Where can you find jobs in Calgary?

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Look to the competitor of the company you previously worked for.

[Lt.Spears]

The best way is Contacts, i got my Current job one week within looking simply because i knew people in the industry. Of course this depends on where you work but Contacts IMO are the most useful asset in a job search.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Because a lot of firms are now using Recruiting companies its one of the best ways of getting into the hidden job market if you don't have your own networking group.

Usually the recruiting firm will push for higher dollars because the more you make, the more they make type of thing.

While you should never ever give up your own private search methods ie job boards, website searches etc, adding multiple recruiting firms to your arsenal will get you a lot more opportunities.

When I left my last job and took a long break when I decided to get back into the job market, I pretty much exclusively used recruiting firms. I picked out 5 that were focussed on my industry and skill set, and within the first three days I was averaging about 3 interviews a day.

So they take money from you or do they cost the company extra? or does it depend on the company?

[squiggs96]

I used a recruiter to find my current job and my company uses two recruiting firms exclusively. Whenever we hire an employee we pay the recruiting firm a percentage of the new hire's salary. It has no effect on the new hire.

The upside is we don't have to weed through a ton of crappy resumes. The recruiter does all the dirty work for us and sends us however many candidates we want to interview, usually three or four. We make a decision and pay the firm when the probation is up. If the new hire doesn't work out within a certain time frame, they send us another one, or round, without any additional charges.

The downside is the firms are pricy initially. Since we need to pay the employee market, their true cost for the first year is 20-30% higher. This balances off with better quality candidates who stay longer and we aren't wasting any time and/or money doing the recruiting ourselves.

As a potential employee I like recruiters because they have access to jobs you won't know about and will help negotiate your salary. They can give you some behind the scenes information that outside candidates won't have.

As a employer I like recruiters because they take care of things I don't want to, and allow me to focus on what I am good at, aka looking at the internet. The benefits outweigh the costs for me.

Be careful, as not all recruiters are equal. Some are specialized in certain industries and others are just better at doing it.

[GP_Matt]

I think cold calling works if you know what you want. I have hired quite a few people resulting from a cold call. We are often thinking about hiring someone new but haven't gotten around to running an ad. If someone who is right for the jobs happens to call it jump starts the process and if they fit then it saves time running an ad.

[northcrunk]

They don't cost you anything, they get their money from the company when your hired. If your working contract for them than they get a certain dollar amount based on your salary from the company your employed with. It's a great way to get into an industry your interested in or if you are a office worker. Just be careful as not all firms are good. I've built up a really good relationship with my recruiter so she will go the extra mile to get me more money or a permanent position. It's all about building that relationship with them.

[OldDutch]

Originally Posted by Rathji

So they take money from you or do they cost the company extra? or does it depend on the company?

I will be ultra specific to what I have experience in, large oil and gas IT consulting/contracting. This may apply to other professions though.

As others said, going through a recruiter technically costs the company your employed with (base + 15-30% recruiter fee/hr). However, some argue (in theory) that finding your own contract position saves the company that 15-30%, and as such you can negotiate some of that money back to you via "Flow Through". ie: You find the job, and pay the recruiter $3/hr to handle paperwork, instead of $15-$30+/hr for finding you the job for every hour your employed there.

Recruiters are more than happy to do "Flow Through", as it's 4-6K/yr for pretty much nothing.

Now in practice, I haven't found rates to always better with "Flow Through" vs. with a recruiter. It does happen, just not always. So a recruiter can be better in some instances to push your rate high, and get their fee higher.

Really there is no logic, trust me. I have seen "Flow Through" people, paid less than Recruiter people, for the exact same job, and vice versa. Some employers pay a premium to recruiters because they feel the recruitment firm stands behind that employee, and it is safer than a guy off the street. Which is total false, but it is the way it works.

So to the OP, with all that said. I would start out with a recruiter to get back in the game. Contact the local agencies in town, send your resume in. Get a job, and you will meet people that are in the same boat. They will start to move around and remember you, and you can then get into many other companies in town via connections.

Some people like to go to those general networking nights, and I still think they can be great. However, getting that inner circle of friends is the key, and you will roll around town with them forever, no worries on looking for another job again (or at least a long while).

[keratosis]

Job corner is....
12th ave and about 1st. isn't it?

[grizz29]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Job corner is....
12th ave and about 1st. isn't it?

12th and Centre. They smoke weed at 6:45am before "work" if you are in to that thing.

[cKy]

I also recommend eluta.ca - it worked for me out here in Victoria (so not just a Calgary search)