How can you recruit and hire guardian staff?

It can be challenging to hire the right people, especially when:

  • The labour pool is small.
  • Funding isn’t guaranteed from one year to the next.
  • There is competition for higher paying jobs in industry.

Your most valuable asset is your staff, so in the face of these pressures, it’s important to do everything you can to both attract and keep them.  Here are some tips for recruiting and hiring staff.

Tipsheet

Tips for Recruiting and Hiring staff

  1. Think about how to create a well-rounded crew. This means considering the specific qualities, skills or experience you need to complement your existing crew members before you post a job for additional guardians. Also be sure to include any mandatory requirements in the job posting (i.e. driver’s license, grade 10 completion, small vessel operator ticket, etc.
  2. Spread the word about new jobs well in advance of the application deadline to ensure it gets out widely and that people have lots of time to respond. Use social media or ask for recommendations from trusted advisors to encourage applications.
  3. Be sure to ask questions during job interviews that are related to what you need to build a strong team. Ask situational questions to help you assess whether a candidate is suitable for the day-to-day realities of the job, including remote work, physical demands, travel and overtime, close quarters with the crew, and comfort with dealing with the public.
  4. Establish a transparent and objective ranking system to evaluate applicants. A hiring committee can help you be objective when weighing the pros and cons of each applicant.
  5. Use internship, summer student or youth training programs to mentor and train youth for guardian positions and add to your crew during the busy field season.
Tipsheet

Tips for Recruiting and Hiring staff

Template

Guidelines for Developing a Job Description

This template provides guidelines outlining the general sections that you can consider including when you develop your job description for the position of Indigenous Guardian, along with the type of information that is needed in each section.  

Template

Guidelines for Developing a Job Description

Template

Sample Indigenous Guardian Job Description

This template provides a sample job posting – the details in this posting are fictitious!  Please use this sample job posting only as a guide to developing your own job description that describes the specifics of your Indigenous Guardian program and the position that you are hiring for.

Template

Sample Indigenous Guardian Job Description

Worksheet

Conducting an Indigenous Guardian Job Interview

This worksheet provides general tips for conducting interviews, sample interview questions, and building a checklist of qualifications.  Modify the content of this worksheet to suit the unique characteristics and needs of your program. Download it now

Worksheet

Conducting an Indigenous Guardian Job Interview