Theresa Gabriel of Osoyoos Indian Band Economic Corporation, on left, chats during the Oliver Job Fair.
Dale Cory Photo
In many ways, the South Okanagan economy is built on tourism. From the vineyards, to the orchards, to the golf courses, to the many seaside resorts.
People come from around the world to visit the South Okanagan, and that puts a great deal of pressure on the many businesses which depend on qualified staff to deal with a clientele expecting to be pampered.
To help with the connection between jobs and employees, South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services held the Oliver Job Fair March 5. SOICS’s first annual job fair was held in partnership with Open Door Group.
Approximately 60 job-seekers came into the SOICS office between noon and 2 p.m. and met with five employers representing a wide range of jobs, focused primarily on tourism and hospitality.
“I have never been to a job fair in my entire life before so it was a new experience in that sense. I have heard of job fairs before but never took them seriously,” explained Melodie Brock, one of those 60 job seekers. “I am presently going to Okanagan College and plan to finish my course in the Nursing Unit Receptionist Program but I am also working part time to try and pay for the course. I frequently go to work B.C. here in Oliver, and they had the job fair advertised and encouraged me to attend it. I thought, ‘It can’t hurt to try it out, even though that is not my form of job hunting'”.
Brock has thoughts of working in the hospitality industry, so the fact there were major hotel chains as part of the job fair peaked her interest.
“I would really like to work in front desk at a hotel to put my computer skills/receptionist skills to work. I did get an opportunity to put my name in two hotels in Osoyoos and received two mini-interviews on the spot when I gave them my resume and cover letter, which pleased me a lot,” explained Brock. “The one hotel then asked me if I could drive to Osoyoos that day and have an interview with his boss that was in the position of hiring and organizing schedules. I gladly agreed and drove to Osoyoos and received a second, more in-depth interview, with a very strong possibility of work coming out of this.
“So you could say my first time experience was excellent!”
In fact, prior to attending the job fair, SOICS clients worked with staff to update their resumes and obtain some interview skills.
“I want to provide employers and job seekers with an opportunity to meet each spring before the tourism season ramps up,” said Corinne Janow, Community Connections Coordinator with SOICS. “We intend to expand the scope of the fair beyond tourism and hospitality.”
Janow even mentored immigrant clients on interview attire and etiquette prior to the event.
That extra effort appeared to be of benefit to those tourism companies which took part in the job fair.
“We enjoyed the job fair, and interviewed a few keen individuals. We had interest in our Finance Department, Maintenance, Housekeeping and front desk positions,” said Benedict Genaille, Food & Beverage Director at Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa, part of the Bellstar Hotels & Resorts group of companies. “I’m aware of the challenges other businesses are having with hiring seasonal staff and we are looking at various options so we will be able to offer more year round employment.”
Brock admits one particular meeting with one of the employers did not result in a match – mainly because the company was not currently looking for administrative help.
Despite the negative feedback in this particular instance, Brock see the benefit of attending a job fair.
“I do believe it is good to be informed on what kind of job fair it is because there is no point wasting my time or their time if I don’t have the interest or skills for the type of job they are looking for,” added Brock. “But I now think that this was a very efficient way for the employer to meet truly interested people in their jobs and also for me to meet employers truly interested in hearing what I offer, because we were both job-specific, and we both didn’t have to travel all over the place to meet each other face-to-face. This job fair was definitely productive for me and I know my job counsellor at Work B.C. will be glad I listened to her advice.”
South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS) is a one stop shop that works together with immigrants to help them get settled, find careers and learn all they need to know about starting their new lives in Canada.
“Our multi-lingual staff appreciates the valuable contributions immigrants make to Canada while also understanding the difficult challenges of settling in a new country,” summarized Janow. “We work together with immigrants to help them realize the full potential of their lives in Canada.”
SOICS will host Oliver Business Networking Night today, March 18, at 5:30 p.m. at its office located at 6239 Main St. in Oliver.
For further information, please contact South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services at 250-498-4900, or at: www.soics.ca
