Tania Gautam, 33, lives in Canada and earned a PhD in environmental chemistry from the University of Alberta in 2024.
After spending a year working as a researcher at a national laboratory in the U.S., she returned to Canada in August 2025 and began her job search.
Her target positions include government roles researching air pollution or environmental consulting jobs in the private sector. Each day, Gautam spent 8-10 hours submitting applications and expanding her professional network in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
After applying for more than 100 positions, she secured 10 networking meetings with professionals in the field and was invited to four job interviews, including one final-round interview. However, she has yet to receive a formal job offer.
“I honestly think I am shooting darts in the dark. I don’t know where things are going wrong,” Gautam told The Globe and Mail.
Career advisor Devon Turcotte from a Prince Edward Island-based consulting firm said Gautam’s résumé is “actually quite excellent,” noting that it clearly highlights the value of her work, her skills and capabilities, and the results of previous projects — something many job seekers fail to do.
However, the document does not fully communicate her enthusiasm for the field.
Turcotte suggested adding a line to the professional summary explaining why environmental chemistry is important to her and what motivated her to dedicate years to studying it. Employers, she noted, are often more interested in that personal motivation than candidates might expect, she told the Canadian newspaper.
Another suggested change is to move the education section from the top of the résumé to the bottom and highlight her skills first. Although Gautam’s academic credentials are strong, Turcotte said private companies and government agencies are typically more interested in candidates’ analytical and technical abilities.
The advisor also noted that job seekers need a strategy when using LinkedIn to look for work. A common mistake among recent graduates is focusing mainly on posting personal updates.
Instead, they should actively join comment discussions to share professional knowledge. This helps build credibility naturally and allows the platform’s algorithm to connect them with professionals in the same field.
For instance, if an environmental scientist based in Alberta posts a research paper, new findings or industry updates, Gautam could respond by sharing her views, posing questions, or linking the topic to her own research, which can lead to meaningful discussions and help expand both the size and quality of her professional network.
LinkedIn is a platform for connecting with people who share similar interests and people can use its search tools to find relevant conversations and take part in them.
Canada’s employment growth stagnated in 2025 as several core industries, including manufacturing, were heavily impacted by the trade war, reducing hiring demand.
The total number of workers nationwide receiving wages and benefits from an employer dropped by 28,300, or 0.2%, data from Statistics Canada showed.
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