Job application- Alberta Health Service website.

lemidora · Aug 18, 2011

Are you an internal applicant? If not, then you are probably out of luck. I have been applying for a year now and the only kind of response I've gotten are emails saying that "due to unforeseen circumstances, the above noted Requisition has been cancelled." It's frustrating as heck but unless you know somebody on the inside or if you're willing to go and talk to managers directly (note: many managers REALLY hate when people do that- speaking from experience here) then the chances of getting a job through the website are slim to none. Personally, I've yet to hear of anybody who's gotten a job by applying through the website because as I've been told, AHS usually already has somebody they'll hire for the job before posting it online. I know this is less than stellar news to hear but keep talking to people and maybe you'll have some luck. Let me know what happens because I'm going to start looking for NA positions in a couple of months as well!

Fiona59 · Aug 18, 2011

Well, there are certain units where the manager will ask people to apply for the job and guess who the successful applicant is?

Currently, I know of two open to the public jobs that were never posted internally, so HR will be swamped by internal applicants for those.

I do know someone who did get a call after applying for a housekeeping job. She went for the interview and said even though it paid great the manager interviewing her was so intimidating she turned the job down.

Even for those of us already IN the system it's hard to get interviews. It's all supposed to be based on seniority but lately when we are checking the "hired" list it's been a gong show. People who are new grads are being hired from the outside because the manager knows their Mom, lives next door to them or had them as a student. Which leaves a lot of the oldtimers with seniority getting ready to file grievances.

MissMcCoy · Aug 18, 2011

Yeah just trying to get my foot in the door. I did go right into one unit and applied there. The nurse I talked with was really nice and she took me to the manager, who was also very nice.

Maybe its my casual hours that are holding me back... although its restricted I'm pretty flexible...

Such a shame that things look to be more of a popularity contest....

MPKH, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2011

Personally, I've yet to hear of anybody who's gotten a job by applying through the website because as I've been told, AHS usually already has somebody they'll hire for the job before posting it online.

That's really weird. I applied for RN jobs as a new grad (I'm from BC) on the Alberta Health Services website and have gotten call backs and interviews for the positions I applied for. I just recently accepted a job offer from one of the interviews I had.

lemidora · Aug 18, 2011

That's really weird. I applied for RN jobs as a new grad (I'm from BC) on the Alberta Health Services website and have gotten call backs and interviews for the positions I applied for. I just recently accepted a job offer from one of the interviews I had.

You are honestly the first person I've heard that from. Maybe there's hope for the rest of us yet!

Fiona59 · Aug 18, 2011

Yeah just trying to get my foot in the door. I did go right into one unit and applied there. The nurse I talked with was really nice and she took me to the manager, who was also very nice.
Maybe its my casual hours that are holding me back... although its restricted I'm pretty flexible...
Such a shame that things look to be more of a popularity contest....

A good casual is worth their weight in gold. That could be why they are reluctant to hire you permanently.

Does your float pool have "full time floats"? That could be the route to go if you don't want to be tied to a specific unit.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 18, 2011

are you an internal applicant? if not, then you are probably out of luck.

this is only true of the positions that are plainly labeled "ahs only". as of 1400 hours august 18, 2011 there are 403 postings for rns on the website and 385 of them are not specifically ahs-only.

i have been applying for a year now and the only kind of response i've gotten are emails saying that "due to unforeseen circumstances, the above noted requisition has been cancelled." it's frustrating as heck but unless you know somebody on the inside or if you're willing to go and talk to managers directly (note: many managers really hate when people do that- speaking from experience here) then the chances of getting a job through the website are slim to none.

until just recently, dr duckett's decree that there was no nursing shortage in alberta and his draconian budget restrictions did result in the cancellation of many postings when it was decided that the positions really didn't need to be filled. that has changed yet again with the current "rapid-hire" campaign to hire 300 more nurses into the ahs system. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/07/19/edmonton-alberta-nurses-rapid-hire.html as for speaking to managers directly, it may result in you being remembered by them - for either better or worse. getting a job through the website is the only way to be hired by ahs, internal applicant or not. the megalithic organization that ahs has become requires certain arms-length, contracted-out processes and hiring is one of them. payroll is another. security is a third. food services is a fourth, parking services a fifth.

personally, i've yet to hear of anybody who's gotten a job by applying through the website because as i've been told, ahs usually already has somebody they'll hire for the job before posting it online.

as i just said, everybody hired into a position with ahs has to go through the website. there are positions that are posted due to contractual obligations that are basically already filled but they are very small in number. by this i mean that the contract ahs has with the union (united nurses of alberta, alberta union of public employees, health sciences association of alberta) stipulates that all vacancies for in-scope employees (those covered by a collective agreement) must be publicly posted. to ensure that they're able to hire the individual they've got their eye on, they'll construct the posting to fit the individual's qualifications. but the position was publicly posted and the contract complied with.

ahs is currently undergoing a "regularization of the workplace" process. this is a jargon-based description of a process for examining the causes of high overtime costs. some units have ot costs that are roughly double their normal budget. the process looks at the number of overtime hours worked in a 12 month period, the number of extra shifts picked up by part-time staff and the number of casual shifts worked as well. these hours are then assessed for why they were needed and the number of full-time equivalents these hours comprise are calculated. authorization for filling these positions is then provided and the positions are posted. the first unit where this exercise was completed had 14 full-time positions positions posted a week after the process was complete and are in the process of being filled. as the program continues, more positions will be posted on the ahs careers website to fill these gaps.

lemidora · Aug 18, 2011

"Getting a job through the website is the ONLY way to be hired by AHS, internal applicant or not." janfrn, I realize that you have a lot of experience and know way more than some little second year nursing student, but that statement is simply not true. A friend of mine has recently gotten a job with AHS without stepping foot on the website, metaphorically speaking, and I know for a fact that many others working at the same place got their jobs through other channels (e-mailing the manager directly, etc.). The reason I said that it'll be extremely hard to get a job unless she has somebody on the inside is because of personal experience. For example, just recently I went in to talk to a manager at a facility and while waiting at the door a few staff walked by and said to my face that unless I have a relative working there, it's a lost cause. What I'm trying to say to the OP is if she wants to get a job with the AHS, she'll have to do a lot more than just send resumes to their website- networking being her best bet.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Aug 18, 2011

For IN-SCOPE registered nurses, LPNs and nursing attendants (covered by collective agreements) it is NOT possible to walk into a facility with a resume and walk out with a job. Nurse practioners, research nurses, doctors' office nurses, private care home/ALF nurses, nurse-managers, bed-utilization managers, primary-care network nurses, some nurse educators and some clinical nurse specialists are hired without going through AHS's website and hiring process, but they are out-of-scope and most of them are not employed by AHS at all. New grads and nurses new to the province with little in the way of experience will not qualify for the majority of these types of positions.

I'm interested to know which facility you were visiting when you were told not to apply unless you have a connection. I would guess it wasn't the Foothills, UAH, RAH, ACH, RDRHC, QEII, NLRHC, CLRHC, SCH, GH or any of the other hospitals in the province.

Fiona59 · Aug 18, 2011

You see that is what is WRONG with the hiring process at this point in time. Friends of friends or relatives getting hired through the back door. Unless people on the units complain to their unions nothing will ever be done.

Why do you think you see so many people of the same background in some divisions? Laundry in my hospital in nearly all African youngmen (on the shift I work it is entirely made up of young Somalis). The meal delivery people are all of southeast asian background.

You cannot tell me that it was random applications on the website that have resulted in these hirings.

itsmejuli · Aug 18, 2011

I've submitted a few apps online through AHS and have heard nothing.

I have a great permanent part-time line with a non-AHS employer. I have plenty of time off to pick up casual shifts with AHS hospitals. How do I get hired on casual if no casual positions are ever posted?