Calgary here we come!

I've been meaning to update my blog for WEEKS now, and I think it's about time that I have gotten around to doing it! The following blog posts are all extracts with my work with the West Cork Times, who have kindly published some of my work! It goes without saying that I am extremely grateful to be able to continue my writing, whilst working over here! Hope you all enjoy it :) 

In a new series Clonakilty girl Sharon Whelton who has moved to Calgary in Canada gives us a taste of what life is like for Ireland’s new generation of emigrants.

Calgary so far

Where to start on my Calgary adventure so far…I guess one word would probably sum it up so far…AMAZING!

When I was packing all my stuff the days before I was due to fly out from Cork, I’m not going to lie; I was really nervous – Nervous about connecting flights, nervous about leaving home, nervous about living with Mike (my boyfriend).

Calgary really is such a lovely city! The weather takes a little time to adjust to, though. When I arrived on November 10, it was -23! To be honest, I didn’t find it TOO cold, but I guess I was so exhausted from the flights and early start that it may not have registered fully with me.

It hasn’t hit the freezing temperatures that it is capable of hitting just yet..Some people have forewarned me that temperatures have been seen to plummet to as low as -40! Lucky me..But seriously, and I know this sounds ridiculously obvious, but as long as you wear enough clothes, then the cold is bearable!

Our living area

Jobs

In relation to work and jobs over here, prospects are very good in almost every sector, to be honest. It’s such a refreshing change to back home!

Another big difference I noticed between here and back home in relation to job applications, is that companies over here are much more willing to reply back to you, even if you are unsuccessful with a particular job application. Back home, one could never receive a reply from a company, and you could convince yourself that “oh they are just busy; they’ll get back to me soon”.

They won’t, trust me. As I said, companies are much better with letting you know if you have been successful or not, and it really does mean a lot. It’s just manners and common courtesy to reply to someone, no matter how busy you are – even an automated email is better than getting no response!

Before I arrived in Calgary, I had made contact with a number of different companies, recruitment agencies and various other contacts in the hope of organizing potential interviews, and basically seeking advice and guidance on finding employment here in Calgary.

View from the balcony in our apartment

The vast majority were very helpful, and I gained a lot of useful tips – one of which is ensuring that your Irish resume is tailored to suit Canadians.

They have their resumes done quite differently to ours, so it’s really good to have yours tailored to meet the request of people out here – trust me, it makes a HUGE difference!

Thankfully, due to my sheer persistence and constant emailing, I had some interviews and meetings arranged with three or four different sources, which was great, so once I had gotten over the jetlag and accustomed myself to the time difference, I emailed my contacts and arranged to meet with them.

During my first few weeks of being in Calgary, I found that breaking into the communications industry can be very difficult, somewhat like back home really, so I decided to try and increase my experience as working as a receptionist, as I worked with Clona Dairy Products from May to early November of this year.

To be continued …