Streamlining the Public Sector Recruitment Process

2014 SANTA CLARA COUNTY LEADERSHIP ACADEMYRob CampbellR.J. CitarelliDavid NylanderJennifer SchembriJudi TorricoJen Woodworth

What is the Challenge?

Public sector hiring can be laborious, time consuming, and bound by self- limiting structure.

Refining the public sector hiring process can help agencies be more competitive, and enticeotherwise reluctant talent to public service.

Research Methodology• Informational Interviews

City of San JoseTown of Los GatosSan Mateo CountyMidpeninsula Regional Open Space DistrictSanta Clara County Fire DepartmentMarvell Semiconductor

• Various literature review (Government organizations,

non-profits)

A Case Study

Are your current recruitment processes working in your best interest? Or are they potential barriers to candidates?

Recruitment need

identifiedDay 1

Vacancy advertised

Day 18

Advertising closed

Day 50

Shortlisting completed

Day 69

Selection process

undertakenDay 91

Verbal offer made

Day 128

New recruit withdrew

nameDay 156

Ideal Recruitment Timeline

Recruitment need

identifiedDay 1

Vacancy advertised

Day 10

Advertising closed

Day 24

Shortlisting completed

Day 25

Selection process

undertakenDay 30

Verbal offer made

Day 31

New recruit commences

Day 45

Typical Recruitment Timeline

Recruitment need

identifiedDay 1

Vacancy advertised

Day 12

Advertising closed

Day 26

Shortlisting completed

Day 32

Selection process

undertakenDay 45

Verbal offer made

Day 59

New recruit commences

Day 88

Case Study: Senior Systems Programmer

Examples of Streamlining

Universal Eligibility Lists/Position Based Hiring Problem: Universal eligibility lists promote

classification based hiring, where candidate may meet minimum qualifications but have no experience related to specific duties of the position

Resolution: Only use universal eligibility lists for classifications with consistent duties agency wide

“Cascade Hiring” Problem: Going through a

recruitment process for a position that is then filled by an internal candidate, means that another recruitment needs to occur

Resolution: Hire for multiple levels within a classification at the same time anticipating that the higher level will be filled with an internal promotion

Internal/Open Recruitments Problem: Limiting openings to internal

candidates doubles recruitment time if none are successful.

Resolution: Consider all recruitments as open to internal and external candidates to increase applicant pool, and reduce potential for duplicate processes.

Delays in the Recruitment Schedule Problem: Process delays commonly occur

due to conflicting demands of key participants

Resolution: Establish hard timeline and milestone dates prior to, and include in, the job announcement.

“Hire Ahead” Program

Problem: Recruitment is often initiated after departure of incumbent, despite prior knowledge of pending departure.

Resolution: Develop hire ahead program, including budgetary approval for overlap of departing and recruited personnel to allow the for smoother transition and knowledge transfer.

Other Options for Streamlining Succession Planning Internship Programs Mapping the Process

Tools for Use in Your Agency

Area of concern Key questions Tactics Stakeholders Priority

Broad strategy • Is the process running well—can it be improved?

Technology & systems • How can we leverage existing technology?

Performance measures • What key recruitment statistics do we collect? What are they telling us?

Planning • How much planning is undertaken at the beginning of each recruitment exercise?

Value proposition • How are we positioning ourselves in the marketplace?

Application process • How can we make the application process quick for candidates?

Selection team • How skilled are our managers at recruitment and selection?

Selection process • Is an interview always necessary?

Offers / acceptance • How frequently are job offers accepted/rejected?

Induction process • How effective is our induction process?

Conclusion:

Completely overhauling the Public Sector hiring process may seem daunting, but small incremental

changes could make all the difference

Discussion/Questions