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NATO RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Intensive HRM Training Day

Dr. Eric WelchHead, Talent Management and

Organizational DevelopmentNATO HQ

HR Vision

HR Mission

NATO International Staff attracts, retains and develops a diverse and flexible cadre of highly qualified staff who can adapt to and deliver on the evolving priorities of the Alliance.

To serve as a strategic business partner by providing efficient and effective HR leadership, expertise, products and results.

NATO IS Excellence

HR Leadership

Staff Diversity and

Culture

Efficiency and Planning

Leveraging Change

Recruit the Right Talents

Evolve Training & Development Programs

Align and Manage Performance

Create Flexible Employment Framework

Balance Retention and Rotation

Enable Internal Mobility

Increase Geographic Diversity

Advance Gender Balance

ClarifyEmployment Mix

Increase Employee Engagement

Clarify Manpower Targets and Priorities

Validate IS Grade Levels

Continue Vacancy Prioritization

Finalize NNHQ Support Staff Design

Identify New Ways of Working

Develop Training for NNHQ Transition

Prepare HR Business Processes for NNHQ

Right Peoplein the

Right Jobs

EasierHR Decisions

Engaged & Representative

Workforce

Valuefor

Money

BetterService Delivery

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Describe the profile

Identify the person

Train/ Develop the

person

Design the posts

Human Resource Management Process

Strategy and Requirements

Performance (Organizational and personal)

Recruitment

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Director HR

Policy and Strategy Coordination Staff Services

Management and Organizational

Support

RecruitmentTalent Management and Organizational

DevelopmentHR Advisers

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Recruitment Mission Statement

Attract, select and hire the best qualified candidates to ensure

proper staffing of the NATO International Staff permanent posts

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Recruitment Challenges

• Hire based on merit…• …combined with a need for fair geographical

distribution• Equity / transparency / integrity => “Public

Accountability”• Cultural differences - linguistic barriers• Very diverse profiles

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NATO’s Diversity Goals

Attract and retain a

talented and diverse NATO workforce

Create policies, directives, plans, programmes, and

services that meet the diverse needs of NATO’s

employees.

Identify and address diversity barriers within

NATO’s policies and programmes

Have a workforce that is

representative of the member Nations that are

employed at NATO

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NATO’s Value Statement and Diversity Definition

NATO’s Diversity Value Statement: NATO is committed to providing equal access to employment, advancement and retention in the Organization.

Diversity Defined: the key elements that make us individuals, and thus different (i.e., gender, age, nationality, race, religion, cultural background, sexual orientation).

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2013 Diversity Situation: Gender

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Challenges and Parameters

• CURRENT HIRING PARAMETERS:• Merit-based recruitment process• No agreement among Nations for targets or quotas• For Senior Positions (A6-A7, and U1-U4), Nations invited to forward

candidates

• CHALLENGES:• Nations expect gender and geographical diversity• Internal and External perceptions of NATO that are difficult to

overcome:– Only for Military or applicants with Military Experience– Old Boys’ Club– No Work/Life Balance

• Budgetary Constraints• Branding: HR mechanisms and tools not the same NATO-Wide

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HR Strategy 2013/ Diversity Action Plan

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• Work-Life Balance– Flexitime, Tele-working– Part-time work– Parental Leave

• Other Policies, Programs and Initiatives– Mentoring/ Coaching– Women’s Professional Network– Hiring and Sourcing: Recruitment mechanism and tools that

attempt to remove barriers for women and nations with a lower presence

– Internship Programme– Horizontal Mobility

Diversity Initiatives

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Recruitment Workflow Overview

A three-phase process:• Advertisement

– Describe job reality– Advertise job on relevant recruitment channels

• Selection– Shortlist candidates– Select candidates (tests/phone screen/interview/assessment

center/group exercise)• On boarding

– Nomination process– Completion of security and medical file– Offer process

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1 - Advertisement

• Advertised for 4-8 weeks• NATO internet and intranet• Job boards, press, specialized media for some• Social media for some

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1 - Advertisement

• Structure of a vacancy notice:– Job information (location, pay grade)– Summary of job – Essential and Desirable Qualifications and

Experience– Main Accountabilities– Interrelationships– Competencies– Contract clause– Details on how to apply

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2 - Selection

• The steps:– Prescreen by HR based on essential qualifications– Long/Shortlist provided by Division– Selection tools applied– Panel report written– Selection approved– Nomination letter sent to candidate and

Delegation

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2 - Selection

• Application form negative elements– Wrong or multiple vacancy numbers– Incomplete fields: not answering questions– “Please see CV”– Unknown acronyms– Too much (unrelated) content– References– Unprofessional writing: e.g., ;-)

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2 - Selection

• Application form positive elements

– Complete– Relevant history– Meets all requirements– Key questions/challenges

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2 – Selection tools

• Prescreening questions• Written test (online/onsite)• Phone Screening• Language test• Psychometric testing• Competency based interview panel• Group exercise• Presentation/briefing• Assessment Center

These can be either informative or multiple-hurdles

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2 - Selection Process

Pre-screening Screening by division Online testing Telephone

interviews Psychometric testingCompetency based panel interviews

Panel discussion and

decision

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“On boarding is the process of acquiring, accommodating,

assimilating and accelerating new team members, whether they come

from inside or outside the Organisation”

From “How To Get Your Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time” – G. Bradt & M. Vonnegut(John Wiley & Sons, 2009)

3 - Onboarding

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3 - Onboarding

The steps:• Nomination letter sent to candidate• Security clearance• Medical clearance• Offer letter sent to candidate• Offer accepted and start date confirmed

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Current Projects

• Improve quality: Selection Improvement Programme (SIP)

• Support non/under-represented Nations• Reduce time/cost to hire• Social media• Shared services• Develop a Selection Best Practices Community

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Selection Improvement Programme (SIP) – 1/2

• Some candidates interviewed on the basis of paper application only are found unqualified

• Waste of time, money and productivity• Introduction of “Long-lists” leading to “Short-

lists”, coupled with the use of more filtering tools

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Selection Improvement Programme (SIP) – 2/2

• Measures for better filtering include:– Structured phone screening– Structured reference checking– Selective (online) testing– Psychometric testing

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Steps to take

Applicant pool

LongList(max. 15)

ShortList(max.5)

Better/more filtering tools

Better initial screeningBetter/more filtering tools

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Support to Delegations

• Launched in 2010• Developed in the context of the HR Strategy

work to improve national balance in the IS• “Coach newer members on IS selection

criteria and processes” – Report on HR strategy

• Collective phase rolled out to all in 2010; small-group and individual phases rolled out over the next years

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Support to Delegations: 3 Phases

• PHASE 1: 1-day presentation on recruitment and selection process to all delegations

• PHASE 2: 3 workshops on recruitment and selection practices to 5 Nations

• PHASE 3: Customized individual approach based on the expressed needs of the 5 Nations

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Eric Welch, Ph.D.North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Welch.eric@hq.nato.int+32 (0)2 707 3750

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Use and predictive validity of selection tools

Source: “How to get the best out of your selection process”, Etienne Van Keer, Jeroen Bogaert, Hudson, 2011

ME

Objectives: I will set them with my manager

Mid-term: we will review progress

Annually: I will be evaluated on my work and on ….

My Competencies

And if I want OR I need, I can further develop my Competencies………….

Competenciestraining

NATO’s Objectives & Needs

My Post Description

My Languages

My ITBecause of

different job families and work levels

Language Courses

IT Training

NATO Executive Development Programme

Pre-deployment training

ManagementDevelopment Programme

Senior Circle

Leadership Journey

My Result Areas

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PHASE 1

1-day workshop on recruitment and selection in the IS, including:

– Overview of the process– Vacancy notices– Application form– Assessment centres– Role of the delegation

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PHASE 2

1. Participation in a 1-day training on interviewing skills

2. Observation of a mock recruitment panel, including explanation on key milestones of our process

3. Conversation with a panel of newly hired IS staff on their experience/success

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PHASE 3

Individually customised programme to be developed with the nation, including activities such as:– Press/internet communication about NATO

opportunities and recruitment– Training opportunities for national POCs– Roadshow in capitals– Feedback/trends on national candidates’

performance

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Contract Policy

Contract Policy:• Specialist posts:

– Project (Definite – Length of project)– Technical (Definite – 6 years)– Political (Definite – 6 years)– Short-term assignment (Definite – 2 years)

• Generalist posts:– L, B or C grade (Initial – 3 + Indefinite)– A grade (Definite – 6 years + Indefinite)– Young Professional (Definite – 6 years)

• Secondee posts (Definite – 6 years)

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Key Indicators

11,000 applications

535 tests

400 interviews

116posts

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Recruitment Workflow

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Selection

On-boarding