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The cold didn’t stop thousands of young Calgarians from attending the city’s largest youth hiring event Thursday afternoon.
The city’s 27th annual youth hiring fair at Stampede Park brought together more than 80 employers and thousands of 15- to 24-year-old jobseekers, with part-time, full-time, seasonal and permanent positions up for grabs.
It was an opportunity for young people like 17-year-old Ziyana Islam to make meaningful connections.
“I have been looking for a job for like eight months, and it has been pretty rough, but I still didn’t give up hope,” she said.
Ziyana Islam, 17, was one of thousands of young jobseekers at Calgary’s annual youth hiring fair on March 26. (Karina Zapata/CBC)
Islam said being able to meet employers in-person is a huge help, especially with how prevalent AI is in online hiring.
She said AI has directed her toward old and out-of-date postings, which has made her job hunting less fruitful.
The use of AI to create resumes and cover letters is something else Islam considers problematic.
“You shouldn’t use AI for your own resume,” she said. “Something you’re going to represent to your employers.”
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Sixteen-year-old jobseeker Ella Currie said she hasn’t been feeling confident about finding work lately.
“You’re kind of competing with hundreds of other people for one position,” she said.
Currie said it’s her first time attending a job fair, and that she hopes it makes her stand out to employers.
Ella Currie, 16, expressed frustration with the Calgary job market. She’s hopeful the city’s annual hiring fair will help her find employment. (Karina Zapata/CBC)
Currie said finding a job would be “a giant difference. I’d be able to pay for gas, wouldn’t be relying on my parents. I feel bad for just always relying on them, but it’s like, I don’t have any other way of making money.”
“I speak three languages, so I don’t get why it’s been such a struggle to get a job,” she said.
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Employers like Cameryn Hathaway, manager at downtown Calgary steakhouse Saltlik, acknowledged how hard it can be for young people to get jobs without much experience.
“Entry level positions, especially going into the hospitality industry, are essentially what we need to start getting people in the door,” she said.
She said “confidence is key,” acknowledging how stressful it can be to apply for jobs at such a young age.
“Even if you don’t have the experience, we’re pretty easily convinced with a good personality and a smile.”
Cameryn Hathaway, manager at downtown Calgary steakhouse Saltlik, was among more than 80 employers at the city’s annual youth hiring fair on March 26. (Karina Zapata/CBC)
Hathaway said Saltlik is eager to fill plenty of positions ahead of the Calgary Stampede in July, and that meeting candidates face-to-face is very beneficial.
“I would say like 80 per cent of our hiring right now is through platforms like Indeed or Workable, all that,” she said. “Meeting people, getting the time to like shake hands and actually put a face to the name, is actually super, super helpful.”
Hospitality jobs were only a few of the opportunities available, with employers in healthcare, recreation and other fields also looking to bring on young Calgarians.
“These are youth that are trying to build out their skills, and having fairs like this just gives them an opportunity to have a one-to-one conversation with the employer directly,” said Hardeep Seeghat, community liaison with the city’s Youth Employment Centre.
Seeghat said the opportunity to meet employers in-person gives youth a leg-up in what can be an incredibly competitive job market.
Hardeep Seeghat, community liaison with the City of Calgary’s Youth Employment Centre. (Karina Zapata/CBC)
Last month, Canada’s economy lost 84,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate going up to 6.7 per cent. The national youth unemployment rate went up to 14.1 per cent in February.
“It is very, very competitive for youth, and they have navigated a very challenging job market, but that doesn’t mean that there are not opportunities right now,” Seeghat said. “Although it’s competitive, it just means that there’s may be additional prep work that is now required.”
Outside of events like the annual hiring fair, the Youth Employment Centre offers one-on-one support and training for young jobseekers.