Connecting local employers with newcomers and foreign workers: Island Recruiting/Confederation Capital

by Heidi Riley

With over 30 years of experience, Island Recruiting provides professional recruiting and outsourced human resource services to companies across North America and around the world.

Their diverse clientele includes multinational organizations, government agencies, and small to medium-sized businesses. They recruit locally and through immigration.

Island Recruiting works directly with employers to find the staff they need, and they have a database of job seekers looking for work on PEI.

“Our sister company Confederation Capital does immigration consulting and helps companies with foreign recruitment,” says Kalie MacKinnon, HR with Island Recruiting. “We have 72 connections with agents overseas and in North America.

“Many of our job seekers are from outside Canada, and they can submit their resumé through our website. Local people can submit a resumé as well. The resumés go into our database and are sorted according to education, experience, and industry. We use the database to help local, Maritime, and national clients looking for a particular skill set.”

What types of positions are most in demand by their clients on PEI?

Kalie says there is a variety of jobs in demand, especially in spring when employers are looking to fill seasonal positions. “Probably the largest number of requests we are seeing right now is from employers in the trades.

“There is a huge labour shortage and many vacancies across PEI for Labourers, Carpenters, and other jobs in the construction industry. Carpenters and Electricians coming from Holland College get snapped up very quickly.

“Other jobs in demand include general administration and Executive Director positions.

“Employers are searching for capable, skilled workers, and it has been difficult to fill those positions. They pay decent, competitive wages and benefits, but it is a matter of finding job seekers who are committed, will show up, can physically perform the job, and are willing to stay with the job for at least a few months.

“In the construction industry, foreign recruitment can fill labour shortage gaps. But the timeline can be an issue. It can take six to eight months to bring a foreign worker to Canada. If employers are willing to wait that long, we can help by doing processing and foreign recruitment for them.”

Advice to job seekers

Kalie says newcomers can run up against difficulties when looking for work because employers are not always sure about a resumé listing foreign experience or education.

“We encourage job seekers to get involved in the community. If they cannot find a position right away, volunteering is a great way to get out and meet people, even if you have only a few hours a week to spare. You never know when an opportunity might present itself. On PEI, those connections can make a big difference.

“Stay positive and investigate other fields that may be options for the time being, such as labour work, and be open and willing to doing a job that might be new territory. Any experience is good experience.”

Advice for employers having difficulty filling roles

“Be open to all applications. A resumé does not always tell the whole story, and may not reflect all their positive traits. There are other ways of recruiting successfully besides analyzing a resumé. Give someone a call, have a five-minute conversation, and invite them to an informal meet and greet. Keep an open mind.

“On PEI it can be hard for employers to overcome the hesitancy of hiring someone they do not know, but diversity in the workforce makes a difference. Bringing someone in from a different country will give you so much perspective, and you will learn as much from your employees as they will learn from you.”