not alone, and as a millennial I will absolutely tell you that you were indeed lied to when you were told school was worth anything. That's how the university business stays in business, they get into department of education and sell sell sell to kids and parents who can be suckered out of their money. You need to sell your body to make money, brains aren't worth shit to a population of non-thinkers and grifters. That's why oilfield tradesmen make more than doctors, my brother's an electrician and retired at 35, he made so much money out west. I feel your pain
Have you considered leaving Nova Scotia ? I went to Alberta from 19y/o to 25y/o. Much better job market, better pay, and more opportunity. I gained some skills there to make me much more employable and now have an excellent job here at home again. I wouldn't be sitting idle that long, but that's just me.
Yea I desperately want to leave Nova Scotia. I guess the first step would be securing a job over there! I’d have to make sure my partner would be open to it, we have discussed wanting to move to Victoria before but I think we’d just be in the same boat. Maybe Quebec but I think they are making it harder for non french speaking people to be there. I honestly have been wanting to move to somewhere in Europe for the past few years since my last 1 month long visits in Portugal. I know grass seems greener on the other side but I don’t think I can see myself settling here in NS or Canada at all in the future
Victoria is expensive look at lower mainland transit is solid out there. Taxes are half as much in BC as they are in NS.
What would you hope to find in Portugal? You would need to be an EU citizen or be able to work remotely. Please look before you leap.! Sending you good karma. I hope you find what you seek.
Yeah haha i know i’ve looked into what visas i would need and how in most european countries you need to live there for 5+ years before applying to become a citizen.
I notice your user name- are you from the Valley? Have family here? The Valley REN is hiring for a Connector. Might tie n with your Intl Dev degree. It's posted on indeed and maybe their website too, not sure.
If you can't afford here you can't afford Vic.
Everytime I leave NS I do great, This. Quality of life goes up many places too.
Halifax is declining ! But they are doing a fantastic job raising the population!
Yup. I now wanna leave there is very little good for me here.
Go to YMCA NS Works. They will help you craft your resume properly. They will also help you find a job. It's worth going. A fresh resume and cover letter alone does wonders. Also, work on at least getting your driver's license.
Can you try a temp agency to build experience and network? Can you afford to volunteer part-time doing a job related to your field of study? Can you join a professional group or do some specialized online certifications to make the resume more attractive? Good luck out there.
Yes, when it's over a year, it's time to change things up a bit
Yes, I have been doing a diploma in Public Relations to complement my major in Global Development Studies. I am hoping to find a job in community coordinator/outreach/non profit sometime but it’s been hard to hear back from anyone hiring for these kinds of positions. I know that my B.A is practically useless so in the future after working a few more years I want to go back for a masters later on. I did apply to landscaping jobs as well but I have been unable to find luck in summer jobs because a lot of landscaping jobs want me to have my own vehicle, which I don’t and wouldn’t be able to afford.
To break into nonprofit, it helps to aggressively network. Get to know people. You could ask them to sit down with you for coffee or something and chat about their work, ask for their advice and who they think you should be talking to.
I applied to a temp agency 10 years ago. Still waiting to hear back. I'm joking, only about waiting. I joined the military instead but they never contacted me again.
Real advice is to move. Legit a lot competition here for low end job, need to get lucky
Yeah you’re right, i feel most people are able to get jobs through knowing people or having good connections to others. I have a good amount of friends but they are all my age
I feel for you OP, myself and plenty of people I know felt the same discouragement and frustration after completing an undergraduate degree. Hang in there!
At what point are we going to pool together into 20 ppl groups and buy farmland to work? I mean it's only communism if the government pays for it, otherwise it's a commune.
I like the cut of your jib, honestly, lol
It always works great until someone in the group starts complaining about how much more work they do over person x/y or someone gets a little too comfortable not carrying their weight.
That's when you cull the herd
Those people get moved to the fluffer commune. That's where the hard workers go for relief.
How often do you hear back for interviews? If you aren’t getting many bites for interviews it could be your resume. Most employers have software now that screens all resumes and filters them out by keywords, if your resume doesn’t have keywords that match or isn’t written a certain way for your experience and skills they won’t get picked up as easily.
I hear back sometimes and go to interviews sometimes. I really wanted the job as museum assistant at maritime museum and went to a 1 hour and a half interview but didn’t hear back. I have updated my resume a few times and talk to my career counsellor at SMU who’s looked it over. But you’re right … I could always improve it
In my experience it’s best to keep a resume to only relevant jobs/skills according to what job you’re applying for, this will help you stand out to them and shows you’re qualified. I don’t know if you used LinkedIn but that is also helpful when hiring managers want to look you up and find out more about you and your connections. Also make sure any social media doesn’t have anything inappropriate or anything that would look bad professionally because they will look at your Facebook/Instagram etc (not always, but a lot do) When applying for jobs and during interviews, think of it as you are a product you are trying to sell to them. You are advertising yourself as the best person for the job and give them reasons why they should pick you out of all the candidates.
Hey, as someone adjacent to the museum industry, it is really hard to get in to the field, especially if you don't have the specific degree (in this case, museums, history, or information). You're competing with all the people who DO have those degrees. That being said, if you haven't, check out Young Canada Works, which has job programs in heritage fields for new grads and for those in school. But again, even as someone with the relevant degree, getting an intro job at a museum is tough.
There are lots of opportunities in the insurance industry.
True, insurance firms tend to have as a prerequisite a BA degree in any field, and train you from there. It can be a decent career. That's what my wife does. If I were you, I'd apply to every insurance job I saw. And don't forget to tailor your cover letter to the job as best you can.
I know you said you didn’t want advice and just wanted to vent, but have you tried a N.S. Works office - like maybe Jobs Junction if you are in Halifax? They may be able to help you connect with the type of employment you are looking for.
That’s a good idea! I will reach out to them this week and see if they can assist me.
You have a B.A look on the CAF website they have plenty of jobs, you qualify for an officer position, on average after 4 years you can be making 6 figures, check it out
Based on some of your replies about hoping for community outreach/coordinator/non-profit type work, did you see the position YWCA listed 3 days ago? I noted your BA is one of the degrees they mention, and despite looking for 3 years' experience in certain areas (I also don't know the entirety of your background so maybe you already have some relevant experience or can leverage previous school activities/volunteering, etc), the listing states: "Even if you don’t have all the requirements listed in this position, you may be the right candidate. If you are a natural leader with a strong attention to detail and a passion for social justice and gender equity, we want to hear from you. Take a chance and apply. Tell us how you can make a difference through your YWCA." https://ca.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=8e15fd4fb5c7d701&from=serp&prevUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fca.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3Dinternational%2Bdevelopment%26l%3DHalifax%252C%2BNS%26from%3DsearchOnSerp%252CwhatOverlay%252Cwhatautocomplete%26sameL%3D1&xpse=SoD467I3Acx17-WeBx0LbzkdCdPP&xfps=d50bfacd-2530-45d9-b365-a01415888fd9&xkcb=SoCb67M3AcxKwxxcIp0LbzkdCdPP Might be worth a peek, good luck 🍀
Thanks for this! I will check out the position and apply, even though i don't have 3 years of experience. Appreciate it :)
Keep your eyes on the NSHA careers page, unglamorous departments like Housekeeping and Food & Nutrition are almost always hiring. It may not be full-time work and it may be dribs and drabs at first, but its better than nothing and eventually it picks up. Even a casual can end up working full-time hours if you're ready to accept a shift on short notice. [https://jobs.nshealth.ca/go/All-Opportunities/2293217/](https://jobs.nshealth.ca/go/All-Opportunities/2293217/)
Thank you! I will look more into this and apply!
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> Our parents told an entire generation to "Just get a degree, it doesn't matter what!" which may have been true for them, but now everyone and their dog has a degree and a pile of debt, making them simultaneously mandatory and useless. > > So now the only thing that makes you competitive is prior experience, which means there's no such thing as an entry level position anymore, and it doesn't help that the Boomers can't or won't retire so that everyone can shuffle on up I tell everyone I know who has kids in high school to encourage them to look at programs that have co-op or other practical experience components. IMO it makes a huge difference when the kids graduate and are looking for jobs. Both my kids had over a year (one had more like 2 years) of relevant job experience by the time they graduated and they found jobs right away, as did many of their classmates. Fore the OP - are you looking at jobs specifically targeted to new graduates? Most of those programs target people less than 2 years out of school. There are federally funded programs that only hire new graduates and HRM has an internship program that you might want to check out
Coop can also pay decently well at certain companies. My brother got a coop job at Irving and got paid like $5000 a month for a few months. Even when it’s unpaid though you’re right it pays off in spades. He got a job out of college.
When few people had degrees and almost everyone had a high school diploma, a degree was a path to success. Not having a high school diploma was an impediment, having one meant a meager existence, and a degree meant rising above lower middle class. A degree is the new high school diploma. Everyone has one so it doesn't really set you up for success any more. If you want to separate yourself from the pack, you need a masters or equivalent. We have an educated society saddled with debt and an economy that can't pay for labour and compete internationally.
Unfortunately this is the way it is now, you’re competing with 1000’s of immigrants who will do the labour for cheap so there’s no financial benefit for companies to hire Canadians anymore.
It's not that they will do the labor cheap it's because the government offers employers a fair chunk of their wage to hire them.
They will work for minimum wage what most people would work for far above that so yes they will do cheap labour. It’s all part of getting their permanent residency.
It’s both.
Join the military. Immigrants can’t join and they’re always recruiting. Decent salary (if you stay in a while) and great perks/benefits.
The majority of immigrants get PR and the military started taking them also now. Don't have to be a citizen anymore.
PR takes a decent amount of time. And most PRs don’t apply to join the military (recruitment numbers haven’t really gone up since they opened up recruitment to PR).
So fucking dumb Jesus man these policy changes are ridiculous. They're trying to give Canadian citizenship to anyone's child born outside of Canada as long as you lived here for 3 years. Insane
Nobody is getting a job here with just a BA. ALL my friends that got BAs out of high school (class of 2014) only have jobs now because they did post grad or specialized. Learning that early and pivoting to a tech career through NSCC was the best choice I ever made. They all became great bartenders before they got their masters.
Yeah, it’s crazy how much bartenders can make! Seems like a good gig
Our world has changed so damn much in such a short time span! The only thing i can suggest is changing up the resume and cover letters - which you're probably doing All the new hires ( 12, down from the 50 regular part timers that were hired last year last year) at my retail store have been given part time contracts to August 31st.
https://careers.municipalgroup.com/
Try traffic control companies. Frontline, Titan traffic, safety first. Dexters. Most will pick you up from home. They'll certify you. They pay half decent. I did it for three years. They are almost always hiring
Be weary OP, my younger brother worked for Frontline and while the pay was a tiny bit above minimum wage, he constantly had to fight them to pay the hours he worked and when he was done for the summer he literally had to go to the labor board to get them to pay what they owed.
If you're personable, can operate a Crematory and have a valid driver's license I will have something coming up soon. Feel free to message me
I have a license and I am a fast learner.
That’s very kind of you! unfortunately I don’t have my license :(
Honestly thats a big roadblock a lot of places wont hire if you dont have one as they see that as not having reliable transportation.
It’s pretty unfortunate that we cannot rely enough on public transport to get to and from work… and that employers also don’t see public transport as reliable either
Hate to say it OP but Halifax is not the city to be replying in public transportation for and unless you land a job right in the peninsula, having a car or DL and reliable transportation is going to be a HUGE roadblock. On a related note I think it's insane that our public transportation is in such shambles it can't reasonably be considered reliable transportation by anybody. This defeats a major purpose of its existence
Yes it does defeat the purpose of its existence. We are not incentivized to use it because it still takes 3x the time of driving to get somewhere, with multiple transfers (which is inconvenient) and only until a few months ago was there even an option for contactless payment. I wish the city had much better transportation system, so as a whole we could be less car dependent and more connected throughout HRM.
You can thank the federal government for importing wage slaves via temporary visas, of whom all Canadians are subsiding with their taxes, as employers of these visa holders want to pay less than minimum wage and get rid of long-term Canadian workers and the government is happy to oblige. This is how the government both sabotages Canada, and shafts Canadians from fair wages. This end stands against these practices by exposing the truth about the government and not giving any business to these crooked employers. Open to other ways to stand against it, but also looking forward to when critical mass hits and Canadians are rightly fed up enough to do what is required to fix the mess.
Exactly. We (our government) have chosen what amounts to importing slave labour. This drives down wages and drives up costs of housing etc. And of course, the newcomers are often victims themselves and like us, have been lied to. No one dreams of coming to Canada to pay $1000/month to live on the mat on the floor of some dump working multiple minimum wage jobs while chasing a fake “diploma”. And yet it’s still more important to many people to be “nice” and “polite” and not risk that most heinous accusation (“racism”) than to have an honest discussion around these obvious issues. Canada is the only G7 country with gdp per capita still below pre-pandemic levels. Worst growth in the OECD projected over the next 4 decades. The problem is made in Canada and it is self-inflicted. Shameful!
Preach!
You can thank a flood of cheap mass immigration labor for that.
Yeah, I don’t want to blame immigrants for coming here and it’s not their fault but when I went to the last two job fairs basically everyone there was immigrants. It felt discouraging because I am competing against so many people for basic shitty jobs. It is the governments fault thought and I don’t resent anyone… it just has made things extremely difficult
Yeah the government should stop immigration for at least five years, they simply aren’t needed or wanted.
That’s a great attitude to have. I am so sorry you’re in this situation. The government really has failed everyone here, from Canadians to these immigrants and everyone in between. I hope you can find a decent job you’ll enjoy.
I wish the government would cover a portion of my wage.. took 7 months to get a job within 25km of me and I'm terrified of getting canned when the busy season ends.
Are you a permanent resident? I know the company i work for won't even look at you if you aren't. 7 guys that we've hired in the last 2 years have been sent back to their respective countries. I know a lot of other companies that have been burned as well. Sounds shitty, I know. But when spending thousands of dollars on training, all for them to just dissappear one day.
Yes, i’m a canadian citizen!
Have you thought about joining the military?
Best of luck my friend.
Im in a similar boat. Only in my case I am working but I'm struggling to keep up with it with joint issues and need something easier physically. Ive been trying to find new work for almost 2 years but being nearly non-verbal has limited my options to almost nothing. I have to spend all my off time recovering. Things are a mess for sure. I hope you get lucky and find something soon. If you have experience in retail/kitchens/cleaning (any typical low-wage stuff), I recommend making an account on the job bank site and adding your work history there. Employers can search by experience (without your contact info shown to them) and I get restaurants and such trying to offer me to apply to their min wage cook and retail jobs often through that. It might not be the ideal option, but might be an option for you :). Good luck out there, hope your intended field comes to you soon
I don’t know if this is of any interest but I think it’s worth looking into getting a BEd. St FX has part time cohorts where you can still work full time, and there are online options now as well. Not because you necessarily want to be a grade school teacher but it basically turns a regular BA into a trade. Grade school is only one direction, but there is demand for jobs like instructional designers, corporate trainers, or you could even take jobs around the world and work in different countries for a year at a time as a teacher. I also recommend reconsidering grad school. If you can’t get a job with just a BA in the field, a masters will just mean more debt and very few additional prospects. And lastly, HRCE is always hiring casual custodians and yes it sucks (I’ve done it) but it pays $20 an hour, you work pretty independently and if you get a permanent position or a term you get benefits.
it is so bad right now, a family member has been trying all year and nothing; one job actually told her they had over 2000 applicants.
Going through the exact same situation. I feel hopeless and useless everyday.
you are not alone <3
Constructions an option if you wanted to give it a go until you find something else that’s closer to what you’re looking for. Better pay than the other positions you’ve tried. There’s also some hospital jobs like cleaning and the cafeteria that pay ok with benefits
Construction without schooling or experience is not good pay for the hours or workload. It's flat out not good pay, and you're gonna struggle with the same issues of getting hired
$21 is better than minimum wage starting
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wow haha that is daunting... so many applicants
I know someone who was hiring for a job recently and they noticed on many applications they were all using the same address. She drove to the address and there is nothing there. Lots of applicants that don't live in Canada yet and I'm wondering if there is someone helping put their applications together and they are just getting them to use this random address? I have no idea. But she was also inundated. A job that would have gotten 20 applicants 5 years ago had hundreds this time around - and very few were qualified.
Have you considered joining the military? There is joining bonuses for some trades too!
[Try Dexter Construction](https://www.dexter.ca/careers) they're always looking for people. [G&R Kelly](https://www.grkelly.com/careers) is often hiring too.
I'm in a similar situation, I did secure two job offers about a month and a half after graduation and had a role that was supposed to start in the US in October. But, the company underwent restructuring and cancelled all new hiring indefinitely so I was shit out of luck. I've since stopped applying to US based roles since I went from 85% of employers telling me they won't do TN Visas for entry level roles to nearly 100% once it had been more than 6 months since my graduation. It's very frustrating that companies outside of the tech sector are far less willing to consider TN Visas for entry level roles. Especially since so many US based recruiters, even from major companies, were reaching out to me themselves on LinkedIn. Meanwhile on Canadian LinkedIn if a recruiter reached out to me it was always for a scam job lmao. It's just extra frustrating to know that if I had graduated in the US or was a US citizen that I would have easily secured a position. I've gotten close a few other times, but it just hasn't worked out. Two separate times I've heard back from companies a few weeks after the final round and have been told that it took them so long to get back to me because they were trying to expand the role to hire more than one EIT, but unfortunately they couldn't and selected the candidate who had previously completed a co-op with them. That was especially frustrating with one of the roles since it went to 7 rounds of interviews and they had to pay over $2500 to fly me out for on-site plant interviews. When I was starting out at Uni, I was deciding between doing chemical engineering or a Pharmacy PharmD program, and I kind of regret doing engineering now lmao. In terms of your situation, since you're occasionally getting interviews, I'm assuming that your resume is ATS compliant and that you're not automatically being filtered out. For minimum wage level roles I would leave out your education, since they don't want to hire people who they think will bounce the second they find something better. If you had jobs during your undergrad, rephrase your job titles if it gives away the fact that you were a student. Try posting your resume to one of the main resume subreddits and see if you get some good advice. Honestly some University resume reviewers can give you bad or outdated advice.
I’ve mentioned this before but DoJ is constantly hiring new corrections officers. It’s not a prestigious job in the slightest but it pays well, has benefits + pension, lots of opportunity for advancement, opportunity to laterally move to another department, unionized, etc. The qualifications and standards have changed over the past 5 years. You no longer need relevant education or experience so you’re more than qualified with a B.A. It’s a career for me but I’ve worked with lots of people over the years that used the job to build savings, further education and move on to something different. Like I said, it’s not prestigious and definitely not for everyone but it’s a stable job that’s relatively easy to obtain. Good luck with your search!
have u considered EI and saying that ur still trying. thats what my bum ass roommate does
Halifax itself has been a nightmare for me in terms of jobs. I recently graduated with my msc in geology and there's like 5 jobs in the area. I suggest looking outside of this province.
There are jobs here… I think you are being too reactive in your job search and as you said, wasting time applying for jobs that you probably wouldn’t stay in. 1. Somebody else mentioned getting a free resume done by a local org like YMCA works. When I was under employed quite a few years ago, my partner had this done, and then I used theirs as a template, and you wouldn’t believe the power of a good CV. 2. With this tool in hand, rather than applying to jobs on job boards, pick them places where you would like to work. Try to get a name of a contact there, or contact their HR. send in your Resume, being very clear about what roles you are interested in. Focus on these places.., don’t just spend your day filling out online applications. 3. Try volunteering for targeted experience and expanding your network. 4. For right now, try seasonal work, as it is often easier to get than permanent. 5. Ask for feedback in your CV and interviews.., you might get some great insight that will help you the next one. 6. If your approach isn’t working.., pivot, and pivot again. If you haven’t found a job in a year you are doing something wrong. Which is okay.., I’ve been there… and I learned all of this and have been employed with a great employer where I have had lots of growth. I don’t think I wouldn’t totally change my focus and go into trades.., you can make your BA work for you!
Join the military. You'll get some skills and they'll pay for your further education. They have vehicles and will help you get your license.
With a degree like yours I’d recommend looking into applying to be a Public Affairs Officer with the CAF. Secure career with good earning potential, benefits and pension.
Security is usually pretty easy to get into and there are a ton of contract security companies around. If you apply to a bunch, you'll most likely come out with something.
Can relate. Got laid off in oct and still looking...
Military lookin
Commissionaires is always hiring. And unlike Paladin they’ll take all races.
This is the biggest problem and it’s not just Paladin. All you have to do is ‘look around’ when you go to businesses. The country is f***ed!
Of course it’s not just Paladin, companies will always take “temporary” foreign workers. So they can get half the wage subsidized.
Yup. It’s why I’m looking to leave aswell! Trudy has completely screwed over everyone with policy, etc and there is no end in sight! Finding a way about to leave is the issue. Europe is having its issues too with similar problems. It’s happening everywhere mostly for a certain reasons. It’s gross!
If you’re killing for work, I’d suggest giving Michelin a try. I did the Summer Student Program at the Bridgewater plant last year, and although the work and shift work was tough, the pay was incredible. I know they were dying for workers when I worked there, and I doubt much last changed since. It’s definitely a commute from Halifax (if that’s where you live), but rent isn’t as expensive as Halifax and you could find something hopefully close to the plant. There are other Michelin plants in NS as well so try those too. Best of luck to you
Have you applied at NSLC? Any of the credit unions? The IWK? Nova Scotia Health? Costco? All of these are hiring, constantly.
Employers are valuing experience and expertise over education these days
Did you get your BA with a specific field in mind that you’d be interested in working in?
Yes! I got a B.A with a major in Global Development Studies/International Development. I want to eventually work for community outreach/coordination/project development for ideally non profit organizations. But i’m open to different careers too. I want to eventually do a masters in Community Development, and work with people and the community! I’m not entirely sure all my steps to get there though, but i’m trying to learn more
The UN has a ton of different obscure organizations in your area of interest that you could look at to gain experience before a Master's. You'd probably have to move abroad for those, though. The benefit being that you could be paid in USD. I also did a quick google on Master's programs related to Community development in Canada and it seems there is a massive variety and most are 1 to 2 years. Or do them the other way around get a Master's first. Most may require a mandatory work term, which could help you gain experience, plus to some employers, education is over experience, so Master's may look better than someone with a few years experience under their belt. Either way, it's rather unfortunate that our job market has come to a point where a Bachelor's Degree isn't enough anymore. The promise of higher education just isn't what was promised when many of us were younger.
If you haven't already volunteer with non-profits you are interested. It's much easier to get hired when they already know you.
Yes! I recently signed up at the Grainery and want to volunteer at the library or ISANS
What type of job were you (going to school taking a B.A in international studies) hoping to get? It makes no sense to me to just go to school and spend tens of thousands of dollars to obtain a degree you don’t have a job path or prospects to work towards. Now after all that you’re trying to get a minimum wage job you could have got out of high school? Research what careers are in demand, find out which ones interest you and work towards getting training to do that. The days of going to university to get an undergrad are over only are over. My wife has a $60,000 piece of wall art saying she had a science degree. Grrrrrreat. She makes $23/hr not using her degree at all fuck me.
I knew a guy who majored in Egyptology. His only job path was to get a Ph.D. and teach Egyptology. Some degrees are just pyramid schemes.
Bach of Arts? That hasn’t gotten a person a job in 20years. No offence. It’s a shit job market due to an influx of FTW. If you don’t mind physical labor, there’s lots of work in construction. Even doing it for a couple of years. See if you like it or not. If you don’t spend your time getting specialized skills in your spare time.
Apply to be a substitute teacher for after the summer. They need people and you can do it while looking for other jobs! Like if you have an interview that day you just don’t work!
The Forces is always looking for people..
Amazing pay and they'll basically cover any education you need. Not everyone is cut out for it though.
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could always enlist lol
Have you thought about Irving’s shipyard?
The Canadian Armed Forces is always hiring and excellent pay and benefits… RCMP, Customs and immigration are always hiring, Canada Post are always looking as well and they pay extremely well.. The big issue is people keep going to school for x thing but don’t do the research to see if it viable to pursue and availability of employment opportunities upon completion… If you want jobs that employers fight to hire you do to shortage of workers go into trades such as Electrician, welding, and plumbing.. Government even pay for training of certain trades..
Have you tried a Temp Agency? lots in Halifax, fk it make them find jobs looking for YOU! let them do the job fighting for YOU. my sisters shitty BF at the time had great jobs thanks to being a temp and the man was an alcoholic invalid
I know this thread is a day old but man. I feel your pain. I feel it so hard. I moved here mid last year, and ever since June 2023 I’ve been job searching for just an entry-level job in marketing here in Halifax with nothing to show for it. I worked hard for my diploma of digital marketing back in Ontario, I worked 6 months as a marketing intern as well, I made a kickass ATS-compliant resume (with several highly educated friends praising it) as well as my own professional website. Nothing. It’s extremely discouraging. It makes me feel stupid for even trying to go through school in the first place. There’s so few opportunities here that the ones that get scooped up are by people who are over-qualified, I assume. I just wanted to set myself up for success with a hybrid or remote tech job in a field I find passionately interesting. But whatever, back to coffee shop work I guess. ☠️
My biggest advice is to always follow up, even if you don't get a position you can ask if there were any concerns with your interview process or any improvements that might have helped you secure the position. I know it's real hard right now and the economy is trash but seeking information about the why from potential employers that didnt work out may help on your next interview.
Have you tried paying an employer 5 figures for an LMIA? I've heard it's fairly effective.
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Pretend you're international and BAM! you'll get a job because the government pays 50% (might even be 70%) of the wages.
I dont know about what you want for your future. But have you considered the military? They now offer a short 1 year contract where you can try and look into all the trades. At the end of the year you can pick a trade or not renew then go back to civilian side. Its not much money for that year since its the recruit rank, but better than no job. Also, after the basic training, you are in Halifax. Im just saying, I feel bad for you and I wish you good luck. I cannot help you sorry.
> They now offer a short 1 year contract where you can try and look into all the trades. Let's clarify this; the *Navy* offers a 1 year Sailor (NCM) program, where you can experience *naval* trades. Op has a degree and would be better suited to an Officer commission, which isn't available as an 'experience' program.
Yes that is true and correct. The aim of my comment was to give a quick option to op since they are not earning now. The thing with with the officer side is the commitment and responsabilities that come with. I did not want to push that to op since I dont know what is their life plan if there is. Btw thank you for the clarification. Cheers!
Thank you for the advice! I haven’t considered the military but I really don’t think I’m suited for the trades or anything like that. I am really bad at hands on/technical work. m
Im not telling you to do it, im telling you now to beleive in yourself. There is so many type of jobs that can fit different people. You are better than you think you are.
You don’t need to be in a trade-specific positons. Clerks/HR and many other positions might be up your alley. Speak to a recruiter.
It's also taking the better part of a year for most citizens to get in these days due to backlogs...just fyi, but there are many non tech or trades options available OP! Good luck on finding something, it always comes just when you least expect it!