Industry
Guide

Selection

…the process of screening applicants to ensure that the most appropriate candidate is hired.¹

The Selection of foreign workers normally includes:

• pre-screening applications for necessary skills;
• interviewing potential employees;
• skills and language verification and/or testing;
• verifying foreign credential recognition (FCR) for compulsory trades; and
• checking references.

Employers are ultimately responsible for the selection of workers and play a large role in the process. A variety of other organizations play a part in the process. These organizations include recruiters, provincial governments and even some training institutions. As the majority of TFWs in construction are filling positions in the skilled trades, pre-screening applicants prior to conducting interviews is a necessary step. Pre-screening is often completed by the employer through a review of résumés/applications, or during brief telephone conversations with applicants. If pre-screening is completed by recruiters or labour or construction associations, the employer needs to provide clear guidelines for what skills potential employees must possess.

Job interviews usually involve the employer, even when they are working with a third-party recruitment agency, although some employers do trust the recruitment agency to interview and select. Some recruiters insist on employer involvement. Interviews may be in person, over the phone, or using video links over the Internet. A key consideration that shapes the interview process is how familiar job applicants are with English or French, which in turn determines whether an interpreter is required.

Accurately assessing the skills of potential employees is crucial. Finding out that employees don’t have the necessary skills after they have arrived in Canada can mean a considerable loss in employer investment. Formal testing can be completed for both language and technical skills before or after the interview, although due to the costs of testing, most employers leave this until they have selected the employee. Some Canadian employers pre-test potential workers in their home countries. This allows them to ensure that workers are familiar with Canadian terminology and standards, and can pass the required tests, before a job offer is made. Some sort of testing is suggested for workers in compulsory trades (where workers are required to take a test in Canada). Some provinces are willing to complete the compulsory trades testing in the worker’s home country on a cost-recovery basis. Check with provincial regulatory bodies to find out what they offer.

Finally, reference checks on candidates’ work experience should be completed. In some provinces/territories, this is mandatory for regulated trades. This can be difficult in countries where English is not commonly used, or where the employer does not speak the language of the country. Past employers may be hard to contact, and verifying that they are actually employers is not always possible. If an employer is unfamiliar with the country of recruitment and its language(s), the services of a reputable recruiter can come in handy.

Back to top of page

Variations in the process

The selection process can vary from province to province based on the need for testing and the availability of testing facilities outside of Canada.

Recruiters – The amount of involvement from a recruiter will depend on the needs of the employer and their preferred way of working. Some recruiters insist on the employer being a part of the interview process; some even encourage face-to-face interviews in the workers’ home countries. Like all parts of the process, the employer will need to decide how much of a time commitment they can afford, and what decisions they want to keep for themselves. In the end, it is the employer who must live with the results of the decision.

Testing for qualifications – Typically, informal testing of skills and qualifications is used to ensure that workers are skilled enough to pass certification requirements when they get to Canada – requirements that are mandatory to work in compulsory trades.

For example, in Alberta, foreign credential recognition is done through Alberta Apprenticeship & Industry Training (AAIT). AAIT evaluates work experience by speaking directly with previous employers and training institutions (using interpreters where necessary), and then issues a letter permitting the TFW to enter and work up to 180 days in Canada before passing the exam. AAIT will also send a representative to do in-country testing and work history verification on a cost-recovery basis. Employers bringing multiple employees into Canada may wish to explore more formal testing during the selection phase.

Back to top of page

¹ http://www.hrcouncil.ca/staffing/pg005_e.cfm

This page last updated December 2009