In the current labor market, a hydro excavation firm in Canada struggled to hire a heavy equipment mechanic to overcome a major setback in its production workflow. Although it was rated by employees as a great place to work, the company was finding it difficult to retain new hires for five critical positions. At this juncture, they reached out to Contak, a Canadian international recruitment agency, which found the perfect candidates from its global pool of niche talent.

A qualified candidate from Northern Africa was hired for the heavy equipment mechanic position. Contak also recruited international candidates for the other vacant positions, helping the client to get back on track for production and continue to develop a broader market.

“Our services cover the A to Z of international recruitment, and we help our clients hire top talent in large numbers,” says Mélanie Desjardins, director at Contak.

From identifying the right candidate, evaluating, recruiting, going through the immigration process, and ensuring legal compliance, Contak covers every aspect of hiring, saving clients time and resources. All these services are provided in-house and are available for both temporary and permanent jobs.

As an industry veteran, Contak acts as an advisor and educates clients on the latest recruitment trends, and on ways to improve employee retention. Contak also helps small and medium-size businesses draft HR policies to standardize their work culture.

Contak started its journey in the recruitment industry by providing temporary employment services. We typically worked to fill temporary positions on the production line or in administrative roles. Our permanent recruitment and head-hunting solutions involved strategic planning to hire national talent. As part of permanent hiring, we specialize in hiring white and blue-collar workers, manual day laborers, and human resources for the manufacturing industry.

Taking a comprehensive approach, Contak begins the recruitment process by understanding the client’s recruitment needs. We then proceed to gather information in support of requesting a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the government. That is, statistical and personal information about the client company to support employment needs. LMIA documents are submitted on the client’s behalf to Service Canada for approval to hire international candidates.
This is followed by the initiation of the recruitment process, where we pre-screen the candidates. The client’s presence is required only for the final interview. Once a candidate is chosen, a contract is prepared to meet the needs of both parties, and the work permit application is filed.

Post hiring approval, Contak goes a step further and help the candidates with resettlement needs such as opening a bank account, obtaining social insurance number, applying for health insurance, applying for SIM card and even applying for permanent residency. We stay in contact with both employer and employee client to ensure their satisfaction and assist them if an intervention is needed. We also conduct surveys to gain insight into clients’ experience and to determine how we can improve.

Contak prides itself in providing quality service as it is aware of a clients’ needs. It provides guidance and support throughout the entire process of hiring international candidates to work for its employer clients. Powered by the primary goal of delivering top-notch recruitment services, Contak strives to ensure that clients hire the best candidates to drive their success.