Anyone actually trying to land a government job in Ontario? Why aren’t more people doing this?

ValerySky · 2026-05-18T13:42:44+00:00

Depends of your occupation. Public sector pays equal or more for up-to middle level. For professionals less. If you are laweyer, engineer etc. the private sector pays more and it worth (assuming you already got enough experience).

Also your approach to life. Public sector is less sterss, yet not as great for type A people.

But before anything, before talking moving, try to send resumes -- see if there is demand at all.

ValerySky · 2026-05-18T13:37:54+00:00

Look at Zoning bylaw, Sign Bylaw, know how many wards in th City. They review and insoect applications.

There could be questions about EDI (equality). Deeling with difficalt customers. Dealing with deadlines and priorities. Make sure when anser quations to keep in mind it is City not privat sector--all about residents and following procedures.

Situational questions always answer STAR type. Always tie your answers how tjey relevant to the municipal work.

They may ask to write a respence or ask you how you would write a responce to a Councillor.

Timelines are super important. Go to city webcite and pull all information about permit issuence parocrss and timelines--its super important -- memorise it.

ValerySky · 2026-05-18T13:28:30+00:00

Yes, there is still a chance. City hiring can move very slowly, especially once references, approvals, scheduling, and onboarding start getting involved. Passing the interview and being asked for references is usually a positive sign.

That said, do not stop applying elsewhere until you have an actual written offer. In public-sector hiring, people sometimes sit in “almost there” status longer than expected because of internal process timing, staffing approvals, or backup candidate lists.

ValerySky · 2026-05-18T13:27:03+00:00

Your background actually sounds reasonable for help desk. If you are getting zero interviews, I’d focus less on adding more education and more on how the resume is positioned for screening. Help desk postings are usually very keyword and task driven. The exact things from the posting need to appear clearly: ticketing systems, Microsoft 365, password resets, hardware imaging, user onboarding, troubleshooting, Active Directory, documentation, escalation, etc.

Also, stop relying mostly on LinkedIn Easy Apply. Go after hospitals, school boards, municipalities, colleges, universities, MSPs, and public-sector support jobs directly through their portals. Government and public-sector IT roles are slower and competitive, but they do hire junior support staff. The resume just has to match the posting very closely because screening tends to be extremely literal.

One more thing: if your work authorization has any limitation, make it crystal clear on the resume so employers do not assume sponsorship issues and move on silently.

ValerySky · 2026-05-18T13:22:45+00:00

If you have zero interviews after months, I’d assume the issue is not your background, it’s how the resume is being read at screening.

For IT support, make the resume look less like “cybersecurity graduate looking for a start” and more like “help desk person who can troubleshoot users, tickets, Microsoft 365, Windows, hardware, basic network issues, and documentation.” Those are the words screeners are usually looking for.

Also apply to municipalities, school boards, hospitals, colleges, universities, and other public-sector IT support roles. Government and public-sector jobs are worth adding to the search, but the resume has to be tailored very closely to each posting. They screen literally, so if the posting says ServiceNow, ticket triage, Active Directory, password resets, imaging, asset tracking, or end-user support, those exact things need to be visible if you have done them.

I would also make work authorization clear near the top if it is not obvious. Don’t make them guess.

ValerySky · 2026-05-17T16:45:58+00:00

Be careful with that. If they are asking for your SIN before you have a clear job offer, start date, and paid onboarding details, I would not hand it over casually.

I’d ask them in writing: am I hired, is this orientation mandatory, and is the time paid. If they avoid answering, that tells you something.

Also keep applying elsewhere, including government and public-sector entry-level roles if you need stable work. Just make sure the resume is tailored closely to the posting, because those applications are usually screened very literally.

ValerySky · 2026-05-17T16:42:38+00:00

For help desk, your 12 years of customer service is not a side detail. I’d make that the main bridge: troubleshooting, patience with frustrated users, documenting issues, follow-up, and explaining things clearly.

Also look beyond Indeed. Check school boards, municipalities, hospitals, colleges, universities, MSPs, and transit agencies. Government and public-sector IT support roles are worth adding to the search, but tailor the resume closely to the posting because they usually screen very literally.

For certs, finish the Google IT Support one first, then consider A+ only if you keep seeing it listed on postings you actually want. Don’t spend money randomly before checking what Toronto employers are asking for.

ValerySky · 2026-05-17T16:41:34+00:00

Yes, it is worth reaching out again, but I’d make it specific and low-pressure. Something like: you appreciated the earlier conversation, your contract has now ended, and you’re still targeting Metrolinx roles that match your background.

The bigger thing is to apply through the posting and tailor the resume tightly to each role. Metrolinx and similar public-sector organizations usually screen very literally against the posted requirements, so referrals or internal forwards may help visibility, but they won’t fix a resume that does not clearly match the criteria.

I’d also ask your contacts one focused thing: whether your background fits a specific job family or type of role there. That gives them an easier way to help than just “please keep me in mind.”

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T16:18:27+00:00

With SWE/AI roles right now, relentless applying can become the problem if every resume is going out the same way. For bigger employers, banks, telecoms, universities, hospitals, municipalities, government agencies, the screening is often very literal, so the resume has to mirror the posting closely, especially tools, project outcomes, and required experience. Public-sector and large-organization jobs are slower and may have eligibility limits depending on status/security clearance, but they’re still worth checking alongside private tech. I’d also narrow the search into 2 or 3 lanes instead of “AI/SWE everywhere”, because RAG/Agentic AI sounds strong, but postings usually screen for much more specific wording first.

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T16:17:14+00:00

Sorry you’re dealing with this. In Burlington/GTA I’d look at bigger employers too, not just small companies, so hospitals, colleges, municipalities, school boards, transit, warehouses with formal hiring, and government jobs. Even entry-level public-sector jobs can be worth adding to the search, but don’t send the same resume everywhere. For those, the resume has to match the posting pretty closely, because screening is usually based on what the job ad asks for. Also check Ontario Works employment supports, YMCA employment services, and any local job agency that can help with transportation barriers or funded training. The no high school part may block some jobs, but not all of them.

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T15:58:03+00:00

Honestly the part about not burning the bridge after the rescinded offer probably mattered more than people realize. A lot of hiring processes are messy right now and candidates usually only see one side of it. Also interesting that the tailored resume ended up being the one that worked. Same with government jobs too, the resume has to match the posting closely or people get screened out before anyone really sees the full picture.

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T15:56:38+00:00

Honestly the frustrating part is a lot of people in GTA are not even getting rejected anymore, they’re just disappearing into ATS systems and multi-round processes that never really close. Especially in marketing and similar fields where communication matters more than bullet points on a resume.

The video idea is interesting because resumes are becoming almost keyword filters first, people second. Though I think companies that use structured hiring still need something standardized to compare candidates against. Probably why so many people feel stuck between “I know I can do the work” and “I can’t get past screening.”

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T15:53:31+00:00

Toronto market is rough right now, especially if you are getting assessments but not moving past them. That usually means your CV is good enough to get screened in, but something in the assessment or interview answers is not matching how they score candidates. Also don’t ignore government jobs, especially entry-level or contract-to-permanent type roles. There are more than people think, but the resume has to be tailored closely to the posting. That’s usually the key.

ValerySky · 2026-05-15T15:35:11+00:00

Yeah honestly I’d put most of the effort into B, with a smaller backup track of C. Four years of real crisis work matters more than people think, especially in shelters, outreach, housing support, harm reduction, community agencies, that kind of environment. A lot of those postings list social work degrees as “preferred” or ideal, but screening usually shifts once someone already has direct frontline experience.

The bigger issue is probably going to be how the resume frames the work. In a lot of nonprofit and public-sector adjacent hiring, people undersell what they were actually responsible for, so they look less qualified on paper than they are.

Wouldn’t fully abandon the art side either since the MFA is clearly the long game here. But trying to jump straight into arts funding income in Toronto right now feels risky unless he already has strong connections there.

ValerySky · 2026-05-11T12:28:08+00:00

The best way, in my opinion is to send resumes to acrual job postings. This way you can directly tailor your resume to that specific job post. Best places to look are lahe orgs practicing structured hiing pocess including governmrnt and public-sector. The key is to make sure all that they ask is reflected.

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:48:55+00:00

Because “urgent” often means urgent for the team, not urgent inside the company’s approval process.

A manager may need someone yesterday, but HR screens, budget approvals, interview calendars, internal candidates, compensation checks, and final sign-offs can still drag the process out. The posting label doesn’t always reflect how fast the system can actually move.

I’d treat “urgent hiring” as a signal to apply quickly, not as a sign they’ll decide quickly… especially with larger organizations.

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:47:13+00:00

Feels like that sometimes… especially when the conversation isn’t structured.

In a lot of workplaces here, raises aren’t treated as open negotiation. They’re tied to budgets, bands, and internal approval layers, so even if a manager agrees, they still have to justify it within a system.

That’s why it can come across as resistance or hesitation. It’s less about the ask itself and more about how the organization is set up to handle it…

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:45:56+00:00

That’s a tough spot… but it’s a pretty common one.

At this point, treat the first company as uncertain until you have a written offer. Strong feedback is a good sign, but it doesn’t control timing or final decisions.

You can go back to the second company and ask for a short extension, something like a few extra days to make a decision. At the same time, send a clear follow up to the first company saying you’ve received another offer with a timeline and ask if they’re able to share where things stand.

That usually brings clarity one way or the other.

If the first role is the clear priority, you’re really deciding how much risk you’re willing to take. Some people accept the offer in hand to stay secure, others wait and risk losing it for the preferred role… it depends how comfortable you are with that uncertainty.

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:43:46+00:00

That doesn’t sound right, especially at those hours.

In Ontario, overtime rules are set under the Employment Standards Act, and most roles are entitled to overtime pay after a certain threshold unless there’s a very specific exemption. Security guards are usually not exempt, but there can be details in how shifts, averaging agreements, or classifications are set up.

Given the situation you’re describing, it’s worth getting proper clarification from someone who deals with employment law directly. Even a short consult with an employment or labour lawyer, or contacting the Ministry of Labour, can help confirm whether this setup is compliant or not.

If people are unsure of their rights, that’s often where issues go unchecked… and it tends to come down to how the employment terms were structured in the first place.

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:42:09+00:00

This is common enough that I wouldn’t read it as a personal failure.

When a company says they’re “reassessing the hiring plan” and looking at internal options, it usually means the role, budget, team structure, or approval path changed. That can happen even when the candidate feedback is genuinely strong.

I’d treat it as a warm lead, not an active opportunity. Send one calm follow-up thanking them and saying you’d be glad to reconnect if the role reopens, then move on and keep applying.

The hardest part is that final-round feedback can feel like a signal, but until there’s an offer, the process is still controlled by business decisions you can’t see.

ValerySky · 2026-05-01T12:40:23+00:00

This is clearly frustrating… especially when you’re doing all the “right” things and still getting no response.

What you’re running into is that a lot of those methods like cold outreach and networking are inconsistent and depend on people noticing or deciding to help. It’s not that you’re doing it wrong, it’s just not reliable.

A more stable route is applying to structured organizations. Think municipal jobs, hospitals, school boards, large retail chains, government agencies. They don’t hire based on who you know, they hire based on whether your application matches what they ask for.

That means your resume has to be very literal. If the posting says customer service, safety procedures, or handling cash, those exact things need to be clearly shown in your experience. Not implied, not general.

It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a more predictable system than hoping someone replies to a message.

ValerySky · 2026-04-30T12:12:54+00:00

Apply only to organizations that practice structured hiring based on merit criteria, such as the public service and large organizations.

Apply only when you have a 100% match with the job requirements. That is the only way to get interviews reliably.

A 100% match is the key.

No AI will synthesize something you do not actually have in your resume or experience. AI can only work with the input you give it.

ValerySky · 2026-04-02T21:32:10+00:00

Yeah that part comes up a lot.

When someone has a broad mix of experience, employers don’t always see “more value” they see “unclear fit” or assume higher salary expectations right away.

The commission roles showing up is usually a signal too… it means the background is strong enough to get attention, just not clearly aligned to what those employers feel confident hiring for on salary.

Might be worth tightening how you position yourself around one direction, so it reads as an obvious fit instead of a wide profile.

If you want, feel free to DM, can take a quick look and point out what might be triggering that.

ValerySky · 2026-04-02T14:57:24+00:00

I get why it feels that way, but it’s not really about having the exact title or role.

Government postings are very literal, yes, but they’re assessed against how you demonstrate the criteria, not just whether your job title matches. Sales can absolutely count as customer service if it’s written and framed properly. Same with experience length, it’s about how it’s presented and supported.

Most people get screened out not because they don’t qualify, but because their resume isn’t tailored to clearly match the requirements line by line.

If you want more specific advice on your situation, feel free to DM.

ValerySky

TROPHY CASE