Amid the growing unemployment crisis across the country, a Toronto creator is hosting a resume-building event to help other job-searching residents get hired.
Like many people in the city, Kushal Mavadia found himself being laid off from his job as a policy analyst for the Minister of Finance about a week ago. With extra time on his hands, a desire to dive into content creation, and a longing for community, he decided to take to social media to connect with other job-hunting Torontonians.
“It was kind of on a whim where I kind of thought to myself, ‘If I’m in this position, there must be so many other Torontonians that are also in this position. And if we’re all in this position, well, there’s solace in the community. So, why don’t we try and get together and try to apply to jobs together?’” he told Now Toronto on Tuesday.
Without giving it too much thought, Mavadia posted a video on TikTok inviting other unemployed people in the city to “be unemployed together” and plan a low-budget meetup. The video soon gained popularity, getting over 45,000 views and hundreds of comments.
The creator says he was caught by surprise by the popularity of the video, but quickly arranged group chats on Discord and Instagram for interested Torontonians to connect with each other and share ideas for a meetup.
Now, along with another creator, Annie Phan, Mavadia is organizing a community event to foster connections and help other unemployed Torontonians improve their resumes.
“This entire idea was to provide a space where people can improve their resumes, improve their the career building aspects of things, and so the community as a whole is kind of crucial to do that, whether it be connecting with other people that are in similar industries, or getting advice from people that are more experienced than you. That’s what that community is all for,” he said.
The event is set to take place at the Toronto Reference Library, at 789 Yonge St., on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4–6 p.m. According to Mavadia, nearly 90 people have joined the group chats for the event, while 18 have registered so far. However, the event is open for drop-ins, and no registration is required to attend.
The idea is to group attendees based on the industries and companies they are applying for, and have them exchange resumes and share their tips for improvement, while also hosting a space for people to connect with each other.
“Everyone getting to [match] faces to names that are on a screen, getting to see that all other people are in the same boat as I am, and having the sense of community that’s [my] number one [hope],” he said.
“Number two, it’s a resume workshop. So, everyone, I would hope, is bringing their resume, either paper copy or digital copy, and by the end of the event, I would hope that they leave with a more tailored resume, a better resume, a resume that sets themselves apart from other candidates, and hopefully, yields better applying results.”
The creator warns that although he has spoken to recruiters and HR experts, the event is not led by professionals, and rather a more informal and community-driven approach to job hunting.
UNEMPLOYMENT GROWING IN THE CITY
Unemployment rates have been reaching concerning levels over the last few months across the country, standing at 7.1 per cent as of September, according to Statistics Canada. The numbers are even more concerning for youth, as the country reached its worst youth unemployment levels since September 2010, with 14.7 per cent of young people unemployed in Canada.
In Ontario, the unemployment rate grew by 0.2 per cent since August, standing above the national average at 7.9 per cent in September. Meanwhile in Toronto, 8.9 per cent of residents are currently unemployed, 0.8 per cent less than last year at this time.
Read More
Although Mavadia has not been unemployed for long, he says many of the challenges related to job hunting that he has observed so far have to do with harsher requirements for entry-level positions and the hiring companies’ use of AI-led Applicant Tracking Systems, which often keep resumes from being reviewed by human recruiters.
“Every single job I’ve seen on Indeed or LinkedIn requires three to five years of experience. And for anyone that’s entering the workforce, you have no experience. We [are] just fresh out of school, if anything…so obviously, the more qualified candidates would have it a lot better,” he said.
On the other hand, the Torontonian hopes his resume-building event will inspire others to not give up on their job hunting journey and find comfort in other community members who are also looking for a new gig.
“There’s a lot of disheartening aspects to this whole application process. I’m very early in this process, so I guess I still have the glint in my eye, and I’m quite hopeful in that sense,” he said.
TORONTONIANS LOOKING FOR CONNECTION
Mavadia is not the first one to take action and launch community events in Toronto.
Earlier this year, other creators have gone viral after organizing other large events in the city, including a massive picnic in a public park, a group screen, and even different running groups.
Read More
Besides supporting Torontonians to find jobs, Mavadia hopes his event will also be another opportunity for residents to socialize in the city, and there seems to be a growing need for connection.
“I think that there is an epidemic of not having enough third spaces in Toronto, and the third spaces that are available, they might not be the most visible to a lot of people. So, that’s where we have to step in as a community, as Toronto, where we’re like, ‘Hey, we want to connect with one another, so let’s just do something,’” he said.
“There’s solace in having people around you that are going through the same thing and keeping each other motivated.”
