Recruitment guide – what you need to know
Principles that guide us
• We conduct a fair, inclusive recruitment process that make sure there are equal
opportunities for everyone.
• We hire the right person for the job when making recruitment decisions.
• We are ambassadors for the council when recruiting.
• We have zero tolerance for discrimination and bias, bullying and unfair treatment.
Critical information
Who can I talk to for support and guidance on recruitment? You can speak to your people leader, or a
talent acquisition consultant from the People and
Performance (P&P) Team.
What recruitment support can I get?
P&P can give you support on:
• advertising and marketing the role
• identifying lists of candidates
• preparing interview questions
• outlining what to look for while interviewing
• offering negotiation
• delivering feedback to unsuccessful candidates.
Inclusive recruitment processes and unconscious bias
Inclusive recruitment processes aim to make sure everyone has the same chance of succeeding.
This means including candidates who may have been overlooked in traditional recruitment
processes due to their barriers or the biases they may face, whether conscious or unconscious.
Unconscious biases are the preferences and feelings that we have but are unaware of. They can
have a negative influence our decision-making. Check out the Unconscious Bias e-learning module
on Tupu for more information.
Recruiting inclusively and without bias allows us to recruit from a much wider talent pool,
ensuring that we’re able to attract a diverse range of candidates for each vacancy.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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P&P can give you support on inclusive recruitment processes.
Who can attend the interview? Conduct the interview with a peer leader, and ideally have a male/female mix. The more diverse
the interview panel, the richer the experience for all involved, and the more reflective the process
will be of our working environment.
Schedule the interview at a time that suits you, the other leader and the candidate.
Candidates can elect to hold a whānau interview. In this case, view th
e whānau interview guide to
prepare.
What do I need to do to prepare for an interview?
Complete the e-learning module and people leader training on unconscious bias.
Ensure you have read the candidate’s documents, the job description and the interview questions
beforehand.
Discuss with the other leader how you will run the interview (e.g. who will ask questions and who
will write notes). Make sure your questions include the behavioural skills needed for the role and
not just technical questions.
Consider what is essential for success in the role and challenge more subjective aspects (e.g.
personality, team fit, culture fit) which might be opportunities for bias to influence decision
making.
Asking the right questions
If you are unsure about asking a particular question, think about whether you would feel
comfortable being asked the question.
Ensure the questions you ask are objective and not judgmental or discriminatory (i.e. avoid asking
questions related to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, marital status).
As an organisation we draw on behavioural and competency based questions. Ask your talent
acquisition consultant or P&P business partner for guidance to get the most out of the interview.
Score candidates independently and compare notes at the end of the interview process.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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Representing the council
How you interact with the candidate reflects on the council's reputation. Ensure your behaviour is
professional and appropriate.
Follow a fair, inclusive and consistent process. Be polite and make the candidate feel welcome and
valued. Maintain eye contact and demonstrate active listening.
Make sure the candidate has a good experience during the recruitment. Remember, they are
assessing if they want the role just as much as you are assessing if you want them in your team.
How do I decline an unsuccessful candidate?
Give the candidate valid, objective and constructive feedback to assist them with future
interviews.
The feedback must be fair and not discriminatory in anyway. If you are not sure how to deliver the
message, your talent acquisition consultant can help you.
What are the different types of vacancies?
• Permanent
• Fixed term
• Temporary
• Contractor
• Volunteer
• Secondment
• Graduate, intern or cadet
Is the recruitment process the same for all types of vacancies?
No, there are slightly different processes for different types of vacancies.
You will need to get approval for all types of recruitment. Specify what type of vacancy you need
to fill and your people leader or talent acquisition consultant will advise what type of approval is
required.
Safety sensitive roles require specific pre-employment checks that are different to other roles.
Refer to th
e Safety Sensitive Positions document for more information.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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Can I use this vacancy to change the role or recruit for a different role?
A vacancy is the perfect opportunity to revise the requirements of your team.
Review the position description for the vacant role and make any small changes as required.
If you require a major change to a role, speak with your people leader and the P&P Team.
Our bottom lines
• All roles must be approved by your people leader before you start the recruitment process.
• All positions must be ‘panel interviewed’. This means a minimum of two leaders need to
conduct the interview.
• All interviews must be conducted in a fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory manner.
• Pre-employment checks relevant to the role must be completed prior to the new person
starting (e.g. drug or alcohol testing, credit checks, police checks and references).
Breaching our bottom line expectations would be considered and treated as misconduct.
Things to consider
• Am I doing everything to ensure I have recruited the right person for the role?
• Have I taken all the necessary steps to ensure a fair process has been followed?
• Have I considered how unconscious bias could impact the recruitment process?
• Do I have a strategy in place to minimise the impact of bias, conscious or unconscious?
• Have I utilised my own and my team's networks for referrals?
Use common sense and Our Charter to guide your judgement.
For people leaders
Recruiting to replace an outgoing team member
If you need to recruit someone to replace a team member who has resigned, consider these
points:
• Have I got the correct approvals to begin recruitment?
• Are the skills required in this role still relevant? Or does the role need to be re-scoped?
Discuss your expectations for the new role with your people leader. Get approval to recruit (see
the Approval to make an offer form under the Process heading).
Speak with a talent acquisition consultant for guidance.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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Reference checking
To conduct a reference check on your preferred candidate, consider these points:
• Do I have the candidate’s permission to contact referees?
• Who is the referee? Referees should be previous reporting managers.
Complete a reference check form (a link to this form can be found under 'Forms' on th
e Recruiting
page on Kotahi), or contact your talent acquisition consultant for assistance.
Declining a candidate
To decline an unsuccessful candidate after an interview, consider these points:
• Is it more appropriate to speak over the phone or face to face?
• What feedback can I give them?
Always decline candidates with empathy.
Declining internal candidates is best done face to face if possible. Ensure you are speaking in a
quiet and confidential place.
Plan with the help of your talent acquisition consultant.
Process
For any role that requires someone to interact with children, candidates will need to be vetted.
Discuss this with your talent acquisition consultant prior to recruiting.
Relevant recruitment forms:
•
Creating a position in your org chart (for new roles)
•
Tips for writing a position description
•
Position description template
•
Interview guide
•
Reference check form
•
Safety Sensitive Positions
•
Making an offer
•
Approval to make an offer
If the form you are looking for is not on this list
, contact P&P via Awhina.
Approval for recruitment
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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1. The recruiting manager completes the approval spreadsheet (held by each department
head).
2. The recruiting manager gets approval from their 1-up manager.
3. The request for approval is passed up for approval at each management level until it is
ultimately approved by the appropriate ELT member. (For recruitment requests for salary
band 'G' and above, the request is also reviewed by Finance).
4. The ELT member approves the request for recruitment. Their EA advises the Recruitment
Team and the recruiting manager.
5. The recruitment procedes.
I need help or more information
Contact a talent acquisition consultant (this page lists consultants for your business unit).
You may also be interested in:
Guides:
•
Flexible working guide
•
Volunteers guide
Information about:
•
onboarding
•
developing my team
Our Charter feedback
Tell us what you think.
© Auckland Council / Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, all rights reserved.
Business Owner: People and Performance
Date published: 26/03/2018
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