Job hunters get a helping hand

Residents looking to improve their job hunting skills filled the Centre de loisirs de Saint-Laurent for the second edition of the Rendez-vous Laurentien de l’emploi on Wednesday.

The event, hosted by the Comité de développment économique et d’Émployabilité de Saint-Laurent, is a unique opportunity for 150 job seekers to see how 22 businesses like Air Canada, Canada Post and the Technopark Montreal, are thinking.

Unlike a job fair, participants get to conduct “speed interviews” with employers and receive feedback on the experience. “You learn what they’re looking for, you get critiques and learn what to do and what not to do,” said one participant, seeking work in mental health, who did not want to be named.

Every application registered for the event is looked at by the organisers in an effort to match people’s skill sets to the right company.

Be prepared and be yourself is advice that came back consistently from the businesses, because more than just a skill set, employers are looking to hire a person.

Fresh start

“I was impressed because it took me back to 15 years ago when I first came from France,” said Éric Bleunais, co-owner of Lola Rosa restaurant, that took part in the event. The struggle to find work and adapt as an immigrant to a new country, an experience for many of the participants, really hit home.

More than half of Saint-Laurent residents are born outside Canada. In 2011, 53 per cent of citizens in Saint-Laurent were immigrants, compared to 45 per cent of the population that was born in Canada, according to Montréal en statistiques.

“There’s culture shock. It’s not the same work culture,” Bleunais explained. He also stressed the “not racism, but close-mindedness,” that can come with immigrating to a new country. At the end of the day, Bleunais found two potential new hires through the event.

Many immigrants are qualified with high-level degrees in their country of origin, but their skills may not be recognized here. “There’s a lot of specialised work force that’s coming through the immigration line in Canada,” said Carl Baillargeon, director of communications for Saint-Laurent’s Technopark Montreal.

Baillargeon was inspired by the event to look at other ways of hiring employees, and also to help on a personal level. “It was good to meet people like this, not as a marketing coordinator, but as a human being and talk to them and give a few tips to help them out.”

If you are struggling to find a job in your field, Baillargeon recommends starting at a lower-salaried job as a way in. Always make sure that your C.V. is one page, and highlight all necessary skills so that they stick out to an employer.