by John Purser | Jul 29, 2021 | Blog
Be prepared. A scouts motto but it certainly can be applied to today’s job market. If you haven’t noticed, there has been an increase in opportunities out there in the engineering & manufacturing sectors but it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. So if you need or are thinking about bringing in top talent, the time is now! Back in March 2020, the job market was nuts. It was simple. There was a 12-18 month lead up to that point where it was becoming harder and harder to find good people. Hard to find top talent. COVID has just hidden this demand. First off, since around September 2020, companies had their COVID policies in place and were becoming more familiar with the new normal and hiring started back up. As you can imagine, there was not a lot of hiring from March to June-July of 2020. The increase in roles from last September to now has been a steady increase with a slight drop during the lockdown at the start of 2021. Here are a couple of the other signs of why you need to jump on hiring now: Retirements. Who was going to retire during the pandemic? A lot of upcoming retirements were pushed off if they had the choice. With all the uncertainty, why not take a paycheck to, in some cases, work from home. In other cases, it was still better to push off retiring to get the stability of a paycheck and retiring once the pandemic was over. So, over the next 6-12 months, I bet you we will see an uptick... read more
by John Purser | Apr 7, 2020 | Blog
How are you seeing the pandemic affect the job market? Although a lot of manufacturing companies in Canada are still up and running for the time being. Have companies put hiring on hold? Are the processes dragged out? Or is it business as usual and you’ve found a new job? We have seen a combination of all of the above. Having said that, in the markets that we have been doing work in recently (general manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, building materials, construction services, aerospace, automotive), hiring has almost come to a standstill. It makes sense. Feedback has been that they would rather be able to put that cost to keeping their current employees but that means bringing new people on board has to be put on hold. If it is a key position? Companies seem to be moving forward but still at a cautious pace. And I’d say that started before things got to where they are now. You could see it in January and February. Construction & Building Materials do seem to be moving forward. Infrastructure is a focus and these projects are going to keep needing people and need to be completed. I still think thats a small percentage though. If you are in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, logistics and/or CPG industries to name a few, I can see it as being busy. We have not seen this directly ourselves but it does make sense. What can you do if you are effected as a job seeker? Ensure your resume is up to date and can make an impact by using services like manufacturingresumes.ca. You want to... read more
by John Purser | Oct 17, 2019 | Blog
Putting this in our blog as its a great article from Undercover Recruiter and I do not want to lose it. How do you handle negative feedback or constructive criticism? Are you equipping your employees to handle it properly? #negativefeedback... read more
by John Purser | Oct 15, 2019 | Blog
Here at JP Recruitment, we make a monthly donation to Sick Kids hospital and we think you should too! It’s pretty easy and you can pick how much your monthly donation is. Even $10/mth would help – how hard would it be to drink 2 less pints or rent 1 less movie? #sickkids #thisiswhy... read more
by John Purser | Oct 26, 2018 | Blog
I’ve purely posted this in here so it doesn’t get lost. It is definitely the best thing from Ed Hunter yet. Let us know your thoughts on bonus... read more
by John Purser | Aug 29, 2017 | Blog
Leadership & inspiration come hand in hand. Below is a great video on getting buy in from both your employee’s and your customers. Simon Sinek breaks it down very well and it is actually quite simple – definitely worth the 20min watch. As per the video, this can be applied in every industry from engineering & manufacturing to banking to construction. I’ve shared this because the ability to get the buy in from people is the top trait that company’s are looking for today. Every role we do at JPR, whether it is a Quality Manager, Production Manager, Process Engineer, Plant Manager or Director of Operations…requires continuous improvement/lean manufacturing/process improvement experience. To be able to make change, you need buy in. You need to be able to lead your team to success and inspire them to do better. I’d be keen to hear other good books, videos or even just thoughts on how you inspire your team. Like articles like this? Feel free to follow us on LinkedIn for industry news &... read more
by John Purser | May 26, 2017 | Blog
Leadership is such an important topic when is comes to attracting talent and growing your company whether it be in the engineering & manufacturing sector or not. This is a great article written on LinkedIn by Mack Story on leadership. In manufacturing recruitment, putting the right type of leader into a business is crucial. Today at JP Recruitment, every position we fill has an aspect of lean manufacturing/process improvement/continuous improvement. If we didn’t focus our searches on the traits of a secure leader, these people would not be able to go in and have the positive impact we expect on those manufacturing companies. The main points in Mack’s article are: Delegation Decision Making Trust Teamwork Thinking Belief Support Credit Control Process Are you looking for these leadership traits for people on your team? Do you think there are other leadership traits that have been left out when it comes to being a secure leader? In general, where do people need to improve in the manufacturing workplace right... read more
by John Purser | May 16, 2017 | Blog
Attacting talent through job postings isn’t as easy as just posting your internal job description and hoping for the best. This article posted by Nethire does a good job of going over some of the basics you should think about when trying to attract the right talent. Below I’ve outlined the main five points in the article but keep in mind that our focus is on the engineering & manufacturing industry. 1) Know the difference between a job description and job advertisement This is a great point and the article outlines why. Here at JP Recruitment, the job posting on our website is not typically exactly what is sent to us by the client. Sometimes it can be completely different. We have 2-3 pages of notes from when we sat down with our client and that usually doesn’t reflect the job description. We post what we think will attract the talent the client needs. 2) Do NOT use a unique job title that is only applicable to the company This is simple and straight forward. Nothing worse when you see a resume of a candidate that has really complicated job titles on it. Why would it be different for attracting talent? 3) Do NOT forget to include vital information Application instructions is probably the one that stands out the most to me when attracting talent. Make this as straight forward and easy as pos Companies may not want to include their name if it is on a job board but it also can certainly be a good attraction tool. Things like job location can help the filtering of candidates... read more
by John Purser | May 9, 2017 | Blog
Improving LinkedIn profile’s is a very important topic if you are open to new opportunities in the engineering & manufacturing industry. It can help your own personal “online brand”, act as a resume to companies without you even applying, can give you a different level of references as well as help grow your network for when you make a more aggressive search. I read this article today and it prompted this blog post. I’ve outlined the main points you should focus on your profile from it below: Industry groups Search of rival companies Observing who is recommending and endorsing people Finding similar people to those they already know Finding alumni from specific colleges Using Google to search LinkedIn’s public profiles I don’t think companies in the manufacturing sector across Canada focus on the alumni part – I believe this is more in the US. In my entire recruitment career, I’ve never been asked to focus on people from a specific school. I would also essentially fill out your career history with everything from your resume. Be sure to outline what your current/past employers manufactures, how big the facility you work at is & the market it sits in. On top of that, focus on key achievements that you accomplished and quantify those achievements. Lastly, and this may seem obvious, grow your network! What are you doing to ensuring your LinkedIn profile is... read more
by John Purser | Mar 9, 2017 | Blog
The importance of strong leadership is an obvious part of growing a good business. This article that I read, “Why a Bad Boss is Bad for Employer Brank”, is a great eye opener for a lot of companies out there. It discusses the some points on Talent Attraction/Retention, Brand Reputation, Morale, Culture & Management by Fear. As a recruiter in the engineering & manufacturing space, I come across these topics on a daily basis and have even experienced some myself within my career. There are certainly companies that I can list that I get told by candidates that they do not want to work for. This is even before I’ve told them about any roles!!! You definitely do not want to be that type of business. What are you doing in your current role to prevent this from happening? It may be worth asking your recruiter what feedback has been. I know I am speaking with people every day about the manufacturing industry and have a good idea – I imagine others do as well. All of this has an impact on each of the points listed above. Not being able to attract the right people leads to bad hires which in turn causes turnover, costs money and creates a bad morale & culture in a business. We all know that going through a culture change is not easy. What are you doing today to ensure your management team are creating the reputation and culture you want? I’d like to hear ideas and thoughts of this.... read more
by John Purser | Feb 24, 2017 | Blog
What the CEO’s from manufacturing companies are telling Trump not only resonates in the US. For at least the last couple of years now, I have seen it here in Canada as well. Useful read, so check out the article here. It is becoming harder and harder for manufacturing companies to find the right talent for their needs across Canada. From our point of view in engineering & manufacturing recruitment, it usually comes in waves. In one stretch of time, there can be a lot of technical skill-sets on the market and limited jobs versus another moment where there are a lot of jobs and not a lot of manufacturing candidates. Unfortunately, the latter has become quite a common theme. It certainly makes my job in the recruitment industry harder – I definitely have to earn my keep. This serves as an important reminder if you are in recruitment or in any type of hiring position in a company. You need to keep networking! Networking with people for potential future recruitment or networking and finding referrals of top level talent that you may hire down the road. Social media can be a major driver in networking so be sure to check us out, all the information can be found on our Useful Links page. What trends are you seeing in your company? How are you expanding your... read more
by John Purser | Dec 13, 2016 | Blog
Here at JP Recruitment we would like to wish everyone and their families a safe holiday season! We thought we would kick off the Christmas period with 12 tips in finding that next step in your career. “A job that will make you happy.” This would make the world a better place if everyone would just be happy in their jobs. Going through the recruitment process properly and finding out the information along the way can prevent bad decisions. Hopefully the tips in this blog article will help you find a job that will make you happy. “Two solid references.” When you are buckled into your job search, make sure you have a couple solid references handy. “References upon request” is all fine and dandy on the resume but ensure you have people that either recruiters or your future employer can talk to and not have to chase up. Also, have their correct contact information. “Three solid questions.” Once you have secured that all important interview, ensure you have done your research about the company by visiting their website, etc. You should have enough information from the job description, website and recruiter about the role/company to have 3 good questions to ask at the end of the interview. This will show that you are serious about the career change and allow to you to learn more. “Four follow up calls!” Follow up calls are probably the thing on this list that people do the least. Please do not just apply or email across your resume and hope for the best. It’s important to try to follow up on your application. However, remember people have call display! There is nothing worse when a candidate calls me... read more
by John Purser | Dec 9, 2016 | Blog
Notice period is something that everyone needs to consider when either looking/accepting a new job but also for current/future employers to be mindful of as well. This article prompted this blog post mainly because I wanted to ensure that JP Recruitment provided some insight to our clients and candidates on the topic. Or at least start a discussion! I am sure in Engineering & Manufacturing recruitment or any other industry – employers or future employers can appreciate my mindset when it comes to notice period. I always error on the caution that your future employer would want the same courtesy as you are giving the company you are leaving. I let both parties know this through out the process to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible. Now, there are certainly instances where you will be walked out the door and I’ve had this happen to me but this isnt anything to be worries about. I always recommend the usual 2 weeks notice when resigning and if a company needs the extra week – I do not see the harm (unless otherwise outlined in your employment agreement). Why burn a bridge if you dont have to? What are your thoughts? Have you had any really good or bad experiences? Or even some suggestions? We are also open to suggestions on resignation letters to help our future candidates in making their transition. If you have any ideas, feel free to email them to me at... read more
by John Purser | Nov 7, 2016 | Blog
Last Friday marked the 2nd anniversary of JP Recruitment. Time has flown by! It has been great and we are looking forward to many more years doing Engineering & Manufacturing recruitment. Doing technical jobs in the GTA, Ontario or even Canada wide can always be a challenge but in the end – it isn’t the biggest challenge of starting your own recruitment agency. I’ve listed the three main challenges of starting your own engineering recruitment firm below. Database – Coming from working for large recruitment company’s, I always had the luxury of a good database. Do not underestimate the power of that! When I first started, it was the main priority. Sure, I am a good headhunter and can find people the old fashioned way but having that active database of people ready to go makes life a lot easier and ensures you are giving your client the best candidate on the market. 2 years on, we have a solid database of qualified candidates to help fill our clients needs. Administrative Crap – Yes, crap! Working for someone else, I am sure you have to do a little administrative work that you probably complain about. Starting out on your own? Multiply it by thousands! Ranging from incorporation, website, email, accounts payable/receivable, social media to SEO…the list keeps going. Be prepared to like doing this stuff! This can/will consumes a lot of time!! Time Management – This is something we are all taught in the sales world right from the get go. However, usually we still have constraints on our “freedom” and the way we work because we report to someone... read more
by John Purser | Sep 15, 2016 | Blog
Five things I wish I knew before I started my Recruitment Career is an article I found on LinkedIn which I thought was oh so very true. Some of them are the reason I started this business, others are things you just cant avoid. I have inserted the article below for easy access. Great read Ed! Five things I wish I knew before I started my Recruitment Career – Ed Hunter I remember the day that I accepted my first recruitment job. I completed the “stringent” interview process with arguably one of the biggest agencies in the UK and I was so excited. Little did I know the land of placements, milk and honey was not as accessible as the front door of a trainee recruitment desk. It was at the end of a maze akin to something out of a Hollywood movie. I know what you’re thinking… ‘This is a fairytale story where Ed becomes a divisional manager, bills a million a year and marries the woman of his dreams.’ Well sorry to disappoint. I absolutely bombed. Hated every minute of my first job and was gone in 6 months. The good news is what I wasn’t told – recruitment is different in every company and ‘finding the right desk’ is less about Feng Shui, and more about actually just working for a good company. Thankfully my fortunes changed and I found MY desk! But I recently thought about what other things it might have been nice to know before I started in this wonderful world: 1. In your first recruitment role – the odds of winning the lottery and... read more
