The Advocate

Editor's note: the majority of this post is fairly boring. Feel free to skip to the list at the end for some levity. Who am I kidding? As if anyone's even reading this crap anyway. No matter, it's empowering for me to pretend.

I swear that I’m the biggest advocate for Intrawest and Whistler Blackcomb, even after having been out of their employ for over a year now. But having spent 11+ years with the company (6+ of which were in Whistler), I know how much fun the work environment can be, how much you can learn and develop, and how you can truly carve a career path for yourself. Working in a ski resort is more than being a liftie – not that there’s anything wrong with being a liftie!

In my current job, a significant number of mid-20's often approach me with tips about how to obtain employment in Whistler. Typically they’re pimply-faced 20-year-olds who wear their jeans way below their underwear line, but regardless of their age or station in life, each one shows up with a twinkle in his eye and I get the feeling that they just know the whole world is at his feet.

For those of you who have done the whole Whistler thing, think back to the day when you first arrived at the resort and how exhilarating (and intimidating) it all seemed. Then remember how hard you worked, how little money you made, how much beer you drank, and how many Monday evenings you spent at Tommy Africa’s, getting nutty to the strains of John and John’s “The Grease Mega-mix,” Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” and “ABC” by the Jackson Five. Ah, the glory days….

Anyways, as a public service announcement, I’ve posted this outline based on an e-mail I sent to someone seeking advice from me, the Whistler employment swami. In my opinion, here’s what someone needs to keep in mind if they’re heading down this path to getting a job in Whistler. If you're one of those people: look and learn!

If there's one thing I can help with, it's employment advice and information!! I worked for Whistler Blackcomb for 6+ years and had a total blast, plus I worked for the parent company (Intrawest) for another 5+years. I'm probably the biggest advocate of the company, so I always encourage anyone who's interested in trying it for themselves. Tell John that he'll have an awesome time!

There are a million places John could work in Whistler Resort: Whistler Blackcomb (the mountain), one of the many hotels, one of the many restaurants or bars, or one of the many retail/rental shops. The most fun (in my opinion) is working for Whistler Blackcomb, simply because they're the major employer in the resort. He'll meet tons of people and be treated extremely well -- great staff parties, free dual mountain ski pass, half-price on food, and other great benefits. He may even be able to get into staff accommodation, which is basically ski-in/ski-out housing on the side of the mountain. To clarify, Whistler and Blackcomb are the two mountains in Whistler Resort, but they're owned and operated jointly by Intrawest. Applying to work for Whistler Blackcomb means John could physically work at Whistler Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain, or both.

Whistler Blackcomb owns and operates all sorts of stuff in addition to running the mountain operations, including on-hill restaurants, bars/restaurants at the base of the mountains, and retail/rental shops. In addition, they hire people to do all sorts of other jobs required of keeping the entire operation running: ticket sellers, lift attendants, janitors, night auditors, parking attendants, Guest Relations representatives, Race and Events Department, and many more. As a result, there are a whole range of job types to choose from -- more than any other single employer in Whistler Resort. If, for instance, John wants to ski all day and work in the evenings, he could try and get a job as a night janitor or a night auditor, or working night shifts in one of the bars that the mountain owns.

In order to get hired by Whistler Blackcomb, he needs to attend the job fair that takes place from October 29 to November 4. Have him check out http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/employment/ for all the details on what he needs to do before he gets there and how to pre-book his screening interview. There's quite a bit of information for him to read, but encourage him to read it in advance so he's completely prepared when he gets there and has everything he needs. One of the most important things to consider is that he needs to have a work visa before he'll even be considered for employment. No work visa = no job : (

Basically, the job fair allows every applicant to have a 15-minute "Company Fit" interview that helps the recruiter determine whether the applicant has what the company is looking for. These 15 minutes determine whether he'll be given a chance to advance to the next phase of the process -- the job-specific interview -- so it's EXTREMELY important that he dazzles them by giving them exactly what they're looking for. In short, it's all about personality, positive attitude, ability to think outside the box, and ability to come up with creative solutions.

Tip: have John call me directly and I'd be happy to go through the types of questions he'll be asked, and what exactly the recruiters are looking for. If he takes my advice and applies it during his interview, he'll be in without any problem. I'm totally serious about having him call me -- it'll be easier than trying to write everything down! Plus, he can ask me any other questions that my synopsis might not cover.

Once he dazzles them at his screening interview, he'll be slotted in for an interview for whatever positions he's applied for, or for whatever positions they feel he'd be appropriate for. That's where he'll again dazzle them with his personality. Whistler Blackcomb is a big believer in hiring for personality and training for skills instead of simply hiring the most qualified applicants. As a result, attitude and personality are of paramount importance during the entire process.

OK, so that's it for Whistler Blackcomb, but there are may other employers in the resort. Some of the major hotels (Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Westin, Four Seasons, etc.) may hold their own job fairs as well, simply because they hire lots of seasonal workers to complement their year-round staff. There would be a range of jobs as well, but not as many options as Whistler Blackcomb. It could be best for John to contact them directly when he's there, or to simply look in the newspaper (either the Pique or the Question) and find out if/when they're hosting hiring fairs.

Other businesses like bars/restaurants and retail shops don't typically have job fairs, but he'll be able to go around and submit his CV in person once he's there. One note about John's CV: in Canada, CVs are typically 2 pages maximum and provide career highlights instead of tons of in-depth detail. From all my years interviewing and hiring Australians, we Canadians were always somewhat amused to get CVs that were waaaaay longer than the typical 2 pages. I'm not sure if the practice has changed in recent years and Australians tend to have shorter and more specific CVs these days, but that's something for him to keep in mind if he's got anything too long.

There's usually no shortage of jobs in Whistler – maybe he can be a speaker dancer! – but there can be a shortage of affordable long-term accommodation for seasonal staff. Arriving in October means that he'll be getting there when virtually everyone else is getting there, so he'll need to get off the mark and try to secure accommodation pretty quickly. Again, the two local newspapers (links for which are on the Whistler Blackcomb employment page URL I supplied above) are the best places to look. Hopefully John will secure a job with the mountain and be able to get into staff accommodation, but they tend to give priority to returning and senior staff. Best thing is to try and hook up with other job searchers he meets and try to get a shared flat somewhere.

What else? That covers most of it, but I'd be totally happy to talk to John about anything. Particularly with respect to the Company Fit interview, I can give him an idea of the exact types of questions he'll be asked and what kinds of answers they're hoping to get back.

There you have it. All readers are now empowered to plan their ideal Whistler job and make it happen! Bonne chance!

God, this is a boring and useless post. How 'bout rescuing it with some light and lively facts?

• Did you know that some days I don't even get out of my bathrobe? The blessing/curse of working from home.
• Sex does not necessarily mean intimacy.
• Canadians: masters of nuance. (Just my own humble opinion.)
• I love Delta's new single, "Out of the Blue." But I think she and The Poo have broken up. Good, cuz she's too good for him.
• The site www.bulgereport.com really speaks for itself.
• On my Qantas flight home from Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, I was somewhat alarmed to see a 16-year-old man-boy (obviously listening to the same in-flight entertainment channel as I was -- the cheesy pop tunes channel) mouthing the words to 13-year-old Jo Jo's hit single "Leave (Get Out)." It just struck me as odd that a young man who's probably really conscious of image, and of what his friends think of him, would be seen lip-synching to the song that's become the anthem for teenaged girls suffering the humiliation dealt them by the my-first-boyfriend-who-I-thought-I'd-be-with-forever-but-who-dumped-me-for-my-best-friend syndrome. Of course, I was even more alarmed to realize that I, too, was mouthing the words. I'm thirty-freakin'-seven, for heaven's sake, and I'm lip-synching to some 13-year-old pop-tart's bubblegum pop song?! Clearly I'm not as image-conscious as that boy and don't care what others think of me. And I'm far gayer than I ever knew.
• What's the deal with Sandra Sully's voice? I reckon she should just put some effort into reallllly clearing her throat and getting rid of what is clearly some honkin' big build up of phlegm. Put your back into it, Sulls!
• Probiotics? Antibiotics? Which is good; which is bad?! What the fuck!

OK, time to wrap up and watch the rest of The Panel.