It might be the dead of winter, but the City of Kitchener is looking ahead to the summer.
The city held a job fair Saturday in hopes of attracting new talent to fill a variety of jobs for its youth programs and summer camps.
"They just bring themselves and lots of questions that they have, give some visibility to what jobs are available at the city, and really just promote youth employment," said Kerry Schott of human resources.
Teens and young adults lined the gymnasium of Kitchener's Victoria Hills Community Centre in hopes of finding some seasonal opportunities.
"It's something to do in the summer and to have my own money so I don't have to ask my parents," said Kiara Menjiear.
The city is looking to hire up to 500 new workers for the summer months and fill vacancies in outdoor departments, aquatics, and youth services.
"We're able to answer all those different questions and flush out that role a little bit for them," said Olivia Curtis, the inclusion services coordinator for the city. "IF that was something that they're interested in they have a little more information and are more empowered to apply for that role."
With volunteer work available for ages 12 and older, and paid employment for ages 15 to 25, some of the candidates are entering the job market for the first time.
"The only thing I have experience in is babysitting," said Menjiear.
Schott says the HR booth offered resume tips and let people know how to apply online.
"We get a ton of people that start off as part time customer service reps and end up as the director of something," said Schoot. "There's a lot of career pathing going on at the City of Kitchener.
"Talk to us about what you're interested in and we're happy to guide you in the right direction."
The city has more job fairs scheduled for next month and has job listings available on the City of Kitchener website.
