Students search for summer salaries

by Katie Woychyshyn

With the end of the school year in sight, students have been searching for the jobs they will need to ‘make bank’ over the summer.

On March 25 and 26, hundreds of students from across the city stood in line at the Delta Hotel on St. Mary Avenue. With resumes in hand, the hopefuls waited in the cold wind for a chance to apply for the first 1000 positions at the new outlet mall opening on Kenaston.

Some waited for three hours but didn’t make it inside before the fair ended.

To those who saw it, it was a demonstration of how many people are looking for summer jobs in Winnipeg. To students who participated, it meant that their job search was well on its way.

Though the period for summer job searching is starting to close, there are still opportunities for job applications. The City of Winnipeg, among other employers, is still hiring students.

Alison Moist, manager of corporate staffing and diversity at the City of Winnipeg said students are important to their workforce.

The city hires approximately 400 students for seasonal positions. Positions with the include labourers, recreation technicians, meter readers and technical assistants.

“A lot of our jobs are going out into the community,” said Moist.

Other places hiring are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Manitoba Public Insurance, and YMCA’s Camp Stephens.

For some students, the task of job hunting still lingers.

Suksjeet Singh, a 22-year-old applied accounting student, has applied for jobs but has been unsuccessful in solidifying a summer opportunity.

“It’s very hard,” Singh said. “Especially for international students, because you don’t have enough experience to show them.”

Hermeet Singh, 27, is looking for a weekend job position to accommodate his schooling.

“I come from an engineering background, but I don’t think I will get a job in that field.” Hermeet said, “But I am open to everything — every type of job.”

As the season progresses, so does the search. For students like Sukjeet and Hermeet, the job hunt continues.