About Employment and Volunteering:

Antigonish and Pictou Counties offer employment opportunities in financial and customer services, trades and education. There are also plenty of organizations who offer volunteer positions, which can be very helpful for gaining insight and experience in workplaces.

Finding a job:

When searching for a job there are plenty of services there to help you, including specialists who can help you build a professional resume and websites that compile job postings (list of websites can be found below). For guidance in career development, resume advice, workshops, etc. the following organizations are available:

• Service Canada offers information about finding a job throughout Canada.
• Career Connections, located in New Glasgow, provides information and tools for creating a resume and assessing your skills for a career path. They also offer a variety of workshops, programs and resources.
• Antigonish also has a Career Connections office. They provide job search assistance, help with resumes, career counselling, workshops and labour market information.. If you are a newcomer to Canada, you can also receive help from Immigration Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS).
• Pulse Pictou County offers networking and professional development opportunities for young, working-age people in the area.

Having trouble finding work?: If you have recently been laid off from a job or are struggling to find a job with enough income to support your family, there are services and programs provided by the Nova Scotia Government through Employment Support and Income Assistance.

Current job posting websites:

• AllStarJobs
• Career Beacon
• Indeed
• Job Bank
• Monster
• Workopolis
• WowJobs
• JobGurus Canada

Working with a disability:

If you are looking for employment and have a disability, you can receive help through Employment Support Services in the Government of Nova Scotia. You can contact Career Connections in New Glasgow or the Career Connections office in the town of Antigonish, for information on how to receive assistance. For further information, review the resources provided on their website. 211 Nova Scotia provides a variety of information about disability supports and services.

Finding a volunteer position:

Most organizations will accept volunteers when asked but do not advertise volunteering opportunities, while other organizations depend on volunteers in order to operate. Depending on which industry you are interested in or skills you wish to gain, there are plenty of volunteer positions that you can consider. The following is a list of just some of the organizations in the area that are always looking for volunteers:

• Antigonish County Adult Learning Association can always use your help for a variety of positions – there is everything from just being a friend or mentor to becoming a board member.
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Pictou County accept volunteers to help out fundraising events and to act as mentors for children.
• Canadian Red Cross runs many programs where a little help makes a big difference.
• deCoste Centre is always looking for volunteers to help welcome people and are ready to serve the community.
• Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library welcomes a helping hand for their outreach programs.
• Pictou County Roots for Youth is a homeless shelter for youth that depends on volunteers to operate.
• R. K. MacDonald Nursing Home is always looking for volunteers to help with activity based programs for residents. Some areas are: crafts, gardening, nail care, cards and games, etc.
• United Way of Pictou County has partnered with different groups in the community in order to promote volunteerism.