Until recent time, companies have not been employing skilled immigrants to their maximum potentials. The reasons for these may differ. Some attributed it to a systemic problem; others saw it as something rooted in habit or mere accidental occurrence. Few are intentional. Recently, a popular Canadian company known as a 5 Step Solution, an outfit that specializes in setting up strategies and tools in recruiting skilled foreign immigrants for Canadian companies. They had identified an effective five steps as the best strategy to recruit immigrants to work for Canadian companies.
The first approach they recommended is that companies should access their workplace culture and then prepare for success by maintaining a standard approach towards welcoming skilled immigrants to make them feel welcomed and adapt culturally. There is always a cultural diversity that arises as a result of former cultural orientations the recruit had before migration to Canada. For example, most established institutions like the Royal Bank in British Columbia had been able to set up a mechanism to manage these cultural diversity within their workplace. This possibility existed within all the rank and file in the entire industry.
This is a quality identity of the industry, as it had rubbed off by reflecting on how they do their business. They implore internal network of relationships and best practices, and encourage multicultural resources to educate and widen multicultural awareness within the company. There is commitment to the achievement of this goal by all the staff. It is given priority. Other establishments are able to set up an Advisory Committee to manage the cultural diversity. The multicultural differences that exist within a multicultural work force must be well managed if the work force recruited must function resourcefully.
The second strategy to recruit and hire immigrants is for the recruiting companies to evaluate and access their business needs, and believe that available immigrant talents can meet it, or at least complement reasonalbly. Since it is a common knowledge that the natural Canadian work force is dwindling, and so, will no longer be in position to meet the growing needs in terms of skills and expertise that is needed to inject into the labor work force, every company and business must then look out to the international immigrants to fill their own quota of skilled talents needed to grow the companies sustainably.
Hiring is not enough, as advocated in Employment Resource Guide, (d. n. a. ) the recruited immigrants should be trained. Training is an aspect of investment to be made after hiring an immigrant. A skilled immigrant can be given a language training to facilitate his effectiveness in his workplace. In addition to this, community support can be given to facilitate speedy development in cultural diversity. Thirdly, recruiting companies should put machineries in place to be able to find the right person for the job.
And in finding where and how to access the right kind of talent pool to fill the much needed skill recruits, an expert observed (As quoted in Employment Resource above) that, “The human resource needs of leading the Canadian businesses are as varied as the firms themselves, but one thing is common to all. Canadian firms all want qualified, professional and skilled personnel and they will go great length to get the right person for the job, regardless of nationality”. They had realized that their hiring process must reflect the caliber of skilled professionals required.
In addition to other strategies, they should endeavor to apply the following methods as a regular channels for recruitment and job posting: · Diversify their networks to include “new Canadians” · Network with other employers who have diverse workforces · Advertise placements through immigrant-serving organizations · Access programs and services offered by immigrant-serving organizations · Forge connections with leaders of ethnic communities · Advertise placements through ethnic media outlets · Recruit via educational programs · Create a corporate presence at cultural and community events
· Set-up a diversity committee than can assist with recruitment and community connections · Create a policy that clearly welcome and encourage all applicants. Other viable options includes engaging the foreign immigrants as intern, so that they can garner requisite experience before fitting into the mainstream of the Canadian work force. This is a suggestion by another Canadian recruiting company known as Career Bridge. The above are some of the sure ways Canadian companies can engage the best skilled immigrants to bridge skilled job shortage.
Fourthly, Canadian companies who want to know how best to attract and hire the “New Canadians” must adapt and improve their hiring process to be able to recruit successfully. This include learning how to recruit across cultures. If a recruiter must be trained in understanding possible cultural attitudinal or emotional misconceptions. There is the likelihood of a development of cultural misunderstanding in the interview process. This can manifest either in dressing, ethnicity, language, role in relation to status, inability to look at people in the eyes.
Every recruiter must be well versed in every possible cultural manifestation 0f the potential employee that may make him carry out a misjudgment of his potential capabilities. Also, there are other standard interview guidelines that can be followed strategically to effectively select the right brain that can do the work. Questions must be structured to bring out the competence and skills that the candidate possesses. Resume and recruitment interview notes can be useful in these regard.
In addition, the interviewer can review the candidates resume with him, and have him carefully explain every details he wants clarified. In addition, as argued by Employers Resource Guide, “Many employers have moved to assessing competencies through behavior-based interviewing to predict job performance, rather than the traditional approach that focuses on an individual’s education and experience. Focusing on competencies and behaviors benefits new immigrants, because it can recognize their ability to succeed at the job rather than their lack of Canadian experience and credentials.
However, a competency-based approach can still disqualify certain cultural groups from the selection process. For example, an assertive communication style may be included as a competency for a leadership position, because it fits the current model of management. But a more collaborative approach may well be as effective”. There are other cultural issues that must be put into consideration, for example, even the use of language matters. Every word must be analyzed cautiously -as words mean different things to different people, miscommunication often follows.
Every word and every gesture emits a different feelings and reactions. Other vital issues include assessing the credentials and qualifications, degrees and job experiences can not be translated accurately. There may be some errors in judgments. However, credential evaluation services can be assessed. Finally, recruited international employees must be retrained and developed as much as possible to improve their job performance in their new environment. This is highly essential and nothing must be taken for granted.
This may be in form of language training. This is particularly essential for those who had English as a second language in their original country. They need to upgrade their language proficiency to function effectively. Canada, being a bilingual nation makes this criterion much more important. A company that has a wide network of client base must be in position to give this wide training in languages to its recruit in order for them to be more relevant to the communities and customers they serve.
Skills mentoring, career mentoring, new hire mentoring and diversity mentoring can be used to improve competences of recruited immigrants.
REFERENCE.
1. Beatty, Perrin. (2003), Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. Published in: www.immigration.net
2. Nixon, G. (July 18th,2005). The immigrant Imperative: Why Canada Can’t Afford to Continue to Waste the Skills of New Commerce. Canadian HR Reporter. 3. Right Before Your Eyes: Internationally Trained Worker in Canada