Getting Started
Taking the time to plan before commencing the recruitment exercise will make the process more efficient, ease delays and reduce the risk of good candidates choosing alternative options. You may feel under pressure to hire as quickly as possible, however it is worth establishing realistic timeframes and planning each stage of the process. Here are some examples of typical timeframes to help you plan.
This is the time to identify the requirements of the role, the profile of the ideal candidate, advertising options, confirm the selection panel, plan for selection and key dates. You will also need to consider budget and costs for the position and the recruitment process.
Defining the role:
If this is the first time you have filled the position, take time to identify what your department requires from the role. If you are replacing an existing staff member, it is worthwhile reviewing the present arrangements, to make sure they are still appropriate to meet current needs.
- Why was the position established?
- What need does the position fulfil?
- Are the same skills required to meet future needs?
- What are the key responsibilities?
- What are the key knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be successful?
- How will the person be supervised?
- Are there responsibilities for supervising others?
- Who will the person interact with and what are their expectations of this position?
- What are the hours of work - are there options for flexibility?
- Is this a permanent or fixed-term position?
- Are there any legal requirements relevant to this position?
Discussing the position with colleagues who understand your needs can help clarify your thoughts. The next stage is to develop a job description/information statement which describes the position, the hours of employment and a profile of the type of candidate you are seeking to attract.
You are more likely to find the best candidates if you, the selection panel, and the candidates have a clear understanding of the role and the personal attributes, skills and knowledge required to succeed. A candidate reading the job description or information statement will view it as an extension of the advertisement. They will use it to assess their suitability and decide whether they are interested in working with you.
Please note that for Professional Practice Fellow and Teaching Fellow positions, the standard PPF or Teaching Fellow job description must be used.
For general staff, new or significantly changed job descriptions will require job evaluation.
Once you have defined the role, you have a framework for robust recruiting. It can help you:
- Clearly identify the profile of the type of candidate you want to hire. Understanding the profile of your ideal candidate will help you determine how best to find and attract them.
- Identify appropriate members for the selection panel.
- Determine the selection criteria.
- Plan how to assess whether candidates meet each of the selection criteria.
You may find the short Interviewing e-learning course a helpful refresher when considering these steps. The module is divided into three sections; plan, interview and decide. If you are looking for ideas on just one piece of the overall process, there is a table of contents available that allows you to jump to the section of your choosing.
Sourcing and Advertising Options
The recruitment team are available to help you identify the best way of finding candidates. At the planning stage factors to consider are:
- Where are your ideal candidates likely to be? If you are seeking to attract international candidates the process will take longer.
- Your availability to deal with candidate enquiries.
- What publications and websites are your ideal candidates likely to read? What professional bodies and networks do they belong to? The mechanisms you use to publicise your vacancy will affect the timeframes. For example, if the vacancy is to be advertised in a printed professional journal, the publication date will need to be factored into your planning.
- What is your budget for advertising?
- Who needs to approve your advertisement and what is their availability?
- What are the advertising deadlines?
- Would a recruitment agency add value?
Selection Panel
The selection panel are the people with the knowledge to assess the suitability of candidates. The manager will identify people with the appropriate skills mix to ensure a thorough selection process. Typically the selection panel will be involved in short listing, interviewing and deciding which candidates are suitable for appointment.
Guidance on how to select a panel and the role of the Chair can be found in the Selection Panel Factsheet.
Selection planning
There are a variety of factors which influence the timeframe of the interview process. It is likely to run more smoothly if anticipated short listing and interview dates are confirmed during the planning phase.
- Will you simply be interviewing candidates or is a more comprehensive programme appropriate?
- When are you aiming to brief the panel and short list?
- When are you aiming to hold interviews?
- Do you know the availability of the selection panel?
- How much notice will candidates require?
- Do you have an appropriate interview venue?
- Have you organised administrative support?
- Who needs to approve your recommendations and what is their availability?
If timescales are tight, consider using video conferencing for interviewing.
Other Things to Consider
Is there any additional information that would be useful to short listed candidates, for example the department’s strategic plan, or information from a research contract?
Your preferred candidate’s availability to commence employment will also affect timescales. This can be affected by their current notice period, whether they have to relocate or apply for permission to work in New Zealand.
You will also need to consider budget and costs for the position and the recruitment process.
Typical Timeframes
|
Example one: Receptionist |
Example two: Senior Lecturer |
Example three: Senior Technician |
|
Planning and preparation |
One week |
Two – four weeks |
One to two weeks |
n/a |
n/a |
Two to four weeks |
|
Posting the advertisement |
One week |
One to four weeks (specialist journals could be longer) |
One week |
Advertising period (until the closing date) |
One to two weeks |
Four to six weeks |
Two weeks |
Short listing |
One week |
Two to six weeks (including long listing and references) |
One week |
Arranging interviews |
Two days |
One to two weeks |
Two days |
Interviews & other assessments |
One week |
One week |
One week |
Referencing |
One to five |
One week |
One to five days |
Communicating with preferred candidate |
One to two |
One to two weeks |
One to two days |
Obtaining approval to appoint |
One to five |
One to two weeks |
One to five days |
Preparation of letter of offer and contract of employment |
Five working days |
Five working days |
Five working days |
Notice period of appointee |
One month |
Three to six months |
One month |
Budget and Costs
This table provides information about typical costs of different media that might be considered for different vacancies, and typical total cost per vacancy. Costs are based on University of Otago advertising in 2011. In print media, cost is determined per column inch of advertising space required.
The Attracting Candidates section provides information to help you decide where your vacancy would be most effectively advertised. The recruitment team are available to provide advice.
|
Example One Administrator |
Example Two Lecturer/Senior Lecturer |
Example Three Specialist technical position |
|
Typical Advertising Cost per Vacancy |
$700 |
Average: $4,200 |
$1,100 |
University of Otago advertising |
Staff Bulletin and Careers website - all positions, no charge |
Staff Bulletin and Careers website - all positions, no charge |
Staff Bulletin and Careers website - all positions, no charge |
Unijobs.co.nz |
All positions, no charge |
All positions, no charge |
All positions, no charge |
Online advertising |
NZ/AUS job boards |
NZ/AUS job boards International job boards Industry-specific job boards, mailing lists/ebulletins |
NZ/AUS job boards NZ/AUS industry-specific job boards, mailing lists/ebulletins: Often free or minimal cost, may range from $150 - $900 |
|
Print media advertising |
Otago Daily Times |
Otago Daily Times Christchurch Press or Dominon Post: $500 - $800+ In general the NZ Herald is about twice price of Press/Post: $800 - $1200+ Sunday Star Times: $800 -$1000 International newspapers Overseas publications –magazines, journals etc |
Otago Daily Times Christchurch Press or Dominon Post: $500 - $800+ In general the NZ Herald is about twice price of Press/Post: $800 - $1200+ Sunday Star Times: $800 -$1000 Australian newspapers |
|
Interview and assessment expenses (Optional: for guidance on appropriate expenditure for your vacancy contact the recruitment team) |
International travel, accommodation, taxis, food and beverages, hosting, panel member expenses, video conference, venue bookings. |
Travel, accommodation, video conference, consumables used in skills testing. |
|
Salary |
As per evaluated level |
As per salary range |
As per evaluated level |
Set up costs |
Training |
Office, specialist equipment, laboratory, support staff |
Training |
Relocation |
n/a |
May apply: |
03 479 8275