Our recruitment process
START: This process covers all situations where we identify a vacancy. Even if we know people we want to approach, or people approach us, we still need the key process steps i.e. get approval to hire, interview, pre-employment checks, verbal offers and creating offer documents. You are responsible for successful recruitment, but Organisational Development and Capability can help you recruit well, and you must involve them at the start.1. Good hiring begins with clarity about the position, the person we need, how we will recruit and terms of our offer. Take the opportunity to consider alternatives to hiring e.g. reallocation of tasks, splitting the role, changing the focus of the role etc. As the hiring manager you need to be aware of your responsibilities and get the necessary approvals before you start. As a first step complete the recruitment request form (or Request to Recruit form for Rotorua Contracting) and update the position description for the role. This will help you define the skills, experience, attributes of the person you want and establish key details such as remuneration, pre-employment checks required, entitlements etc for the role. This will also facilitate gaining the necessary approvals and allow you to start planning the sourcing and recruitment process. Organisational Development and Capability can help you explore alternatives to recruitment, advise on job descriptions, terms of employment, remuneration and sourcing strategy.2. Sourcing. Once approved, you will typically meet with your Organisational Development and Capability business partner to review the position description and plan the advertising approach, timeframes etc. Discuss options for filling the position internally. Advantages are that we create career advancement for a proven performer who knows our culture and how we operate. You will give the final approval for advertisement wording (See our tips for writing great ads). Organisational Development and Capability will place the advertising and load it into PeopleStreme (our online recruitment system). We use a wide range of advertising mediums including; TradeMe, Seek, Listserv and various social and print media.3. You then review online applications (in PeopleStreme) and then select your shortlist. Use our tips for short listing and short listing template to screen out all but the best candidates. Where there are a large volume of similar candidates you may want to think about using a telephone screening interview to shortlist candidates. The position description will help you stay focused on your requirements. Based on your screening of candidates in PeopleStreme, Organisational Development and Capability will send an application declined email to candidates who did not make your shortlist. This courtesy is an important part of our recruitment process. Organisational Development and Capability will notify non-short listed candidates and deal with other situations.4. With your shortlist complete it’s time to organise and prepare for interviews. Key tasks are; appointing a suitable panel, booking a suitable venue and good interview questions. Use the tips for organising and conducting interviews for some pointers. to help you run the interview efficiently and get the information you need to make a selection decision. We’ve prepared a variety of example interview questions which explore a candidate’s suitability for the role and fit with our values. Organisational Development and Capability can work with you to finalise interview questions and any candidate testing (e.g. computer skills etc).5. Use the customised interview questions prepared earlier to interview your shortlist of candidates. Always have at least one interview partner to help you interview and assess the candidates. Two sets of eyes/ears will make much more accurate selection decisions. Afterwards discuss with your interview partners how various candidates measure against your interview questions, ‘must have’ and ‘desirable’ requirements and rank them accordingly. As well as their technical ability, are they passionate, resilient, comfortable with change, forward thinking, team players with a track-record of relevant success? Note: We value people who speak te reo Māori and see this as an important asset to the organisation, in particular for staff who engage regularly with the public. If it’s close, think about the old recruiting wisdom… ‘Attitude is 70% of success-skill only 30%’. Always prefer the right attitude and behaviour over superior skill….we can teach skill but attitude is harder to change’. Use these tips for making selections to help you, and if necessary select one or two candidates for a second interview. Make sure your interview notes are full, honest and accurate and scan then send your interview notes to Organisational Development and Capability.6. Hiring mistakes are expensive and hard to put right so we use a series of role specific checks, including reference checks, to ensure people are qualified to work, have the skills, ability, and experience they claim to have. You should conduct the reference checks using our reference check form (and our tips for reference checking). Don’t forget the critical question “Would you re-employ this candidate”. If your checks raise any concerns, talk with Organisational Development and Capability. Consider seeking additional information including holding a second interview if there are gaps or feedback that concern you. Do not proceed or make an offer before you are satisfied with the results of these checks. Organisational Development and Capability will conduct criminal record, credit checks, drug and alcohol checks as required etc.7. We recommend second interviews (at least for mid and senior level positions) as valuable insurance you are making the right decision. They also give you the chance to get other colleagues involved, to bring their different perspectives on the candidate. Don’t forget the candidate also has to make a decision, and the second interview is their chance to ask final questions before they commit. Use our tips for second interview to help you.8. If your interviews and checks are satisfactory it’s time to make your hire/no hire decision. Use the tips for making selections to help make good decisions. Remember ‘better an empty chair than a bad hire’. Key questions are; do they meet your ‘must have’ criteria? Do they share our values? How do they stack up against the next best option? How will they fit in your team? What does your ‘gut’ instinct tell you? Take time to decide and talk it over with a colleague/manager/Organisational Development and Capability. Talk to your manager before making a verbal offer, keeping in mind that if the offer is outside of the parameters of the approved Salary Authorisation then you will need to get approval for that change before the verbal offer is made.9. As the hiring manager you should make the verbal offer. This allows you to ‘sell’ the opportunity and explain the offer with any context you want to provide. The candidate can ask any questions and attempt to negotiate if they wish. The main terms you should cover include:
- Title and reporting
- Location, hours etc
- Term of appointment (if applicable)
- The employment agreement we will offer (Collective or Individual Employment Agreement)
- Salary/wage rate and main (or unusual) terms of employment including: annual and sick leave entitlements , study bond etc
- Your answer on any special requests they had (e.g. an extra week’s holiday).
- Start date
- Any other key terms or unusual features (e.g. variations from responsibilities originally discussed, pre-approved requests for leave, working from home etc)
- When you want their decision.
If they want to negotiate on key terms take a break. Think about it, talk to Organisational Development and Capability and get your manager’s approval before calling back with any revised offer. Consider the tips for negotiation.
10. If agreement is reached, advise Organisational Development and Capability using an updated (if necessary) salary authorisation so an On-boarding Pack can be prepared, which includes an offer letter and employment agreement. Organisational Development and Capability will send these once approved by you. We are legally obliged to give people a ‘reasonable’ opportunity to review and take advice on our offer (we consider three working days to be a reasonable time).11. Once we have verbal acceptance you should ring the other interviewed candidates and advise they were unsuccessful. Treat the candidates with dignity and respect. Should they request feedback, simply advise that the successful appointee was the best match to the position and person specification. Be sure to thank them for their interest and time and, where appropriate, invite candidates to keep an eye on our Careers Page for future opportunities. Use the tips for talking to unsuccessful candidates guide to help you.12. You may need to follow up and make sure paperwork is returned by the deadline. When it arrives check that it is signed and complete.13. Once a signed acceptance is received you should begin to plan on-boarding (refer onboarding section).
