The Big Picture
A job search involves more than checking job advertisements. Some employers advertise openings online or through other public sources. Other opportunities spread through colleges, professional contacts, community services, and local organizations.
You also need people who will speak to an employer about your skills and personal qualities. Choosing those people early and keeping them informed helps you prepare for the hiring process.
Look for Nova Scotia CCA Notes throughout this page for current provincial guidance.
Quick tip: Tap, click, or press Enter on any term with a dotted underline and an ⓘ icon to see its plain-English definition.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- Look for advertised jobs through online job sites, newspapers, and college career services.
- Some jobs never appear in advertisements, so use professional contacts and community resources too.
- A reference speaks to a potential employer about your skills, abilities, and personal qualities.
- Do not use family members or friends as references.
- Ask permission before listing someone as a reference.
- Keep your references informed before interviews and after you learn the result.
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Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
Finding Advertised Job Leads
The main sources for advertised positions include online job sites, local newspapers, and college career services.
Newspapers
Check national, local, and community newspapers for job advertisements. Include electronic newspaper editions in your search.
Number to remember: Check newspaper job advertisements daily.
Employer Websites and Online Job Sites
Many health care facilities post openings on their own websites.
Search engines also help you find positions. Useful search terms include:
- Health Care
- Home Health Care
- Home Care
- Home Health Services
- Community Health Care
- Retirement Homes
- Nursing Homes
- Nursing Services
- Not-For-Profit Jobs/Careers
Add your location to a job-search phrase for more focused results. For example, search for support worker jobs in your city or town.
General job sites mentioned for health care positions include Monster, Indeed, and Workopolis.
Other Job-Search Resources
Several resources support different parts of a job search.
- LinkedIn: Find and apply for jobs and receive job recommendations.
- What Color Is Your Parachute?: A guide about job hunting.
- JobHuntersBible: A website connected with What Color Is Your Parachute?
- Government of Canada student job resources: Links to labour market information about jobs and careers at national, provincial, territorial, and local levels.
- Job-Interview.net: Provides sample interview questions.
- CareerBeacon: A Canadian job-search site.
- Workopolis: Covers several parts of the job search, posts health care positions, and lets job seekers post a resumé for employers to view.
Large agencies also often maintain their own employer websites. Those sites sometimes list job openings and provide application links.
Finding Jobs That Are Not Advertised
Some positions never appear in public advertisements. Use several other sources to look for these opportunities.
College Career Services
Some colleges offer career counselling and placement services to students and community members.
Employers sometimes post openings on college bulletin boards or college websites.
Professional and Personal Contacts
Friends, acquaintances, and professional contacts may help you find work and may know about available or upcoming positions.
Useful contacts include:
- friends
- acquaintances
- professional contacts
- course instructors
- employers from your program placement
Ask whether their workplaces have available positions. They might also know about bulletin-board postings or positions expected to open.
District Home Care Programs
Health district websites sometimes list agencies that deliver home care in the community.
They also sometimes provide contact information for local long-term care and retirement home agencies.
Yellow Pages
Search under headings connected with health care services, such as:
- Home Health Care
- Home Care
- Home Health Services
- Community Health Care
- Retirement Homes
- Nurses and Nurses Registries
- Nursing Homes
- Nursing Services
Local Libraries
Libraries often keep information about health care facilities and agencies.
Job Fairs
Job fairs often take place at community colleges or other community locations.
Look for announcements through:
- local newspapers
- local cable channels
- your college
Canada Employment Centres
Canada Employment Centres often provide information about local employers and specific job openings.
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, 5th Edition lists Canada Employment Centres as a place to look for information about employers and job openings. In Nova Scotia today, provincial employment services are provided through Nova Scotia Works Employment Services Centres. These centres help Nova Scotians prepare for and connect with the provincial labour market.
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: When you see “Canada Employment Centre” in Sorrentino, do not assume Nova Scotia uses that same service name today. Nova Scotia Works is the current provincial employment-service system.
Official source: Nova Scotia Works Employment Services Centres
Last checked: September 7, 2026
Selecting References
A reference is someone who speaks to a potential employer about your skills, abilities, and personal qualities.
Choose your references early in your job search.
Avoid: Do not use family members or friends as references.
Previous employers usually make the best references. Other possible choices include people in positions of authority, such as teachers or camp directors.
Ask Before Listing a Reference
Never list someone as a reference without asking first.
When you ask:
- Explain the type of work you are seeking.
- Ask what the person would say about your strengths and weaknesses.
- Make sure you expect the person to speak positively about you.
- If you apply for more than one position, ask whether the person agrees to provide a reference for each position.
Do not assume the person will speak positively about you.
Check Contact Information
Give prospective employers accurate contact information for each reference.
Check phone numbers and email addresses before you provide them.
Prepare Your References for Employer Contact
Tell your references when you have a job interview.
This gives them time to prepare for a possible call from the employer. A prepared reference is more likely to give you a good reference.
Follow Up With Your References
Keep your references informed about your job search.
If you get the job, thank them for their help.
If you do not get the job, tell them the result.
Exam Clue Words
- Daily: Newspaper job advertisements should be checked every day.
- Do not: Do not use family members or friends as references.
- Ask: Get permission before listing someone as a reference.
- Before: Tell references about an upcoming interview before an employer contacts them.
Fast Review
Job searching includes advertised sources and other ways of finding openings. References also require planning before an employer contacts them.
- Advertised positions often appear on job sites, in newspapers, and through college career services.
- Check newspaper job advertisements daily.
- Employer websites and general job sites often list health care openings.
- Some positions are not advertised.
- College services, professional contacts, home care programs, libraries, job fairs, Yellow Pages listings, and Canada Employment Centres offer other job leads.
- A reference speaks to an employer about your skills, abilities, and personal qualities.
- Previous employers usually make the best references. Teachers and other people in positions of authority are other possibilities.
- Do not use family members or friends as references.
- Ask permission before listing someone and discuss the type of work you want.
- Check each reference’s phone number or email address for accuracy.
- Tell references about upcoming interviews so they are prepared for employer contact.
- Keep references informed afterward. If you get the job, thank them for their help. If you do not get the job, let them know.
Final Pep Talk
This Topic has two big pieces, finding job leads and handling references properly. Review those separately first, then connect the smaller details to each one.