Recruitment and selection toolkit. Guide to recruitment advertising

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1 Recruitment and selection toolkit Guide to recruitment advertising

2 Contents 2 1 Introduction Purpose of the guide 3 2 Drafting the advert Roles & responsibilities 4 Advert content 4-6 ERNITY & ADOPTI 3 Attracting applicants Advertising options 7-14

3 1 Introduction 3 Purpose of the guide We have developed this guide to work alongside the information in Section 2 Recruitment Advertising of the recruitment and selection toolkit. In the toolkit, you ll find out about all the steps you have to take before you place your advert. The purpose of this guide is to look specifically at the advert to make sure you understand what your responsibilities are in preparing it, drafting it, and deciding where best to use it. The guides and policies shown below are available from the index of the recruitment and selection toolkit. Related links and guides Recruitment and selection toolkit Guide to Recruitment and Disability Guide to Equalities and Employment Law Related policies Equal opportunities policy Employment of disabled persons policy Political Restrictions Policy

4 2 Drafting the advert 4 Roles and responsibilities The Recruitment Team, PR and Marketing Team, and you as the recruiting manager, will be involved in creating and placing the advert for your vacancy. The table below shows your and the teams responsibilities. These are covered in more detail in this guide. Responsibilities You (recruiting manager) SSC Recruitment Team PR and Marketing Team Preparing the content of the advert. Deciding where to place the advert. Filling in the details on RS Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form. Confirming extra information for the application pack. Making sure the deadline on the advertising timetable is met. Processing the RS Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form. Working with the PR and Marketing Team to place the advert in the relevant press. Making sure the vacancy is listed on the service critical list. Making sure the content of the advert meets current laws. Making sure adverts meet our corporate standard. Providing advice on publication dates and the best possible methods of recruitment. Placing the advert in the relevant press. Content of the advert The advert is vital to the success of your recruitment and selection exercise. It has to: grab the potential applicants attention and get them interested in the vacancy; quickly and clearly give a summary of the main aspects of the vacancy, where it s based, the hours of work, and the associated pay and benefits; encourage interest in the vacancy by helping potential applicants to see themselves doing the job; and sell the vacancy to potential applicants and make them apply. show details of any political restrictions on the post under The Local Government and Housing Act (1989); advise if the post holder needs to be Disclosure checked. All of our adverts follow a standard format. The SSC Recruitment Team will take the following information from your RS Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form and include it in the advert. The name of the service The salary, including non-core payments Whether the post is full-time or part-time

5 2 Drafting the advert 5 The hours of work Whether the post is temporary (and, if so, how long it is for) Where the post is based Restrictions on the vacancy (for example, if the person needs to hold a driving licence to apply). They ll also give the post a reference number and include this, the closing date and details of how to apply. The SSC work with the PR and Marketing Team, who make sure that all our adverts look the same and that they include: our crest; details of our vacancies website ( and where to get other information to help them apply; confirmation that we are an Equal Opportunities Employer and a member of the Double Tick Initiative (this is included in more detail in Part 3 Selection Principles of the recruitment and selection toolkit); confirmation that our information is available in other formats; and confirmation that we promote flexible working. What you have to do is create the text which will be included in the advert. This needs to sell the vacancy to potential applicants and encourage them to apply. However, it also has to: be tailored to attract the appropriate applicants; be clear, brief and easy to understand; avoid discriminating against anyone, and not use language which is specific to a person s sex or culture; and not include statements or language which indirectly refer to age or age limits (for example, asking for 10 years experience, or stating mature, young, or 25 to 35 years of age ), as this could break the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations To help you prepare your text, it might be useful to look at current adverts on our recruitment web page. The SSC may also be able to provide you with examples for similar posts. When you have done this, consider the following questions and make a note of your responses. What exactly is the job? Make a short note of what the job actually is and what it involves. For example, what will this person do? Will they have management responsibility? What projects will they be involved in? What skills, knowledge, qualifications and competencies does the person need to do the job? Refer to the person specification and make a note of both the essential and the desirable requirements. What type of person would fit the post? It s useful to build up a picture in your mind of the sort of person you would be looking for. Refer to the person specification and competency descriptions, which will give details of the experience the person should have, the types of behaviour they should display, and what you would you want them to bring to the role.

6 2 Drafting the advert 6 Use the information you have noted to help you prepare a short paragraph to describe the vacancy (try not to use more than 50 words). When you re doing this, don t overwrite some examples are shown in the table below. Don t write The successful post-holder would be Would be advantageous Current, clean driving licence essential or desirable The main duties of the post will be Write You will Advantageous Driving licence Duties include Other things to consider Don t include the job title in your text it s already in the advert title. Don t include Glasgow City Council in your advert text it s on the overall advert. Say you will rather than you should when you are explaining the essential criteria leave you should for the desirable criteria (if you have room). Make it sound appealing to the potential applicants. Write as if you re speaking to the potential applicants think of the things that would make them want to apply and include these. Avoid using jargon or abbreviations although you know the job inside out, potential applicants won t. It may take a few attempts to perfect your advert. When you ve finished, read it, consider the points above and make changes if necessary. Getting another panel member or a member of the team who s currently doing the job (if possible) to review it is also a useful way to find out if it s hitting the mark.

7 7 Advertising options The most common way to attract applications is through our recruitment web page and newspapers and professional journals. There are, however, many things which will affect where you choose to place your advert or how you attract applications, including the following. The potential applicant (or applicants) o Where will they look for employment? o Will you reach a full range of applicants, taking into account the varied population of the local area and Glasgow? The job o Would the applicant need professional qualifications or are there professional industry magazines where potential applicants would look for work? o Would colleges or universities be suitable routes? The number of vacancies o If you have a number of vacancies at a variety of levels but which all involve similar skills, would a recruitment fair be an option? Our equality aims o How to increase the number of black and ethnic-minority employees o How to attract women to traditionally male-dominated jobs, and vice versa o Flexible-working arrangements While newspapers, professional journals and our recruitment web page are our most effective methods of attracting people, you do have other options. Over the next few pages, there is a summary of each, including the benefits and disadvantages, and information on what you would do if you chose any of them.

8 8 Advertising options Option Our recruitment web page at Summary This is available to everyone who has access to the internet. On the home page of our website, there is a clear link to the vacancies web page. Advantages Makes every stage of the recruitment and selection process quicker and more efficient. Low-cost option in terms of postage and printing. Advertises vacancies to a wide range of potential candidates. Suitable for a wide range of posts. Attracts a high number of applications. Links from other vacancies websites (for example, S1jobs.com). Available on any computer that has internet access. Promotes and markets the council as an employer and gives candidates extra information (for example, benefits, the structure and culture of our organisation and so on) before they apply. Disadvantages Not everyone has access to the internet. Not everyone trusts, or has confidence in, the internet. When to use this option Good option for most vacancies. However, it may be more suited to office-based vacancies rather than outdoor vacancies. It is also proven to be more effective with full-time vacancies rather than part-time vacancies. How Selection option on the Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form Option Our vacancy bulletin board on Connect Summary This is available to everyone who has access to the intranet pages called Connect. An link with any updated vacancies is sent each week to all users. Access is available on Connect through Working for us and the vacancy bulletin board. All teaching vacancies are only available on the internet vacancy pages. Advantages Makes every stage of the recruitment and selection process quicker and more efficient. Low-cost option as opposed to the cost of outside advertising. Advertises vacancies to all employees who have access to a PC. Can be printed out and displayed on noticeboards for employees who do not have access to a PC. Suitable for a wide range of posts.

9 9 Can reach a wide audience of internal candidates. Marketed as the place to view all council vacancies for employees Disadvantages Not everyone has access to the intranet and would have to rely on the team leader or manager printing this out. When to use this option All vacancies should be placed here first. However, it may be more suited to office-based vacancies rather than outdoor vacancies. How Selecting the internal advertising option on the Recruit 1 Authority to Recruit Form will make sure your advert is placed on the vacancy bulletin board. Option City Insider Summary The City Insider magazine is sent out to all staff (over 36,000 people), whether they are full-time, part-time, permanent or temporary. Advantages All employees have an awareness of the vacancies and opportunities available in the council. Open to all employees at the same time. Suitable for most vacancies within the council. All employees are familiar with the magazine. Cheap to produce. Disadvantages Employees who are on leave could miss out on a vacancy. Adverts are quite small and may be easy to overlook. Is limited to council employees only. When to use All vacancies advertised in the City Insider are also placed on our recruitment web page. How Selection option on Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form

10 10 Option Newspapers Overview Local and regional newspapers are an effective way of advertising vacancies. Specific papers have particular days in which all their vacancies are advertised, and so attract a wide range of people. As a result, they are a popular and simple method of looking for employment. Advantages Attract a wide range of people. Suitable for most types of vacancies. Promote our corporate image and brand. Attract potential candidates who might have only been browsing. Creates an awareness of our organisation and the opportunities available. Disadvantages Expensive. Limited space for adverts. Tight deadlines for advertising schedules. When to use How Good option for most vacancies, particularly when we expect a lack of interest from the recruitment web page on the internet. Different vacancies are suited to different newspapers, so it is important to choose the appropriate newspaper (for example, part-time posts are mostly suited to local newspapers, professional posts to The Herald and clerical posts and outdoor posts to The Daily Record or the Evening Times). The PR and Marketing Team will be able to tell you what is most appropriate for your job. Selection option on Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form

11 11 Option Specialist or professional journals Summary Professional journals are magazines that relate to particular professions. They contain up-to-date articles and updates that are usually of interest to a member within that profession. There is normally a subscription fee to pay and they are usually sent out each month. Advantages Have a target audience. Effective at filling professional vacancies. Attract high-quality candidates, as only people within that profession will apply. Promotes Glasgow City Council as a professional employer. Means vacancies can be advertised across the whole country. Disadvantages Expensive. The advertising schedule could delay the process. Limited range of candidates. Could exclude potential candidates who have relevant skills and experience. When to use Good option for professional or specialist vacancies, particularly where you know there is a skills shortage within the sector. However, the number of applications may be low. How Selection option and provide details on Recruit 1 Authority To Recruit Form Option Schools, colleges and universities Summary This method of advertising may be more appropriate for training programmes or graduate programmes. Advantages Low-cost advertising. Has a target audience. Attracts a wide and varied range of people. Potentially high quality of applications. Appropriate for training schemes or graduate training programmes. Disadvantages Does not include the wider community. Candidates can lack work experience. When to use Useful when filling professional vacancies where an apprenticeship or work experience is needed when the person finishes their degree. How Speak to your Service HR Team, who will be able to provide further guidance and help.

12 12 Option Jobcentre Plus Summary Jobcentre Plus is a free service, designed to help the recruitment and selection process run smoothly. Access to Jobcentres is local, while vacancies are advertised nationally. We have signed up to working in partnership with the Jobcentres to open up opportunities for people who, for whatever reason, have not yet been able to take advantage of employment opportunities. Advantages Can deal with vacancies that are temporary or permanent, full-time or part-time. Can attract a wide range of applications and provide the right people, when necessary, to match the vacancy. Display vacancies on their website, on touch-screen systems and through the telephone service. Can provide a local contact to work in partnership to help fill vacancies, providing local information about people who are available. Can help, if necessary, with the recruitment and selection process. Can help people fill in their application forms, if necessary. Provide help to people who have a disability or literacy (reading and writing) problem. Is a free service, so we do not have to pay any extra costs. Can offer work trials through the local employment partnership agreement. Can offer opportunities for people taking part in the New Deal scheme. Disadvantages Might not attract a wide enough range of applications. Not suitable for more specialist or professional vacancies. When to use Used for all vacancies under the local employment partnership agreement to attract a specific range of applications. How Speak to your Service HR Team, who will be able to provide further guidance and help.

13 13 Option Recruitment fair Summary Local recruitment and career fairs can attract a high number and quality of potential applications. They usually attract people who are looking for employment, either within a specific organisation or a chosen field of employment. Advantages Attracts people who are actively looking for jobs. Promotes Glasgow City Council as an employer. Can provide advice and guidance to people face-to-face. Can be used for specific posts which can be difficult to fill, or where there is a need to fill a large number of posts. Disadvantages The fair may be held when we have very few suitable vacancies. Vacancies might not be appropriate to a particular fair. Could be difficult to assess the fair s effectiveness. Representatives need to be present during the fair, which could take up a lot of our staff s time. Can be expensive if we are organising the fair. When to use Would normally be used alongside another method and to support a specific recruitment campaign to attract people with specific skills. How Speak to your Service HR Team, who will be able to provide further guidance and help.

14 14 Option Positive action schemes Summary Positive action is used to help create a varied workforce. Advantages Promotes us as an equal-opportunities employer. Helps us achieve our main aims. Widens the range of applications we receive. Disadvantages Does not include the wider community. Can be difficult to assess the scheme s effectiveness. When to use When you have identified that a specific group of the community is under-represented within your workforce. How Refer to our positive action framework for help. Speak to your Service HR Team, who will be able to provide further guidance and help. Option Radio and other media Overview Radio and other media is a useful method of attracting applications for employment from the under-represented groups within the workforce. Advantages Targets a specific audience. Is a way of advertising the broad range of roles available within the council. Promotes us as an equal-opportunities employer. Attracts people who are not necessarily looking for employment within the council. Disadvantages Limited range of applications. Timing different initiatives can be difficult. When to use Would normally be used alongside other recruitment methods. How Speak to your Service HR Team, who will be able to provide further guidance and help.

PROTOCOL Recruitment and Selection of Police Staff. Number: C 0501 Date Published: 15 January 2015

PROTOCOL Recruitment and Selection of Police Staff. Number: C 0501 Date Published: 15 January 2015 1.0 Summary of Changes This protocol has been amended within section 2.0 to state that Essex Police are committed, with partners, to protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults, and to give