Can you afford to hire an intern or a seasonal employee?
Hiring a student or recent graduate for a summer job, co-op placement, internship or temporary job to meet the seasonal needs of your company can add youthful energy and fresh new ideas to your team. Hiring for short-term positions brings advantages to a business.
Reasons to hire an intern or seasonal employee
1. Temporary workers can be potential candidates for permanent positions.
2. Students and recent graduates often have theoretical knowledge they’re itching to apply to real-world problems.
3. Youthful jobseekers bring a unique point of view that adds to your team’s diversity.
4. Seasonal employees can focus on projects that regular employees never find time to do.
5. You’re helping to prepare inexperienced workers to enter the workforce permanently.
6. Supporting youth can position you as an employer of choice when recruiting.
Tips for hiring temporary employees
Finding the right person to fill a position can take a little effort. Here are some ways to attract good candidates to your company for temporary positions:
--Have a clear idea of what tasks or projects you want the candidate to tackle. Use this to write the job description.
--Plan to onboard new employees before the busiest part of the season starts.
--Ask current employees if they have friends or family who would like to take on the position.
--Keep the resumes of qualified applicants on hand in case you need to bring on additional workers before the end of the season.
--Consider offering a bonus to seasonal employees who stick with a temporary position until the end.
--Hold an exit interview with a departing employee to learn about their experience as a new person working at the company.
--At the end of the summer or work period, if you liked the employee’s job performance, ask if they’ll be available again next year.
Financial supports for hiring
Many small- and medium-sized companies might think they can't afford an intern or a seasonal employee. Below are links to some supports for hiring provided by the federal and provincial governments that might convince them otherwise. You could also check universities and colleges in your region (our list has only a sample of what educational institutions might offer), as schools may have programs or resources to support hiring co-op students, interns, recent graduates, or international students.
National funding sources
AGRI Talent
Young Canada Works
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
Venture For Canada
Business Benefits Finder
Employment and Social Development Canada
Canada Summer Jobs
Canada Summer Jobs 2022 - Local Priorities by province, territory, and constituency
Monster: Small Business Grants for Hiring Youth and Grads (English only)
Atlantic funding sources
Hiring International Students in New Brunswick
Student Employment Experience Development
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (English only)
TechNL (English only) MUN (English only)
CEWIL Atlantic (English only)
Inspired to Hire (English only)
Make it Here Nova Scotia (English only)
Tourism Nova Scotia (English only)
Province of Prince Edward Island Student (English only)
Quebec funding sources
Pratiques RH
Québec Emploi – Online Employment Service InfoEntrepreneurs
Concordia University
McGill University
Ontario funding sources
Province of Ontario
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
University of Ottawa
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (English only)
Western University (English only)
Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) (English only)
West and North funding sources
Province of Manitoba
University of Winnipeg (English only)
University of Manitoba (English only)
Province of Saskatchewan
Conseil économique et coopératif de la Saskatchewan (CÉCS)
University of Regina (English only)
University of Saskatchewan (English only)
University of Calgary (English only)
WorkBC (English only)
Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC/Yukon (English only)
University of Victoria (English only)
Government of Nunavut (English only)