A Nova Scotia landscaping company’s job posting urging people not to apply if they “oversleep, have court often or do not have a babysitter every day” has gone viral.
Elmsdale Landscaping Ltd. posted a job ad on Facebook in an effort to hire 10 new employees for the upcoming summer season.
The company has had a difficult time finding people to stay on the job, said Laura Coupar, vice-president of Elmsdale.
“We find that people interview really well but when it actually comes to working, people don’t really stay,” Coupar told CTV Atlantic.
Coupar said that the company sends out small crews of three to four people and work can be easily affected when one person does not show up regularly to work.
The dilemma forced the landscaping company to come up with a job posting that detailed exactly what they weren’t looking for in an employee but that also ensured their expectations were clear.
“Please do not apply if you oversleep, have court often, do not have a babysitter every day… or will become an expert at your job with no need to learn or take advice after the first day,” the posting says.
The ad also urges that applicants must be “able to talk and work at the same time” and “remember to come back to work after lunch.”
The job posting has had nearly 1,500 shares since it was posted on Wednesday.
According to Tracy Isenor, of Nova Scotia Works, an employment services centre, said she is not surprised that the posting has done well.
“I think it adds a bit of humour to that employer’s recruitment process which is good,” she said. “Hopefully they get the right candidates.”
Isenor also said that a lot of employers share the same concerns as Elmsdale when it comes to hiring new employees: presentation, behaviour in the workplace, cellphone use, time management and accountability.
The company says it has received more than 200 resumes thanks to the job posting.
