Job seekers gain opportunities, connections at Collège Boréal career fair

500 job seekers connected with 37 employers at a Sudbury career fair, part of Collège Boréal's first business week.

A steady flow of job seekers made their way through the cafeteria at Collège Boréal’s Sudbury campus on Friday.

The Francophone post-secondary school partnered with the employment service Employment Options to hold a career fair.

More than 500 people met with 37 employers in Sudbury. A similar event was held at Boreal’s Toronto campus. It was the wrap-up to Boréal’s first Business and Entrepreneurship week.

“A lot of people are looking for jobs at the moment and that’s what we’re here to do and that’s what we do to help them,” said Emilie Legault, a job developer with Employment Solutions.

Steve Lyle, human resources manager with Mansour Group, was recruiting for skilled trades positions like AZ-licensed truck drivers, mechanics and rail operators.

“I think (career fairs) are a great opportunity to meet new and energetic individuals who are looking to get into the field,” Lyle said.

“We’re looking to give them a shot and start their career with the Mansour Group.”

Most attendees came with resumes to pass to potential employers.

Making connections

Tanim Mokarrabin just graduated from Laurentian University and said he’s looking for a job in Sudbury.

“I would say the most important part was the connection, meeting new people, collecting their contacts so we can meet at a different time,” Mokarrabin said.

Both he and his friend, Huma Ibnat, are originally from Bangladesh but moved to Canada as international students. Now they want to plant roots in Sudbury.

Mining, health care

“It definitely helped us to get connected to employers and learn what companies there are and it’s great to see people here and then get connected to the employers, get inspirational advice and all that stuff,” Ibnat said.

Legault said Employment Solutions tends to see frequent vacant positions in mining and health care across Sudbury.

But regardless of the career field, she has some advice for job seekers:

“A lot of it is computer-generated when it goes through the process of elimination, basically,” she said.

“So, you need to have those keywords ready and on your resume for it to go through the second stage.”

“An employer sometimes only takes up to seven seconds to look at your resume,” Legault added.

“If you don’t have those keywords right on top, they won’t have time because they are busy.”

The next career fair planned by Employment Options and Collège Boréal is Feb. 25 in Sturgeon Falls.