Better, Faster: streamlining recruitment in the APS

Section 3: Tips and better practice resources

Working in partnership

Managers are critical to the success of all recruitment exercises—but they are not recruitment experts, nor should they be expected to be. Their success will be greatly enhanced if they have the active support of recruitment experts from HR.

To create an organisational culture where the expectation is that recruitment processes will always be timely and effective, it is necessary to develop a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities. The model shows three clear lines of responsibility. HR provides the structure and support; managers plan for, manage and undertake the process; and recruitment quality and performance standards are set and monitored at the organisational level.

A word on minimum requirements and merit

Recruitment in the APS is guided by minimum requirements and a set of principles which are described in the Public Service Act 1999, the Public Service Regulations 1999, the Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 1999 and the Public Service Classification Rules 2000.

Minimum requirements for non-SES recruitment in the APS

Determine the purpose of the selection process upfront.
Determine whether an open, competitive process is needed, and if so:
- advertise the vacancy on the APSjobs website*
- design and run an open, competitive selection process based on merit
- register the outcome on APSjobs*

What is ‘merit’?

Merit, under the Public Service Act 1999, means that employment decisions should be based on an assessment of a person’s ability to do the job, and that decisions must be objective and fair, avoiding patronage, favouritism and unjustified discrimination. For engagements and promotions, there must be a competitive assessment of applicants’ suitability to perform the duties of the job.

For engagements and promotions, this assessment must be competitive. Where this is the case, it is not mandatory for agencies to use the traditional approach to recruitment. Agencies do have the flexibility to design recruitment processes that meet their specific business needs.

What about short-term movement or movement at level?

Like all employment decisions, movements at level must be based on the ability of the person to do the job as well as being fair, transparent and unbiased. However it should also be recognised that some decisions may, quite properly, see employees at level being offered an opportunity for development reasons.

Merit v speed

Speed is in fact conducive to merit.

Undue process is counter-productive and almost certainly adds nothing to the quality of recruitment outcomes or to merit. If your recruitment process means that you have lost the best candidate, then has merit been satisfied?

Roadmap for success

Some of the most important changes can be simple and easily implemented. Here are a few related strategies focused on recruitment efficiency and effectiveness and how you can make them a reality.

Adopt a planned approach. Recruitment activities planned for in advance with scheduled milestones keep the process on track, eliminate delays and reduce the risk of the right candidate no longer being available. For example:
- have the selection team lock key dates in their calendars (e.g. shortlisting, time to prepare interview questions/work sample tests etc, interview dates and referee checking) prior to advertising the position
- communicate key dates in the application kit
- book scribes if needed
While agencies are becoming more flexible and project-based in the way they work, many are still using recruitment processes, job profiles and selection criteria designed along rigid organisational boundaries to recruit new employees. Try piloting alternative selection methods to find what produces the best results for your agency.
Several recruitment solutions do not require a long process. Make increased use of merit lists and movements at level. Although the term ‘merit list’ is commonly used, there is no requirement to rank candidates in a particular order; they can simply be grouped, for example, as highly suitable and suitable for similar opportunities that may arise in the agency. The merit list is valid for twelve months from the date the vacancy was advertised on APSjobs.
Integrate your recruitment efforts with your agency’s workforce plan. Recruit for future needs, and not just for the current position.
Dates of effect for promotions are prescribed in the Public Service Regulations 1999 and vary depending on a range of circumstances including whether or not the promotion is the subject of a review process. There is nothing preventing an agency from employing the successful candidate in the advertised role before the promotion takes effect by assigning the employee to the role temporarily. The Regulations also provide flexibility for negotiation of a different date of effect between the employee and the relevant agency heads.
In terms of balancing the risk, it is relevant to note that only a small proportion of promotion decisions attract a review application. Of these, only a very limited number are overturned on review by the Merit Protection Commissioner.
The use of bulk recruitment rounds can have advantages in terms of efficiency and cost effectiveness. It works best when there are enough positions with sufficiently similar capability requirements.
However it will not necessarily lead to a quicker process and requires a much greater focus and commitment to manage the volume of applications, greater coordination between the selection team and line managers, and longer post-selection activities (such as fitting candidates into appropriate roles). Think about planning the exercise as a discrete project and resource it appropriately.
When seeking to employ non-citizens, ensure that appropriate immigration checks are conducted. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) service may be a useful tool in streamlining the process.

Sharing better practice

Agencies have reported several low-cost and effective strategies in making their recruitment processes more effective and efficient. Some examples worth noting are:

Leveraging employer brand (Office of Workplace Services). In establishing its workforce in 2006, OWS’ recruitment marketing avoided public service ‘speak’, produced a unique look, and made good use of commuter newspapers. A total of 11,000 job applications were received for three position types across OWS and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Using a streamlined recruitment process, which included the assessment of selection criteria at interview and a central role for HR throughout the process, the process was completed within four months and 400 offers were made. The Workplace Ombudsman continues to use this streamlined approach.
Building, measuring and reinforcing efficiency (Department of Transport and Regional Services). With recruitment efficiency identified as a high priority, DOTARS is taking an holistic approach to the implementation of its new recruitment strategy. Unique outcomes have included a revision of its policy to reflect the introduction of an online recruitment system designed to streamline recruitment practices, the introduction of a new set of KPIs for managers (one of which is to complete a recruitment process within 20 working days of the close of advertising) and the introduction of a recruitment capability training programme.
Leveraging existing technology (Family Court of Australia). The Court is a small agency that makes good use of existing technology. By using their email system to receive and hold all applications in a specially-created inbox for each position, the selection team gets instant access to applications in real time, saving time and money on copying, circulating and filing.
Supporting managers (Food Standards Australia New Zealand). FSANZ has developed an easy-to-use matrix for managers that clearly plots recruitment options (employment category) and resulting requirements (advertising and selection processes). The matrix is made available at the beginning of a recruitment activity, is accessible on the intranet and features as part of the recruitment policy document.
Communicating key milestones (Medicare Australia). For the 2007 graduate programme, dates for key recruitment milestones were communicated via an applicant information pack, encouraging the recruitment team to stay on track. Following the close of applications, interviews were conducted Australia-wide over a period of two weeks, with offers to successful candidates being made a fortnight later (one week ahead of schedule).
Selection panel training (Department of the Environment and Water Resources). DEW provides practical one day training workshops for potential selection panel members. The workshops cover rules relating to selection processes, defining key selection criteria and developing tailored assessment techniques. DEW’s recruitment and selection policy requires that each selection advisory committee include at least one member who has successfully completed the workshop.
Simplifying the application process (Australian Public Service Commission). Rather than asking for written responses to selection criteria during the application phase, the Commission’s Accountancy Recruitment Initiative is a recruitment campaign that seeks applications based on CV and a letter of interest. Applications will be assessed against appropriate capabilities and key technical skills on a regular basis.

Support and resources

Get it Right—a recruitment kit for managers provides tactical end-to-end advice on the conduct of an efficient and effective recruitment exercise. It helps managers to define the role, attract a quality field and choose the most effective selection methods. Each APS agency was provided with a copy of the kit when launched in 2004. An updated kit is nearing finalisation and will be available to agencies soon.

Ready-to-use resources available within Get it Right include:

a recruitment project planning template
common recruitment myths
checklists for use during a recruitment exercise
a library of behaviourally-based interview questions
a sample structured application form
an interview guide and interview template
an interview note-taking and evaluation guide

Email getitright@apsc.gov.au for more information.

The booklet Ongoing Employment—recruitment and related issues provides general advice on non-SES, ongoing recruitment and selection issues. The Conditions of Engagement booklet covers the conditions of engagement that may be imposed, excluding probation, when engaging APS employees. These booklets are available online at www.apsc.gov.au.
Informative web pages relating to the review of promotion decisions and the establishment of independent selection advisory committees are available on the Commission’s website at www.apsc.gov.au/merit. This information is also available as a hardcopy brochure. Contact the Commission’s local Regional Offices for more information.
Candidates often express concerns with a lack of feedback following a recruitment exercise as well as inconsistencies amongst selection teams. Getting that Selection Right, a one-day programme aimed at APS4-EL2 staff who may be involved in running a selection activity, helps to develop an understanding of the APS employment framework and apply the Get it Right three-staged approach to effective recruitment. See www.apsc.gov.au for more information.
MAC7, Reducing Red Tape in the Australian Public Service, presents a framework for ensuring that processes do not become redundant, ineffective or inappropriate over time. In particular, the report presents a sample streamlined recruitment case study and provides answers to common APS recruitment myths. See www.apsc.gov.au/mac for the full report.
The Commission has recently released Ability at Work—tapping the talent of people with disability to assist APS managers and employees with their understanding of disability in the workplace, including considerations during the selection process. The toolkit is available online at www.apsc.gov.au.
The Commission’s Better Practice team can provide consultancy advice to assist agencies in mapping and simplifying their recruitment processes. Contact hrcapability@apsc.gov.au for more information.
Coming soon: the Commission is developing an online tool that will provide managers with advice on managing people for productivity throughout the employee lifecycle. A key component covers recruitment and selection. The tool will be supported by a one-day training course for executive level (EL) managers.

* APSjobs incorporates the APS Employment Gazette; see www.apsjobs.gov.au

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