Putting My Boots On The Ground At Blue

From operations to administration, to guest services and more, meet the people who make the Mountain so special! 1. Where are you from? I was born and raised in Markham, Ontario before moving to Collingwood. 2. How long have you been working at Blue? I’ve been working at Blue since February 2022 so about 9 months now! 3. What made you decide to apply for a position with Blue Mountain? Back in the fall of 2021, I spent some time out here for a previous job when we used Blue Mountain as a venue. I also grew up coming to Blue with my family, so I knew how great the area is and how great the lifestyle is out here. After finishing up that event contract, I knew I wanted to spend more time at Blue! The pandemic made me realize that I no longer wanted to do the four hours of commuting a day to work in Toronto. I stumbled across the job posting on LinkedIn in early February so I applied and kept my fingers crossed. Next thing you know, I have 10 days to find a place to live before my first day on the job. Best decision I’ve ever made!! 4. What department do you work for? What is your position? I work for our Events department and my job title is Event Services Coordinator. 5. What was your work experience in the past? I’ve been working in events for the last eight years! All of the jobs have been in and around Toronto from festivals to agencies to virtual events and now, to a ski resort. I worked in e-commerce and some graphic design over the pandemic while events were non-existent but I knew getting back into the industry was where I wanted to be! Most of my experience has been from the client side so it’s been an amazing transition to now being on the venue side of the industry. 6. What things were important to you when looking for in a job in your field? When I look for a job to apply for, I look for the job descriptions that excite me. I look for a job that doesn’t keep me tied to my desk but allows me to have boots on the ground during the event itself. From my experiences over the years in the industry, I look for companies who have a great workplace culture as well as respect for their employees. Having a manager who trusts me is a huge thing I look for too but that comes once I’m working in the job. Of course, I also look for fair pay, benefits and hours that allow me to have a work/life balance. So many little things to take into consideration when looking for a job in the events field and I had to work all the odd little jobs to figure out exactly what I’m looking for. 7. What were some of the biggest barriers to finding employment? When I was working in Toronto, the biggest thing was the amount of competition there was in agencies. So many people applying for the same job with way more experience! Another big barrier I found was the length of the commute into the city. My last job I had, there was a 2 hour commute each way but I loved the job so it was worth the time! 8. What has been the best part of your experience so far? The greatest thing about my experience so far has been the people I get to work with! Our Events team is the best I’ve ever worked with and like Blue’s Social Media Specialist Allie, I get to work with SO many different people across the resort. Events get to interact with so many different teams, from Operations to Food & Beverage to Marketing to Guest Services. Outside of work, I’ve learned to adapt to the lifestyle Collingwood has! I would have never considered myself as an “outdoors” type of person, but once you live out here, it’s the best way to experience the area. 9. What has been your biggest challenge? I think the biggest challenge so far has been meeting friends outside of work. As I spend more time out here, it’s been a lot easier to meet new people! A lot of the people I work with are awesome and I’ve become very close with a lot of them. 10. What are you looking forward to most at Blue Mountain this season? The winter season always brings a new excitement and energy to the resort! I’m excited for the huge list of events we have planned for this winter. One of the best parts about this job is that we get to enjoy the events we create! 11. What’s your biggest piece of advice for someone applying at Blue Mountain? Be yourself!! Everyone here at Blue are authentically themselves and it’s something we all take pride in. There are so many jobs open right now so if you don’t see the exact one you’re looking for, apply for a different one and get your foot in the door. We have so many different opportunities here and you get to meet the most incredible people! You never know who you’re going to meet and where that can take you. Are you interested in applying to Blue Mountain this season? Check out our careers page here, and learn more about our open positions. We’re excited to hopefully welcome you to the Blue Crew!