Getting started
How to apply for jobs online at big chains
How chain career sites work: Workday accounts, chat and text applications, screening questions, uploading your resume, checking your status, and staying safe.
Guides for your first job
Practical guides for finding and starting your first job in British Columbia and Ontario.
Getting started
Do you need a cover letter for an hourly job?
Many hourly jobs don't ask for a cover letter. Learn when you need one, how to write a short one with no work experience, and see a simple example.
Getting started
Your first week at a new job
What happens when you start: giving your SIN, direct deposit, the federal and provincial TD1 forms, training, uniforms, scheduling apps, and probation basics.
Getting started
How to follow up after a job application or interview
When and how to follow up after you apply and after an interview, in person, by email, or by phone, with short sample messages and when to move on.
Getting started
Group interviews, job fairs and hiring events
What happens at group interviews, job fairs and in-store hiring events, how to prepare, what to bring, and simple ways to stand out for the right reasons.
Getting started
Job availability explained: what to write and why it matters
How to fill in your availability honestly, what open availability means, how it affects hiring and hours, working around school, and changing it later.
Getting started
References when you have no work experience
Who can be a job reference when you have never had a job, how to ask them, how to help them prepare, and how to make a simple reference list.
Getting started
Volunteering to build experience and references
How volunteering helps you get a first job, where to find roles in Metro Vancouver and the GTA, Ontario's 40 volunteer hours, and how to list it on a resume.
Getting started
Working at 15, 16 or 17 in BC and Ontario
Minimum working ages, parent permission, hour limits during school and the types of work teens can do in BC and Ontario, plus Ontario's student minimum wage.
Getting started
Your first job interview
What to expect in an interview for an hourly job: common questions, how to talk about your availability, what to bring, and how to follow up.
Getting started
Writing your first resume with no work experience
No jobs yet? You can still write a strong resume. Use school, volunteering, skills and availability, with a simple one-page layout and an example.