Career Connections Canada Inc

06/11/2026

What can organizations do to help contractors, freelancers, and part-time leaders feel a sense of ownership?

More companies are relying on blended workforces, and that psychological ownership is key to making these partnerships work well, according to Sara Daw.

As businesses bring in more external specialists and fractional leaders, the quality of the partnership often shapes long-term success.

Here are some key points to remember:

💡 When people feel psychological ownership, they show more commitment, accountability, and pride in their work.
💡 Setting clear goals and being transparent helps external professionals see the difference they make.
💡 When roles, values, and purpose are aligned, engagement grows stronger.
💡 Including external talent in the team culture helps avoid purely transactional relationships.

For decision makers and recruiters, these points directly affect how they approach talent strategy.

When external talent feels included and valued, collaboration gets better and it’s easier to keep top specialists for longer.

Taking a structured, partnership-focused approach with clear expectations and customized assessments can help everyone get aligned from the start.

As blended workforce models grow, the line between internal and external contributors matters less when it comes to results.

From your experience, what makes external talent feel invested in an organization’s goals? Share your thoughts below 👇

Blended workforces demand more than just flexibility. Sara Daw, Group CEO at The CFO Centre and Liberti Group, reveals why psychological ownership is essential to transform external relationships into genuine partnerships. Discover the three key elements that foster commitment and belonging among fr...

06/10/2026

💡 How can teams thrive when five generations work together?

Jerry T. Haag wrote for Forbes about how leaders can support multigenerational teams using the TEAM framework.

The workforce is changing as younger generations join, shifting expectations for communication, feedback, and work styles.

The TEAM framework stands for:

Transparency: open communication and trust
Empowerment: ownership of work
Agility: adapting as priorities shift
Mentorship: sharing experience both ways

Teams do best when experience and new ideas are combined, not separated.

For leaders in many fields, handling different work styles is now a core part of the job, not a special case.

Haag believes it’s less about generational differences and more about how leaders help people with different perspectives work well together.

The insights and attributes needed to influence a new generation of leaders are found in the acronym TEAM.

06/09/2026

How do you make the office a place people want to be, not just a place they have to be?

Zag recently wrote us an article for our LinkedIn Newsletter discussing how the Great Reconvergence isn’t about forcing a return to the past. It’s about rebuilding the connections that drive performance.

For pharma teams, this means creating spaces where mentorship, collaboration, and trust thrive. Career Connections Canada sees firsthand how the best organizations make in-person time count.

✅ Mentorship happens naturally when junior staff learn from senior leaders
✅ Complex strategy sessions gain energy in the same room
✅ Social fabric strengthens through shared experiences

The office should be a magnet, not a mandate. How does your team make in-person work valuable?

For the past few years, the conversation around the workplace has been dominated by a single, polarizing question: where should people sit? We have seen the pendulum swing from mandatory remote work to aggressive return to office mandates, and finally to the uneasy middle ground of the hybrid model.

06/08/2026

Are gamification strategies the next step in recruitment innovation?

Gamification in recruitment—using game design elements in hiring processes—is becoming a talking point. But is it the right move for your business?

Here are some pros and cons to consider:
🎯 The Pros:
Enhanced engagement: Gamification can make hiring more interactive and appealing, especially for younger generations.
Better decision-making: Creative assessments can give recruiters more in-depth insights than traditional methods.
Appealing to younger workers: Fun, competitive elements align with the job-hopping tendencies of younger generations, making roles feel exciting and accessible.
⚠️ The Cons:
Seriousness of recruitment: Not every role benefits from a playful approach, especially for candidates prioritizing stability or tradition.
Resource-intensive: Implementing gamified strategies demands significant time, effort, and investment to ensure effectiveness and fairness.
Risk of alienation: Older or more traditional candidates might be deterred by non-conventional hiring methods.

While gamification won’t replace traditional methods, finding the right balance is key. It’s essential to assess whether this approach aligns with your hiring goals, target audience, and the role itself.

What do you think? Can gamification revolutionize recruitment, or is it a passing trend? Share your thoughts!

Gamification is the process of using game design elements in non-game contexts. It's a hot topic due to the potential of vastly improved employee morale, …

06/04/2026

What do new grads actually want from their first job?

The Halifax Regional Municipality is facing a challenge that many employers know well: how to attract and keep young talent in a competitive market. Their answer includes internships, apprenticeships, and a focus on transferable skills instead of just experience.

Here’s what stands out from their approach and recent insights from ZipRecruiter:

🔹 Programs that bridge the gap: Halifax’s 18-month Engineering in Training Program rotates grads through different business units, giving them hands-on experience. Their Bridging the Gap Internship also offers opportunities in IT, HR, and business analysis, and many interns move on to full-time roles.

🔹 AI concerns are real: Nearly half of grads worry that AI is limiting entry-level jobs. Halifax addresses this by not allowing AI in their hiring process unless candidates disclose its use in assessments. Being open about this helps build trust.

🔹 Potential over experience: Since many grads lack long work histories, Halifax looks at transferable skills, school projects, and personal portfolios. They care about what candidates can do, not only what they have done before.

🔹 Well-being matters more than pay: While salary is important, 76% of recent grads put employee well-being first when choosing an employer. Smaller companies with a strong social impact are also attractive, and 47% would give up prestige for a job that matches their values.

🔹 In-person work has unexpected appeal: After years of remote schooling, 34% of recent grads now prefer working in person. Many see it as a way to build connections they missed during the pandemic.

For industries like pharmaceuticals, where competition for skilled talent is high, these insights could help shape how you attract the next generation. How is your organization adapting to meet the needs of new grads? What’s working, and what is still a challenge?

As new grads navigate challenging labour market, employers such as Halifax Regional Municipality respond with apprenticeships, internships and focus on transferable skills

06/03/2026

🗣 "We can't just wait for a requisition to open. Sometimes, it's not just one requisition—we could be hiring for five open positions in the same role at the same time."

How is your organization staying ahead in a tight labour market?

HR leaders at Walmart Canada, McCarthy Tétrault, and Wajax recently talked about how they are changing their hiring strategies to address talent shortages, skills gaps, and new expectations. Here are some highlights:

👉 Proactive hiring matters. Rather than waiting for jobs to open, companies are planning months ahead. At McCarthy Tétrault, recruiters now build talent pipelines for 3, 6, and 12 months, so they can act quickly when roles become available.

👉 Skills matter more than titles. Walmart Canada is moving toward skills-based hiring, looking at behaviours and potential instead of just experience or job titles. For technical jobs, such as heavy-duty engineers at Wajax, this helps find talent in new places.

👉 Flexibility gives companies an edge. Wajax attracts talent by offering flexible options, while Walmart focuses on in-person teamwork. McCarthy Tétrault keeps in-office rules but makes exceptions for roles that are tough to fill.

👉 Being open about pay builds trust. Walmart now shares salary ranges up front and highlights total rewards, including base pay, incentives, benefits, and career growth. This leads to faster acceptances and more trust from candidates.

👉 AI helps speed up hiring, but people still make the final decisions. Walmart uses AI to shortlist and assess candidates, but in-person interviews are still important. McCarthy Tétrault brings candidates in for assessments to avoid deepfake risks. Wajax is moving more slowly and keeping hiring focused on people for now.

In industries like pharmaceuticals, where competition for skilled workers is intense, these strategies can really help. How is your team changing its approach to attract and keep the right people? What’s working well, and what challenges remain?

HR leaders from Walmart, McCarthy Tétrault and Wajax discuss skills-based hiring, hybrid work, pay transparency and AI

06/02/2026

How is your team finding top talent in a competitive market?

AI is changing how companies find candidates, making recruitment more precise and less of a guessing game. For example, a hiring manager in Vancouver used an AI platform to quickly shortlist candidates based on success patterns and cultural fit, not just keywords. This led to faster and smarter hiring decisions.

Here’s what this shift means for businesses:

🔹 Better matches, fewer missed opportunities: AI goes beyond traditional filters like job titles or years of experience. It finds candidates with transferable skills who might otherwise be overlooked. For instance, one tech company hired a cybersecurity expert from a gaming background, which brought fresh ideas to their team.

🔹 Speed without sacrificing quality: A global retailer reduced their hiring time by 40% by using AI tools. Recruiters spent less time screening and more time connecting with the right candidates.

🔹 Bias can still be an issue: AI learns from past data, so it can unintentionally favor certain groups. The solution is to run regular audits and use diverse training data to keep hiring fair.

🔹 Human judgment still matters: While AI can identify potential candidates, people are still needed to assess cultural fit, emotional intelligence, and long-term vision. The best hiring strategies use both technology and a human touch.

In industries like pharmaceuticals, where finding the right talent is crucial, AI can make a big difference. However, it is not just about adopting new tools; it is also about using them responsibly.

How is your organization using AI in recruitment? Are you seeing better results, or are there challenges you’re still working through?

On a rainy Tuesday in Vancouver, a hiring manager faced a familiar dilemma: hundreds of resumes, little time, and the nagging fear of overlooking the perfect

06/01/2026

Remote work, once a perk for the few, has now become a standard for many.

For employers, this shift in work preferences among employees is not something to take lightly.

Recent poll results revealed:
• 39% prefer 100% remote work.
• 54% desire some flexibility.
• Only 6% are comfortable with no remote work.

Understanding candidates' desires for work-from-home options is not just about being accommodating - it's about staying competitive.

Read on for further insights: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inflexible-wfh-policies-costing-you-money-talent-zag-dutton-w3jhc/?trackingId=jHnJVNlISkmZBfBPsqPfsQ%3D%3D

05/28/2026

What’s the biggest gap in your workplace right now, skills or opportunity?

Indeed’s Hiring Lab found a clear divide. Workers in eight countries, including Canada, say developing their skills is important to them. However, many feel their employers do not see it the same way. This gap may be affecting inequality in the labour market.

Education makes a big difference. Workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher are much more likely to get training from their employers. In Australia and France, the difference is 21 percentage points. Ireland has the highest training rate, with 86% of degree holders getting some kind of training.

Policy changes can help too. Spain’s 2022 labour reform, which limited temporary contracts, helped remove training gaps in jobs that used to depend on short-term workers. This shows that targeted policies can make access to development opportunities more fair.

Nearly 40% of job skills are expected to change by 2030, so training is more important than ever. In fields like pharmaceuticals, where expertise and flexibility matter most, it is crucial to match training investments with what employees need.

How does your organization approach skills development? Are employees getting the training they need to succeed?

Education level is emerging as a key divider in who gets trained at work

05/27/2026

Would you apply for a job without knowing the salary upfront?

Monster’s latest research shows that 60% of jobseekers won’t even look at a job if the pay range isn’t included. A candidate doesn't just want salary transparency; they demand it.

✅ Transparency attracts talent. Only 21% of employers share salary ranges for every role, but more and more candidates want to see this information before they apply.
✅ Other deal-breakers include unpaid assignments (59%), negative reviews (56%), and unclear job descriptions (51%), all of which can turn candidates away.
✅ Communication matters. Poor interview experiences, confusing processes, and long delays lead more than half of jobseekers to leave the hiring process.

In industries like pharmaceuticals, where it’s tough to find skilled talent, being transparent and clear can really set you apart. Do your hiring practices keep up with what candidates want?

New report reveals the growing importance of pay transparency in attracting talent