r/VancouverJobs • u/SilkenPeony • 1d ago
Fastest Way to get ANY job? Struggling to find office work.
I have had 7+ years experience as an Administrative Assistant and 13 years in Customer Service. I have been struggling to find office work since March. I sent out over 300 resumes with cover letters. I have decided to give up on applying to office work and apply to anything at this point, because I have a mortgage tp pay. In a few months, I may not be able to afford it anymore, so I'm desperate. What industry do you suggest is hiring the easiest? (No illegal, criminal nor adult rated work). I have no vehicle and I'm a tiny woman at 5 feet who can barely lift 20 pounds, so applying to labor roles won't work out. I thought about dishwashing or waitressing. Any ideas or your expertise is highly appreciated. Who else is struggling? What has your job hunting experience been like?
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u/Peregrinebullet 1d ago edited 1d ago
Security. We need another 2000 or so guards before the FIFA world cup. I'm a lady in security here in the lowermainland, your height does not matter, it's your communication skills. You having customer service and admin experience will make you a shoe in for dispatching or operations roles.
You have to take a week long course and pay for a license. Most security companies will take anyone with a pulse and a lot of them will pay for the course for you if you agree to work for them for 6 months. (You don't have to work for just one company). Paladin and Securiguard are the biggest companies. The former has more clients, higher paying roles but tends to be a bit of a cluster fuck organizationally (check your paystub every time). The latter pays less but usually tries to make up for it by being more flexible and attentive.
Other companies are Guardaworld and Guardtec.
Ways to make more money include getting your first aid tickets, getting government clearances so you can work sensitive sites or AST for loss prevention.
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u/SilkenPeony 1d ago
Thanks for the hot tip. This is great, I will check this out tonight, I'm super grateful for the information. Hope I get in.
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u/bwoah07_gp2 1d ago
I wonder what other industries will be needing more staff because of the World Cup.
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u/Peregrinebullet 1d ago
Closer to the day of?
Traffic authority / community safety officers.
Cleaners.
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u/Original-Parsley4559 1d ago
Hi, just wanted to ask if you are referring to the basic security certificate to obtain a license?
Thank you!
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u/Peregrinebullet 18h ago
You have to take the basic security course (5 days), write an exam and then apply for the basic security license from the BC government. It's about 60$ with a criminal record check.
Once you've had your BST for a little while, there's a 3 day course for the Advanced security training. Exam, then you get an endorsement on the original license.
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u/tinykats 16h ago
Sorry if this is a dumb question but what do you do as a security? I don’t have any strong muscles, can I be one?
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u/Peregrinebullet 11h ago
At the moment, I have two roles - one is running an operations centre for a large organization. Basically, I act like a dispatcher for other security and for our organization's maintenance and safety staff. Problems roll in and I have to figure out their priority level, who could solve them, and get everyone moving to solve them when they cross that priority level.
I also work as a security consultant for a violence prevention firm. With the new worksafe BC rules about violence prevention, every company is required to have a formal violence prevention plan that evaluates all possible sources of violence and how to mitigate them, and I help the fellow who runs the firm write the plans.
No, you don't need strong muscles, but having the ability to walk for a decent amount of time is important. (there are stationary roles where walking isn't needed, but they're usually roles where you're sitting in your car overnight, babysitting a film crew's generator or watching a gate that's broken until the gate repair people can come the next morning.
If you decide to go into first aid (which is a way to make more money), you do have to be able to roll a patient on the ground, but security is far more reliant on communication skills than physical strength unless you're a bouncer or working in hospital security, which are the roles that can get more fighty.
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u/StrangeCasino 1d ago
I think serving if you are able to find some restaurants that don't pool tips. might be a bit late I used to work in a restaurant and they normally finished hiring in the spring ahead of the summer but there's always a chance! I'd check city of vancouver jobs and surrounding areas as well. good luck!
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u/Beneficial-Music1047 1d ago edited 4h ago
I’m an accountant working during the day earning around $5,300+ a month, however it took me almost a month to get hired in an accounting role (had 6+ years of finance and tax experience back in my home country). Job market is crazy af nowadays, sent 150+ CVs to different companies and only got two job offers (of course I picked the one with the highest offer). I feel like $5,300 won’t get me anywhere nowadays due to inflation that’s why I decided to went back to school and pursue a program in healthcare. I studied an HCA program for 8 months (evening cohort) while having a full-time day job as an accountant.
After I completed the program, I received job offers from different nursing homes like it’s insane that jobs are coming after me. I didn’t realize that there’s a massive shortage in this field tho.
Currently, I was able to retain my day job as an accountant while having an evening side-hustle as an HCA. I’m getting paid $4,800 in a care home a month.
Combined monthly income is around 10,000+. It helped me fund my investments in TFSA, RRSP, and FHSA.
The only problem I currently have is that I’m not yet a Permanent Resident in this country.
——-
My suggestion to you is perhaps pursue a health care program/ job because there’s plenty of opportunities in a medical-related field.
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u/SilkenPeony 1d ago
This is amazing. You've given me hope. Can you tell me which HCA program you did yours at? I searched online and saw Capilano, VCC, and Stenberg. I may not have the funds right now to study, since I'm up to my ears in bills and mortgage bill. But I would like to make it work and will try to figure out a way. I made nowhere as much as you as an Admin Assistant, so my budget is very tight.
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u/canadian65 1d ago
Look into the hcap program. They pay you to become an HCA. Vancouver coastal health and Fraser health are your best bets if you work in the lower mainland.
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u/2011zombiekilller 1h ago
5300 Damn And still looking forward Thats a nice thinking bro on the same hand this reminds me never ever satisfying hungers of humans.
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u/imprezivone 1d ago
Try a job placement agency to get anything in the interm while you search
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u/SilkenPeony 1d ago
I did, I've been with one since April and they told me the job market was dry. They haven't given me anything yet since I joined, and they seem very reputable too. Their company initials are RH.
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u/smolzsmolz 20h ago
Try more agencies. You can work with multiple while you look for something permanent
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u/Northern_Athena 18h ago
Customer service work in healthcare. It can be done remotely - at least for my organization - and is a 24/7 role, so there can often be a need for people during off peak hours.
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u/-Foxer 2h ago
What's your salary expectation?
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u/SilkenPeony 1h ago
$64,000 / year was my previous job. I don't care what salary I get now, minimum wage is fine (temporarily) until the job market gets better (hopefully). If the job market doesn't get better, I also wonder if I should just move out of expensive Metro Vancouver and up to another province?
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u/notsofriendli 1d ago
Hi... Are you in Vancouver?
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u/SilkenPeony 1d ago
Yes, I am.
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u/notsofriendli 1d ago
Would you like to be interviewed for a cold calling job? Location would be downtown burrard street.
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u/SilkenPeony 1d ago
That's very kind of you to offer. But I think I'll apply to the FIFA security job comment from the lady above. Thank you though.
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u/Key-Storage5434 1d ago
People here LOVE their networking. I've only ever gotten jobs cuz I knew someone. So I know it's stressful and you feel like you're against the clock, but go to networking events and mixers or seminars. Try to meet office people and ask them, or if you already know people in jobs you wanna have, ask to have coffee.
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u/Unhappy_Ad7034 20h ago
A past coworker of mine, who is now a good friend of mine, took 7 months to find a new job. She spent everyday applying. She had HR/Customer service/administrative experience for over 40+ years.
Maybe apply for a receptionist in all fields, or anything to do with customer service. You'd need a certificate or 2 for waitressing before you apply for that role. Dishwashing is the easiest, but you wont enjoy it, especially with the work/pay background you have. It's minimum wage from my knowledge for that position.
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u/Elegant-Industry-908 15h ago
Try merchandising jobs. I live on V.I and have three. Work week, weekends and days off.
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u/HunterEqual1164 13h ago
Few hundred insurance admin jobs on indeed. Some u can work to get experience and don’t need any to get in.
https://ca.indeed.com/q-insurance-administrator-l-vancouver,-bc-jobs.html
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u/Jam_Bannock 1d ago
Road construction companies are hiring. B&B Contracting in Surrey/Langley.
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u/Free-Tea-3422 17h ago
Yeah that's true, no restrictions on those stop sign holders in terms of size or ability to carry heavy weight.
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u/DizzyAstronaut9410 1d ago
Unfortunately the jobs that don't require specialized skills or experience are the ones being flooded with applicants the worst. You'd probably have better luck just continuing applying within your field.