Brian Feeney at his job at the Medicine Hat Hearing Centre. (CHAT News Photo/Ross Lavigne)

By Alex McCuaig

Tough competition

Finding work in Medicine Hat not getting any easier as employers swamped with applications

Oct 28, 2020 | 5:03 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The once job-rich provincial energy sector has seen a reversal of fortunes in recent years leading to an employment situation this year which is compounded by an oil price war and global pandemic.

Brian Feeney returned to his hometown two years ago after decades of being away.

Not ready to retire and not looking for a career, he just wanted a simple, stable job.

Despite looking for basic administrative jobs or cashier work in retail, he only recently found a part-time job at the Medicine Hat Hearing Centre.

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“I just wanted office work,” said Feeney whose last job was an administrative position he had for 27 years. “I was overqualified to do most jobs so I thought I’ll just dumb down my resume and make it very basic. But still, like I said, not even one phone call.”

During the heyday of the province’s overheated jobs market with the oil price hitting triple digits, Feeney’s position would be beyond rare.

But with the bottom falling out of the oil and gas sectors, his story is all too common.

The owner of the Medicine Hat Hearing Centre, Carla Rissling, says 150 people applied for the job Feeney was hired for two months ago.

That job was posted for less than a week.

“It tells me there is a lot of people willing to work even if it’s part-time,” said Rissling whose business specializes in hearing tests and aids. “Maybe they have to get three part-time jobs to make ends meet or just really looking for a good job.”

Rissling says she contracted Being Human Services to help vet applications and assist in what can be a daunting task for those looking to hire in a market which can result in a deluge of resumes.

Sandi Grass, training and employment coordinator with the company, says those holding out for well-paying oil and gas sector jobs may want to rethink that position.

“Truthfully right now, they are going to need to readjust. The reality is, those jobs are few and far between. Having said that, people don’t recognize the skills they actually have,” said Grass.

Taking those skills and making them fit with what the employer needs is key to getting your foot in the door rather than blanketing resumes across the city, says Grass. And including a cover letter that demonstrates knowledge of the employer’s business can be an important piece of that puzzle.

“It takes time to do some research, to invest your time into where you are going to move forward, what are the businesses, start paying attention to the news, start reading the newspaper, seeing which companies are merging with other companies. Where is the growth, what are the new trends coming up,” said Grass.

She says there are plenty of entry-level jobs or very specific professional occupations, but there is not much in the middle right now.

And Feeney says it’s tough right now, not just for him but the younger generation trying to even get those basic retail positions.

“My niece has moved down from Edmonton and she’s 25,” said Feeney. “She’s going through the same thing. She’s applying for jobs and not getting any phone calls.”