Recruitment & Selection Policy

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION

Recruitment & Selection Policy

November 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. POLICY OBJECTIVE...... 4

2. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY...... 4

3. RESPONSIBILITIES...... 4

4. TIMETABLE…………………………………………………………………………………...…5

Pre_Advert Checklist for Managers...... 6

5. BEFORE THE VACANCY IS ADVERTISED......

5.1 Reviewing or Drafting the Job Description......

JOB DESCRIPTION TEMPLATE...... 8

PERSON SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE...... 10

5.2 Job Evaluation (If Required) / Setting The Salary......

5.3 Allowances ......

5.4 Job Share ......

5.5 Disclosure / ISA check......

6. ADVERTISING THE VACANCY......

ADVERT TEMPLATE......

7. Using Specialist Recruitment Agencies...... 14

8. INFORMATION TO AND FROM APPLICANTS......

9. COUNCILLOR INVOLVEMENT......

10. SHORTLISTING......

PERSON SPECIFICATION SHORTLISTING FORM TEMPLATE......

11. TAKING UP OF REFERENCES......

12. INTERVIEWING AND SELECTION TESTS......

12.1 Composition of Selection Panel......

12.2 Information to be sent to Candidates......

12.3 Interview Questions......

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS RESPONSE TEMPLATE......

12.4 Pre-Interview Meeting......

12.5 Selection Tests......

PRESENTATION ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE......

13. AFTER THE INTERVIEW......

13.1 Selection Panel Decision......

RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UK………………………………………………………………23

INTERVIEW RESULTS FORM...... 24

INTERVIEW CHECKLIST ………………………………………………………………...….25

13.2 Notification to Successful and Unsuccessful Applicants...... 26

13.3 Offer Of Employment /Contract Of Employment / Start Date......

13.4 Standard Pre Employment Checks to be made ...... 27

13.5 Enhanced Pre Employment Checks to be made ......

13.6 Summary Monitoring Information...... 27

14. APPOINTMENT OF TEMPORARY STAFF......

15. APPOINTMENT OF SPORTS COACHES......

16. USE OF AGENCY STAFF......

FLOW CHART

1. POLICY OBJECTIVE

It is the policy of North Devon Council that all appointments are made on the basis of merit and that no applicant will be discriminated against on any ground to enable the Council to deliver the highest quality of service to meet the needs of its public. The following procedures are intended as a guideline to aid this process. Therefore this procedure, through the establishment of particular rules and practices, is designed to ensure the effective recruitment of the best people into the right jobs as well as eliminating unlawful discrimination in our employment and staffing practices.

Much of what is laid down in this procedure also has the force of law, but whether or not this is so, all employees should be aware that the procedure is North Devon Council policy and has the endorsement of the Councillors and Chief Officers.

This procedure aims to provide everyone in the Council with a framework within which to fit employment and staffing practices relating to the recruitment and appointment of employees from job description and advertising through to selection.

Functions of Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer will be exempt from this procedure as they are designated by Council.

2. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

The principle of Equal Opportunity should underpin every aspect of recruitment and selection.

TheCouncil believes in valuing diversity. It recognises the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to equal opportunities. This means that we welcome and encourage applications from every sector within the local and wider community.

The Council fully recognises that its practices have to accord with the requirements of a range of legislation and that discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation is unlawful.

The Council also considers other types of discrimination (which are not unlawful) to be equally unacceptable e.g.: political beliefs, membership or non-membership of an organisation, trade union activities, nationality or caring responsibilities.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

For each recruitment and selection process the responsible person will be designated as the Chairperson to ensure that any appointment is made in accordance with the procedures detailed in this Policy. Appointment of all officers below Deputy Chief Officer (other than Assistants to political groups and an Assistant to Mayor) is the responsibility of the Head of Paid Service or his or her nominee and may not be made by Councillors.

In the case of the Chief Executive, the Council will:

(a)draw up a statement specifying:

(i) the duties of the Officer concerned; and

(ii)any qualifications or qualities to be sought in the person to be appointed; and

(b)make arrangements for the post to be advertised in such a way as is likely to bring it to the attention of persons who are qualified to apply for it; and

(c)make arrangements for a copy of the statement mentioned in paragraph (a) to be sent to any person on request.

Prior to any appointment of a Head of Paid Service, the approval of Full Council must have first been obtained. When deciding whether to make such an appointment, Full Council may consider recommendations made to them by:

(a)a duly authorised Committee or Sub-Committee provided the same contains at least one Member of the Executive;

(b)a duly authorised Officer; and/or

(c)such other external person or body as the Council may from time to time appoint for the purposes of making such recommendations.

An offer of appointment shall not be made unless:

(a)there is no relevant objection as provided for in Standing Order 33 Appointment and Dismissal of Officers; or

(b)the Appointer (as provided for in Standing Order 33 Appointment and Dismissal of Officers) is satisfied that any objection received is not material or is not well founded.

The Chief Executive shall appoint Chief Officers, Heads Of Service and Business Managers as appropriate following a selection process, which at the discretion of the Chief Executive may involve any Members(s) who are considered appropriate including at least one Member of the Executive.

An offer of appointment shall not be made unless:

(a)there is no relevant objection as provided for in Standing Order 33 Appointment and Dismissal of Officers; or

(b)the Appointer (as provided for in Standing Order 33 Appointment and Dismissal of Officers) is satisfied that any objection received is not material or is not well founded.

In the case of recruitment for a Head of Service, an appropriate Chief Officer will be designated as the Chairperson.

In all other cases the relevant Head of Service, Business Manager or Service Manager will be designated as the Chairperson, they can however delegate this responsibility to a line manager in the Service area.

The Chairperson will then chair the selection process. No one may take this role unless they have previously attended a staff selection course, unless by prior agreement with the Head of Human Resources.

Overall responsibility for staff appointment procedures throughout the Council rests with the Head of Human Resources.

4. TIMETABLE

Giving proper thought to all aspects of the Recruitment & Selection process at an early stage will ensure that it runs as smoothly as possible. You will need to complete the pre-advert checklist.

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Pre-Advert Checklist for Managers

Yes / No
Are the Job Description and Person Spec up to date and on the correct template? (If post is not on new template then it will need to go to a Job Evaluation before we can proceed any further)
Has a business case been approved by SMT?
Has a realistic recruitment timetable been agreed with HR?
(Under our references policy we try to obtain references before interview so there must be sufficient time allowed between short listing and interviewing)
Have you returned the Recruitment and Selection Risk Assessment form (Appendix 2 from the CRB Disclosure & ISA Checks Policy & Guidance)
Does this post attract a relocation package?
Is this post politically restricted?
Please contact HR for further guidance.
Car user status
Essential car user
Casual car user
Not a car user
Signed / Dated

This timetable should ensure that adequate time is allowed between each deadline for the necessary work to be done and that it is clear who is responsible for each part of the process.

The timetable should cover each of the following stages in detail:

• Before the Vacancy is Advertised

–Business case

–Job Description / Person Spec

–Job Evaluation

–Allowances

–Job Share

–Disclosure

–Independent Safeguarding Authority Check (ISA)

• Advertising the Vacancy
• Information to and from Applicants
• Councillor Involvement (if appropriate i.e. for Head of Service posts and above)
• Short-listing
• Taking up of References
• Interviewing and Selection Tests
• Document checks – Right to Work in the UK and Qualifications
• After the Interviews

5. BEFORE THE VACANCY IS ADVERTISED

Before the post is advertised the Head of Service, Business Manager or Service Manager must consider if the work can be delivered in a more cost effective way. This may include a temporary secondment to fill a maternity cover, or increasing part time employees’ hours doing the same job, or sharing services.

If this cannot be done, then a business case (business case form can be found on the HR Recruitment page on Insite) must be submitted to Senior Management Team (SMT) for approval. Before approving the business case SMT will seek advice from Head of Human Resources and our Chief Accountant to ensure that budget is available.

Once approval has been granted, the following steps should be undertaken:

5.1 Reviewing or Drafting the Job Description

Generally speaking the line manager should draft the Job Description for approval by the relevant Head of Service / Business Manager. Human Resources will then be responsible for arranging a job evaluation (if required). A Job Evaluation Panel normally consists a manager, a union representative and a member of the HR team.

To ensure consistency and aid job evaluation all North Devon Council Job Descriptions should be accurate, detailed and follow a set format as detailed below. For guidance notes on drafting Job Descriptions please see Insite HR policies / procedure & local agreements.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

POST TITLE:
POST NO: / SERVICE UNIT:
JOB PURPOSE:
POSITION IN ORGANISATION:
Number Directly Supervised: Staff: 0 Manual: 0
Immediate Superior (post title):
POST CLASSIFICATION (tick one box):
Director in Charge / Exec. Director / Head Major Division / Senior Managem’t / Middle Managem’t / Junior Managem’t / Supervising Small Section / No Supervisory Responsibility

MAIN DUTIES (briefly summarise principal duties. Do not list every task):
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Minimum Time on Job:
PROBLEM SOLVING, COMPLEXITY AND USE OF INITIATIVE:
DECISIONS, LEVEL OF ADVICE AND IMPACT:
OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY:
WORKING CONDITIONS:
COMMUNICATION: (INTERNAL % EXTERNAL %)
Officer's Signature ...... ……………...... …....…...... …...... …...... Date ...... ….....…......
Supervising Officer's Signature ...... ……………..…...... …...... Date ...... …..…......
Business Unit Manager's Signature ...... …...... …...... Date ...... ……...... …......

Post Last Evaluated:

PERSON SPECIFICATION

BUSINESS UNIT: / POST TITLE:
THE EMPLOYEE / ESSENTIAL / DESIRABLE
HEALTH & PHYSICAL MAKE UP:
EDUCATION & TRAINING:
WORKS EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:
CHARACTER:
CIRCUMSTANCES:

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5.2 Job Evaluation (If Required) / Setting The Salary

If the Job Description is unchanged and the job description is on the new template as detailed above, the existing Job Evaluation result should be used.

However, Job Evaluation will be required if the Job Description is for a new post or for an existing post where key responsibilities have changed or if the Job descriptionis still on the old template. If Job Evaluation is required, a Job Evaluation Panel will be arranged upon request to the Head of Human Resources.

5.3 Allowances

Before the post is advertised the Business Manager should discuss with Human Resources the entitlement the post has (if any) to any allowances.

5.4 Job Share

Whilst many posts in the Council are suitable for Job Share, some are not. So, before the post is advertised, the Head of Service / relevant Business Manager must decide whether the post could be filled on a Job Share basis, or not. Full details of the issues to consider are detailed in the Council’s Job Share Policy.

5.5 Disclosure/Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) Check

Human Resources will ask the Head of Service, Business Manager or Service Manager to complete a risk assessment form (Appendix 2 from the CRB Disclosure & ISA Checks Policy & Guidance) to establish whether or not a Disclosure or an ISA check is required to be sought as part of the recruitment and selection process and, if it is, whether this should be a Standard or Enhanced level one.

6. ADVERTISING THE VACANCY

All posts will generally be advertised internally and externally unless:

1. The Council is operating a policy of vacancy management (which could happen in periods of budgetary restriction or pending or during a Unit- or Council-wide restructure).
2. Where the post is highly specialised to a particular Service Unit.

1. Where redeployment is required for a particular member of staff on medical grounds to avoid dismissal.

In instance 2 above it is acceptable to invite applications for the post from only a small number of staff who are given prior consideration for it.

In instance 3 above it is acceptable to invite an application from just the member of staff requiring redeployment on medical grounds who is given prior consideration for it, provided a suitable skills set is in place

Where an individual is, or a particular group of staff are, in a redundancy situation, section 10.3 of the Redundancy & Redeployment Policy will apply i.e. there will be occasions where a vacancy arises and it is possible to place the employee to be made redundant into this post.

In the context of organisational change however, there will also be occasions where a vacancy arises at a lesser grade, and there are known to be other employees (not in a Redundancy situation) but who nevertheless, have equivalent skills and aptitude who may well be interested in being appointed to the same vacancy.

In this latter case, the vacancy will be advertised on an internal basis and the employee who is to be made redundant will be guaranteed an interview. However for any candidates not in a redundancy situation there is no right to a guaranteed interview decisions will be based on formal short-listing against the person specification.

Please note that, if a post is to be advertised internally, only current NDC employees, and Agency Staff may apply (i.e. this excludes work placements).

Whenever a post is to be advertised externally, the vacancy will always be advertised in the Job Centre network. The responsible person should discuss with Human Resources whether the vacancy should also be placed in the Devon County Vacancies Bulletin, a local newspaper, a national newspaper or any professional journals.

Human Resources are responsible for placing all adverts in the national and local press. Senior Management Team will have approved the vacancies, the Chief Executive or an Executive Director will sign off the advert as a final authorisation. If an advert is being placed in a newspaper or professional journal, a proof copy should be obtained for checking prior to publication.

Adverts should be based on example format given on the following page:

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ADVERT TEMPLATE

Post Title

Hours per week

Salary

• Outline the essential components of the job.

• Include job location.

• Outline the most significant attributes and experience required of applicants.

• If the post could be filled on a job share basis this should also be clearly stated.
• If a CRB is required this must be identified on the advert.
• If post is Politically restricted this must be identified on the advert

In return we offer a supportive environment in an organisation accredited with IIP, flexible working hours, the opportunity of joining a final salary pension scheme and an optional childcare voucher scheme.

Closing Date:

Interview Date:

North Devon Council believes in valuing diversity. We recognise and actively promote the benefits of a diverse workforce and are committed to equal opportunities. This means that we welcome and encourage applications regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, belief or disability and from every sector within the local and wider community.

7.USING SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

On rare occasion where there are known skills shortages and proven by failed recruitment attempts it may be appropriate to use a specialist Recruitment agency to recruit. This can be quite costly so express approval of the section 151 officer must be sought prior to contacting an agency.

It is also important that the recruitment process as far as practicable follows NDC policy, there must be:

• an evaluated Job Description & Person Specification
• a Conditions of Service
• a completed Risk Assessment form to establish if a Disclosure is required
• Interview paperwork for audit purposes
• A conditional offer made subject to full pre employment checks

-right to work in the UK document

-declaration of criminal convictions

-qualifications

-disclosure if required

-ISA check

-references

-health assessment

8. INFORMATION TO AND FROM APPLICANTS

On request for job information each applicant should be sent a Recruitment information pack, which will include:

• A personal letter
• Copy of advert

• Conditions of Service

• The Job Description
• The Person Specification
• An Application Form and Equal Opportunity monitoring form
• Any specific information relating to the Business Unit or the Council if available

Our contact centre will normally receive telephone requests and send out our recruitment packs.

Completed Application Forms are returned toHuman Resourcesfor recording, Equal Opportunity monitoring and processing.

9. COUNCILLOR INVOLVEMENT

Politically balanced panels of Councillors are used for appointing the Chief Executive, Chief Officers and Deputy Chief Officers.

Councillors will not be involved in the recruitment and selection process for posts below Head of Service level.

10. SHORTLISTING

Ideally those applicants who fully meet all the essential criteria should be selected for interview. However in some instances non of the applicants will meet all the essential criteria and the manager will then have to decide if fewer than all the essential criteria is acceptable or not. Of the applicants remaining those who most closely to meet the criteria detailed in the Person Specification can be selected for interview or all of the applicants can be rejected at this stage.

Once the cut off point has been decided all applicants who score that number or above will need to be invited for interview.