Time to find employees? What do you need to keep in mind? How do you go about finding the best people? Read on for pointers drawn from the Canada Business Network.
The first steps for finding employees
Once you have identified what you need from an employee, make sure you know what your legal obligations are as an employer. You can protect yourself if you understand what is required of you. The Canadian Human Rights Act makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone based on:
- Race
- National or ethnic origin
- Colour
- Religion
- Age
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity or expression
- Marital status
- Genetic characteristics
- Disability
- Conviction for an offence that has been pardoned or received a record suspension.
Employers have to refrain from discrimination and harassment and so must their workers. An employer can be held responsible if an employee harasses someone.
When do you need to get the SIN from employees?
Employers are legally required to ask for a new employee's SIN> within 3 days of work starting. It's important to keep an employee's information safe once you have it. The SIN allows the government to allocate benefits such as the Canada Pension Plan and EI. SINs can be verified by calling Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218. Non-Canadian workers get SINs that begin with a 9. Be sure to verify work authorization and make sure it hasn't expired. There are a number of government programs to help employers find and hire talent from outside Canada.
How to use job banks to find employees
Recruitment agencies such as Drake can help match employees and employers. Canada's Department of Employment and Social Development has a job bank that is free for employers and prospective employees to use. It also offers many free resources to help you find employees. Quebecers have access to free advice from Entreprises Quebec. Websites such as Indeed are widely used by people in many different fields. You can post a job for free, or pay for a sponsored ad. You can use Facebook and LinkedIn to connect to potential employees. Services like Jobvite can help you search for potential matches and manage applications received. Remember, you can deduct the cost of this software as a business expense.
Cast a wide net
Here are some other tips for finding employees for your small business:
- Use online tools such as ZipRecruiter to post on numerous job sites at the same time
- Offer current employees a bonus for finding new employees
- Consider teleworkers if you can
- Familiarize yourself with current job market trends to make sure you're offering appropriate compensation
- Stay abreast of what communities are talking about on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Consider Facebook ads to find employees
- Create a 'grassroots' campaign by printing flyers and posting them around town.
