Frequently Asked Question From Job Seekers
At ABL, we were among the first Canadian staffing companies to embrace the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in our recruitment process. We made this decision based on the valuable feedback we received from job seekers. We understand that people searching for jobs are often frustrated by the time and effort required for preliminary conversations with staffing agencies, which may not immediately lead to suitable job placements.
Here’s how we use AI in our recruitment process:
- Efficient Prescreening: ABL employs AI technology and automated communication methods to simplify and expedite the initial prescreening of candidates who wish to work with us. We achieve this by having our virtual recruiter immediately contact each new applicant. They receive a basic questionnaire by email, allowing us to understand their job preferences, skills, and experience. Candidates can complete this questionnaire at their convenience, eliminating the need for time-consuming phone calls in the preliminary stage of applying to a job.
- Streamlined Matching: The information from the questionnaire is instantly added to the candidate’s application file. It flags the application to our human recruiting team whenever a job opening aligns with the candidate’s preferences. This ensures a more efficient and personalized matching process.
AI’s Role During Temporary Assignments:
When candidates apply to work with ABL, they receive ongoing updates from both our virtual and human recruiters about relevant job opportunities that match their skills.
Once a candidate accepts a position with ABL, our AI and human recruiters continues to keep in touch. Candidates have the option to provide feedback through surveys or by calling our office to speak with our human recruiters. We offer both options to make it convenient for candidates to share their experiences, acknowledging that it may not always be feasible to take our calls during the workday. We encourage the use of AI feedback surveys as a hassle-free way to communicate with us.
At ABL, we aim to make the job-seeking process easier, more efficient, and more responsive to your needs through the integration of AI technology.
During your personal interview with an ABL team member, the human recruiter will ask interview questions about your requirements and preferences for your next position.
We then document that info on your file in our database. Then, when a client company contacts ABL to request additional staff for their jobsite, ABL will ask the client company about the skills, experience and shift availability required. ABL will also investigate if the worksite is accessible by public transport or not. A representative from ABL will visit the jobsite to ensure it meets safety standards and has health & safety procedures in place to protect our employees. Once we are satisfied that we have all the pertinent info, we will run a search of our database for a list of applicants who match all of these criteria.
We will call those applicants and present the work opportunity to them. We always start with the applicants who have most recently called in available for work. The applicants are free to accept or decline the work assignment, with no penalty. Once the person has heard the details and accepted the assignment, we will send them a Job Assignment Notice, which will reiterate all the details about the job in writing, including shift times, pay rates, a thorough job description, location, and tips for being successful at this assignment.
This is a very thorough, personal process, and results in happier matches between employees and worksites. We never send someone out to work at our temporary or temp-to-hire positions that we have not fully interviewed and orientated to our procedures and processes.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“the AODA”) is a Provincial Act with the purpose of developing, implementing and mandating accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for persons with disabilities, with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises. ABL Employment is compliant with these requirements. Click here to download our Accessibility Policy and Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
You must complete our basic application process if you are looking for a job. If you agree to accept a position we offer you, then you must complete the registration process: This involves completing your employee record, taking some evaluations, having an interview with a staffing coordinator so we have a good idea of your availability and preferences. Then there will be a brief orientation on ABL and the job search process. The whole process takes about 30 minutes. We require the names and phone numbers of two work related references if possible and proof of eligibility to work in Canada. Click here to apply online, and your application will be sent to the staffing coordinator running that project.
Temporary work is an excellent means of evaluating a company or type of work while earning money. As well, a large percentage of temporary jobs result in full time positions. Recent statistics show that up to 15% of people find their full time jobs through a temporary service or employment agency. For the person looking for occasional work, registering with a service lets you have more options and gives you control over your work schedule.At ABL we make it easy if your looking for a job, with our online job bank. You can search full time jobs and part time jobs and see detailed job postings.
ABL pays weekly, and invoices weekly:
Friday is payday for our employees, & our standard payroll week runs from Monday to Sunday. Therefore, if the employee works this week, they will be paid for those hours next week on Friday. You as the client company, will be billed weekly also. (Usually via email, but other options are available).
No timesheets to drop off!
We will provide you with an electronic timesheet and/or an ABL sign-in sheet to record hours for our employees. The employee does not submit their own hours, as the client site needs to authorize the hours worked. The employee just needs to sign-in and sign-out accurately every day they work. You, the client worksite, will email or fax the timesheets/sign-in sheets to ABL by 5pm every Monday. This insures timely invoicing/billing for you, and prompt payment for our employees.
Employees have easy access to their pay-cheques:
The Employee will provide ABL with their direct deposit information to receive automatic, weekly payroll deposits, OR they will pick up their pay cheque at the ABL office between 9AM and 5PM on Fridays.
ABL’s payroll company will process all government remittances (CPP, EI, Income Tax), and provide paystubs, T4’s and Record of Employment forms.
Our service to our employees is free!
We never deduct any money from an employee’s cheque for our profit. There is no service fee, registration fee, placement fee, cheque fee, or administration fee. The pay rate offered in their “job assignment notice” is what will be paid to them on their pay cheque.
Pay rates for jobs differ depending on which client company you work at, which shift, what transportation method is required, and what skills/experience are needed. The pay rate is calculated based on all those factors, as well as taking into consideration what the full time employees are paid when they are hired for the same position.
We want you to be satisfied with your work and your job search experience with ABL. Please contact your local ABL office if you have questions about your pay cheque. Our team is available Monday to Friday 9AM to 5PM to help you with payroll questions.
There are a variety of useful tools available to job-seekers today. One of the most efficient tools is a temporary service or staffing agency that provides a job bank. The purpose of these organizations is to find jobs for potential employees. The fee for a staffing agency’s services is paid by the client company, so it’s free to register for those who are looking for a job. Many of ABL’s employees find their full time jobs through our work assignments. Some of the best job search sites and agencies like ABL Employment have contacts at a wide variety of local companies. So when you register with an agency you are, in essence, submitting your name for consideration at local companies who are already currently hiring! In fact, many companies do all of their hiring strictly through an agency. It is a fast and efficient networking tool for both the job-seeker AND employer.
So how do unemployed individuals make the most of a staffing agency’s services? First, you must choose an agency that is reputable. Ensuring that the agency is a member of an Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services (ACSESS) is a good starting point. When registering with the agency, let the consultant know what kind of work, pay range, environment etc. interests you. That way, all the appropriate and relevant opportunities that become available can be presented for your consideration. With the help of a staffing company, you will no longer spend hours searching for jobs unsuccessfully. Instead, jobs will find you!
Temporary jobs and part time jobs, present an excellent way to gain experience at a particular company or in a certain industry while earning money. If you decide that you like your temporary position, it could turn into a full time job. A large percentage of temporary jobs often result in full time positions. Letting your staffing agency know that you will consider temporary work can greatly increase your employment opportunities. For someone who is looking for occasional work, registering with a temporary agency like ABL Employment allows you to have more options and gives you greater flexibility and control when it comes to your work schedule.
Our first priority is to understand what is required for our employees to be a successful match for the work assignment, and therefore help companies and employees meet their goals. We will ask companies questions about the position, such as:
- The expected length of the assignment
- The skills and experience required
- The shift availability required
- The physical requirements of the job (lifting ability, amount of standing/bending/walking etc)
- What personal protective equipment is required or supplied
- Whether the worksite is accessible by public transport
- What full-time employees are paid upon hire for the same position, so we can make sure the pay rate we pay our people is in line with the company’s own pay range
- Whether there is any equipment to be operated
- Whether any certification/training is required or provided to operate that equipment
Lastly, a credit check is conducted, to confirm that the company is able to compensate ABL for the services we will provide. (ABL provides recruiting, screening, payroll, human resources services, workers’ compensation & liability insurance and much more!)
After all this is completed, ABL will assign a representative to manage the company’s account with us. This person is the main point of contact on a daily basis. This representative will need to tour the worksite to insure that he or she truly understands the work environment and the job posting. This person will coordinate the recruiting, screening, interviewing and dispatching of any potential employees we may send to the worksite, so it is crucial that they have a complete picture of what will be expected of our employees.
This representative will want to meet with the direct supervisor overseeing our employees onsite, as well as the health & safety representatives on shift. The representative will want to tour exactly where our employees will enter the worksite, where they will keep their belongings, what lunchroom/restroom facilities are available, and also how they will have their hours recorded. It is important for this representative to be introduced to the reception, security or gate-house team who will likely be the first point of contact for our employees when they arrive onsite at the job.
The ABL representative will want to meet with the person who will record and/or submit timesheet information for our employees. ABL will provide a sign-in sheet for the security desk, as well as an electronic timesheet for the employee’s hours to be recorded on. The representative will make sure that the entire payroll and billing process is crystal clear. Our aim is to have this process as easy and transparent as possible, so as to avoid confusion at a later date.
Once the tour is complete, your account manager/representative will begin notifying you of applicants who they feel are good matches for your worksite. We call this process “Skill-Alerting”. We will do a thorough dispatch with the employee, and perform follow-up with both the onsite supervisor and employee to insure everyone’s expectations are being met.
This is a very reliable process, and going through these steps well in advance of placing their first job order will go a long way to securing a strategic working partnership between the worksite, employee and the staffing company. This in turn ensures everyone’s goals are being met.