Canada Employed

News Release

Media Contact:
Kellie Major – (613) 233-1633
Sherry Kast – (405) 717-5966

Canada Employed Home
News Release Archives
@ExpressPros
#CanadaEmployed
ExpressPros.com/CanadaEmployed

   

What Skills Are Employers Looking For?

Express Survey Reveals Most Important "Hard Skills"

Experience Ranks #1

_________________________________

Toronto, Sept. 10, 2014 - Express Employment Professionals, the largest franchised staffing company in North America, today released survey findings that reveal the top three "hard skills" an applicant should have to be successful in securing a job.

In order, the top three skills are experience, technical ability and training.

The findings come from the 2014 edition of the "Canada Employed" survey of 22 Express franchises across Canada. Respondents were asked to name the "the three most important hard skills an applicant should have."

"There's no substitute for experience," said Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. "Clearly, training and education are important, but employers want to see that you've proven yourself. Of course, that can make it hard for first-time job seekers. How do you get experience when employers require experience to get hired in the first place? My best advice is to seize the opportunities available. For example, temporary work can be a great way to get much-needed experience that will allow a transition to a permanent position.

"We also see in these findings that ability and training rank higher than education. This validates something I hear from employers all the time. They're looking for workers who have knowledge of a specific field, rather than a general education. I think this illustrates why career technical education can sometimes be so valuable."

What are the three most important hard skills an applicant should have?
    2014
Experience   100%
Technical ability   75%
Training   45%
Education   40%
Certification   30%
Multilingual   10%

*** 

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bob Funk to discuss this topic, please contact Kellie Major at (613) 233-1633.

 

About Robert A. “Bob” Funk
Robert A. “Bob” Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has nearly 700 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than five million people to work worldwide. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve.

About Express Employment Professionals and Express in Canada
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work. It generated more than $2.5 billion in sales and employed nearly 400,000 people in 2013. Express ranks as the largest franchised staffing company in the United States and the second largest privately held staffing company in North America. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually.

Express launched in Canada in July, 1996, with a franchise in London, Ontario, and since then, has expanded and grown in Canada significantly. There are currently 36 Express franchises in Canada - seven in British Columbia, six in Alberta, and 23 Ontario.