The month of May signals many beginnings, the beginning of warmer weather, flowers, budding trees, and for many, it’s a great time to begin a new job. By all accounts, the current job market is at an all-time high for those who are looking for new employment so this month’s theme is ‘Talent Acquisition’. We’ll help your business navigate this challenging job market. Moneris’ Director of Talent Acquisition Sim Ozel co-hosts, and in our feature interview, Al speaks with Michelle Slater, Director of Marketing at Indeed Canada, the #1 job site in Canada.
The month of May signals many beginnings, the beginning of warmer weather, flowers, budding trees, and for many, it’s a great time to begin a new job.
By all accounts, the current job market is at an all-time high for those who are looking for new employment so this month’s theme is ‘Talent Acquisition’. We’ll help your business navigate this challenging job market.
Moneris’ Director of Talent Acquisition Sim Ozel co-hosts, and in our feature interview, Al speaks with Michelle Slater, Director of Marketing at Indeed Canada, the #1 job site in Canada.
Also in this episode:
Chapters:
Al Grego:
Coming up on Shop Talk.
Michelle Slater:
Now because of the labor shortage that we're seeing in Canada, companies need to be incredibly quick to be able to speed things up, make sure that that process is not onerous, it's not complicated, it's not too long, especially as job seekers may have two to three offers in front of them that they're considering.
Al Grego:
Hello, everyone. I'm Al Grego.
Sim Ozel:
And I'm Sim Ozel.
Al Grego:
And this is the May 2022 edition of Shop Talk with Moneris.
Welcome to the Shop Talk podcast, Sim.
Sim Ozel:
Thank you very much for the invitation, Al.
Al Grego:
Well, it's my pleasure, Sim. I've really been looking forward to having you on and to this month's theme because I believe it's one of the biggest issues many businesses are facing at the moment: hiring the right talent.
Sim Ozel:
It certainly occupies most of my time.
Al Grego:
Indeed, it does. And just so our listeners know, the reason you're the perfect co-host is because you're the Director of Talent Acquisition at Moneris.
Sim Ozel:
That's right.
Al Grego:
So what, in your experience, has been the biggest challenge facing employers right now when it comes to talent acquisition?
Sim Ozel:
Basic economics, Al. Supply and demand. The biggest challenges employers face right now is retaining their current workforce and finding people with the skills they need to fill vacancies.
Al Grego:
So in your experience, have you ever seen a job market like this?
Sim Ozel:
Well, I don't want to tell you how long I've been doing this, but it's been a while, and I've never seen a market like this.
Al Grego:
Wow.
Sim Ozel:
Pre-pandemic, Canada was at a very low unemployment rate around 5%, and it was hard to find the right talent then. Then, COVID arrived, and in one quarter, unemployment doubled with lockdowns and closures. A lot of people unfortunately lost their jobs or were laid off, while others adjusted to working remotely. But that's changed again, and now, we're back to low unemployment and competition for talent.
Al Grego:
You're talking about the Great Resignation?
Sim Ozel:
Great Resignation, Great Reshuffle. It has a few names.
Al Grego:
So what do you think is driving this?
Sim Ozel:
I don't know. I sense a reluctance in some people to going back to the jobs they held before, either because they don't feel safe in jobs where they were in close proximity to others or they've done some soul searching and realize they want to do something else. People see many more job opportunities available to choose from now because in the latter part of 2020 and 2021, many major employers in Canada announced that they were adding thousands of positions.
Al Grego:
There does seem to be some positive change when it comes to the availability of work to a larger market, now that remote work is more acceptable. I've got to admit, I don't miss my 60- to 90-minute commute every day.
Sim Ozel:
You're right, Al. Due to remote work, it isn't necessary to work within commuting distance anymore, so that opens up more options for candidates.
Al Grego:
I can say, anecdotally, that on my own street, we've had two families move in, both of whom lived and worked in the city, but were able to move further away thanks to the ability to work remotely.
Sim Ozel:
And global companies are also knocking on the door of Canadian workers now.
Al Grego:
Did you ever think you'd be not only competing with other companies, but also other countries now for talent?
Sim Ozel:
Not to this extent and, of course, thanks to the laws of supply and demand, we're seeing wage pressures because companies are raising the stakes to attract talent. In the retail and hospitality sector, there are help wanted signs almost everywhere I look. Bottom line is that candidates are in demand and they have a lot more choices, so employers have to think and act differently.
Al Grego:
Well, hopefully today, we'll be able to provide some great tips and insight to help businesses find the right people for their open positions.
Sim Ozel:
Who do you have lined up?
Al Grego:
Well, our featured interview is with Michelle Slater, Director of Marketing at Indeed Canada.
Sim Ozel:
Indeed is Canada's leading job board and one of our main vendors in talent acquisition. I'm sure Michelle will share some interesting data.
Al Grego:
And finally, we have our very own Jacqueline Campbell, Recruitment Marketing Specialist on our Ask the Expert segment with some tips and tricks to maximize recruitment efforts.
Sim Ozel:
Sounds like a strong lineup.
Al Grego:
It is. So why don't we begin with my chat with Michelle Slater.
Speaker 4:
Featured interview.
Al Grego:
I'm joined today by Michelle Slater. She's the Director of Marketing for indeed Canada. Thank you for joining me today on Shop Talk, Michelle.
Michelle Slater:
Oh, it's great to be here. I'm very excited to be able to talk to you and share some insights about hiring, especially this year has lots of interesting changes happening in the job market.
Al Grego:
[inaudible 00:04:15] appreciate you coming on with your expertise. I mean, Indeed is a big name in talent acquisition, but by any chance, somebody has never heard of Indeed, why don't you tell us quickly what Indeed does.
Michelle Slater:
Indeed's actually a pretty big company not only in Canada, but around the world, solely focused on helping all people get jobs. What we mean by that, when you think about all people, it means people all across Canada in many different walks of life, different industries, different skills and to help them find meaningful work, work that will help to pay their bills, to help them have an enjoyable lifestyle. That's what Indeed is all about.
Al Grego:
The last couple of years have been challenging, to say the least, especially for those who've been looking for work, but lately, it seems tables have turned and there's a bit of a, for lack of a better term, labor shortage. What would you say about that?
Michelle Slater:
In some ways, it's actually an interesting point that we're in. When you think of roll back the clock two years ago, people were scared to switch jobs. People were hanging on to what they had, and there was a lot of fear, especially as some businesses had to close due to government mandates and some, unfortunately, small businesses weren't able to reopen.
But what we're seeing at Indeed with studies that we've done, and we just did a recent study on April 15th, we're seeing that job postings on Indeed are now 69% above pre-pandemic levels. So a lot more people are reassessing the work they're doing right now and thinking differently about the world of work.
Al Grego:
Wow, 69%. That's a big number.
Michelle Slater:
It sure is. 69% is a huge number.
Al Grego:
So let's talk about that number for a second. What does this number mean for prospective employers?
Michelle Slater:
Well, for employers, they've really got to think clearly about who they are wanting to bring in and especially as it's more of a job seeker's market than an employer's market, they have to be clear and crisp about what they offer for employers. It means that they may need to think about paying a little bit higher salary and more importantly, listing what they are going to be paying people on the job posting. They also have to think about their own brand reputation. How do they come across in their job listings? What are some of the people who work for them, their current employees saying about them? So there's lots of changes and interesting nuances that employers need to be thinking of, especially in today's job market.
Al Grego:
Yeah, I've noticed that employers are putting more marketing dollars behind their job postings. It's not just marketing to their potential customers anymore. Now ,you're marketing to potential employees, and they're having to put their best foot forward there. Do you notice that as well?
Michelle Slater:
Yes, we're seeing that tremendously that more companies are focused on what we call their employer brand and how do they come across? What are some of the things that they offer their employees? If you've got two to three competing job offers in front of you as a job seeker, you're going to go to the one that often pays the most, but also has the best benefits where I can give you tremendous growth opportunity and because, for many of us, we are still at home or have worked from home in the last couple years, many more Canadians are wanting a flexible work arrangement, and flexibility means different things for different people.
For people with young children, it could be a little bit of flexibility in the hours that they need to work so that they can drop their children off at daycare or pick them up from school, whereas for other people, they really love working from home and they want to continue in a remote working environment and others, they want to have a bit of a hybrid approach where they have an office to go to or a co-working space for part of the time and work from home other parts of the time. So flexibility is very significant.
And I'd say the third factor that's really, job seekers are thinking about more so than ever before is some of the other benefits that a role can offer, and I don't mean benefits in terms of healthcare, although that's quite important, but it's benefits in terms of growth, education and training and other opportunities that could be available for them in that new opportunity.
Al Grego:
So what does this mean for the people who are looking for work, the job seekers?
Michelle Slater:
So for people who are looking for work, there's tremendous number of benefits out there, especially as so many employers are wanting you to join their company. So if you are thinking about looking for a new job, there's things that you can demand now. You can have that conversation about flexibility and have that conversation be welcomed by the employer that you're interviewing with. You can also start to negotiate a little bit harder in terms of the wage that you'd like to earn. And our senior economist in Canada, Brandon Bernard, he has been talking quite a bit about this, and he has said that the quantity of jobs in the economy is no longer the most pressing issue facing the labor market in Canada. Quite now, the main issue is that it's how far our paychecks are going, and I think we've all seen the news about how high inflation has been, particularly the last couple of months. I know for me, my grocery bill is continually skyrocketing, no matter what I end up buying, and inflation does have a big impact on all of us.
So this combination of low employment rate and elevated levels of job postings suggests that conditions should be better for faster wage growth. And if you are thinking of looking for a new job and for job seekers, it's definitely something that can be negotiated.
Al Grego:
We've established, then, that there's a lot of competition for talent out there. As a business owner or potential employer, how do you stand out from the crowd?
Michelle Slater:
Well, here's things that I think that you can do as an employer to stand out from the crowd, and the first one is to be competitive and be transparent about the pay that you're offering. And if you are offering any hiring incentives, put that in the job description. 81% of Canadians are more likely to apply to a company that has a reputation for paying its employers competitively, and also, 75% of Canadians are more likely to apply for a job if the salary range is listed on the job posting.
Al Grego:
That's a pet peeve of mine when you see a job that you think is perfect and then you have to go through the first interview to find out what the salary expectation is only to find out it's below what you're looking for.
Michelle Slater:
Yeah, I think a lot of us have been in the same boat as that is you get really excited about a new opportunity and then think, "Wow, it's not at all what I thought I was going to be paid."
Al Grego:
Are you finding that companies are catching on and more and more of them are putting their salary expectations up front?
Michelle Slater:
We are seeing that happening Canada, and I think what's fascinating is that in certain states in the United States is it's actually mandatory that pay bands or the salary is actually listed on those job descriptions.
Al Grego:
What else should they be doing?
Michelle Slater:
Yeah, so another thing is to really focus on that job description. If you think about trying to attract new talent to your company, you need to make sure that that job description is compelling. It's short, it's sweet, and it describes the position very clearly using recognizable job titles, things that people are used to seeing, that are understood. Also means that those job seekers that you're looking for will recognize that, "Hey, this might be the next position for me."
We're also looking at, when you think about the job description, is people are in Canada are looking for companies that are aligned with their own personal values. So back to work life balance, the ability to have flexibility in the hours that they work, where they work, as well as competitive pay are all very important, and it's important to be transparent about that in the job description.
Al Grego:
What's your next tip?
Michelle Slater:
The next one is to think about people who may be located outside of your traditional hiring area. So what I mean by that is there's talent in many different places all across Canada, and we've proven in the last couple years that people can work very productively and very successfully from literally anywhere.
Al Grego:
That's right.
Michelle Slater:
And so remote work is quite popular now, and if you are looking for a candidate that can work remotely, definitely broaden the area and the scope. So think about other cities, other areas in Canada where you could have a higher opportunity of filling that position.
It's interesting a couple years ago before the pandemic, that probably wouldn't have been a possibility. We're seeing that most types of jobs were clustered around urban centers, and you had to basically live in or close to a big city in Canada to be able to have certain types of roles.
Al Grego:
And what's your final tip?
Michelle Slater:
My fourth tip in terms of what employers can do to be seen as more attractive for job seekers is to actually be really quick with the process. For some companies, it would take months to be able to go from when I applied to when the recruiter would call to when I go through multiple rounds of job interviews, and sometimes, it would be three to five months before an actual offer was put in front of an individual who's applying.
Now because of the labor shortage that we're seeing in Canada, companies need to be incredibly quick to be able to speed things up, make sure that that process is not onerous. It's not complicated. It's not too long, especially as job seekers may have two to three offers in front of them that they're considering, and you don't want to be that company that has the ideal candidate that everyone loves and then because you didn't act on it quick enough, loses them to a competitor.
So being quick, making sure that the process is tight, it is aligned, the individuals who are going to be on the hiring panel are all aligned with what the questions are going to be asking and being very succinct with that process is going to make it much, much easier to bring in top talent.
Al Grego:
That's great, Michelle, thank you. Where can listeners learn more about Indeed?
Michelle Slater:
Best spot to learn more about Indeed is actually visiting us online at ca.indeed.com. You can also follow us on a number of our social channels, so definitely check us out on Facebook, Twitter and, of course, LinkedIn.
Al Grego:
Thank you so much, Michelle.
Michelle Slater:
Thanks again for spending time together this afternoon. It's been great to get to know you a bit more.
Speaker 5:
This podcast is brought to you by Moneris. Today has shown us tomorrow has changed, changed how we'll live, work, and do business. Because now we're more open to what's possible, open to contactless payments, online bookings, curbside pickups, and more. Open your business to more opportunity with solutions to help you succeed online, in store, or on the go.
To talk to one of our business advisors, call 1-866-MONERIS or visit moneris.com today.
Speaker 4:
Ask an Expert.
Al Grego:
I'm joined by Jacqueline Campbell. She is a recruitment marketing specialist at Moneris. Jacqueline, thank you for joining me today.
Jacqueline Campbell:
Thanks for having me today, Al. I'm excited to be here.
Al Grego:
This month, we're talking about talent acquisition and in your position at Moneris, you're responsible for marketing that, which I've just spoken to Michelle Slater from Indeed, and she's talked about how important it is for companies to market themselves as good places to work because it is such a job seekers market out there. So where should business owners get started to optimize their recruiting efforts?
Jacqueline Campbell:
Well, Al, I think the first thing to think about is the mindset to have when recruiting in a candidate-driven market and that's to look at recruiting like marketing. So as a business owner, you tend to think about your customer experience a lot and how to sell your product or service effectively to customers, and you can look at recruiting in the same way, but instead, you're optimizing your candidate experience and selling an opportunity.
Al Grego:
So where would you start?
Jacqueline Campbell:
So in terms of where I would begin optimizing your recruitment efforts is to look at your job postings and understanding who your target market is, understand what their professional goals and aspirations are and what gets them motivated in their jobs. From there, you'll be able to create a job posting that acts as an advertising tool, and you'll highlight how the job opportunity is a great fit for who you identify as your target market.
In your job postings, you want to make sure you're giving talent the right information and that starts with your job title. So as tempting as it might be to be creative with your job title, you want to make sure that candidates are finding it, so you want to use terms that are common in the market.
You'll also want to be giving them specific job details like if they're going to be working full-time or part-time, what shifts they'll be required to work on, and so on.
That's all key information that talent looks for when they're deciding if a role's going to fit their lifestyle, especially for millennials and Gen Zs whose priority in their career is finding work-life balance.
Al Grego:
Another thing Michelle and I spoke of was the importance of putting the expected compensation up front. Would you agree with that?
Jacqueline Campbell:
I would definitely agree with that. I think especially for retail and hospitality industries, candidates want to know upfront what they're going to be provided for the work they're going to be doing for their organization, so giving as much detail as you can is going to resonate more and attract the right types of candidates to your company.
And one other thing you'll want to include in your job postings is what you're offering candidates beyond just a paycheck, so talent are probably already big fans of your brand, so they'll be really excited to hear about an employee discount that you're offering.
And lastly, you can also show off your brand personality, so unlike the job title within your job posting is a great place to be engaging with your word choice and show talent what it's like to work at your organization.
Al Grego:
All right. So I mean, it's one thing to make sure your postings are well-written and visible. How do you make sure that the right talent finds them?
Jacqueline Campbell:
Well, that's a great question. You'll want to promote your postings both digitally and in physical locations. So if we start with how you can optimize your posting presence online, beyond just your company website, you can look into using some of the big job board players like LinkedIn and Indeed. They're a top source of hire for companies across Canada. And you can also look into some niche job boards that's focused on specific talent, not for profit organizations that might offer some free job slots, and educational institutions that have job boards dedicated to their students and alumni.
Another place where you can promote your jobs and build your employer brand online is through social media. So again, LinkedIn is a great platform. More than half of Canadians are members, and you can create some eye-catching posts to capture your talent's attention, and your employees can even engage with those posts to broaden your reach. You can also look into utilizing Instagram and TikTok where you can make content using weekly trends or day-in-the life videos to showcase your company culture.
When it comes to social media, there's really endless possibilities with how you can be creative.
Al Grego:
Oh, now you're looking for employees on TikTok. What a time to be alive.
Jacqueline Campbell:
I know. It's a way to get Gen Z's attention.
Al Grego:
Yeah. What about physical locations for looking for employees?
Jacqueline Campbell:
Well, store-front windows, checkout counters, change rooms are all great ways for you to show that you're hiring. What I'd suggest is to use a QR code, so you're linking talent to your postings and you can look into using dynamic codes so you can actually track your source performance. That is if you have the budget to do so. Otherwise there's lots of free alternatives online to provide you with static QR codes.
Another idea is if you have company vehicles is to use them as an advertising tool where you can create decals to showcase that you're hiring and create a call to action to your career site link.
And let's not forget about promoting your roles at career fairs. Even with the pandemic, there's been a lot of events taking place virtually, and they can be a great way to promote your employer brand and your opportunities. And if you are going to be on site, another tactic is to provide career cards to candidates to take home with them, linking them to your opportunities.
Al Grego:
I think one of the most important sources, too, for finding good candidates are your existing employees.
Jacqueline Campbell:
Definitely. You want to talk to your employees and understand where they're spending their time outside of work and online. There could be other creative ways to promote your roles digitally and locally that might not even be on your radar unless you talk to your employees.
And you can also look into starting a referral program. You can reward your employees by referring their network with vouchers or discounts or any other creative way to get them motivated.
Al Grego:
All right. Got any final tips you have for our listeners?
Jacqueline Campbell:
Yes, I would say move fast. As we know, the unemployment rate in Canada is at 5.3%, the lowest rate on record since 1976. And when we couple that with the Great Resignation, it's safe to say that we're all going through the same challenges when it comes to hiring.
Al Grego:
Absolutely.
Jacqueline Campbell:
Gone are the days where we're able to shop for candidates, so if you see potential in a candidate, move forward or someone else might hire your top contender. One way to condense your process is to consider creating an online application form or conducting on-the-spot interviews for walk-ins.
And when it comes to what to ask in your interviews, you can leverage resources online, or if you're using a job board as a source, they can also support you with providing some bias-free interview guides to leverage.
Al Grego:
That's great. Thank you so much, Jacqueline, for your time today.
Jacqueline Campbell:
Thanks for having me, Al.
Speaker 4:
Save the Date.
Al Grego:
I'm joined by Theresa Wetzel. She's Senior Manager of Events and ESG at Moneris. Theresa, thank you for joining me today.
Theresa Wetzel:
Thanks for having me, Al.
Al Grego:
So, what do you have on the calendar for us this month?
Theresa Wetzel:
Well, it is a busy month ahead of us here at Moneris, and we're going to start on May 5th. Moneris is proud to sponsor Women's Habitat Spring Virtual Fundraiser.
Al Grego:
What's that fundraiser for?
Theresa Wetzel:
It's one of their biggest fundraising campaigns to help their great initiatives across the Women's Habitat organization.
Al Grego:
And if we wanted more information on that one?
Theresa Wetzel:
You can go to womenshabitat.ca.
Al Grego:
Okay, what else do you have?
Theresa Wetzel:
Then on May 9th to 11th, we have Restaurants Canada, so this is Canada's largest food service and hospitality event.
Al Grego:
Do we have a booth at this event?
Theresa Wetzel:
Yes, so it's going to be taking place at the Enercare Center in Toronto, and we're going to be having a booth at the trade show, so come check it out to see what Moneris has to offer to support restaurant owners.
Al Grego:
I've never been to this show. Is it a big show?
Theresa Wetzel:
It's massive. We have a big booth, corner booth, lots of different vendors there, lots of speaking sessions, lots of food sampling, so come check it out.
Al Grego:
Oh, I like the food sampling. I'll definitely go, then.
Theresa Wetzel:
Yeah.
Al Grego:
So what's next?
Theresa Wetzel:
Then on May 11th, it's McHappy Days, so Ronald McDonald House Charities is one of our charity partners, and this is their biggest fundraiser of the year. So a portion of all the proceeds from McDonald's menu items all day will go to help families with sick children supported by Ron McDonald House in your community.
Al Grego:
My daughter will be very happy about that day, for sure.
Theresa Wetzel:
Yes.
Al Grego:
Anything else?
Theresa Wetzel:
And then on May 18th, Moneris will be hosting a webinar on the state of B2B payments, so stay tuned to our social channels for more details on that.
Al Grego:
Perfect. And finally?
Theresa Wetzel:
And last on the list is on May 31st, Retail Council of Canada's STORE Conference is coming back, and Moneris will be speaking, doing a lunch-and-learn session talking about consumer spending behavior.
Al Grego:
It's great.
Theresa Wetzel:
So you go to storeconference.ca to register.
Al Grego:
Okay. That is a jam-packed month, so just in recap, on May 5th, we have the Women's Habitat Virtual Fundraiser. You can check that out at womenshabitat.ca.
May 9th to 11th, Restaurants Canada has the Restaurants Canada show. That's rcshow.com.
May 11th, McHappy Day. Just follow McDonald's for that. You won't be able to miss it, I'm sure.
May 18th, State of B2B Payments webinar. Keep an eye on our socials for more information on that one.
And then May 31st, Retail Council of Canada's STORE Conference and you find more information on that at storeconference.ca.
Thank you so much, Theresa, for joining me today.
Theresa Wetzel:
Thanks, Al, for having me.
Al Grego:
And that's all we have for this month. I hope you found this episode informative.
Before we sign off, I'd like to take a moment to let everyone know that Season Two of Yes, We Are Open podcast is happening right now. Every Monday for eight weeks, I bring you the story of a different small Canadian business. I tell their origin story, the story of their greatest struggle, and how they overcame that struggle. Here's a little teaser for season two.
Coming up on Season Two of the Yes, We Are Open podcast. Eight new Canadian businesses with eight new stories of perseverance.
Speaker 7:
Yes, we are open.
Speaker 8:
Yes, we are open.
Speaker 9:
Yes, we are open.
Speaker 10:
Yes, we are open.
Speaker 11:
Hell yeah, we're open.
Al Grego:
Subscribe now to Yes, We Are Open, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 12:
Yes, we are open, and we're not going anywhere.
Al Grego:
I love it. That's great.
Speaker 12:
We're here to stay.
Al Grego:
Perfect.
Sim Ozel:
If you haven't already, you can subscribe to this podcast and Yes, We Are Open wherever you get your podcasts.
Al Grego:
And if you'd like to support this show, share this podcast with your network or review us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
And finally, if you have a payment-related question you'd like to submit to one of our experts, you can email us at podcast@moneris.com.
Sim Ozel:
Join us again next month for more expert insight and data to help you grow your business.
Al Grego:
Sim, thank you so much for co-hosting.
Sim Ozel:
It was my pleasure, Al. Thank you so much for having me.
Al Grego:
On behalf of Sim, myself, and the rest of Moneris, thank you for listening to Shop Talk. Talk again in June.