Introduction
The Aboriginal community is incredibly diverse. In BC, there are 203 First Nations communities and over 20 different Aboriginal languages.
It’s also a sizeable hiring pool. Between 2001 and 2026, an estimated 600,000 Aboriginal people will enter the workforce. Many of those individuals will be educated and looking for employment. As of 2006, 41% of the Aboriginal population aged 25 to 64 had a post-secondary education.
Aboriginal employees offer new skills, perspectives, and valuable connections to your non-profit organization, as well as unique benefits including building relationships with the Aboriginal communities and organizations in your area, expanding your community and networking circles, and accessing new sources of future employees.
This toolkit gives you resources and links to help you learn more about the Aboriginal communities in your area and around BC and Canada. It will guide you through an exploration of the benefits Aboriginal employees can bring your non-profit organization, identify online and offline sources for Aboriginal candidates and help you develop your strategy to hire and retain Aboriginal employees.
You’ll also find examples of successful Aboriginal employment outreach and hiring programs, and be introduced to meet talented Aboriginal job-seekers who are looking forward to making a contribution in the workforce.
Get started
Increasing Aboriginal representation in your workplace doesn’t have to be intimidating or overwhelming. Here are five things every organization can do to increase Aboriginal workforce participation:
1. Increase your awareness of Aboriginal cultures in BC. No two Aboriginal communities are the same! The first step in eliminating any cultural stereotypes and assumptions is awareness, so get to know the various Aboriginal communities in your area. You can also encourage awareness among staff by celebrating National Aboriginal Day with an office potluck or a "lunch and learn" at which Aboriginal employees can share information about their culture. This toolkit provides some information about the Aboriginal People of BC and Canada in the Learn about Aboriginal people section.
2. Reach out to two or three Aboriginal organizations in your area. Whether it is connecting directly with a First Nations community in your area, or partnering with your local Aboriginal Friendship Centre, there are a number of organizations across BC that would be eager to build relationships with local businesses to support training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people. This toolkit includes a list of organizations you may wish to contact in the Index of Aboriginal organizations section
3. Include a message welcoming Aboriginal candidates in your job postings. Adding a simple message to your job postings such as, "ABC Organization encourages applications from Aboriginal people, women, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities" signals a welcoming environment for Aboriginal job seekers. Also consider submitting your job postings in places that specifically target an Aboriginal audience. This toolkit includes tips and strategies for attracting more Aboriginal candidates in the Attract Aboriginal talent section.
4. Implement culturally inclusive hiring and employment practices. Aboriginal communities are diverse groups within themselves, so it is important to create a work environment that is welcoming and inclusive of all cultures and minority groups. Implement culturally inclusive hiring practices such as conducting "bias-aware interviews", as well as inclusive employment practices such as flexible work arrangements and accommodation. This toolkit includes tips and strategies for adopting a more inclusive approach in the Conduct unbiased interviews section.
5. Measure the results of your Aboriginal recruitment efforts and celebrate successes! What gets measured gets done! Identify one or two baseline measures before you start your recruitment efforts, then measure results after one or two years to determine progress. Sample measures can include the number of Aboriginal candidates per job posting and the percentage of Aboriginal employees in your workforce. And of course, as you see positive results, be sure to celebrate and share the good news with the rest of the organization as well as other stakeholders. This toolkit includes information to help you identify and set metrics to gauge the success of your strategy in the Support and retain Aboriginal employees section.
Explore the benefits
“Canada is experiencing an Aboriginal baby boom. Aboriginal people are the nation’s youngest and fastest growing human resource. This young, upwardly mobile labour force wants and needs workplace opportunities for training, skills development and employment.”
--Aboriginal Human Resource Council
There’s no better time than now to target the growing Aboriginal population in Canada.
The Aboriginal population is growing at more than four times the rate of the non-indigenous population. They are increasingly young and urban: more than half of all Aboriginal people live in cities, and 46 per cent are under the age of 24.
The opportunities this vital population offers to the non-profit sector are significant, and non-profit organizations that make an effort to embrace inclusive hiring practices will be in the best place to take advantage of the opportunities.
You can learn more about the impact of the Aboriginal population on Canada’s future by watching a video presentation (http://bit.ly/1byJudz) of a TEDxToronto 2013 talk given by Gabrielle Scrimshaw, a member of the Hatchet Lake First Nation, a co-founder of Aboriginal Professionals (aboriginalprofessionals.org), a national non-profit.
Evaluate your organizational need
Let’s explore some of the specific benefits you can receive as an employer when you choose to hire and retain Aboriginal employees.
Is your organization looking to expand its community network?
By increasing the number of Aboriginal employees within your organization, you can gain exposure to new Aboriginal clientele. Aboriginal employees can assist your organization to develop partnerships and connect to Aboriginal communities and organizations.
Does your client base already include Aboriginal people?
If so, hiring Aboriginal employees can help you gain a better understanding of your client base.
Does your organization value innovation?
Hiring Aboriginal employees can bring new skills and perspectives to your organization. Diversity creates a greater environment for innovation.
Are you concerned about the impact of Canada’s aging workforce on your organization?
The Aboriginal population is growing at a much faster pace than the rest of the Canadian population. The 15-29 age group for Aboriginal people is projected to grow by 37% compared with 6% for the general Canadian population (Hull, 2008). Targeting Aboriginal job seekers will expand your current labour pool to support your organization in the future.
Do your organization’s values include holistic thinking or a community-first mindset?
Many Aboriginal cultures are based on a holistic world view that puts the community and future generations ahead of the individual. By increasing Aboriginal participation in your organization, you have a great opportunity to build a team with similar values and goals to work towards.
Does your organization experience budget constraints?
In some cases, you could receive a wage subsidy when hiring Aboriginal employees. To learn more contact the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement (AHRDA) holder nearest you by visiting Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s website (http://bit.ly/1jrs2Qf).
Attract Aboriginal talent
To attract Aboriginal talent, your organization needs to find ways to signal to the Aboriginal community that you are engaged, committed, and open to exploring the possibilities.
Creating a “barrier-free” job description is the first step. Job descriptions are a key HR document because they inform the way job advertisements and interview questions are developed, while providing a foundation for performance management and compensation planning.
The right job description will encourage people of all cultural backgrounds to apply and make them feel confident that their application will be evaluated based on their skills, experience, and workplace potential—not their race, ethnicity, culture or other irrelevant criteria.
Create a “barrier-free” job description
To ensure that qualified candidates are not eliminated from your recruitment process by unnecessary barriers:
· Separate essential and non-essential qualifications
· List only education and experience vital to successful job performance
· Focus on what needs to be achieved (not how it will achieved)
· Highlight interesting aspects of the position, work environment and organization to attract Aboriginal people
For example:
Highlight the inclusiveness of your organization. Describe your organization as “welcoming 30 cultures including 3 First Nations communities; speaking 12 languages, and celebrating various cultural events throughout the year.”
Specify the need, rather than how it’s achieved. Instead of requiring a valid driver’s license, ask for the ability to travel and provide their own transportation. Or instead of requiring that a candidate reside in a given location, ask that they be able to report to work within 30 minutes of a call.
Ask for ability wherever possible. This enables candidates with transferable skills to compete. Ability means the candidate has the potential to do the job, but may not have had the opportunity to develop the potential. Candidates can demonstrate ability through past achievements, including volunteer experience. So, for example, instead of requiring a knowledge of law or experience in implementation, ask for the ability to learn, interpret and apply a law.
Avoid focusing on a specific credential. Focus on the qualities or knowledge needed to perform the work effectively, rather than requiring a degree, diploma, certificate or license. Include credentials in a job advertisement only when it’s required by law or where that credential is the only means of obtaining the skills, knowledge and ability needed to perform the work effectively.
Specify the kind of communication skill required. Specify “listening and/or speaking on the telephone,” “writing” or “negotiating agreements” rather than asking for a general ability to communicate effectively.
Specify the working conditions. Elaborate the number of hours of work per pay period for a part-time position and the expected duration of the term for short-term positions. For shift or late-night work, include information about security.
Focus on the ability or skill, not the personal trait. Instead of requiring a “mature, cooperative person,” ask for the “ability to work effectively as a team member.”
Write clearly and simply. Use common words, a straightforward style and simple sentences. Avoid jargon, technical and legal language, and acronyms.
Sources: http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/diversity-recruitment.cfm and http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/2011/06/23/job-description/
Reach out to Aboriginal candidates
Once you’ve identified the job requirements and written a barrier-free job description, it’s time to find Aboriginal employment candidates. There are many options and resources for connecting employers with Aboriginal job candidates:
· You can participate in and present at career fairs attended by Aboriginal job-seekers.
· You can post your job on Aboriginal websites, virtual job boards, and on-site community bulletin boards.
· You can connect with Aboriginal organizations and friendship centres.
· You can reach out to student centres to find Aboriginal youth and students.
In this section of the toolkit, you’ll find ideas and links to help you promote your employment opportunities to the Aboriginal community.
Aboriginal-focused career fairs
Setting up a booth at Aboriginal career fairs is an effective way to meet a large pool of Aboriginal job seekers. Larger events can be attended by over 1,000 job seekers. Fairs can be organized by region or industry helping employers focus on the best prospects. Aboriginal career fairs are best found through Internet searches or word of mouth from communities, post-secondary institutions, or agencies because they are not always annually occurring events.
Soaring career conferences (http://bit.ly/1mRsTdh) occur three times throughout the year in locations across Canada and are organized by Indspire, a national organization that carries out a number of education and career related initiatives. There, employers can interact directly with high school age Aboriginal youth.
Inclusion Works recruitment fair (http://bit.ly/KR0g0z) is an annual event hosted by the Aboriginal Human Resource Council. Each year a different city in the country is chosen for the fair location. At the fair employers can connect with Aboriginal post-secondary students and graduates as well as working professionals.
Aboriginal employment websites
First Nations in British Columbia hosts a job board (fnbc.info/jobs) where employers can post job vacancies geared toward Aboriginal job seekers in BC.
Nation Talk is a nationally focused online hub for current Aboriginal news. The website receives over 2 million page impressions per year and sends out a daily news letter to more than 15,000 subscribers. The site hosts an online job board (nationtalk.ca/jobs) where employers can post job vacancies geared toward Aboriginal job seekers across Canada.
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national advocacy organization that represents the interests of First Nations across Canada. The AFN website hosts an online job board (http://bit.ly/1cbd7Wx) where employers can post job vacancies geared toward Aboriginal job seekers across Canada.
First Nations Online (http://bit.ly/1hs1v1l) is an online portal that targets Aboriginal job seekers across Canada.
The LYNX Aboriginal Student Career and Employment Program (http://aboriginallynx.ca) was developed at the University of Calgary to connect post-secondary students and recent graduates to potential employers seeking educated Aboriginal employees. The site now works with a number of post-secondary institutions in BC and Alberta.
The Inclusion Network (inclusionnetwork.ca) is a national job site aimed at Aboriginal candidates. The site also has the capability to allow employers to search for candidates through a résumé database powered through the Workopolis Niche Network.
Aboriginal employment centres
Aboriginal employment centres are focused on helping Aboriginal people find careers. All have job boards where employers can post vacant positions and some offer job readiness training to clients.
Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast
The Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (accessfutures.com/jobs) (ACCESS) is based in Vancouver. The organization delivers training, education and support for urban Aboriginal job seekers and hosts an online job board.
The First Nations Employment Society (fnes.ca) works with 10 member nations located in and around Greater Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. The organization hosts an online job board where employers can post vacant positions.
Stό:lo Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training (saset.ca) (SASET) is based in Chilliwack and offers employment and training support for Aboriginal people in that region. Programs that might interest employers include the Targeted Wage Subsidy Program, and the Workplace Based Training Program among others.
Vancouver Island
The Coast Salish Employment and Training Society (csets.com) (CSETS) is located in Duncan on Vancouver Island. CSETS works with 19 Coast Salish First nations and three Aboriginal Friendship Centres. The Centre provides training and employment support to clients. A job board is available for employers to post jobs.