NEW APPROACH NEEDED

Cape Breton’s recruitment strategy needs tweaking, says Tom Urbaniak.

Strategy #1 – Exhibit A: The recently released “DOC Cape Breton” recruitment video, sponsored by caring and concerned local companies.

This polished and visually stunning short production depicts an idyllic Cape Breton Island, resplendent with autumn colours and breathtaking vistas. The rare urban scene is a shot of Sydney from overhead. The video shows a lot of pristine nature and coastlines. The people of Cape Breton are described as the “best people,” although we see hardly any people besides the local doctors giving their eloquent testimonials.

One physician talks about coming home after work and going kayaking. Another speaks wistfully of fresh snow and being able to cross-country ski for miles (the images show a calm forest). The commute from her home in Sydney River to work in Glace Bay is only 20 minutes. A third physician talks about the Sydney airport’s direct flights to Toronto and multiple daily direct flights to Halifax.

Although there is a mention of being “needed” and an indirect reference to “challenge,” the larger implied message is this: Come to work in Cape Breton because life is easier in our paradise.

Recruitment Strategy #2 is almost counterintuitive. It actually boasts about the unique rigours of a job. It appeals to a “special” candidate.

I will use two case studies to illustrate Strategy #2.

In 1873, the North-West Mounted Police was formed. The NWMP was the predecessor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Recruitment notices made clear that this was tough work, and candidates of very strong moral and physical character should apply. The attraction was service and duty. The intrinsic reward was joining an organization with a reputation for excellence in difficult situations.

This set the tone for hardiness and, indeed, fairness. It helped make the Mounties one of the world’s most respected police forces.

The next case study of Strategy #2 is a current one: The organization Teach for Canada partners with northern First Nations to “recruit, prepare, and support exceptional teachers.” Its pitch? “Join the movement to make education more equal.”

Let there be no mistake: The “right kind of teacher” is being sought for this “movement.”

Teach for Canada candidates are mentored. They have to meld into their adopted communities in humble and respectful ways. The pains and challenges come as no surprise to these candidates. The landscapes might be beautiful, but idyllic isolation is not an option. Theirs is a unique vocation.

I think we need a little more of Strategy #2 in our Cape Breton recruitment efforts, to go with Strategy #1.

Around the university, around recruited administrators or professionals in other organizations, around recruited clergy for that matter, I have seen too many unfortunate incidents because the strategy was all #1 and no #2.

People showed up, sometimes for senior positions, only to escape to Halifax every weekend (multiple direct flights!). Or they were surprised when the gentle snow scenes turned into fullblown blizzards! They took the terrible advice of some realtors to avoid particular neighbourhoods. They isolated themselves and started to feel lonely instead of engaged.

In some cases, the desperation of the recruiters made the wooed recruits feel super-important because of their formal credentials. They expected to be big fish. Once here, they didn’t tune into the wisdom around them. They weren’t patient and didn’t listen well. They became an island on the island.

The sight of poverty, despair and conflict discouraged them, instead of animating them to work extra hard.

“Little research has assessed the effectiveness of recruitment and retention policies for primary care doctors,” write Puja Verma, John Ford and colleagues in a 2016 overview of studies around the world. They note that it is hard to pick out which interventions are actually effective. There do seem to be positive correlations with incentives to cover tuition in exchange for going on to work in an under-served region, retention of people who themselves grew up in the same or another under-served region, and possibly providing good peer support networks.

I suspect these factors, if effective, might be partial proxies for Strategy #2. The successful recruits knew, or were prepared for, what they were getting into. They embraced a special challenge. They signed up because of it.

They challenged themselves to be resilient professionals among resilient people.

“People showed up, sometimes for senior positions, only to escape to Halifax every weekend (multiple direct flights!).”