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Last updated: 9 August 2007
Better, Faster: streamlining recruitment in the APS
Message from the Commissioner
In some segments of the labour market, potential employees can afford to be choosy. The high demand for their skills an d experience puts them in the position to decide which organisations they want to work for.
There are a range of factors that influence an individual’s decision about where they want to work. To our credit, the APS out-performs the private sector in a number of these areas and many agencies are effectively using this advantage to promote the APS as a great place to work. We let ourselves down however, with unnecessarily slow and cumbersome recruitment processes that ultimately fail to deliver results.
High quality candidates will not, nor should they be expected to, wait for three months or more while a recruitment exercise drags on. We need streamlined, well-organised processes that are timely and efficient.
There is nothing in the legislation to suggest that a recruitment process has to be slow in order to meet the requirement of merit. It is also true that a fast process, which delivers poor results, is no solution to current workforce challenges.
This booklet, aimed at HR practitioners, encourages and provides a tool for the focused evaluation of agency recruitment processes. It:
- reinforces the argument for redesigning recruitment processes within agencies (Section 1)
- provides a straightforward methodology for process mapping agency recruitment processes with a view to designing a more efficient process (Section 2) shares tips, better practice from APS agencies and support resources (Section 3)
- supports the redesign process by presenting a diagnostic tool aimed at generating discussion on issues and solutions (Appendix).
Every agency has specific needs from its recruitment processes. The approach described in this booklet can be used for individual or bulk recruitment processes to accurately analyse, diagnose, define and implement meaningful enhancements to recruitment in any agency—large or small. However, reducing the time it takes to fill vacancies with high quality employees requires more than just changing the process, it must be backed by a commitment from line managers and HR practitioners to make recruitment a priority.
Competition for good staff has never been more critical. The time is right: there has never been a better time to implement this change.
Lynelle Briggs
Australian Public Service Commissioner
