Running a city takes a lot of work and workers. With more than 10,000 employees, we’re one of Manitoba’s largest employers. That means we’re always in hiring mode for a wide range of jobs.
If you’re looking for a career with us, it all starts with the application process. Our Talent Acquisition Team joined Our City, Our Podcast and shared a few tips for how you can stand out.
Finding our job postings
You can search our current job postings online. Make sure to check often because new job postings are added all the time.
Each posting includes the job description, required qualification, how to apply, and closing date.
When to apply
You don’t need to wait to graduate to apply for our jobs. If you have the skills listed on the posting, we want to hear from you. The recruitment process can take a bit of time. That’s why it’s a good idea to start the application process a month or two before you actually graduate.
We just ask that you include when you're graduating on your cover letter and resume so we have that information.
Experience counts
Don’t count yourself out of if you only have around 80 percent of the qualifications listed. Certain qualifications are required, such as being able to work in Canada legally. Other qualifications are preferred, which will give you a leg up if you have them, but they aren’t required.
We also have equivalencies, which is a combination of training and experience. An example of this is if a posting requires a Grade 12 education. Depending on the job, it might be okay if you have Grade 11 and similar work experience.
A big misconception is that you have to have Canadian work experience. Experience is experience. Whether it is from another city, province, or country, we want you to be able to show us you have the experience for the job.
Customize your cover letter & resume
We’re reading every cover letter and resume to see how the candidate meets the required qualifications. Your cover letter is your first impression to our recruiter (this is a real person not an automated scanning program). It will help us understand who you are, why you are applying for the job, and a little bit about your experience.
Your resume supports the cover letter, by listing your experience, education, and skills. It helps us understand if you’re a good fit for the position.
The biggest tip from our recruiters is to customize your cover letter and resume for the job you are applying for. This is instead of creating one cover letter and resume and applying for multiple jobs with the same documents.
The qualifications in the job posting are really your answer key. If you have demonstrated that you meet them, then you’ll likely be moving on in the application process.
Attention to detail
Your cover letter and resume should be professional. While we won’t necessarily disqualify you for a typo, it’s a good idea to use spell check.
Ask someone to read over your application as a fresh set of eyes. They can check for spelling errors and to make sure you’ve demonstrated how you meet the qualifications of the job posting.
What we don’t need
You don’t need to get a police record check when applying for a job with us. Sometimes we see people get that done far too early in the process and it costs you money.
If the job requires a police record check, we will let you know when you need to get it. That typically happens during the last stages of a recruitment or it’s a condition of your job offer.
We also don’t need you to include a photo of yourself, your birthdate, or any other personal information that has nothing to do with us hiring you.
Be patient
We manually review applications so the recruitment process can take longer than some people expect. Our application website will show you the jobs you’ve applied for and the status of them. Sometimes it can take a few months to hear back so please be patient.
Watch your email closely. That’s usually how we reach out to you to set up an interview. Sometimes our emails end up in the spam folder so make sure to check it as well. We may also call.
How to ace the interview
The number of people invited for an interview can vary by position. Typically, it’s between three to five candidates. The interview will be done as a panel with someone from our HR team and someone from the department the job is in.
Our interviews are behavior based. That means we’re trying to find out how you would deal in certain situations. The best way to prepare this type of interview is to remember STAR and answer with the STAR model.
- Situation – explain a situation you were in
- Task – what was your role or assignment?
- Action – what did you do?
- Result – what was the result of the actions you took?
What will help you the most in an interview is telling a full story about what you did in a situation and how it was resolved. Read the job posting before the interview. How you answer the questions and what stories you share should relate to the qualifications listed.
You may also be asked to complete an assessment. What the assessment is depends on the job. It could be typing test if that is part of your job, or coding if you are applying for an IT position.
Accommodations
If you made it to the interview, we want to hire you. We’re not trying to stress anyone out during an interview. In fact, we want to make sure you are comfortable.
There are many types of accommodations someone may need in an interview. One example is having a printed copy of the questions. If you need something, just ask.
Next steps
If you’d like to follow up with us after your interview, you should reach out to the person who invited you. We aren’t able to provide any feedback or updates until the hiring process has been completed. We will always let you know if you weren’t the successful applicant.
If you weren’t hired, you can still apply for another job with us. You can apply for as many positions as you are qualified for and interested in. We give every applicant a fair chance every time.
More tips & tricks
Get more insider tips on the application process by listening to Todd from Talent Acquisition on Our City, Our Podcast. This episode was released in February of 2025.