ann m

29 year old struggling to get on the job ladder.

Some of what he says resonates with all job-hunters. Frustrations run high. So, for those starting out on the Canadian dream - when BE members tell you it can be tough getting a job here sometimes, well, it can be. But I guess it's a similar story across much of the world?

It's a shame he doesn't tell us what subject he studied at university (unless I just didn't see it) - he missed the opportunity to sell himself to a wider job-hiring audience.

"His name was left out so as not to prejudice his job search" :

Those bastards in HR ....

Siphorous

I read through it all. An interesting, albeit depressing(!) read. He certainly gets his point across.

ExKiwilass

I read it too.

The comments about how he should have done engineering etc and then he'd be racking it in in AB were annoying. It's not like anyone has a crystal ball about where the next boom will be. It sounds like he was trained for a career in finance, where people were making lots of $$$, and then the crash happened, so I feel for him.

On the other hand, I've posted my resume on the big company website -into the abyss- and got hired. I suspect he's just up against a lot of competition in his area, with not many jobs, whereas hardly anyone wants to do or knows about my job - it's very niche- so I don't have to deal with that.

And on the other other hand, some of the commenters who go back for a second or third qualification because they can't get work then complain about debt..seriously...? just get a job and experience. Anything. We've all been there.

Siouxie

At least he has another 35+ years to build his career to retirement and he is actually managing to find work, albeit (in his words) on the lowly salary of $36k - which I would be more than happy to accept!

Perhaps he would like to try having the exact same problems as he is describing but only having 9 years to build enough money to survive retirement.. with a mortgage to be paid and no EI to boot.

Whining brat!

JonboyE

$36k plus lots of free stuff and time to enjoy it all! The whole piece speaks of a sense of entitlement.

Hawk13

Seriously, he's only 29 and he's forever lost these things.

• Getting married - over rated - freinds with benefits is the way to go
  
• Kids - again, you're only 29 didn't have them 'til mid thirties
  
• Owning a home - you still have lots of time and when you get married, and then divorced, she'll take half of it anyway
  
• Studying - what you need is experience
  
• Retirement - again, you're only 29 enjoy your life and worry about it later

Can I be 29 again with just those problems, please.

CanadaJimmy

Both me and my girlfriend had some very irritating HR experiences lately. I applied for a job, and after 2 weeks was invited to an interview. Places will only interview you 9-5 so I had to leave work early to make it. So I get there and it turns out they're reading my resume for the first time, they had no idea what qualifications or experience I had and the overall feeling was I probably wasn't suited to the position, and all the information to tell them that was already on the resume! What was happening during the two weeks after I applied? Things like that just waste everyone's time!

Then my girlfriend applies for a job at an interior design company (she has design/drafting qualifications), gets an interview and has to make a long trip out there for it, and when she gets there there is no employers but just the HR person, who then asks her 2 questions to "narrow down applicants" (why not phone interview?), offers her an appalling salary and after asking the HR person what was going on it turns out that instead of being considered for the Decorator position she applied for, she is now being considered for just an on the floor Sales Associate, so they changed the position without informing her. She was rather mad.

It definitely feels like Vancouver has some really corrosive culture when it comes to how employers and HR people treat job applicants.

ExKiwilass

wow, i've never had an experience like that. Must depend on the industry I guess.

JamesM

I read that as well.

Basically he wants a well paying corporate job but doesn't want to put in the hours or do the junior roles to earn it.

His degree he feels entitles him to it.

I was similar when I left University but soon realized that that the University of life gives no freebies.

Some truth in what he says and many of us have been in frustrating job searches but really he should pull up his songs and stop blaming everyone else.

Aberdeen_Loon

Interesting read. I've been there myself, but it's also worth considering the other side of the coin. I'm an HR professional, and got my start as a recruiter.

The problem with all of this "anti-HR" sentiment is recruitment is a small part of what HR actually does. And recruiting is generally done by more junior people just getting their start in HR.

It's also worth considering how challenging it can be to sort through hundreds of resumes for one single posting. My record was over 1,200 applicants for one vacancy! Naturally, a whole lot of people are going to be disappointed in such a situation. We can't hire everyone (although I do concede many HR professionals and employers in general need to treat candidates with more respect).

The following blog posts might also be interesting to some readers:

http://www.hrreporter.com/blog/HR-Po...yers-too-picky

http://www.hrreporter.com/blog/HR-Po...em-down-gently

Steve_

If he knows all these super qualified people then he should stop complaining and start his own business.