Halifax job fair draws more than 2,000 attendees
The atmosphere inside a job fair in Halifax on Wednesday was electric as eager job seekers pushed through crowds and endured long lines at employers’ booths.
“We had 350 people in the first 20 minutes literally come into the service and we still had a lineup going down and around the building,” said Philip Cantrill, executive director of Job Junction Nova Scotia Works.
The job fair is a two-day event, with its first day seeing more than 2,000 people attend.
Attendees like Abishek Damodran and his friend Mohammed Saif were surprised to see so many people fill the room looking for jobs.
“We are looking for a part-time right now. We still don’t find a job and it’s been like four-to-five months that we are here. We thought it could be helpful but there is so much competition,” said Damodran.
Damodran said it has been extremely difficult finding a part-time position around the Halifax area and he hopes the job fair helps.
“We have dropped off our resume at a few places and they have given positive responses, so we’re hoping,” he said.
More than 100 employers set up booths at the job fair.
“Things are always changing, people are always changing and so we really wanted to be connected to them and see what we can offer to them and see what they can offer the forces as well,” said Roxxane Cyr, crews commander of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Some were also there to promote the types of jobs that exist within the industry.
“We have more than just sea-going positions. We have shore-based positions. We want people to understand that we do more than just go on vessels and explain what the opportunities are and how great it is to work with the Coast Guard,” said Scott Fisher of the Canadian Coast Guard.
Others also provided information on jobs that may not people be on people’s radars.
“Most people think it requires an enormous amount of education to get into Nova Scotia Health. Here we offer actually a handful of online courses to get you started and because the need is so great, we actually offer an opportunity that once you’re enrolled in this course you can actually be hired within Nova Scotia Health as soon as you’re enrolled,” said Cheryl Bennet with Nova Scotia Health’s Medical Device Reprocessing Department.
Saif said he was happy to have the opportunity.
“I think it’s a very good platform to connect with the employer because we don’t get the opportunity to connect with the employer directly,” he said.
However, there were others attending the event who did not find the job fair had positions that matched their qualifications.
“We came here thinking it was going to be a big job fest but we didn’t find it useful for us,” Christy Binoy and Isbel Sabal.
Binoy and Sabal said they are graduates of the management program and a lot of the positions available were not a fit for them.
“It seems like it’s more so for the health-care field so there’s not much opportunities for us,” Sabal.
The next job fair is going to be in the summer season.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III will return to public duties on Tuesday when he visits a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
U.K. police arrest man wielding a sword in east London, 5 people are taken to the hospital
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.