How to find a job

To find a job in Alberta, you need to understand the work search process. There are four steps in this process:

Step 1: Identify the skills you have and the skills you may need to develop

Employers look for personal and transferable skills such as attitude, ability to get along well with other workers, dependability, problem-solving skills and organizational skills, as well as the technical skills required for specific types of work.
If you have professional or trade qualifications, find out if your credentials are recognized in Alberta (for more information, click on Evaluating Your Work Options).
If you do not speak English fluently, arrange to take an English as a Second Language (ESL) class (for more information, click on English as a Second Language).

Not all, or even most, job openings are advertised or listed at Alberta Employment and Immigration service centres.
As you go about your daily living, talk to people about the kind of work you want to find. For example, discuss your work search with counsellors at immigrant-serving agencies or people in your English as a Second Language class, as well as your relatives, friends and neighbours. If they do not know where you might find suitable work opportunities, ask them to refer you to others who might know.
Read about Alberta's industries and fields of employment at a local library or Alberta Employment and Immigration service centre or on the ALIS website.
Look in the Classified and Careers sections of local newspapers for job advertisements.
Use the yellow pages of the telephone directory (in print or on the Internet at myTELUS phone book to find potential employers in your field.

Employers will expect you to fill in an application form or give them a prepared resumé. A resumé is a short, typed summary of your qualifications and work experience.

When you respond to a job advertisement, follow the instructions in the ad.
Employers usually invite only the most qualified applicants for an interview. During the interview, applicants are expected to provide more information about how their qualifications and experience relate to job requirements.

For more information about completing application forms, preparing resumés and making a good impression in an interview:

Call the Alberta Career Information Hotline at 1-800-661-3753 toll-free or (780) 422-4266 in Edmonton.
Read the employment-related information on the ALIS (Alberta Learning Information Service) website.
Talk to a counsellor at an immigrant-serving agency or Alberta Employment and Immigration service centre.

Date Updated: Nov 01, 2007
RDP-541