Recruitment and onboarding

We want a flexible, resilient workforce that is open, collaborative and willing to embrace new ways of working. We are ensuring that who we hire represents who we serve.

It’s no secret that we’re undergoing a generational change in the Public Service. In line with the entire Government of Canada, ESDC is working to bring aboard new employees who possess the right skills, motivation, values and passion for public service.

With this in mind, we developed a 2015-2020 Workforce Strategy. The strategy’s three pillars work collaboratively to build a high performing organization. They are:

Having the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time;
Developing People; and
Fostering a Productive Workplace.

We have many initiatives underway to provide our employees with the tools they need to success in the workplace, as well as to pass on the important experience and advice of experienced generations of public servants to younger generations. We’re proud of our workforce and our employees’ ongoing commitment to serving our clients.

Work with us at Employment and Social Development Canada

Video: Stories of Excellence: 2016 Summer Student Experience

Transcript of video: 2016 Summer Student Experience

My name is Brittany.

Hello, my name is Jeanine.

My name is Randy.

My name is Daniel.

My name is Laura.

My name is German Vega.

Hello, my name is David.

I really did enjoy my summer.
I worked on so many new and interesting files.

I really enjoyed my summer.
At first, I wasn’t sure what exactly I’d be doing in the Government, in the public service.

Writing tweets, lots of media monitoring, data collection, social network statistics.

I worked for the Document Control Unit, also known as “Dockets.”

I was happy to see that it’s a really dynamic team.

I worked on projects that I never would have imagined working on.

And as a student you don’t always think that you can have a say, but you really can. They want to hear your opinion.

They were always encouraging me to try new things.
So I did all kinds of things this summer working for the Government, not just my job duties. And that’s what I liked the most.

It’s my first government experience this summer. But I would say that ESDC has been wonderful.
They are really accessible. The flexibility in my work hours, I was just totally surprised with, totally pleasantly surprised with.

That was what I take from working at ESDC.
I was able to find that even in the public service there is the opportunity to work as an entrepreneur, and for an enterprise that serves greater purposes, which are Canadian citizens.

Before I started, I was a little nervous. I had this idea that the federal government was very mechanical, very militaristic. But in reality, it was very relaxed, more relaxed than I thought it would be. It was a lot of fun.

If you’re a student and you’re looking for a job, I would recommend ESDC. You’re going to learn so many new things from the people that you meet, and it’s a great stepping stone to get you to where you want to be in your future.

Video: Stories of Excellence: Recruitment and Onboarding

Transcript of video: Recruitment and onboarding

So in terms of talent management of the existing Aboriginal employees that we've got that show good potential, there's been good support from the Department in that regard.

My own branch played a role in doing a specific recruitment initiative for policy positions in the Department. We created a pre-qualified pool and we've already hired four new recruits from that pool, hoping to do more of that. Looking ahead, we want to go beyond the policy role in the Department to a much broader departmental recruitment.

When I first got here, one of the first things I did was join YMAGIN which, you know, exposed me to a vast network of youth within the federal government from different directorates.

One of the things we've done in the Labour Program is to develop this unbiased hiring pool. We have a pool of individuals who have taken training with respect to diversity, and they can be called on to assist a manager when they are undertaking a board.

We, as members of the Visible Minority Network, felt it was important for us to be represented as members of the unbiased pool because we believe that we have something to contribute with respect to the recruitment of the next generation of public servants.

We have a regional talent management initiative called the Leadership Excellence Program. It’s a 24-month program that aims to further support knowledge transfer and talent management activities.

I think the Department’s mentorship program is an excellent opportunity to ensure our organization always strives to perform better. An investment in our people is an investment in our future.

I took part in the mentorship program and I found the experience very fulfilling. It gave me the skills I need to be a leader in the public service.

Whenever I had a chance, they tried to get me to do something new. So I tried a lot of things this summer during my time with the Government; not just my own job. That was my favourite part.