TALENT ACQUISITION
In most SMEs, filling a vacancy is seen as a single activity. However, best practices
for talent acquisition consist of a series of steps broadly divided into the following
stages:
1. Pre-Hiring – Mindset change
2. Hiring A – Sourcing and aligning the processes
3. Hiring B – Selection process
4. Post-Hiring – Onboarding & integration
The above steps should include cultural diversity integration policies and processes
across the whole talent acquisition process.
The analysis and steps outlined below refer to hiring immigrant talent in small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs). These steps serve as guidelines and a checklist for
hiring immigrant talent.
1. Pre-Hiring
The individuals responsible for talent management may have to undertake systemic
changes and introduce various strategies, policies and programs to help the
organization transition. The benefits could be significant and far outweigh the inputs
and efforts contributed.
Pre-Hiring – CL 1
Topic - Area
Check
Remarks – Action
Required
Business strategy – vision, mission, objectives
Business plan – short term (1-3 years),
medium term (3 – 5 years)
Periodic management information reports and review
systems
Organization structure – organization chart – reporting
relationships – matrix or linear
Company document listing history, products, services,
regions etc.
Pre-Hiring – CL 2
Topic - Area
HR audit – HR capacity review to identify gaps
HR Strategy, HR mission alignment with business strategy
and objectives
HR role of inclusivity of senior management – forming an HR
committee or a task force team
Check
Remarks Action
Required
Transition of HR into talent management areas with a plan
HR planning – workforce requirements plan – to be ready with
new appointees on time with an overlap with retiring or
resigning employees
HR policies regarding its various functions; recruitment
sources – Canadian or immigrant talent
HR policies, programs, and systems. An HR Manual with
clearly defined processes
HR rules, standing orders, timings, facilities
Compensation and benefits strategy and policies
HR welfare programs
HR forms and documents
HR plans to address present and future challenges
Job specifications, profiling, person requirements
Working with competency based talent management
processes
Making the organization ready to recruit culturally diverse
immigrant talent – orientation and briefing
HR technology upgrades including the use of HRIS, ATS, ERecruit and other ERP/SAP related and non-related systems
Building an employer brand
2. Hiring A
This stage of hiring immigrant talent requires careful planning of all the steps and
documenting the processes, ensuring smooth execution. This will provide clarity
about what is expected and possible drawbacks to be avoided in hiring immigrant
talent.
This stage focuses on sourcing and aligning of the processes unique to hiring
immigrants with specific vacancies and positions. This stage will determine:
•
•
•
•
•
What needs to be done
How it has to be done
Who will do it
Where & when it has to be done
Costs (if any) and time required to do it
Hiring A – Sourcing – CL – 3
Topic - Area
Formulate sourcing strategies – for timely creation of a pool
of candidates for selection
Decide to focus on immigrant talent
Create expansive sources for marketing vacancies and
opportunities
Relationship management and establishing networks with
Check
Remarks - Action
Required
stakeholders and associates
Focused targeting for human resources – multiple
approaches and resources
Constantly upgrade candidate pool quality
Create a dynamic and high quality talent pool updated database
Company website – image and brand
All job boards including e-job boards
Internal and external referrals
Agencies and institutions
Consultancies, head hunters and outsourcing
Immigrant service organizations
Competitors, suppliers and customers
Skilled immigrant communities, associations and chambers,
professional organizations and sector councils
Print & electronic media
Web-based recruiters
Hiring A – Aligning the Processes – CL – 4
Topic - Area
Create position-specific assessment chart
Identify and benchmark competencies (knowledge, skills,
capabilities and attitude) required for the position
Format (if any) required for seeking application
Pre-selection assessment (if any)
Psychometric tests and assessment needed
Identify sources for conducting and analysis of psychometric
testing
Internal (licensed) or outsourced expertise for conducting and
analysis of psychometric tests
Assessment of knowledge – how
Regulated or non-regulated profession
If regulated – identify Canadian qualification
If non-regulated – need for qualification accreditation
Identify equivalent Canadian qualification (if any) to understand
foreign equivalent
Assess importance and weight-age for accredited / equivalent
qualification
Agencies for accreditation – cost, time and funding (if any)
available
Need for ‘Canadian’ experience – quantify in terms of coverage
and competencies
Understand and assess foreign experience
Check
Remarks –
Action
Required
Prepare a check-list of questions for pre-interview and
interview stages of selection
Draft the job profile – person requirements appropriately
Comply with non-discriminatory job postings and job
advertisements – use of barrier-free language and words
Compliance – reference with Canadian national/provincial
occupation/job classification data – National Occupational
Classification (NOC) reference
Assistance (if any) from the sector council, external agencies –
areas
Decision to outsource the selection process or do it internally
Use of consultants and professional agencies
Finalize the interview process – telephone, personal,
expert/technical and final/selection interviews
Formulate a team of 2 – 3 members (if required) to be involved
in the process
Make a plan outlining all the above steps with a time-bund
schedule – align and modulate with existing procedure and
system
3. Hiring B
Hiring B – The Selection Process
This stage refers to the actual selection process in action and includes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Screening of applications, CVs, resumes
Pre-selection / pre-interview /self - assessment (if any)
Interviewing
Reference Checks
Appointment process
When you have decided to focus on and consider immigrant talent for filling job
vacancies, human resources personnel have to avoid being biased in the screening
process. This process should avoid the common practice of rejecting the candidate on
the grounds of lack of Canadian experience. Whether you are using technology or
not, ensure that suitable and deserving candidates are not weeded out only on
grounds of superficial requirements, judgements and conclusions.
HR should develop an unbiased approach to avoid discrimination on grounds of
ethnicity, race, religion, caste, creed or gender. The focus should be on matching
competencies required and available from the application and resume. If there is a
considerable match found, the candidate should be short-listed for the next stage of
interviews. Certain doubts and lack of a complete match can be validated through the
next process of assessment and selection.
Hiring B – The Selection Process – CL – 5
Topic - Area
Clearly identify competencies and person requirements for the
position
Use of technology – E-Recruit of the screening process
Identify gaps and areas which the technology-based process
may overlook
Have more than one level of screening, to avoid rejection due
to singular perceptive factors
Pre-selection assessment – psychometric testing – outsourced
or internal
Analysis and use of psychometric assessment – provides a
guide and requires an interview for validation
Pre-interview self assessment (if needed) – matches the basic
person requirements
Decision on interviews – telephone, personal, panel and final
interviews – depending on the number short-listed
Question lists for telephone interviews – person to be trained –
Analysis of telephone interview records
Personal interviews – questions to be asked and information to
be gathered to assess and match with competency
requirements
Care and caution at interviews
Focus on what the candidate knows and the experience he/she
has rather than on what he/she does not know
Take care of cultural sensitivities while interviewing
Ensure the legal and statutory do’s and don’ts of interview
questions are complied with strictly – go through list of
questions that cannot be asked
It is recommended to have more than one person at the
personal interview stage
Depending on the position and requirements, have
technical/expert interview
Provide an objective grade or numerical value to the scoring of
interview responses
Reconfirm your assessment with a final interview if required
Select a minimum of two or three candidates (if possible) for
final selection – provide for dropouts and non-acceptance of
terms
Verify and check original certificates and testimonials –
Qualifications – Experience
Reference checks
Fidelity checks and credit-worthiness verification, depending on
the position
Check
Remarks –
Action
Required
Methodology used for reference checks – telephone discussion
would be ideal
It is crucial to have an overseas telephone discussion with the
past foreign employers, language commonality permitting
Outsourcing reference checks – pending cost & time, would be
ideal for overcoming language barriers
Appointment discussion is a must for explaining terms
Check original documents and certificates and keep a set for
record and reference
4. Post-Hiring – Onboarding & Integration
The hiring process does not end when the new employee is hired. An organization
should see a new hire as a change event. What the organization does in the first
weeks and months may determine whether the change event is successful. This stage
of the process is crucial for hiring immigrant talent – it is the beginning of the process
of engaging the new employee in the organization.
The onboarding and integration process has various elements:
• Induction and orientation
• Onboarding
• Integration
This process requires pre-hiring preparation and involves HR and line managers over
a period of time. Generally, the onboarding process lasts anywhere between 3 to 6
months. It is planned series of engagement. The newcomer is full of energy and
enthusiasm and likely wants to contribute to the utmost, creating a positive impact.
It is for HR and line managers to utilize this motivation and fulfill his/her
expectations. Just as the employer has expectations to be fulfilled by the employee,
the new employee similarly has expectations. It is this process that should have more
informal discussions by HR and others to know the views and expectations of the new
employee.
Induction & Orientation
This is a process of a series of discussions, briefings and introductions that help the
new employee become familiar with the company’s mission, vision, policies and
programs. It also makes the new employee develop a feeling of being welcomed and
‘at home’. Many SMEs, due to shortage of personnel, tend to give ad hoc and
sporadic orientations. This may make the newcomer feel ‘lonely’ or alienated at
times.
Onboarding
This process involves planning communication and interactive sessions with the new
employee periodically, opening up avenues and opportunities for him/her to mix
around with different employees. Ideally the company can appoint a guide or mentor
to the new employee for the period of six months or more. SMEs do face challenges
in this regard due to constraints of time and inputs. However there can be a
rotational “buddy” programme wherein there is a periodic change in becoming a
“buddy” for the new employee.
Integration
One of the major areas required in hiring immigrant talent is cultural integration.
Cultural diversity in an organization entails understanding and utilizing cultural
intelligence to reduce communication, perception and cultural divergence.
Organizations need to have some form of cultural diversity integration plan and
program, depending on the size of the organization. Further, through the selection
process, a few competency gaps need to be addressed.
These trainable, transferable and acquirable competencies may be:
• English Language proficiency
• Computer and IT skills
• Functional technical and soft-skills
It is the responsibility of HR to plan a learning and development plan for the new
employee to reach the required standards of the company. These steps and programs
send out a clear signal to the new employee that he/she is being cared for and
provide opportunities to cover up any deficiencies. This helps establish loyalty,
increase engagement and empower the newcomer to increase his/her contribution
and productivity.
Post-Hiring – Orientation, Onboarding, Integration – CL- 6
Topic - Area
An orientation, onboarding and integration plan for a minimum 3
months and up to 6 months
The plan would involve HR, the line manager /supervisor, the
mentor or “Buddy” and the new employee
Define the objectives of each of the three segments
Cover information, cultural diversity integration, mentorship or
“buddy” program and upgrade English language communication
skills, IT skills as per company standards
Technical skills or certification program required as per sector
councils reference
Job functional skills development to reach the company
performance standard
Introduce and implement a cultural diversity integration program
depending on the size of the organization
A periodic review is planned with a feedback
Check
Remarks –
Action
Required
Talent acquisition is only the beginning of the talent management process
Talent acquisition is an important stage of hiring immigrant talent, as it creates a
strong foundation for making hiring immigrants beneficial to the organization. It
takes care of the possible drawbacks that the organization may face in this journey
and create a favourable experience for future success.