Oil refinery debate be damned, she just wanted a job.
Shortly after David Black wrapped up his discussion over a proposed Kitimat oil refinery at the Lester Centre a couple of weeks ago, she walked up to him to relay her frustrations with her job search.
Black, who has a little pull here at The Northern View, walked up to Shaun Thomas and myself to inquire if there was any way we could assist her.
Dutifully, but more importantly, sincerely, we said we’d do whatever we could.
Although networking and making oneself visible when looking for work is important, it is just a first step.
The next step is probably more important — the resumé.
“Absolutely, we’d like to help,” I said.
“Could you drop off a resumé tomorrow?”
She said she would and I handed her my business card.
Almost immediately we had a good job interview all lined up for her, but we haven’t heard from her since. We hope she found the job for which she was looking. Regardless, it seems more and more apparent that while people say they want to work, they won’t work to get work.
After only a very short time in Prince Rupert, I have heard a disconcerting number of unemployed or underemployed people lamenting their plight.
Strangely, at the same time, employer after employer in this town is crying the same thing.
“I could hire a dozen drivers right now,” Murray Kristoff of Kristoff Trucking said.
And Kristoff isn’t the only one.
“The problem isn’t people wanting work... it’s finding the right person for the work. All I’m getting are people with no skills match, education or just plain enthusiasm,” another prominent business person said. “Crap, I’ll teach ‘em, I’ll get ‘em trained, but half of ‘em can’t even show up for an interview on time or at least take a shower before showing up.”
Interestingly, The Northern View has been running advertisements for a salesperson, a reporter and for a front office person.
Let’s just say the number of applicants has been staggeringly low or, for many, underskilled.
Kathy Bedard at the Hecate Strait Employment Centre will be the first one to tell you that if you want a job and are prepared to do what is necessary, you can find gainful employment in Prince Rupert.
There are services galore to assist truly motivated people to find a good job or to get the training they need.
All it takes is a little work to get a lot of work.
While many of the unemployed complainers are lazy couch potatoes who only pay lip service to wanting a job and are more content with bilking the social safety net, there are those who maybe are falling through the cracks.
The plain fact is there are literally hundreds of employers out there right now looking for the right person.
It’s up to you to make yourself the right person. There are people out there to help, you just have to ask... and then follow-up.
One quick tip: If you’re applying for a reporter position at a newspaper, spell the editor’s name right and possibly run your resumé through spell check.
I’m not sure about every employer, but around here, that’s the fastest way to find your resumé headed to the trash bin rather than to the payroll department.