On the 13th of February, the HI-Toronto Hostel organized a winter hiring event at The Cavern Bar, 76 Church Street. Candidates had the opportunity to meet face to face with many team members: from front-line staff to general management. 10 students from the SEB program had been selected to participate.

“I am not nervous because I’ve had a lot of interviews. I would be excited to work here, you can take the time to communicate with customers and to follow up after by email”, explained Monica Galajdová. She finished her 48-week SEB program in January and applied for the front desk position. I can see by her surprised face that it is the first time she has attended this kind of event. I too am surprised. Have you ever been to a Job Fair with drinks, some finger foods, while you lined up to talk to employers? No? Me neither. Let me tell you, it is such a great idea!

Julia Rodrigues organized the event. She is the Assistant General Manager at Hi Hostel Toronto: “We were tired of meeting people who have a really great resume but when it came to the one on one we never really learned from their personalities. We have been through a lot of interviews to find the person who has ‘ce je ne sais quoi’, the little things that make all the difference.” So they reversed the process. Now, they have one big event where they get the chance to see the people’s personalities first. This is a unique opportunity to showcase the best of you. Forget about covering every nook and cranny of your work history, they’ve already got resumes for that. I feel here a very friendly and relaxed environment. People are chatting, laughing, enjoying. The goal is for both sides to find out how well they fit with each other.

Marcela Hartvig is an SEB student from Brazil, and she wishes that every interview could be like this: “I talked with Vanessa, the employer for the housekeeping position, and she asked me an unexpected question. If I want to switch my day with one person who will it be? I answered Gisele Bündchen, a Victoria’s Secret model.” Why…? Could it be because of her husband, Tom Brady?

 

Perfect Match

Julia Rodrigues is also a teacher at ILAC International College and she has a lot of hope in the SEB program. “ILAC students are the perfect example of people who want to work here. Because we deal with international guests, we want to have international workers as well. In our team, we are really diverse and I feel it brings that to the table”. So it is a good match, well done!

Event Organizer, Participants, and Hiring Clinic Rep

From left to right, Julia Rodrigues, Monica Galajdová, and Mustafa Essa

A recruitment company also joined the event. Mustafa Essa, Manager of Job Development shared some details about his job: “ My target is to connect with young people who are looking for employment and hopefully find them a job in their field from restaurant to marketing to laws firms”. He already met a few people with a good background in marketing or interested in administration. Candidates who are successful will be contacted for a formal interview at a later date with the hiring manager. It doesn’t really matter if you don’t have experience. If you really want to learn and you have a good attitude they will welcome you on board. So be yourself. You are awesome!


Character of the day: Julia Rodrigues, Assistant General Manager at HI-Toronto Hostel.

Joke of the day: “Why aren’t koalas actual bears? Because they don’t meet the koalafications.”

Advice of the day: Let’s go to The Cavern Bar, below the HI-Toronto Hostel. It is open every night, serving meals and offering a different drink special for each day of the week. Plus, you’re guaranteed to be entertained 7 nights a week with live music, open mic, comedy night and much more!


Written by Marine Gas, student blogger for the ILAC International College.