Cape Breton Island, NS – The votes are in and the Cape Breton Hire Me Pitch Competition is excited to announce the 2021 top three winners.

The winners are:

1. First Place – Joe Townsend. Joe will receive $1,000 cash, his own 30-second radio advertisement and a one-on-one session with a Career Expert. Watch his pitch here.
2. Second Place – Jamie Li. Jamie will receive $300 cash and a one-on-one session with a Career Expert. Watch his pitch here.
3. Third Place – Alika Soni. Alika will receive $200 cash and a session with a Career Expert. Watch her pitch here.

The Competition opened on Thursday, June 3, with submissions closing on Monday, June 14, 2021. The top six pitches were then chosen by a selection committee of local professionals. The top three winners are then selected based on public voting.

“It was great to be able to open this opportunity up again to new graduates, newcomers and those nearing graduation,” says Carla Arsenault, President and CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership. “We know this is a challenging time for many and this campaign allows Cape Breton’s new graduates and newcomers an opportunity to showcase to employers just how much talent is here on the Island.”

Hire Me Cape Breton highlights Cape Breton’s top talent through exposure to Cape Breton employers by inviting students approaching graduation, new graduates, newcomers, and job seekers to submit a 60 – second video pitch. Using the video to tell local employers why they should be their next hire, participants uploaded video submissions to YouTube and submitted the video link through the official submission portal at www.HireMeCapeBreton.ca.

Top pitch winner, Joe Townsend is currently studying social services at NSCC and was thrilled for the opportunity.

“As a student, I am always seeking opportunities to highlight my talents and showcase myself as an employee,” said Townsend. “The prize was amazing, but being able to tell employees why I should be their next hire is so important.”

With almost 1,500 votes for the top six pitches, the contestants were able to introduce themselves to employers all across the island.

“We know that there are new graduates, newcomers and others looking for employment and we hope this competition gives the top six a way to connect with local employers. It also helps them develop their own professional brand, public speaking skills and confidence to land their dream job,” says Cape Breton Connector Program Coordinator Robyn Lee Seale. “Congratulations to Joe, Jamie and Alika and thank you to everyone who took the time to submit their pitch.”

To watch the top six videos, visit www.HireMeCapeBreton.ca. A special thank you to our investor and media partner at 101.9 the Giant for supporting the Hire Me Cape Breton Campaign and generously providing the winner with their 30-second ad spot.

The Cape Breton Partnership also has recently launched the Cape Breton Job Board. Your one-stop shop for local employers looking to promote vacant jobs and for job seekers looking for employment on Cape Breton Island. The job board can be found at www.capebretonjobboard.com.

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Media Contact:
Mark Inglis
Cape Breton Partnership
902-578-2482
Mark@capebretonpartnership.com

About the Cape Breton Partnership:
The Cape Breton Partnership is Unama’ki – Cape Breton’s private sector-led economic development organization that supports companies and entrepreneurs by promoting our island as a great place to live and invest; growing a culture that values and celebrates creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and connecting entrepreneurs and companies to the resources they need to succeed. For more information, visit https://capebretonpartnership.com.

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View the six 2021 Hire Me Cape Breton finalists in this video above.