November Part 2

November proved to be much busier than I originally anticipated. Coming the end of the year, everyone seems very rushed to get all of their work done. I am helping out where I can, but it seems they cannot afford the time to explain what they need done.

I have been busy with little tasks that pop up daily. Whether I need to update information, or file documents, there is always something to do. In the past couple of weeks I have been helping the Calgary research center with their co-op recruitment. I made and presented offers to the candidates, and am now working with their certification, as I am with the co-op students coming to Joffre.

Last week was especially exciting, and busy. I received a resume from UofA regarding a student looking for a co-op placement. I casually set up an interview with the hiring leader for the week after. I was then told that the candidate already had two interviews, and offers pending that day! In a mad rush I set up the interview, got an engineer to sit on the interview with me, and interviewed the candidate on the phone. Immediately after the interview I put together an offer, and presented it to the candidate. The end result, they accepted the offer, and we now have filled the last co-op spot!

What I learned about this experience is that you cannot simply “wait” in recruitment. If you have a qualified candidate on the market, you have to jump on it immediately. The competition in Alberta is crazy right now. If you are thinking about interviewing a candidate, they probably already have other interviews, or offer lined up. A recruiter has a small window of opportunity to hire a candidate, and has to use their time efficiently and effectively.

Through these experiences I believe I will develop the skills necessary to make quick and correct decisions.

Another activity that I am working on is co-op exit interviews. It seems like yesterday that I stressing about August exit interviews, but now I am hardly fazed by the thought. I am happy that I will be having the interview with my friends. Because we have that type of bond, I think I will receive some great feedback from them.