Hundreds apply for guest relations jobs at Calgary Zoo

Hundreds apply at Calgary Zoo job fair Many professionals are willing to take any job they can get.

The Calgary Zoo held a job fair on Thursday to fill a few temporary positions and officials were surprised when several hundred people showed up to apply.

The zoo is looking for people to fill about 15 positions for ILLUMINASIA and Zoo Lights to scan tickets and answer phones.

About 300 people showed up throughout the day and many say they've been looking for work in a lot of places but that any job is tough to find these days.

“It's kind of tough right now getting an entry-level position anywhere but I’m keeping my head up high,” said one man.

“I'm retired and I have an 11 year old grandson and his mom said to me granny you would love working at the zoo, I know you would,” said another job seeker.

The zoo holds job fairs like this every year but officials say they didn't expect the depth of experience from the candidates and that essentially many were overqualified for the posted positions.

“There’s lots of that right now, people who've been out of work for a year or just recently laid off so lots of people looking for work, lots of people maybe over qualified for a customer service role but willing to do it for a seasonal position so we’re getting some good candidates today for sure,” said Karen Longden Human Resources Advisor for the Calgary Zoo.

Longden says hosting the job fairs give them a chance to meet people face-to-face instead of just viewing their resumes on paper.

(With files from Chris Epp)