That's A Criticism?

So, the right wing media in Canada has gotten its knickers into a twist because Justin Trudeau has managed to make a very nice living for himself on the speaking circuit.

Last I checked, quite a few politicians in this country make quite a nice bit of money on the side doing the speaking tour thing.  This is neither news, nor surprising.  The speaking circuit is both a means to keep one's public profile up, as well as make a bit of cash on the side.  Trudeau may have made a substantial chunk of change doing it, but that's hardly a crime.

It comes as no surprise to me that Brad Wall decided to stand up on his hind legs and bray about the $20,000 that Justin Trudeau made for appearing at a literacy conference.  This is obviously the kind of indirect attack that the Harper Politburo ... er ... PMO ... has decided to start using to attack Justin Trudeau.  Having failed entirely to get any traction with their usual ham-fisted attack ads.

Charity events don't come together for free.  I don't care whether you are talking about renting the hall, catering or the speakers.  It's not free.  Ironically, this is where charity organizations and business intersect.  A caterer doesn't (usually) provision an event for free - they usually have a price that includes a nice little profit for them in it.  The charity ultimately makes its money off the difference between ticket sales and the expenses incurred.  

If you are running a small business, it's the same thing.  You are hoping like hell that you can make enough money to put it all together and make enough profit to move on to the next step.

I find it more than a little suspicious that months after the fact there is suddenly a bunch of faux outrage over Trudeau's appearance fees.

When the government is caught in the midst of a disastrous scandal over Senate Expenses, has lost some 3.1 Billion dollars of taxpayer money and is lining up its next attack on Canada's middle class, the Harperites are busily looking to find a squirrel to distract public attention from their malfeasance.

[Update 17/06/13 12:30 PM]

If you were thinking that my supposition that this whole idiotic thing is a setup on the part of the Harperites, consider the following:

Grace Foundation Charity A Failed Conservative Stunt

It turns out that the person who wrote the letter complaining to Trudeau about the outcome of his speech has close ties to the HarperCon$.  Surprisingly close ties.

... and to complain in March of 2013 about a speech given in July of 2012 seems just a tiny bit ridiculous.

[/Update]

[Update #2 18/06/13 7:45 AM]

Received via e-mail last night, it becomes clear that the PMO is acting politically in this matter:

PM's Office Sends Details of Trudeau's Talk At Georgian

First, they are digging back to years before Trudeau was elected to the House of Commons.

Second, taxpayers are paying for this.  In short, we have the smoking gun here that shows that Harper is inappropriately utilizing the offices of government to carry out partisan political attacks.

[/Update #2]

Attitude, Entitlement and Job Seeking

So, you are new grad, with a shiny new degree in hand and you are seeking that first job to launch into a long term career. You've heard that employers in Calgary are starved for staff, so out west you come seeking your fortune.

Perhaps you attend a job fair or two, and come away empty handed, as this person did.

My question is twofold after reading that editorial. First, did the author of that little rant actually try to engage some of the "disinterested" people he encountered to find out what kind of people they were seeking? Does his cover letter explain the relevance of his bahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifckground to the position? I don't know the answer to those questions. What I do know is that you won't get hired just because you can fog a mirror.

What galls me reading that editorial is the attitude of entitlement that shines through. Here we have a candidate looking for a position, and after coming up empty-handed for whatever reason, they go off writing a rather lengthy complaint about how employers won't even look at them. I'm sorry, you aren't "entitled" to a job here or anywhere else just because you have a degree.

As I've said before, employers aren't going to hire "just anybody" into a job. In times when qualified, capable staff are hard to come by, the fit of someone into an organization is as important as the qualifications themselves. A bad fit can be exceptionally destructive, and costly.

I've just been through a round of interviews and hiring. While employers may consider candidates today that they would have rejected immediately in the past, those with questionable qualifications had better be able to sell the prospective employer that they have a passion and drive that will enable them to overcome that technical barrier. That's hard to convey on a resume, but that's the first document that an employer often sees - which means that's where you have to do it. Show some interest in your prospective employer - do a bit of research and find out what you can about them. Then tailor your approach to what they are seeking.

Don't shoot the messenger here, but no employer is going to hire someone with a bad attitude, an overbearing ego, or comes across as if they are entitled to the job. Qualified means more than just having the "right degree", it also means that you have the right attitude and willingness. A poor attitude shows - trust me.

Does Calgary have a labour shortage? Yes. Does that mean that everybody in Calgary is employed? No.

Ummm...BullSh!t!

According to the all-wise Werner Patels, there is no such thing as a labour crunch in Calgary.

Bull!

In my own workplace, finding capable people to fill positions has been extremely difficult to say the least; and close friends of mine that own businesses have been experiencing great difficulties hiring staff.

Unlike what Werner seems to think - namely that in a tight market that anybody can be hired in ten seconds or less, businesses are still looking for people who are qualified, capable and willing to do the job. Resumes that are so poorly written that they might as well have been in crayon are not going to get you hired. Neither is an attitude of entitlement. Handing over a poorly written resume and a cover letter that barely reads "Your hiring, I iz looking fer job" isn't going to get very far - even for entry level positions.

Businesses are still looking for the right people to fill the positions. Those with experience hiring poor staff in the past are unwilling to hire someone simply to have a warm body present, nor will they beggar themselves by overpaying for unskilled jobs.

Werner is right about one thing - we do have a housing shortage. That shortage is bad enough that the rental vacancy rate has been hovering below 1% for a couple of years now - and rents have skyrocketed. But that's a different problem than the shortage of good labor.