Valard Construction, a prominent Canadian utility contractor, has leveraged Workable’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for nearly a decade, revolutionizing its high-volume, dynamic recruitment processes. This long-standing partnership has enabled the company to efficiently manage a workforce that fluctuates significantly with project demand, ranging from 1,100 to 2,000 employees, while maintaining a strong candidate experience and bolstering its employer brand in a competitive industry. The strategic adoption and continuous evolution of Workable’s platform have been instrumental in professionalizing Valard’s talent acquisition, allowing it to scale seamlessly with the nation’s rapidly expanding electrical infrastructure needs.
Valard Construction: A Cornerstone of Canadian Utility Infrastructure
Valard Construction stands as a leading force in Canada’s utility sector, specializing in the complex and critical domain of power line construction and infrastructure development. From transmission lines spanning vast distances to intricate distribution networks, Valard’s projects are vital for powering communities and industries across the country. The nature of this work dictates a highly dynamic operational model, where project cycles, geographical dispersion, and specialized skill requirements lead to significant fluctuations in workforce demand. Managing a talent pool that can swell from 1,100 to 2,000 employees requires not just operational agility but also a robust and scalable talent acquisition strategy. In an industry where skilled trades are consistently in high demand, efficient and effective recruitment is not merely an HR function but a strategic imperative that directly impacts project timelines, safety standards, and ultimately, the nation’s energy security.
The Pre-Digital Era: Navigating Recruitment Through Manual Hurdles
Before embarking on its digital transformation journey with Workable, Valard’s recruitment landscape mirrored that of many growing enterprises in the early 2010s – characterized by manual, labor-intensive processes. The company relied heavily on conventional methods such as email chains and spreadsheets to manage applications, track candidates, and coordinate interviews. While these tools might suffice for smaller, more stable hiring needs, they quickly became unsustainable as Valard expanded its operations and its workforce requirements grew. The inherent limitations of such manual systems were manifold:
- Disjointed Communication: Candidate interactions were often fragmented across multiple email inboxes, leading to inconsistent messaging and delayed responses.
- Lack of Centralization: Critical candidate data, feedback, and application statuses were scattered across various spreadsheets, making it difficult to gain a holistic view or generate meaningful reports.
- Inefficiency and Bottlenecks: Manual data entry, scheduling, and follow-ups consumed considerable HR time, diverting resources from more strategic recruitment activities.
- Suboptimal Candidate Experience: Candidates frequently faced delays, lack of feedback, or a confusing application process, potentially deterring top talent.
- Scalability Challenges: The ability to rapidly ramp up hiring for large-scale projects was severely hampered by the slow and cumbersome manual workflow, impacting Valard’s operational agility.
As Cory Nickerson, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Valard Construction, aptly summarized, "We’ve been with Workable for about 10 years. Before that, hiring was done through spreadsheets and email. Workable came in as we began professionalizing the company and it’s been scaling with us ever since." This statement underscores not just the operational shift but a fundamental reorientation towards a more structured and professional approach to talent management.
The Strategic Shift: Why an ATS Became Imperative for Growth
The decision to implement an Applicant Tracking System was a strategic inflection point for Valard, driven by the recognition that its burgeoning operations demanded a more sophisticated approach to talent acquisition. The company understood that merely "professionalizing" was not enough; it needed a system that could provide a competitive edge in attracting and retaining skilled labor. The core needs that necessitated an ATS were multifaceted:
- Scalability: The system had to effortlessly accommodate Valard’s fluctuating recruitment volumes, allowing for rapid expansion or contraction of hiring efforts without compromising efficiency.
- Efficiency: Streamlining workflows, automating repetitive tasks, and centralizing data were crucial to reduce time-to-hire and administrative overhead.
- Enhanced Candidate Experience: In a talent-scarce market, providing a positive, transparent, and responsive experience for every applicant was paramount to building a strong employer brand.
- Improved Collaboration: A centralized platform was needed to facilitate seamless communication and collaboration between recruiters, hiring managers, and other stakeholders, many of whom are project-based and often in remote field locations.
- Data-Driven Insights: The ability to track key recruitment metrics, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions was essential for continuous improvement.
- Compliance and Consistency: Ensuring adherence to hiring regulations and maintaining consistent processes across diverse projects and locations.
The broader industry context further amplified this need. The construction sector, particularly utility infrastructure, faces persistent challenges in attracting and retaining skilled tradespeople. A 2023 report by BuildForce Canada highlighted ongoing labor shortages in critical trades, underscoring the necessity for efficient and attractive recruitment strategies. An ATS, by automating and optimizing the hiring funnel, directly addresses these challenges, transforming recruitment from a reactive chore into a proactive, strategic function.
A Decade of Partnership: Workable’s Evolving Role at Valard
Over the past ten years, Workable has not merely served as a tool but has evolved into a strategic partner, adapting to Valard’s expanding needs and operational complexities. The journey began with the foundational benefits of an ATS and progressively unlocked its full potential as Valard’s in-house recruitment team grew and became more sophisticated.
Initial Adoption and Foundational Benefits: The initial implementation of Workable immediately addressed the most pressing issues. The transition from scattered spreadsheets and emails to a centralized, digital platform brought immediate clarity and structure. Recruiters gained a single source of truth for all candidate data, streamlining communication and ensuring no application fell through the cracks. This foundational shift laid the groundwork for future efficiencies.
Scaling Up and Unlocking Full Potential: As Valard expanded its recruitment operations and added more dedicated in-house recruiters, the company began to leverage Workable’s more advanced features. This period marked a deeper integration of the platform into Valard’s daily recruitment activities, moving beyond basic tracking to optimizing the entire hiring lifecycle.
Key Feature Deep Dive: Automated Actions and Candidate Experience: One of the most impactful features for Valard has been Workable’s automated actions. These functionalities have fundamentally transformed candidate communication and internal workflow management. Automated emails ensure that every applicant, regardless of outcome, receives timely communication. As Cory Nickerson emphasized, "We all hear about candidates applying and never hearing back. We don’t have that issue with Workable. Even if someone isn’t selected, they still get a ‘thank you’ or ‘no thanks’ message, and that leaves a positive impression."
This commitment to consistent communication is crucial in building a positive employer brand. In today’s interconnected world, a poor candidate experience can quickly translate into negative online reviews and reputational damage, particularly in specialized fields where word-of-mouth holds significant weight. Conversely, a positive experience, even for unsuccessful applicants, fosters goodwill and can encourage future applications or referrals. Industry data consistently shows that candidates who have a positive application experience are more likely to reapply to a company in the future and recommend it to others, irrespective of whether they received an offer. This ensures that Valard maintains a strong talent pipeline and a favorable reputation as an employer of choice in the Canadian utility sector.
Beyond external communication, automation has also significantly streamlined internal processes. Hiring managers are automatically notified when it’s time for the next step in the recruitment process, whether it’s reviewing resumes, scheduling interviews, or providing feedback. This proactive notification system eliminates the risk of missed steps, ensures a smooth progression for every candidate, and keeps the entire hiring team aligned, organized, and consistent. This is particularly valuable for Valard, where hiring managers are often focused on active projects and may not have dedicated office time to monitor recruitment progress manually. The benefits are tangible: reduced administrative burden, improved internal collaboration, and a faster, more predictable hiring cycle.
Elevating Employer Branding: The Impact of Workable’s Career Page Builder
In an increasingly digital recruitment landscape, a company’s online presence, particularly its careers page, serves as a crucial first impression for potential talent. Before adopting Workable’s Career Page Builder, Valard’s job site was described as "archaic" and difficult to navigate. This presented a significant challenge in attracting top-tier talent, as an outdated online presence can inadvertently convey a lack of professionalism or technological sophistication.
The implementation of Workable’s Career Page Builder brought about a dramatic transformation. The new career page now provides a polished, modern, and intuitive experience that accurately reflects Valard’s professionalism and core values. "Our old careers page looked archaic. With Workable, it’s clean, easy to use, and on par with our competitors. It’s made a real difference in how candidates perceive us," Nickerson stated.
The impact of this enhanced employer branding is profound:
- Improved Candidate Attraction: A professional and user-friendly careers page is more likely to capture the attention of high-quality candidates, encouraging them to explore opportunities and submit applications. Research by LinkedIn shows that 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job.
- Stronger Brand Perception: A modern career site reinforces Valard’s image as a forward-thinking, reputable organization, aligning with its role in critical national infrastructure. This perception is vital for attracting not only experienced professionals but also new talent entering the trades.
- Increased Applicant Engagement: An easy-to-navigate site with clear job descriptions and a streamlined application process reduces friction for candidates, leading to higher completion rates for applications.
- Competitive Advantage: Being "on par with competitors" in terms of online presence ensures Valard can effectively compete for talent against other leading firms in the utility and construction sectors.
Usability in the Field: Empowering Hiring Leaders with Intuitive Design
A key differentiator for Workable, particularly for an organization like Valard, is its emphasis on ease of use. Many of Valard’s hiring leaders are project-based and frequently in the field, often operating without constant access to a desktop computer or dedicated administrative support. For such individuals, a complex or cumbersome ATS can become a barrier to engagement, leading to delays and frustration.
"I’ve used a lot of ATS platforms. Workable stands out because it’s easy for hiring leaders to navigate. It keeps them focused on reviewing candidates, not lost in a confusing system," Nickerson commented. This intuitive design is critical for ensuring broad adoption across Valard’s diverse teams. Customizable pipelines and email notifications make collaboration seamless, allowing hiring managers to receive relevant updates and provide feedback directly within the system, even from mobile devices. This empowers non-recruiters to engage confidently and effectively in the hiring process, leveraging their subject matter expertise without requiring extensive training or technical proficiency. The result is a more collaborative and efficient hiring process, where experts in the field can contribute directly to selecting the best talent, ultimately leading to better hires and faster project staffing.
Embracing Innovation: AI and Offer Management for Future Efficiency
As the recruitment technology landscape continues to evolve, Valard is proactively exploring and leveraging Workable’s newer features, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital offer functionality, to drive even greater efficiency and professionalism.
The integration of AI into talent acquisition platforms is rapidly transforming how companies identify, screen, and engage with candidates. Valard is beginning to utilize Workable’s AI features to:
- Enhance Candidate Matching: AI algorithms can analyze resumes and job descriptions to identify the most suitable candidates more rapidly and accurately, reducing manual screening time.
- Streamline Initial Screening: AI-powered tools can help pre-screen applications based on specific criteria, ensuring that recruiters focus on the most qualified individuals.
- Improve Efficiency: By automating repetitive tasks and providing data-driven insights, AI helps Valard’s recruitment team allocate their time more strategically.
Furthermore, Valard is currently testing Workable’s digital offer functionality. This feature allows companies to generate, send, and manage job offers electronically, providing a streamlined and secure experience for both the company and the candidate. "We’re testing the offer functionality now—it’s user-friendly, secure, and fits how we want to present ourselves: modern, tech-savvy, and professional," Nickerson observed. The benefits of digital offer management extend beyond mere convenience:
- Speed and Efficiency: Digital offers can be sent and accepted more quickly, shortening the time-to-hire.
- Enhanced Security: Electronic signatures and secure portals ensure the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive offer details.
- Professionalism: A polished digital offer experience reinforces Valard’s modern brand image.
- Reduced Errors: Automation minimizes the risk of manual errors associated with paper-based processes.
This embrace of advanced features demonstrates Valard’s commitment to continuous improvement and staying at the forefront of recruitment innovation, aligning its talent acquisition strategies with broader technological advancements in the HR sector.
The Foundation of Trust: Workable’s Responsive Support and Partnership
The longevity and success of Valard’s partnership with Workable are not solely attributable to the platform’s features but also to the robust and responsive customer support provided. A critical factor in any long-term technology adoption is the quality of support and the willingness of the vendor to act as a true partner. Workable’s dedicated account management, specifically highlighting Nick, has been instrumental in Valard’s continuous success.
"Anytime we’ve had a question or issue, Nick’s been incredibly responsive. He’s even escalated product suggestions to the development team for future updates," Nickerson affirmed. This level of proactive guidance and willingness to integrate client feedback into product development transforms a vendor-client relationship into a collaborative partnership. It ensures that Valard’s evolving business needs are not just met but anticipated, and that the platform continues to grow and adapt alongside the company. This responsive support fosters trust and confidence, allowing Valard to maximize its investment in Workable and continually optimize its talent acquisition strategies. In complex, high-stakes industries like utility construction, reliable and accessible support for critical systems is non-negotiable.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Canadian Infrastructure with Strategic Talent Acquisition
Canada’s electrical infrastructure is undergoing a period of significant expansion, driven by population growth, urbanization, and the increasing demand for renewable energy sources. This projected growth translates directly into a heightened need for skilled labor in the utility construction sector, placing Valard Construction in a critical position. As the company anticipates substantial project-driven growth in the coming years, the strategic importance of its talent acquisition platform becomes even more pronounced.
After a decade of partnership, Valard’s confidence in Workable’s ability to support its future trajectory is unwavering. The platform has proven its scalability and adaptability, demonstrating that it is "built to last" and capable of tackling the new challenges that accompany rapid expansion. As Valard has evolved its operational scope and talent needs, Workable has consistently kept pace, giving the team the assurance that it will continue to provide essential support through whatever comes next.
"We’re in growth mode, and Workable is key to supporting that. It lets us scale up or down seamlessly depending on project load, and do it professionally," Nickerson concluded. This statement encapsulates the core strategic advantage Workable provides: the flexibility to adjust talent acquisition efforts in direct response to dynamic market demands, without compromising professionalism or efficiency. For a company like Valard, whose very existence is tied to large, fluctuating projects, this seamless scalability is not just an operational benefit but a fundamental enabler of business growth and resilience. The enduring partnership between Valard Construction and Workable exemplifies how strategic technology adoption, coupled with strong support, can empower critical infrastructure providers to meet the demands of a growing nation.
