Hiring in Edmonton has changed.
A few years ago, posting a position with a competitive salary could generate a healthy pool of qualified applicants. For many roles, that simply isn’t the case anymore.
At Talent Compass, we see this firsthand. Employers may receive plenty of applications, but only a handful have the experience they’re looking for. In skilled trades, construction, manufacturing, energy and specialized professional roles, that pool can get even smaller.
At the same time, good candidates have choices. And many of the people employers would most like to hire aren’t actively searching job boards at all.
So how do Edmonton businesses compete for the right people?
What We’re Seeing in Edmonton’s Hiring Market
One of the biggest misconceptions about recruitment is that more applications mean better hiring results.
They don’t.
A company can receive 100 applications and still struggle to find three people worth interviewing. Another search may produce only a handful of candidates but result in an excellent hire.
The difference is often who you’re reaching, not how many people you’re reaching.
This is particularly important in Edmonton’s skilled trades, construction, energy, manufacturing and professional sectors, where experienced candidates are often already working. They’re not necessarily searching job boards every evening but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t consider the right opportunity.
That’s why posting a job should often be the beginning of a search, not the entire recruitment strategy.
Why Is It Difficult to Find Skilled Employees in Edmonton?
Edmonton employers aren’t just competing with the company down the street.
Depending on the position, they’re competing for talent with employers throughout Alberta and Western Canada. In specialized occupations, the number of people with the right combination of technical experience, industry knowledge and leadership skills can be relatively small.
That changes the way employers need to approach hiring.
Waiting for the ideal candidate to find your job posting may work for some positions. For hard-to-fill roles, employers increasingly need to identify the people they want and give them a reason to have a conversation.
Salary Matters, But It Isn’t Everything
Let’s be realistic: compensation matters.
If you’re significantly below the market, attracting experienced candidates will be difficult regardless of how good your recruitment process is.
But salary isn’t the only reason people change jobs.
In our conversations with candidates, we regularly hear about leadership, flexibility, commute, career progression, stability, workload and workplace culture.
We’ve also spoken with candidates willing to consider a relatively similar compensation package because the new opportunity offered something their current position didn’t.
That’s an important advantage for small and mid-sized Edmonton businesses.
You may not always be able to outbid a large organization. But you may be able to offer better leadership, greater responsibility, more flexibility, faster career progression or simply a workplace where someone feels valued.
Know what makes your organization worth joining and be able to communicate it.
Move When You Meet the Right Person
One of the easiest ways to lose a strong candidate has nothing to do with compensation.
It’s time.
If a candidate waits a week after every interview, has to go through four or five meetings, or doesn’t know what the next step is, another employer may get there first.
This doesn’t mean rushing an important hiring decision.