Top talent is often off the market quickly so early preparation that drives an efficient recruitment process is vital. This means establishing timelines and milestones as well as assigning responsibilities up front.
Here are some things to consider when setting your hiring schedule:
- Start planning how you want to assess applicants for the position as this helps you work out how long you need for assessments as well as really practical things like how many rooms and the type of rooms you need to book for various activities.
- Consider the range of methods to assess applicants against the suitability requirements of the position. There is no requirement to follow a fixed or prescribed sequence of assessment steps (such as shortlisting, panel interview, reference check, integrity check before offer and appointment). Think about what is best for your recruitment needs in line with your agency policy and procedures.
- Create tools to support the assessments methods you have selected. These can include interview questions, scoring matrices and structured assessment guides to support consistent evaluation and reduce unconscious bias.
- Check the availability of others you want to be part of the hiring process to help you assess and select applicants. It takes time to coordinate everyone’s diaries. If someone you want is not available, select someone else rather than delay the assessment process.
- Select and brief internal support or an external recruitment company if you want help with administrative processes. Make sure the people are available when you want them. Do the paperwork if you contract a consultant through the CUA.
- Think about how long you want the advertisement to be open if you are advertising the vacancy. Consider weekends, public holidays, school holidays and other times of the year when people may not be focused on looking and applying for jobs. You may need to be in the market longer at those times or not advertise until later.
- Include in your schedule those in your agency who have a role to play in your recruitment. If you need your executive director as the delegated authority to sign off on your hiring decision, pop a calendar entry in their diary at the time you need them to review and sign the paperwork.
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