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Chamber’s job fair will be back next year

‘It’s like a job fair every day’ at the employment centre, but businesses don’t seem to know about it A sharp rise in the number of job advertisements leading into this winter season has fast-tracked a decision from the Whistler C

‘It’s like a job fair every day’ at the employment centre, but businesses don’t seem to know about it

A sharp rise in the number of job advertisements leading into this winter season has fast-tracked a decision from the Whistler Chamber of Commerce to reinstate its job fair next season.

To further assist local businesses and to help people find employment, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce has conducted fall job fairs in previous years. The chamber’s job fairs usually started soon after Whistler-Blackcomb holds its job fair for seasonal jobs on the mountains.

But the chamber had its federal funding cut last January and therefore it did not have the funds or resources to organize an employment fair this year. Since that setback the Whistler Chamber of Commerce has organized several partnerships, which include the Resort Municipality of Whistler and Whistler Community Services, to ensure there will be two separate job fairs next season.

More than 1,700 people have been hired in Whistler during the past two months and Brent Leigh, president of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, said the response to most job listings in the employment centre had been enormous.

"Between 120 to 180 people a day have been going through here and we know that they are genuine job seekers; they’re not hanging out having coffee," Leigh said.

"From the response, there seems to be a good awareness with the people looking for jobs, but for some reason I’m not sure the businesses are fully aware of what we’re doing."

While the Whistler Chamber of Commerce Employment Centre has many useful hints for workers seeking employment, the centre’s co-ordinator, Marta Sutherland, said it was also important for local businesses to realize how easy it was to use the facilities to find new staff.

"I’m trying to tell everyone to use this service because I’ve got hundreds of kids going through here every week looking for jobs or second jobs and it’s all online, and it’s free," Sutherland said.

"It’s like a job fair every day in here.

"But my wall’s half empty and I don’t know why I don’t have (job) notices pinned up everywhere."

Sutherland conceded the nature of how things work in Whistler tends to lend itself to a degree of confusion at this time of year.

"It’s crazy how the system works over here because it’s so seasonal," she said.

"For two months everything’s happening and everyone gets inundated from everywhere by resumes and phone calls and it can be hard for those businesses who don’t have housing or offer mountain passes."

David Kirk, a former councillor and long time owner of Whistler Village Sports, said it was important that the chamber reinstates its job fair.

"I felt there was a job fair missing this year," Kirk said.

"I believe the chamber of commerce should go back and look at that because a lot of employers missed that opportunity this year to get a look at the people coming in."

Kirk said some businesses struggle to attract people because of the nature of the work they want people to do.

"We’re in the ski business – we sell and rent skies – and usually it’s these kinds of businesses that are more attractive to people around here, rather than being a dish pig or shoveling snow," Kirk said.

"What I do tell everybody is that they will get jobs, if they don’t already have one now.

"There are jobs that go begging all winter long. There are always more jobs than there are people willing to fill them.

"Labour shortages, I think, is part of the nature of resorts. It’s the same in places like Colorado."

Kirk said while some businesses might not be able to offer people money right away, it was important for them to give future employees job security as soon as possible.

"What I’m hearing, particularly in the case of food and beverage, is that many people are having their first and second interviews and then the jobs aren’t being offered until shortly before the places open.

"I’m sure that a lot of workers, while they might not be getting paid, would at least like to know that they’re hired, so they can have that sense of place."

Despite the aura of disorganization that surrounds the start of the winter season, the good news for the unemployed is that Whistler-Blackcomb has started its "second wave" of recruiting.

Director of Whistler-Blackcomb Employee Experience Kirby Brown urged people who were applying for jobs with the mountain to be tenacious because the quality of applicants this year had been outstanding.

"I remember when I started here cleaning toilets – this is after a four year business degree mind you – and I worked my way up to become a ticket validator.

"Ticket validating is basically running a ticket through a machine, and I was training this guy once and I asked him what he did at home. He turned out to be the head of pathology at Sydney (Australia) hospital… so we do get some fairly extraordinary people coming here."

Brown admitted that hiring people was "a bit of a numbers game" and a "leap of faith" in many ways, but in the end people are usually chosen by how well they reflect the company culture.

"We’ve got a two-tiered hiring system now, which means most people get two interviews or two chances to impress and really we’re trying to see if this person fits into our company philosophy," he said.

"The issue for us when you’ve got 130 different businesses that you’re recruiting for is to pick the right people that could potentially adapt to all the nuances of those different stores."

Whistler-Blackcomb has hired 1,500 people (2,200 people applied at their job fair) but Brown said there would be a high turnover between now and Jan. 1.

"We have about 70-80 jobs up on the site now, but there will be a lot more mostly because people pull out," he said. "Whether it be homesickness or early season injuries or a boyfriend-girlfriend issues or some just not being right for the job – some people just don’t stay in their jobs."