FAQs

The amount of time it can take to find a new job is dependent on many different factors. Due to this, it is very difficult to say how long it will take any individual to find work. The best way to get a better idea of what to expect is to research local labour market trends. Ontario’s labour market webpage offers monthly updates regarding the labour market in Ontario. This is broken down further into the amount of jobs created for people at various levels of education and within various fields of employment. Using this resource will give you the most up-to-date information so that you know what to expect in your job search. 

There are a few important things you can do to improve your chances of getting an employer’s attention. The first thing you should do is make sure that your resume and cover letter (if necessary) include what the employer is looking for according to the job posting. Take time to read through job postings you are interested in and try to match your skills with what the employer is looking for. The better you are able to demonstrate you are a good fit for the position, the better chance you have of moving on to the next stage of the hiring process. 

Another way to improve your chances of getting hired is to diversify how you are expressing interest in work. Online applications are the norm in today’s job market, but networking and face-to-face interactions with potential employers are still powerful ways to show your interest and competence. Telling friends and family that you are looking for work opens up the chance for them to tell you about opportunities they have heard of through their own network. Talking directly with a manager in charge of hiring will set you apart from the competition as long as you present yourself well. It is important not to ignore these strategies even with the majority of applications happening online. 

If you would prefer to start your employment search on your own, there are a number of resources that can make your search easier. There are job boards available through the Ontario Government and Government of Canada that you can use to search for jobs based on field and location. Using these sites as a starting point is beneficial as they also provide information on the labour market in relation to your chosen career. Additionally, sites such as Indeed.ca provide a very broad set of jobs available based on your location. Sites such as these are readily used by employers, so they are a good way of getting a general sense of jobs available in the area and make applications very easy.  

It is important to consider often-overlooked ways of searching for employment. Individual employers, especially larger corporations, usually have job boards posted on their sites. Researching employers you are interested in is an incredibly useful way of directing your job search more effectively.  

If you are not sure where to start, or need more dedicated 1-1 support through your job search journey, call us today to book an appointment with one of our Employment Consultants!  

If you’re unsure of what kind of work you want to do as part of your career, there are resources that can help you select a path based on your individual values and personality traits. Career Cruising offers a self assessment that will help you develop awareness of these values and traits. It then provides a list of careers that best suit you based on the results of the assessment. 

After you have narrowed down your possible career options, it can be helpful to research salaries and prospects for those careers. Both the Government of Canada and the Ontario Government offer tools that will help you choose your career path based on the likelihood of finding employment in your chosen field and your expected salary at the beginning, middle, and end of your career. 

Whether you are looking for work or are already working with an employer, it is important to know what your rights are within these contexts. Both the Ontario Government and Government of Canada websites offer information on labour standards, workplace health & safety, and human rights in the work context. However, it can be difficult to interpret the legislation just by reading it. To address this issue, Steps to Justice is an excellent resource that puts Ontario’s legislation into plain language to better help you understand your rights within many different contexts. This is an excellent resource if you want to know more about the law as it applies to you. 

Yes, your Employment Consultant will continue to check in with you for 1 year after you have obtained employment to see if you are still working or if there is anything else that you may need from us to help support you with your employment or in job searching again if you are no longer employed. Our staff will reach out to you periodically following your employment at 1 Month, 3 Months, 6 Months and 12 Months afterwards to make sure you have everything you need.  

During these check-ins, your Employment Consultant may ask questions about your employment as part of our requirements from our funder. We may also ask for pay stubs or employment attestations if necessary to help prove to our funder that employment has been sustained. These processes help ensure that we are held accountable to our funder for providing services that help our clients obtain employment that sustains over the course of a year, and ensures we are continuing to provide service to our clients, even after employment has been obtained.  

ReStart staff may occasionally ask for employment verification paperwork, such as paystubs or attestation information to report back to our funder as required in our funding model. These documents help to ensure we are held accountable in our work and assist individuals in finding lasting employment and that we are continuing to reach out to our clients and offer services for 1 year post-employment!  

You cannot work with two employment agencies at the same time! However, we are able to transfer your file to or from another service provider at any time at your request!  

No, our services are all free of charge, including Employment Counselling and all amenities in the Resource and Information Centre. ReStart is a non-profit organization.