Durham Region Playbook

• Need to figure out your absolute must-haves and would-be-nice-to-haves for job descriptions? It’s important for job descriptions to be appropriately worded. Many often include many non-essential requirements for a role that could inadvertently screen out suitable candidates. For example, did you know that men, when determining whether to apply for a job, will apply when they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, whereas women will apply only if they meet 100 percent¹?

  When considering immigrant candidates, remain open to any additional skills and experiences that they may offer. Experience with international markets, additional languages, and connections to growing segments of the local market are all value-added qualities. Take time and make efforts to consider how their skills and experiences could benefit your organizational goals.

  This worksheet will help you define essential versus non-essential job duties. Developed by the Human Resource Management Association (now Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of British Columbia & Yukon), this tool can help you create a more precise job description and rank each candidate’s skills and experience based on their résumé. This will allow you to screen résumés objectively — without bias — and identify the best candidates to interview. 

  This printable template scorecard may also be of use.

  ¹A Hewlett Packard internal report as cited in “Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified,” Harvard Business Review, August 2014.

Looking for suggestions on how to write more inclusive job descriptions? Check out these tips:

• Avoid using technical terminology, jargon, acronyms and long, complex words or sentences.
• Use culturally inclusive qualifications. For example, ask about the ability to execute a project on time, rather than requesting a specific project management credential.
• Communicate the essential skills required clearly, while emphasizing that non-essential skills, though not required, are assets.
• Post the salary range to fill roles more efficiently. 
• Include potential career trajectory information to highlight professional growth.

Need to assess language competencies for prospective hires? The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) can help you assess the language proficiency of immigrants using national standards for both official languages. Consider using CCLB levels in job descriptions to ensure that the right candidates apply for the job.

Language proficiency and communication skills are often a concern when evaluating immigrant candidates. Consider recommending language programs to international students and immigrant candidates.

Need to assess language competencies for prospective hires? The Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB) can help you assess the language proficiency of immigrants using national standards for both official languages. Consider using CCLB levels in job descriptions to ensure that the right candidates apply for the job.

Language proficiency and communication skills are often a concern when evaluating immigrant candidates. Consider recommending language programs to international students and immigrant candidates.

Networking with Durham Welcome Centres, School Boards, and other Newcomer organizations about our job opportunities, attending job expos, and doing presentations about the types of jobs we offer has increased our talent pool and allowed us to expand the awareness of our organization as a place to find a “work home.” Finding work is only part of the puzzle, finding a place to work where you can be your authentic self is important. That is our goal – ensuring our staff feel welcome, supported, and appreciated for what they do and who they are.

– Tracey Macaulay, Manager, Talent Acquisition and Organization Development, Regional Municipality of Durham

If you have trouble hiring the right person from domestic candidates, then recruiting from overseas may be an option. The Government of Ontario and embassies have the resources to facilitate Canadian employers’ tapping into talent pools worldwide. If you seek help from a recruitment agency, make sure you work with licensed professionals who can navigate paperwork and procedures, as immigration consultancy is regulated in Canada.

Does your HR Department need help understanding the academic qualifications of job candidates educated abroad? A credential evaluation may help. Credential evaluation services, such as those provided by World Education Services (WES), can authenticate and evaluate international degrees and diplomas to determine their authenticity and Canadian equivalencies to mitigate hiring risk and streamline the hiring process.

Did you know?

WES provides international academic credential evaluation services to both job candidates and businesses. For candidates and businesses, WES has a free Degree Equivalency tool which instantly provides Canadian academic equivalents. Also, for employers, you can register with AccessWES, a secure online delivery platform that allows you to access credential evaluations when a job candidate has selected your office as a recipient.

Did you know that most of us have unconscious biases? And that our experiences often influence our perceptions of an immigrant candidate? For example, studies show that if there’s only one visible minority or woman in an applicant pool, it makes the person stand out as different and activates an unconscious bias against them. But we can counteract this and support racial and gender equity by including multiple candidates of colour or women. This is called the “two in the pool” effect.

To help you recognize unintended personal biases and move beyond cultural differences during the interview process, download this self-assessment tool.

It’s important to hire for coachability and attitude. Additionally, it is important to shift recruiting by painting a career path for candidates.

– Jennifer Shannon, Owner, The Shandex Group

Need help formulating interview questions so they elicit the information needed to assess a candidate’s skills? When interviewing immigrant candidates, we must ensure that the questions are not inadvertently setting the candidate up to fail.

Consult this downloadable PDF on interviewing immigrant candidates.

New immigrant hires need regular check-ins to clarify misconceptions, avoid future misunderstandings, and improve the orientation process. Consider asking new hires these questions:

• What has surprised you about the way things work here?
• What have you liked? What has frustrated you?
• What information would have been helpful to have on your first day?

Consider This

To garner better feedback, replace yes-or no questions with open-ended questions:

The key to transforming an organization into a welcoming and inclusive work environment is leadership. For insights into how to create inclusive workplaces, refer to this downloadable pdf.

In this competitive job market, companies need to ask themselves, why would a candidate want to work with us? What’s the culture like? Putting out an equal opportunity or equity statement may not be sufficient. Employers can share other employee testimonials, examples of their corporate values, to show they are walking the talk of inclusion.

– Sara Bibb, CHRL | CEO & Founder MKS HR Consulting

Want to retain your immigrant talent and also provide immigrant professionals the tools they need to lead? Consider partnering with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) for its free program: Career Advancement for Immigrant Professionals.

Looking for more?

• To envision where Durham employers position themselves in terms of workforce inclusivity, check Fostering a Strong and Inclusive Workplace: 2018-2021 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that presents key workforce data with recommendations to improve. 
• To champion inclusion and lead by example, check out TRIEC’s Leadership courses. 
• To increase cultural competencies in your workplace, register for this free, virtual Cross-Cultural Competency Training Program offered by Hire Immigrants Ottawa.
• To effect meaningful change in your organization, consider TRIEC’s Certificate in Inclusive Leadership.

Studies show that meaningful employment is cited as the No. 1 consideration in employee retention. Employees also look for professional development and career growth.