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BSBHRM405

Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff

Learner Guide

Fotolia_6135219_S

BDBHRM405

Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 3

Unit of Competency 7

Performance Criteria 8

9

Foundation Skills 10

Assessment Requirements 11

Housekeeping Items 12

Objectives 12

1. Plan for recruitment 13

1.1 – Obtain approval to fill position, clarify time lines and requirement for appointment 14

Time lines 14

Activity 1A 16

1.2 – Assist in preparing job descriptions that accurately reflect the role requirements, according to organisational policies and procedures, legislation, codes, national standards and work health and safety (WHS) considerations 17

Selection criteria 17

Job descriptions 17

Legislation relating to human resources in Australia 20

Standards 21

Activity 1B 21

1.3 ‒ Consult with relevant personnel about job descriptions and workforce strategy 23

Workforce strategies 23

Activity 1C 25

1.4 ‒ Assist in ensuring that job descriptions comply with legislative requirements and reflect the organisation's requirements for a diverse workforce 26

Legislation 26

Privacy legislation 30

Activity 1D 31

1.5 ‒ Obtain approvals to advertise position 32

Activity 1E 34

2. Plan for selection 35

2.1 ‒ Choose appropriate channels and technology to advertise vacancies and/or identify potential talent pool 36

Channels and technology 36

Activity 2A 37

2.2 ‒ Advertise vacancies for staffing requirements according to organisational policies and procedures 38

Advertising vacancies 38

Advertising 39

Outsourcing 41

Successful advertisements 42

Activity 2B 44

2.3 ‒ Consult with relevant personnel to convene selection panel and to develop interview questions 45

Relevant personnel 45

Activity 2C 47

2.4 ‒ Assist in ensuring that interview questions comply with legislative requirements 47

Interview questions 48

Interview plan 49

Types of questions 50

The STAR Method 52

Questions to be avoided 53

Activity 2D 54

2.5 ‒ Assist in short-listing applicants 55

Resumes 56

Shortlisting Record 57

Activity 2E 58

2.6 ‒ Schedule interviews and advise relevant people of times, dates and venues 59

Scheduling interviews 59

Phone interview questions 60

Activity 2F 61

3. Support selection process 62

3.1 ‒ Participate in interview process and assess candidates against agreed selection criteria 63

The interview process 63

Stages of the interview 65

Activity 3A 66

3.2 – Discuss assessment with other selection panel members 66

Discussing assessments 67

Activity 3B 68

3.3 ‒ Correct any biases or deviations from agreed procedures and negotiate for preferred candidate 70

Correct biases 70

Consensus 71

Activity 3C 72

3.4 ‒ Contact referees for referee reports 73

References 73

Telephone calls 74

Activity 3D 75

3.5 – Prepare selection report and make recommendations to senior personnel for appointment 76

Selection Report 76

Purpose of a selection report 77

Feedback 78

Activity 3E 79

3.6 ‒ Advise unsuccessful candidates of outcomes and respond to any queries 80

Advising unsuccessful candidates 80

Activity 3F 81

3.7 ‒ Secure preferred candidate's agreement 83

Delays in the recruitment process 83

Activity 3G 86

3.8 ‒ Complete necessary documentation according to organisational procedures, observing confidentiality and privacy requirements 87

Documentation 87

Disposal of information 87

Activity 3H 89

4. Induct successful candidate 90

4.1 ‒ Provide successful candidate with employment contract and other documentation 91

Letter of offer 91

Employment contract 91

Leave entitlements 94

Activity 4A 95

4.2 ‒ Advise manager and work team of new appointment 96

4.3 ‒ Advise managers and staff of candidate's starting date and make necessary administrative arrangements for pay and employee record keeping 96

Advise managers and staff 96

Activity 4B 97

4.4 ‒ Arrange successful candidate’s induction according to organisational policy 98

Inductions 98

Induction checklist 99

The induction plan 100

The human resources life cycle 101

Activity 4C 102

Skills and Knowledge Activity 103

Major Activity – An opportunity to revise the unit 104

References 106

Legislation relating to human resources in Australia 106

Unit of Competency

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to execute tasks associated with the recruitment cycle and apply in-depth knowledge of the work of the organisation, and how recruitment and selection practices fit with other human resources functions.

This unit applies to individuals who support recruitment, selection and induction functions under the direction of a human resource manager.

No licensing, legislative, or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Unit Sector

Workforce Development – Human Resource Management

Performance Criteria

Element

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance Criteria

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Plan for recruitment

1.1 Obtain approval to fill position, clarify time lines and requirement for appointment

1.2 Assist in preparing job descriptions that accurately reflect the role requirements, according to organisational policies and procedures, legislation, codes, national standards and work health and safety (WHS) considerations

1.3 Consult with relevant personnel about job descriptions and workforce strategy

1.4 Assist in ensuring that job descriptions comply with legislative requirements and reflect the organisation's requirements for a diverse workforce

1.5 Obtain approvals to advertise position

2. Plan for selection

2.1 Choose appropriate channels and technology to advertise vacancies and/or identify potential talent pool

2.2 Advertise vacancies for staffing requirements according to organisational policies and procedures

2.3 Consult with relevant personnel to convene selection panel and develop interview questions

2.4 Assist in ensuring that interview questions comply with legislative requirements

2.5 Assist in short-listing applicants

2.6 Schedule interviews and advise relevant people of times, dates and venues

3. Support selection process

3.1 Participate in interview process and assess candidates against agreed selection criteria

3.2 Discuss assessment with other selection panel members

3.3 Correct biases and deviations from agreed procedures and negotiate for preferred candidate

3.4 Contact referees for referee reports

3.5 Prepare selection report and make recommendations to senior personnel for appointment

3.6 Advise unsuccessful candidates of outcomes and respond to any queries

3.7 Secure preferred candidate's agreement

3.8 Complete necessary documentation according to organisational procedures, observing confidentiality and privacy requirements

4. Induct successful candidate

4.1 Provide successful candidate with employment contract and other documentation

4.2 Advise manager and work team of new appointment

4.3 Advise managers and staff of candidate's starting date and make necessary administrative arrangements for pay and employee record keeping

4.4 Arrange successful candidate's induction according to organisational policy

Foundation Skills

This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the performance criteria that are required for competent performance.

Skill

Performance

Criteria

Description

Reading

1.2, 1.4, 2.4, 2.5

· Synthesises ideas, concepts and specific information from workplace and regulatory texts to inform development of workplace documents

· Evaluates information to make judgements

Writing

1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2.2, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 4.2, 4.3

· Produces a range of text types using specific information, workplace conventions and templates

Oral communication

1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2.3, 2.5, 3.1-3.5. 3.7

· Asks questions and listens carefully to gather, interpret or evaluate information

· Uses appropriate vocabulary to present ideas or persuasive arguments

Navigate the world of work

1.2, 1.4, 2.4, 3.3, 3.8, 4.1, 4.4

· Applies workplace protocols, legislation or regulations relevant to own responsibilities

Interact with others

1.3, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3

· Selects and uses appropriate conventions and protocols when communicating with personnel, candidates or referees

· Participates in conversations relevant to role responding, explaining, negotiating and persuading as required

Get the work done

2.1, 2.3, 2.6, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4

· Selects and uses digital technology to access, enter, store and retrieve information in accordance with security requirements

· Takes responsibility for planning and implementing tasks for efficient and effective outcomes

Assessment Requirements

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

· Prepare job descriptions

· Use job descriptions to support sourcing, selecting and appointing suitable staff

· Use different advertising channels to promote vacancies and/or establish a potential talent pool

· Consult with managers to gain approvals

· Develop selection criteria and interview questions in consultation with relevant personnel

· Schedule interviews and advise relevant people of times, dates and venues

· Participate in interviews and other selection techniques including assessing candidates against selection criteria to short list them

· Obtain referees' reports

· Prepare and distribute a selection report including feedback to give unsuccessful candidates

· Advise unsuccessful candidates of the results

· Secure preferred candidate’s agreement and provide an employment contract

· Advise other staff of the successful candidate and arrange induction

Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

· Identify documentation required for recruitment, selection and induction

· Explain human resources life cycle and the place of recruitment and selection

· Identify legislation relevant to recruitment, selection and induction of staff

· Describe channels and technology to advertise vacancies

· Explain a range of interviewing techniques and other selection processes and their application

Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the workforce development – human resource development field of work and include access to:

· Workplace policies and procedures

· Business technology

· Position descriptions

· Legislation, regulations, Codes and Standards relevant to staff recruitment, selection and induction

· Interaction with others

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Links

Companion volumes available from the IBSA website: http://www.ibsa.org.au/companion_volumes

Housekeeping Items

Your trainer will inform you of the following:

Where the toilets and fire exits are located, what the emergency procedures are and where the breakout and refreshment areas are.

Any rules, for example asking that all mobile phones are set to silent and of any security issues they need to be aware of.

What times the breaks will be held and what the smoking policy is.

That this is an interactive course and you should ask questions.

That to get the most out of this workshop, we must all work together, listen to each other, explore new ideas, and make mistakes. After all, that’s how we learn.

Ground rules for participation:

Smile

Support and encourage other participants

When someone is contributing everyone else is quiet

Be patient with others who may not be grasping the ideas

Be on time

Focus discussion on the topic

Speak to the trainer if you have any concerns

Objectives

Know how to plan for recruitment

Discover how to plan for selection

Understand how to support selection process

Learn how to induct successful candidate

Gain skills and knowledge required for this unit

1. Plan for recruitment

1.1. Obtain approval to fill position, clarify time lines and requirement for appointment

1.2. Assist in preparing job descriptions that accurately reflect the role requirements, according to organisational policies and procedures, legislation, codes, national standards and work health and safety (WHS) considerations

1.3. Consult with relevant personnel about job descriptions and workforce strategy

1.4. Assist in ensuring that job descriptions comply with legislative requirements and reflect the organisation's requirements for a diverse workforce

1.5. Obtain approvals to advertise position

1.1 – Obtain approval to fill position, clarify time lines and requirement for appointment

Time lines

Getting it wrong means employing the wrong person can have a negative impact on the morale and motivation of staff. This will also see your productivity decreasing and you having to answer questions about it.

Finding the correct person for the correct position with the correct skills, knowledge and experience can be a very laborious process if you do not understand how to recruit, select and induct staff. Choosing the incorrect applicant for a job can be very costly when you calculate the expense of advertising, outsourcing, arranging interviews, hiring, the induction process and then training the new employee for the position.

Training can take up to six months to complete. Imagine if you chose the incorrect member of staff who claims to have all of the experience and knowledge required, but does not. This would take a huge bite out of your budget.

As a manager, it is essential that you understand this process. If you presently work in a large organisation, you will probably benefit from a qualified Human Resource (HR) team. In other instances, a recruitment agency can assist you in narrowing down the applicants and aid with time management as you will only need to interview the shortlisted applicants.

HRSometimes the costs of outsourcing may not be recommended when there is a tight budget. In this instance, you may have no choice but to develop the job description, write an advertisement, interview, recruit and induct the staff. There may be no one else who can perform the task and you may be the best qualified person.

When developing time lines in regards to the recruitment process, it is essential that you start early. Recruitment can sometimes be a long, drawn out process, or it may be swift and finalised quickly. When you consider the time line, you need to consider the following:

Strategic goals and operational plans are a part of the role of a HR professional. HR staff are required to make projections as to when new recruits will be required. You may know that you have sufficient current staff, but what happens when your future needs start pressing you to employ new staff?

Skills and experience of the labour market – there are times in which you will need skilled staff. There are also times when you will come across labour shortages for your field. In these instances, demand for this type of skill may be high so you will be entering a competitive market. You may need more time to prepare to find a suitable candidate for a position. This means that the recruitment process may take longer, so you need to give yourself a longer time line.

From the time you identify the need to employ a new recruit or when a current employee resigns, you will usually need to go through the process of recruiting, selecting and inducting staff. External and internal pressures will impact on the time line so you should give yourself time to develop the recruitment process if you have not already done so.

Use the appointment of the staff member as a starting point for the ending of your timeline and calculate the time it will take to advertise, interview, recruit and induct staff. You may also need to put into consideration the notice period your prospective employee will need to serve in their current position.

This is an important factor to consider. Will the department requiring the prospective applicant need the applicant by the target date or are they prepared to allow the right applicant the time required to resign? This information is important because the answers will have a direct impact on the timeline that you create.

Another way in which you may be able to predict for the recruiting process is to check the organisation’s historical records to inspect the timeline for the role or to view a job similar in nature. This will give you a basic focus point in which to start.

When you are creating a time line, once an appointment date has been established, you should:

MTimeUse the current date and appointment and any relevant historical records as a starting point for the recruitment an applicant for the appointment

Take into consideration any feedback provided by appropriate parties that may influence the length of the variables within the timeline

With this information and using organisational policy and procedure, draw your time line.

Activity 1A

1.2 – Assist in preparing job descriptions that accurately reflect the role requirements, according to organisational policies and procedures, legislation, codes, national standards and work health and safety (WHS) considerations

In order to employ the appropriate personnel, you will need to determine what knowledge and skills they require. A job description can be used to assist you in determining the key responsibilities, objectives and tasks of a job. A person or job specification will tell you what skills, education and experience the proposed employee will need to actually perform their duties.

Fotolia_10056620_SMost job descriptions will include:

Selection criteria

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BSBHRM405 V3 24.01.19

· Job Title

· Job purpose

· Description

· Primary Duties

· Qualifications

· Experience

· Attributes

· Competencies required by staff

· Job or person specifications

· Expertise

· Necessary skills and knowledge

· Tasks or duties associated with the position

· Reporting structure.

Job descriptions

Job descriptions must be clear and concise in communicating the roles and responsibilities and tasks that are needed for the job.

Consult

An important part of writing job descriptions is the consultation process. If your organisation is already established and the position is current then you should discuss the position with the employee performing the tasks.

If you are updating an older job description, you may consult with both staff and supervision to identify changes to the job description. Staff can identify what tasks they perform and the supervisor can confirm whether or not the tasks are part of their job.

Job roles do change over time. Technological innovation, changes to internal processes, downsizing and upsizing in human resources will cause job roles to evolve away from their original design. Updating the job description should be a natural part of the continuous process.

You may find it easier just to ask a current employee carrying out the role to write a brief job description and use it as the starting point from which to build a formal job description.

Reflect

Study the information that you have. You may identify gaps in the job description which you can fill. For example, an office assistant may write on their list that they maintain records. What you may need to do is determine what this means.

Fotolia_6135219_SMaintaining records could refer to:

· Batch documents

· Entering them into the database

· Auditing to ensure that the entry is correct

· Storing the electronic files

· Filing and archiving the paper-based files

· Backing up and saving the electronic files.

Confirmation

In most cases, the original records are sent to head office and kept in a main filing system. Some organisations will keep copies of the original documents at the decentralised locations. As the employee says that they maintain records, you would assume that they both received the product with the paperwork and send it to head office for processing or they receive and process the paperwork including batching, keying into the database, and storing the electronic files. They may or may not audit the entries.

The rest of the paperwork would go to head office for back up of the electronic files or filing and archiving of the paper based files. To confirm this, consult with the employee or the supervisor.

Prioritise

Once you have a list of tasks, you need to prioritise them. This does not necessarily mean that they should be prioritised in order of importance. What it means is that you could cluster down into crucial jobs and job related tasks to incidental tasks. If you have asked the employee to write a list, you may ask them to number the tasks in the order that they believe is most important or performed most frequently.

Keep it current

Keep your job descriptions up to date. Continuously review them as changes occur within the industry, the human resource sector, legislative requirements, regulations and codes of practice. Failure to provide up to date job descriptions could result in finding the wrong people for the wrong job.

MpaperJob descriptions may vary according to the position, its level and the sophistication. Your organisations policies and procedures will vary as to the presentation of the job description and may include:

Position profile

A profile of the basic details of the position such as the title of the position, the department, salary, superannuation and type of employment

Position summary

A very brief summary of the position of the purpose of the position and the intention of the role

Selection criteria

The selection criteria include the structure of the job and assists by outlining performance, probation and promotional issues. It should assist you in developing your questions so that they are effective in identifying the applicant(s) that are most likely suitable for the position.

Selection criteria should include:

·

· Elements of the position

· These are what are required to do the job.

· Qualifications

· Attributes

· Skills

· Knowledge

· Legislative requirement

· How you would attract job applicants.

Legislation relating to human resources in Australia

Fotolia_1942066_XSLegislation information can be found in the reference section at the end of the Learner Guide and include:

· State and federal legislation

· Commonwealth legislation

· Dangerous substances regulations

· WHS regulations

· Conditions of employment regulations.

Codes of practice

A code of practice is an agreed set of actions, activities, responsibilities or responses to events of conditions that apply to an industry, profession or trade. Professional bodies develop codes of practice to restrict entry into the profession, conduct and ethical practices. These practices are usually formalised by law.

Awards and enterprise agreements

Awards provide minimum standards and conditions of employment for employees in an entire industry, enterprise agreements usually apply to one employer. The terms and conditions set out in an enterprise agreement override any corresponding provisions set out in any applicable award.

Professional associations

A professional association is an organisation aimed at uniting and informing people who work in a similar occupation. The professional association will provide you with a way in which to network within your industry by attending forums and conferences. They will also provide you with up to date information of all of the current events that arise in the industry. A professional association for the HR industry is:

To find out more about the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI), visit this URL Address: http://www.ahri.com.au/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=AHRI-LIVE/ccms.r if you wish to know more about this association.

Standards

Standards Australia is the place to go to build a Standard. Their role is to assist you in the development and accreditation of a Standard if you ever decide to develop one. Standards are published documents setting out the procedures and specifications at ensuring that products, services and systems are consistent, reliable and safe to perform the way they were intended to.

Further information can be found at: http://www.standards.org.au/

Standards are developed in three ways:

National Standard developed by the market

AS/NZ Standards – developed through Standards Australia

ISO Standards – developed by an international committee under the United Nations agenda

The HRF-101:2010 Human Resource Framework is a National Standard. Further information can be found at: www.hrcoach.com.au/standards/about_the_standard

C:\Users\Tom\Desktop\ArtWork\Shuttershock\award_present_certificate.jpg Activity 1B

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1.3 ‒ Consult with relevant personnel about job descriptions and workforce strategy

Workforce strategies

Workforce strategies may include:

· Targets for specific groups to ensure workforce diversity in, for example:

· Age

· Ethnicity

· Experience

· Gender

· Other forms of differences, such as learning styles, personality types, working styles, etc.

· Targets for specific qualifications, capabilities or attributes

· Fotolia_22226979_SRecruiting for new strategic directions.

To develop an accurate job specification you need to consult with other members of staff to find out firsthand what the actual requirements of their position actually are. The best responses are obtained from the employee who does the actual job. You should also refer to expert people trained to step in when managers and supervisors don’t have the expertise levels required to take action. Organisational procedures need to take this into consideration.

You can ask questions, for instance about the qualifications needed for the role and the level of experience a person needs to have to be successful. If the role is then advertised in the future, the company will know what qualifications and experience they will need to fulfil the role.

You could also make recommendations from the experience of the interview. These recommendations could include:

· Whether you can make improvements to interview process

· What these improvements are

· Why you believe these improvements have been recommended

· While it is important to keep up to date about the future needs of the organisation, it is also necessary to ensure that you comply with any legislation that will impact on the interview process.

· When you make any decision in regards to recruiting and appointing staff it is important that any decision you make complies with relevant legislation and is objective.

An unsuccessful potential employee may challenge a decision you make, so it is important to make sure that your decisions are consistent and objective.

For a decision to be relevant it needs to relate to:

·

Company policies

Workplace agreements

Job specifications

State and Federal Legislation such as Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Health and Safety

Licensing requirements

Industry awards and codes

Industry practices.

Activity 1C

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1.4 ‒ Assist in ensuring that job descriptions comply with legislative requirements and reflect the organisation's requirements for a diverse workforce

Legislation

Care should be taken to ensure that you do not contravene legislative requirements. The following information shall be referred to throughout this learner guide. It covers the legislation that you should be aware of according to the recruitment, selection and induction of staff.

Legislation is law. Acts of Parliament process laws into Acts that are passed through Parliament by a Bill. Laws are created to make sure that everyone knows and understands what is expected of them and what to expect from others. Laws are developed to ensure that people and organisations are not able to use money, strength and power to take advantage of others.

The Australian Legal System is regulated by members of the Australian community who are Australian citizens. It is comprised of:

Commonwealth Government – govern the laws passed by the Commonwealth Government

State/territory Government – govern the laws passed by the state or territory Government

Local government – local government by-laws are passed by the councillors who are elected by the people who reside or own businesses within the local government.

Under these laws, you have a legal obligation to make sure that your recruitment process is free of any form of discrimination, that all applicants are put at risk and that all information that you are provided with from clients is confidential.

WHS legislation

On 1 January 2012, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 took effect.

Anti-discrimination legislation

Discrimination relates to:

· Age Discrimination Act 2004

· Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986

· Disability Discrimination 1992

· Racial Discrimination Act 1975

· Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

These are the Acts covered under Commonwealth Law which usually cover the same areas of discrimination as state and territory Laws. There are gaps in the state and territory laws that the Commonwealth Legislation covers. There are areas in which only state and territory or commonwealth legislation applies. This reinforces the need to know the legislation that applies in your state or territory.

The Australian Human Rights Commission is responsible for implementing anti-discrimination law in Australia, including:

Unlawful discrimination

Workplace discrimination can happen in:

· Recruiting and selecting staff

· Terms, conditions and benefits offered as part of employment

· Who receives training and what sort of training is offered

· Who is considered and selected for transfer, promotion, retrenchment or dismissal.

Unlawful harassment

Fotolia_3485037_SUnlawful harassment arises when someone is made to feel insulted, intimidated or humiliated due to their national or ethnic origin, sexual preferences, colour, race and other characteristics specified under anti-discrimination.

Hostile working environments

These arise when the working environment or workplace culture is sexually or racially hostile and can include displays of pornographic material, sexually or racially offensive jokes, innuendo or crude discussions.

What discrimination and harassment is not

When a Manager or Supervisor makes a comment that is legitimate or gives advice on work performance or work related behaviour of an individual or group, don’t confuse the comments with harassment or discrimination.

Workplace bullying

Repeat of less favourable treatment that is unreasonable or inappropriate workplace practice. It can include behaviour such as intimidation, humiliation or offending a fellow worker. (Source ACTUQ/QCCI/Qld Govt Dept of Workplace Health and Safety)

Anti-discrimination and WHS Legislation

In some states and territories, anti-discrimination and WHS Law are included as part of the WHS Act. The following information pertains to the WHS Act 2004 (Vic). Remember, each state and territory is different so it is important to make sure that you understand the appropriate legislation.

In Section 76 WHS Act, employers are prohibited to discriminate against an employee or prospective employee on ground that relate to health and safety.

Section 76(1) applies to:

· An employer who dismisses, injures in employment or alters the position of an employee to the employee’s detriment, or who threatens to do such things.

· An employer who refuses or fails to offer employment to a prospective employee or treats a prospective employee less favourably than another prospective employee would be treated in an offer of employment, on the basis that under s76(2) the person:

· Is or has been a Health and Safety Representative (HSR) or a member of a Health and Safety Committee (HSC),

· Exercises or has exercised a power as an HSR or as a member of an HSC

· Assists or has assisted, or gives or has given any information to, an inspector, an HSR or a member of an HSC.

· Fotolia_3383857_SRaises or has raised an issue or concern about health or safety to the employer, an inspector, an HSR, a member of an HSC or an employee of the employer.

Further

What does ‘injuring in employment’ and ‘detriment’ mean?

What amounts to an employer ‘injuring an employee in the employment of the employer’ or ‘altering the position of an employee to the employee’s detriment’ or threatening to do such things?

In considering these questions an objective assessment of all the facts is required.

‘Injuring an employee in the employment of the employer’ usually relates to the loss or alteration of a legal right in employment, while ‘altering the position of an employee to the employee’s detriment’ may include any adverse effect on or deterioration in the employee’s conditions.

Some possible examples of injuring or altering the conditions of employment to the employee’s detriment or threatening to do so, may include:

·

· Demotion

· Allocation of work below skill/classification level, leading to a reduction in classification or employability

· Less flexible work hours, less congenial shifts or rosters, less overtime or less prospect of overtime earnings

· Repeated changes to shifts, rosters or working hours

· Lower salary, increments or bonuses

· Reduction in allowances

· Restrictions in maintaining competency levels

· Fewer training opportunities

· Refusing promotion or advancement

· Job transfer

· Standing down on full pay and being singled out for this purpose

· Withdrawing a promise of secure employment in a position for an agreed term or an offer of promotion or advancement

· Denying access to existing resources such as information technology

· Verbal abuse, humiliation, denigration or ridicule

· Isolation or exclusion from organisational activities

· Denying access to a fair process before taking disciplinary action

· Taking disciplinary action

· Counselling and issuing a warning letter where the effect is to make the job less secure

· Making redundancies on the basis of discriminatory reasons

· Denial of wage increase and being singled out for this purpose

· Reneging on an agreement to pay a wage increase.

Depending on the circumstances of each case, some of the actions specified in this section may be legitimate for operational and/or procedural reasons.

Privacy legislation

The Federal Privacy Act does not regulate state or territory agencies, except for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). For further information on privacy regulations in the states and territory please refer to the reference section at the end of the Learner Guide.

Privacy can refer to:

Personal information

Information that helps identify you is personal information. This information may include medical records, photos, videos, bank account details, and information may include your opinions and where you work. This includes any information that can assist you in identifying who you are.

Your personal information privacy is different to other concepts such as:

· Confidentiality

· Fotolia_27020473_SSecrecy

· Freedom of information.

Activity 1D

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1.5 ‒ Obtain approvals to advertise position

Fotolia_5006143_SOrganisations will have procedures in place for the approval of an advertisement for a position. In some organisations before approval for the external application of a position, the Human Resources (HR) operator may be required to advertise internally. The procedures to obtain approval will vary from organisation to organisation.

Approval for an advertisement may require the same documentation internally and externally. In other cases, depending on the size of the organisation and the type of position the documentation may be completely different. For example; a skills matrix may be required for an internal employee to demonstrate that the potential applicant has the knowledge and skills to fill a position.

In some organisations, internal advertising may prioritise positions to displaced employee. A displaced employee is someone who was employed but lost their position through no fault of their own. They may have been permanently laid off or have little chance of returning to their former profession. However, as a well respected member of staff they may be considered for another position.

The same procedures to obtain approval to advertise internally or externally to the same member of staff will usually apply. However the considerations to give approval for the application of an internal and/or external may be completely different.

Approval for internal positions may include:

Organisations that have retrenched workers, may advertise internally. Interested individuals may apply and their skills and experiences matched to the job description.

Organisations that recognise the need for succession planning ‒ succession planning may be broadly defined as a process for identifying and developing potential future leaders or senior managers, as well as individuals to fill other business-critical positions, either in the short- or the long-term (cipd.co.uk). By preparing staff for leadership roles, HR consultants are able to prepare talented internal to take over senior positions.

It may offer job share arrangements to their internal pool. Employees resign for various reasons. When an organisation wants to retain its pool of experienced workers, they may offer job sharing to their staff. Job sharing is the sharing of one job by two or more employees working on a part time basis. Employees will share the hours, entitlements, salary and work allocated to a position.

Other than retaining staff, job sharing offers the following benefits:

· Enables mature employees to remain at work rather than retiring

· Attracting a wide pool of applicants for new jobs, when advertising externally

· Double the skill and knowledge employees in the workplace

· Making part-time work available while keeping a full time coverage of positions.

Some organisations may prefer not to advertise internally. Instead they may wish to bring new talent into the organisation, especially when new skills and knowledge are required.

In order to obtain approval to create a new position or to fill a vacancy, managers should make sure that the position approved is correct, within the established budget and is vacant.

Fotolia_21582416_SApproval to fill a vacancy must be provided by the relevant member of staff and according to the organisations policy and procedures.

Activity 1E

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2. Plan for selection

2.1 Choose appropriate channels and technology to advertise vacancies and/or identify potential talent pool

2.2 Advertise vacancies for staffing requirements according to organisational policies and procedures

2.3 Consult with relevant personnel to convene selection panel and to develop interview questions

2.4 Assist in ensuring that interview questions comply with legislative requirements

2.5 Assist in short-listing applicants

2.6 Schedule interviews and advise relevant people of times, dates and venues

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2.1 ‒ Choose appropriate channels and technology to advertise vacancies and/or identify potential talent pool

Channels and technology

For all organisations and states, there are various options to advertise vacancies. Your workplace may have a particular website or newspaper that they use when they advertise, so make sure you are aware of this before you go ahead with the advertisement.

Channels and technology may include:

· Government job search agencies

· Industry-specific websites and journals

· Internal communications, such as newsletters, intranet and emails

· Newspaper advertisements.

You will also have the option of searching for potential candidates for the job role. You will have access to a number of websites that hold the CVs and information of individuals looking for jobs in various industries. By searching for the criteria you require for the job role, you can locate a selection of appropriate candidates, who you can then offer interviews to.

There will be a number of pros and cons for each channel so make sure these are taken into consideration when choosing the most appropriate option.

Consider:

· business_professionals_leader_800_whtCost

· Reach

· Industry

· Access

· Job details.

Activity 2A

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2.2 ‒ Advertise vacancies for staffing requirements according to organisational policies and procedures

Advertising vacancies

Once authorisation has been given to advertise a position, you should check organisational procedures for advertising a position. Large organisations will usually have an advertising policy that will outline the process of advertising within your organisation.

Smaller organisations may not have formal policy and procedures to guide you through the advertising process. If you work within a small organisation, if there are no policy or procedures in regards to the advertising of positions, check the organisation’s historical data to find any previous advertisements for similar positions. The historical advertisements will assist you in developing a new advertisement.

When preparing an advertisement for a job, best practice should be considered. Legislative requirements such as anti-discrimination legislation and WHS legislation should be checked in every step of the process. An objective of advertising should be to advertise for the best position.

When writing an advertisement for a position, do not forget:

· The position you are advertising

· The intended audience

· The applicant pool

· Timeline to prepare and advertise the position.

For example the time to prepare and advertise locally may differ from where you target and advertise international targets. In your assessment of international applicants, you would also add in the time differences from international applicants – they may need more time to source information and thus the length of the advertisement may need to be longer.

The position you are advertising

MWritngBe clear of the requirements of the staff. Is the position permanent, temporary, full-time, part-time or casual? Is the job going to be shared? What hours will personnel work? Where will they work? Read the job description so that you know how to write the advertisement.

The intended audience

When you consider the intended audience, you need to consider the type of work. As you know the role you are advertising, you should be able to determine the audience that you are targeting. For example, if you are advertising for a professional position then the wording of the advertisement should be developed to appeal to them. Conversely, if you were advertising for a position on the factory floor, your words need to be less complicated to appeal and attract the appropriate applicant.

The applicant pool

If your organisation participates in workforce planning then you will be able to check the size of the labour poll for your industry. You may also identify the size of the labour pool for your industry at the Australian Bureau of Statistics Website (URL Address: www.abs.gov.au). This website can also provide you with local and state information on your profession.

Timeline to prepare and advertise the position

When you develop the timeline, you need to consider:

· When the new employee needs to start employment

· The time they will take to work their notice in their current role

· Where the advertising will be ‒ international applicants will need to investigate their position so they should be factored into the calculation

· The time it takes to develop or create the appropriate paperwork, put together panel, book the interview.

To reach your applicant pool, many organisations have set procedures on where the organisation can advertise. The position and intended audience will influence how you advertise and the type of position being advertised. This can include tradesmen, office staff, factory staff and professionals.

MStar Advertising

Advertising may consist of:

Internal print media:

· Bulletin Boards

· Memos.

Internal electronic media:

· Intranet

· Emails.

External print media:

· The Australian

· The Age

· Journals

· Overseas newspapers.

External electronic media:

· Extranet

· Internet

· Seek

· Professional associations

· LinkedIn

· Other websites.

The quality of your applicants will be greatly affected on where you advertise the position. One form of advertisement is not sufficient. For example, to advertise for a professional you may consider a range of websites, journals or publications.

Some media, either print or electronic, have special offers which it sends to regular clients about advertising job vacancies through publications, journals and websites. These specials are usually more cost effective. For example, The Age has a calendar of “My Career Features” during special times throughout the year. Organisations can use leverage to obtain good placement of the job advertisement to capture appropriate attention for the role, thus reach the potential targeted group of applicants.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing refers to organisations that provide services that may otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Human resource outsourcing functions can include the advertising and recruitment of staff. An organisation may have an agreement with one organisation or with several, depending on its turnover and retention rate.

Outsourcing was originally provided on a temporary basis. However as organisational needs changed, outsourcing of roles evolved into permanent and contractual positions. The use of human resources outsourcing for temporary position can save a lot of money.

Outsourcing is sought by organisations to:

Fotolia_11720066_XSEnhance the effectiveness of the organisation by being flexible in meeting the changing conditions of the market, demand for products, technologies and services due to globalisation

Improve credibility of the organisation and management by associating with external providers

Enhance the skills, expertise and knowledge of the employees

Obtain access to the provider’s networks and improve business opportunities

Reduce costs through the superior performance of the provider and the lower cost structure by utilising the services of that provider.

As a manager, you may find that time constraints will impact on your ability to find staff that meets your needs.

To find a superior external provider you should:

1. Plan initiatives

2. Explore the impact of the provider on the organisations strategic plan

3. Analyse costs and performance including risks and pricing

4. Selecting providers that meet your needs

5. The costs of transferring from in-house to external provider

6. How the relationship will be managed with the external providers

7. Explore the reasons why you should not outsource.

Whenever research is done, both the positives and negatives and their impact should be considered. This means that you should also check to make sure that the advantages do not have a negative impact on the organisations long term strategic plan.

Advertising

When choosing the form of advertising that you are using, make sure that the costs of advertising is within the budget allocated by the department.

Organisational procedures for generating an advertisement are different according to the size of the organisation and its organisational policy and procedures. Some organisations leave the allocation of advertising to the manager or HR Department generating the advertising.

Conversely, if the organisation has a Marketing Department, you may be required to submit the ad’s to the department to ensure that the advertisement correlates with the organisations marketing message. In other organisations, the administration officer or Manager may be required to check the advertisement to ensure that it correlates with the Style and Formatting required by the organisation.

Some organisations may have paperwork that assists you in ensuring that quality standards and procedures are followed in regards to the advertisement. You may need to provide the department or personnel with the details of the job, including:

· Title position

· Where the job is and who is it replacing

· Salary level

· Supervisor/manager’s name and telephone number or extension

· Details of the selection panel members, including the panel chair

· Advertising information ‒ where to advertise and the closing time and dates for the advertisement to be printed or added to electronic systems.

Successful advertisements

To be successful, it is important to make sure that there is a direct connection between the placement and quality of your advertisement and the response from the potential applications. The best selection of applicants can only be attracted through an advertisement that appeals and attracts the appropriate applicants.

A successful job advertisement should include:

· Be clear and specific to ensure relevant applications apply for the position

· Use bullet points and bold text, and if necessary a logo to grab the attention of the applicants

· Make the advertisement about the reader than the employer

· Use the word “you” to connect to the reader.

· Make your voice active “you will” to further enhance the connectivity with the applicant.

· Keep it short and simple

· Advertise where you will have the best reach such as with professional associations or in industry journals.

Most applicants today receive applications via e-mail. When publishing an e-mail, consider setting up an alias that reflects the image of the organisation and ensures that applicants cannot access staff once the position is closed.

Fotolia_4598960_SWhen setting a closing date, follow organisational procedures to ensure that the applicant is ready to start work as required. Many organisations tend to advertise for a month and set a monthly closing date. This gives potential candidates the time required to prepare an application and complete appropriate research

Activity 2B

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2.3 ‒ Consult with relevant personnel to convene selection panel and to develop interview questions

Relevant personnel

From the approval of the position to the advertising of the position, you should consult with:

· The HR officer

· The HR consultant from the external provider

· The supervisor/manager of the division in which you seek to employ a new staff member for.

If your organisation has a human resources department, they should be there to provide support and advice to staff members so that they do not breach the laws. HR should also provide you with advice on ensuring that you do not breach any legislative laws, including WHS, discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying; occupational violence and ensuring that the confidentiality of applicants is maintained.

When selecting a panel, it is important to ensure that the reason for each committee member chosen is clear. For example, the committee member may be an expert in the field, they may be a supervisor for the department or part of the HR team who are experts in asking the correct questions.

The selection panel may be informal or formal. Formal selection of panels may require a committee that has responsibility in ensuring that the selection panel does not:

· Fotolia_20051834_SDiscriminate

· Breach privacy legislation

· Breach confidentiality

· Follows organisational policies and procedures.

In the informal process, selection may be delegated by other panel members.

Other responsibilities of panel members may be to:

· Short-list applicants

· Reference check

· Participate in the interview process.

If panel members are going to participate in the interview process, then they will need to have access to potential applicants’ files. There are times when there are extensive applicants for a position. Due to the quality of the applicants you may find that a second round of interviews may be required and obtain assistance in short listing the applicants.

HR members need to also make sure that any panel members have no conflict of interest. There will be times when applicants may face panel members. Panel members should report any such conflicts to ensure that they do not use their interests to ensure that the applicant is employed. This is perceived as discriminatory. Any conflict of interest can have a negative impact on the credibility of the organisation.

HR members should consult with the panel member that is faced with a conflict of interest and determine whether they should be withdrawn from the panel.

Activity 2C

Fotolia_2204087_XS 2.4 ‒ Assist in ensuring that interview questions comply with legislative requirements

Interview questions

If you have a lot of successful applicants, you may find that screening the applicants through a short interview will help you to narrow down the number of applicants for the final interview. A pre-selection interview is not usually needed for entry level interviews.

You should use an interview to obtain an opportunity to gather information about the applicant.

Fotolia_10056569_XSIt is a lot easier to conduct an interview effectively and fairly if you plan it.

Good interviews:

Are conducted in a comfortable environment

Have questions posed that do not create stress

Explore discrepancies and gaps

Have panels check assumptions and biases

Clarify what the applicant needs to carry out their jobs.

It is important to make sure that staff are:

Trained to maintain control of the interview

Skilled at listening and evaluating what is being said and how it is expressed

Professional, but friendly enough to encourage the applicant to relax and present the best possible image.

You could ask yourself the following questions, which are:

What are the objectives of the interview?

What do I need to cover during the interview?

How long should the interview be? Allow for time after the interview to make a report. You will not be able to remember every candidate for the job, so you will find it easier in the pre-selection process if you write your observations and thoughts about the candidate down.

What sequence will the interview follow?

What information should I get from the candidate?

What information should I provide to the candidate?

Do you want an interview panel and should you be in it?

Let your candidate do most of the talking. If you are not extracting the information that you need from the candidate, ask them open ended questions to guide their answers. Try to get the candidate to talk about 70 per cent of the time.

Interview plan

An interview plan is structured below.

Sequence

Structure

A. Type of interview

Job selection

B. Objectives

1. Collect information to determine:

· If they can do the job

· Perform the tasks

2. Provide information about the job and organisation

3. Check if the applicant is appropriate to the job advertised.

C. Approach and style

· Semi structured interview

· Flexible and conversational

D. Format

· Establish rapport 5mins

· Set agenda 5mins

· Collect information 10mins

· Introduce company 5mins

· Discuss job 5mins

· Invite questions 5mins

· End interview 5mins

E. Subjects

· Previous experience

· Previous training and education

· Where do they see themselves in the next five years?

These guidelines aim to assist you in controlling the interview process and ensuring that you do not lose track of time. This ensures that you interview all applicants in the time specified and that you are not late for any appointments. Being punctual also ensures that you do not go over your budget for the interview process.

The laws that you need to take care not to breach are:

· Anti-discrimination laws

· Confidentiality laws

· WHS laws.

Does your interview plan and your questions breach these laws? If you answer “yes”, then take the time to rewrite the question in a non discriminatory manner. Are the applicants’ files and personal information secured? If not, ensure that not only the resumes but the applicants' interview answers are held in a safe location

There are many questions that you may ask applicants. We have already established that interview questions should match your questions to the information required. Below are a series of questions that you may ask your applicants.

Fotolia_14240460_S Types of questions

Type of question

Defined – used to assess

Used for

Examples

Open ended

To get more than yes or no answers

Do the right research to ensure interviewee matches answers according to company needs

Why are you interested in this position?

What are your most remarkable skills?

Closed ended

To make sure that specific information is correct

Review to make sure that there are no doubts on interviewees resume

Are you experienced?

Hypothetical

Problem solving and to confirm experience, knowledge and skills

Does the interviewee use follow up questions to clarify information

Is this the correct description a safe work area?

Leading

Are assumptive

Try to catch interview off guard and see if they are positive

It must have been hard working in that environment

Multi-barrelled

Reasoning skills

To see if interviewee still answers the question if they do not understand it

One questions is like two or three questions

Behavioural

Candidate behaviour

Asking questions to see how interviewees will act

So what happened with your bad experience?

Other types of questions you should consider placing in your interview are:

General questions

Be prepared for questions as soon as you start and be prepared for unexpected questions.

When did you leave your last job?

Tell me more about yourself.

Why do you want to work for this organisation?

Fotolia_24142883_SWhat is your greatest strength?

Specific questions about the job

Ask questions relating to learning the applicants knowledge, skills and expertise. Where do you see yourself in five years time?

What are your goals?

Job function

Ask questions relating to functions of the job.

What would you do if?

What is your background in this field?

Behavioural questions

This type of interviewing has become more popular in recent years and it is used to determine the skills that are necessary for the job. Taking the time to develop behavioural interviews allows your organisation to attract top candidates

Success is derived when the interviewer is prepared and matches the qualifications with the skills of the job. Once the skills have been identified then ask questions that allow the interviewee to reflect on their experiences.

The STAR Method

Use the STAR method when getting learners to answer questions that are:

· Specific – specific details about a situation or task

· Task ‒ tell what led to the situation or task

· Action taken ‒ discuss what you did and who was involved

· Result or outcome ‒ communicate the outcome.

Questions to be avoided

You do not want to break any legislation risk offending the applicant. Questions to be avoided consist of:

Discriminatory questions

It is discriminatory, thus illegal to ask questions relating to an applicant’s age, sex, sexual preference, and religion, cultural and social views. Your job is to ensure that the candidate has the skills to do the job, not their personal preferences

Disability questions

It is illegal to discriminate against a person due to a disability unless the disability would interfere with the job being performed safely.

When you question the interviewee, how will you treat them? It is important to make sure that all interviewees are treated equally?

Things that you may consider are:

· Whether you should put yourself in their position.

· Would you be comfortable answering a question posed that you intend to use?

· Can a question legally be defended if necessary?

· Are the questions being posed directly related to the job?

· Does a question have to be asked?

MBlindJustice

Activity 2D

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2.5 ‒ Assist in short-listing applicants

When you sort the applicants, you must be transparent so you do not leave the company open to claims of discrimination.

Sort the applicants according the selection criteria that you have developed the job description into:

· Those applicants that match the job criteria

· Those applicant that do not match the job criteria; and

· Those which kind of match the job criteria.

Matching criteria may include:

· Critical skills

· Identifying gaps in information from the resume to the selection criteria

· Soft skills including team work; knowledge of their sector, experience managing staff, training staff

· Desired qualities can include specific applicants that demonstrate a specific personality trait.

Personality traits have two key assumptions which are:

1. Traits are stable over time

This assumes that even though behaviour varies from time to time, an individual’s true nature stays consistent.

2. Traits, it is believed influence behaviour

If a person automatically breaks into song, we say that they have a happy disposition. Even though these are lay explanations, they at least give you a clear perception of how personalities operate.

MHappyGroupSpecific personality types and characteristics are required to ensure that organisations can meet their specific goals. For instance, an employee who has spent twenty years working in a bureaucratic work environment may not have the specific personality traits required to operate within a dynamic work environment and globalised organisation. Applicants with rigid personalities that are not receptive to change and refuse to change can have a negative impact in an organisation that participates in continuous improvement.

Preferred personality traits required in a dynamic environment usually include:

· Confident

· Willing to try different things

· Responsive to change

· Able to work autonomously and/or as part of a team.

· Personality traits will vary according to the job requirements of the applicants. If you require assistance in your assessment of applicants, use a scoring or rating system.

For example: where “5” is rated as have the qualification and “1” those that don’t:

1. Assess candidates against each criteria in which totals emerge

2. Those with the highest scores should be considered for interviews.

If a selection panel has not been contravened, use at least two personnel to assist in short listing people. They should each complete a form similar to the example of a shortlist on the next page.

Each member who completes the short-listing form should give their reasons of why the applicant should be shortlisted. Once the checklist is completed, both/all personnel should compare their assessments and discuss the differences and come to a mutual agreement via consensus.

Those who are shortlisted for the position should be those who meet the selection criteria.

Resumes

Resumes should be studied and questions about applicant movements should be addressed in their interviews.

Several key points should be considered; and they are:

· Achievements and awards

· Reasons for changes of employment, i.e. skills development, career planning

· Years of experience – At times these can be misleading as many people may only have learned one set of tasks, while others learn more in a year than others over ten years. During the interview process, consider behaviours and activities rather than the length of experience.

· Gaps in employment history should be explored during the interview process.

Shortlisting for: Enter job title/reference number

Applicant 1

Name

Applicant 2

Name

Applicant 3

Name

Applicant 4

Name

Criteria

Rating 1-5

Rating 1-5

Rating 1-5

Rating 1-5

Skills/Experience/Knowledge:

1) Identify an essential criteria from the person specification

2) "

3) Identify a desirable criteria from the person specification

4) "

Interpersonal Attributes:

1) Identify an essential criteria from the person specification

2) "

3) Identify a desirable criteria from the person specification

4) "

Qualifications & Training:

1) Identify an essential criteria from the person specification

2) "

3) Identify a desirable criteria from the person specification

4) "

Other Specialist Knowledge

1) Identify an essential criteria from the person specification

2) Identify a desirable criteria from the person specification

TOTAL SCORES:

Completed by:

Date:

Shortlisting Record

Scoring Guide: 5=Meets completely, 4=Meets most of the requirement, 3= Just about meets, 2=Just misses the requirement, 1=Does not meets the requirement

Activity 2E

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2.6 ‒ Schedule interviews and advise relevant people of times, dates and venues

Scheduling interviews

Preparation is the key to a successful interview, especially as the handling and experience of the interview will influence the applicant’s perception of the organisation and whether or not they want to be employed by you.

When inviting applicants to an interview, you should:

· Give at least one week’s notice

· The time of the interview and confirm their availability

· How long the interview will take

· Provide the location/maps

· A date in which applicants need to confirm the interview.

Focus on who the applicant is and be objective. There are several ways in which you can contact an applicant for an interview. Latest trends toward the interview process include a phone call, followed up with an email detailing the above criteria for the applicant.

In a dynamic world, you will find that you will need to be more flexible in the way in which you arrange interviews. Some applicants are available only at specific times. Make sure that you contact the potential applicant within this time frame or leave a message on how they can return your call.

When you contact an applicant, quickly introduce yourself and the company you are representing. Immediately ask if you have called at a convenient time. If the time is not convenient, when can you ring them back? If they are available, you need to quickly discuss the interview process. Most organisations will have a set dialogue for the phone call.

Fotolia_26734401_SWhen you have confirmed the time and day of an interview, and discussed the venue advise them that you will send them an email confirming the time, date and location of the venue. Many organisations will send a map of the immediate area, including a clear indication of where the location of the interview is.

Phone interview questions

In recent years, phone interviews are becoming more common as organisations try to ensure that only applicants with specific skills are invited to participate in face to face interviews. The aim of a telephone interview is to narrow down the amount of applicants to those applicants that demonstrate that they cover all of the selection criteria. There are times however, that some applicants are not clear when demonstrating their knowledge, skills and expertise as opposed to the selection criteria.

To narrow down the applicants, telephone interviews can be utilised to clarify the unclear aspects of the candidate’s application and to verify information to ensure that gaps are narrowed. Once the interview is complete, assess it to ensure that the correct selection criteria have been covered, then you should be able to determine whether the applicant should be invited to a face-to-face interview.

Activity 2F

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3. Support selection process

3.1 Participate in interview process and assess candidates against agreed selection criteria

3.2 Discuss assessment with other selection panel members

3.3 Correct any biases or deviations from agreed procedures and negotiate for preferred candidate

3.4 Contact referees for referee reports

3.5 Prepare selection report and make recommendations to senior personnel for appointment

3.6 Advise unsuccessful candidates of outcomes and respond to any queries

3.7 Secure preferred candidate's agreement

3.8 Complete necessary documentation according to organisational procedures, observing confidentiality and privacy requirements

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3.1 ‒ Participate in interview process and assess candidates against agreed selection criteria

Fotolia_5090080_SThe interview process

Remember that when you interview an applicant they are also interviewing you. The way that you compose yourself will leave a lasting impression with your candidates. If it is your first time processing and performing, reflect on the interviews that you have participated in. What was good about the interview? What was bad?

Think about the way in which you ask the questions. The way in which you ask a question could be perceived as discriminatory. For example, asking a person about their marital status is illegal, but asking whether they are able to spend time away from home is not. This reinforces the need for preparing your questions for an interview.

Before the interview

Remember, we want the candidate to be comfortable and prepared for the interview. Let them know before the interview if you require any specific information. For example, many professionals do not provide references in some industries on their Curriculum Vitae (CV). Instead, they will provide them upon request. Ask them to bring their references with them.

Some professions require that candidate’s bring the original copies of their qualifications. Note; if you intend to take a scanner copy of the qualification, ask the permission of the candidate before you take a copy. You could be in breach of Privacy scanning laws if you do not.

Are there any special requirements that the candidates need? It is important to ensure that anyone may have trouble accessing a venue. They may also need the room set up in a certain way so they can have access to the interview area.

For comfort, organise:

· Refreshments

· Someone to show the applicants around at the end of the interview if it is appropriate

· Someone to direct the applicants to the correct room

· The room, so it is not threatening.

Under the rules of primacy and regency, the first thing and the last thing that happens in your interaction with candidates will have the most impact on them. You are trying to attract them to work with your organisation. If they have a negative impact on the organisation, they may not be prepared to work with the organisation and you could lose the best prospective candidates.

Prepare for the interview

If you are using a selection panel, do not forget to send out emails to remind them that they will be participating in interviews that day. The panel should be given time to meet prior to the first interview to discuss the meeting process, such as who will answer what questions, where will the panel sit, how can they make sure that they are non-threatening.

Before each applicant arrives, the interviewer or selection panel should review the selection criteria, the skills required and the gaps that they need to fill.

Make sure that the selection criteria match the questions and that several behavioural examples of past performance are obtained. In behavioural interviews, you want to decide what skills are needed in the person that is going to be employed. Instead of finding out how they would behave, the question should be how did you behave? Your aim should be to see how they handled a situation rather than what they might do in the future.

Determine who will keep in touch with the applicant so that they know what is going on during the selection process.

Opening the interview

If you have developed an interview plan, follow it. Otherwise, it is important to greet the applicant. Use open body language and take steps to ensure that the applicant is comfortable.

Introduce the applicant to the members of the panel. It is up to you whether or not to also include a brief description of their role title and the department they work with.

Let the applicant know what will happen during the interview process – Discuss the stages of the interview, when they should hear from someone, if they will need to attend another interview, when will they be contacted and who will contact them or when shall they know if they have the position or not.

Stages of the interview

Break the interview into stages so that the applicant is not surprised and made uncomfortable during the process. The stages of the interview include:

Initial:

· Asking the applicant if they have read the selection criteria, whether they have any questions and ask why the position appealed to them

· Explain how the workplace is structured, the history of the organisation and their potential role within the organisation

· Let the applicant know that notes shall be taken during the interview

· Now that you have established that they are familiar with the positions selection criteria and the position, you should start asking about their background experience to identify how much experience they have in a similar position.

Body:

· Use the body of the interview to build a rapport with the applicant

· Ask questions and give them time to think about how to word the answer

· If the applicant moves away from the main focus on the interview, use well structured questions to gain control of the interview process so that they complete the interview within the allocated time. If the interview runs late, you may push the next set of interviews

· Use this part of the interview process to gain behavioural examples and to ask questions to verify or clarify information on the resume and from within the behavioural examples

· Use STAR and probing questions to get the results that you require.

Follow up:

· Check to make sure no one has any further questions.

· Check to make sure that they have their certificates to show that they have been sited

· Ask if there are any questions that the applicant may wish to ask or if there is anything else they would like to add to the process.

Close of the interview:

· Let the applicant know that you will need the referees. Find out their availability and the role that they have in your work experience

· Explain when they will be notified

· Ask if they will be available for a second interview if it is needed and when that interview is going to be arranged

· Once you have closed the interview, thank the applicant for coming to the interview, thank them for taking the time to apply for the position and remind them that you will be in contact soon.

Activity 3A

Fotolia_2204087_XS 3.2 – Discuss assessment with other selection panel members

Discussing assessments

Even though the interview is complete, there is still a long way to go. Review the interview process to identify any areas where you can improve the process and the questioning process.

Depending on your organisations procedures, you may need to arrange for a letter to be sent to thank the applicants for taking the time to participate in the interview process. Even though they may not succeed this time, they may be the correct personnel if they reapply for another position. By acknowledging their efforts, they will retain a good impression of your organisation.

Using the scoring or competency rating designed for each interview, rate the interviewee’s. There may be a time when applicants are very close and a consensus for the applicants may not be reached. There may be times in which you need to arrange a second interview. It may be necessary to complete a second interview to gather more information so that a final decision can be made about the applicants.

It is important to make sure that the assessment of the applicants by other panel members is systematic.

Key stakeholders for the review process are:

· Selection panel members

· Selection panel chairperson

· Human Resources management team

· Recruitment services, if applicable

· Make sure the each stakeholder has a shared sense of purpose in determine the appropriate applicant. If stakeholders are not clear on the purpose of the interview process and on the criteria that the applicant must demonstrate then confusion will dominate the selection process.

To minimise the chance of confusion, make sure that the stakeholders have:

· A clear understanding of what they are looking for

· Know the personal qualities, skills and knowledge that each party must demonstrate

· Clearly understand all options.

MTeam This means that:

· All instructions are clear

· You are clear on the measures that are tested.

· Check and validate all claims such as the sources of information. Take note of all of the questions you ought to consider asking when contacting referees, especially if the referees will be required to confirm areas to confirm your choices.

Activity 3B

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3.3 ‒ Correct any biases or deviations from agreed procedures and negotiate for preferred candidate

Correct biases

Rarely is the choice of applicant clear. There will be times when there are going to be conflicting points of view in regards to the selection criteria. One way in which to refine the selection criteria is by weighing each criterion.

The aim is for the applicant to:

· Demonstrate evidence that they have the capability to meet the selection criteria

· Provide specific details through behavioural examples

· Where possible the indicator of success of a result.

· An easy way of doing this is matching the STAR model to the behavioural outcome.

Immediately after an interview:

1. Panel members should each have a turn on their choices. The aim of these turns is to ensure that all members of the panel are working from the same information base.

2. All interview notes should be classified for each selection criteria. All interviewers in the panel should discuss each selection criteria for each applicant. Each rating should be noted by the interviewer. The procedure needs to be repeated for every selection criteria until you reach the end. The last rating is made overall of the candidate’s suitability rating based on all of the recorded, classified and rated behaviour considered in the interview. The overall rating should be noted in the Candidate Evaluation page if one is used.

3. Interviewers take turns reading their criteria ratings and their overall suitability rating. The other interviewer notes these ratings while others are reading them. Once all ratings are recorded, taking one criterion at a time, the behavioural examples should be discussed and agreed upon as a consensus rating for the criterion. Once a consensus rating has been achieved, then the overall suitability consensus rating is made and recorded as per organisational procedures.

4. The selection criterion weights are agreed upon in the preparation phase is applied to the consensus ratings, calculations are made and the results are recorded

5. The interviewers compare and discuss the selection criteria ratings and overall suitability ratings of all of the candidates is made and a consensus decision as to which candidate is best suited for the vacant position or the newly created position.

6. Training and development is offered to the candidates based on the results

7. The interviewer completes any applicable administration tasks.

Consensus

To reach a consensus, one of the key factors to use is to use your communication skills to professionally resolve any issues that may have been raised.

To reach a consensus when bias and deviations have come up, structured communication will ensure:

· Opinions are expressed, information and key points of an argument are communicated clearly and concisely

· That each party has an opportunity to communicate their point of view.

· Panel members should review behavioural ratings and evaluate previous assessments

· Rating the value of each performance skill

· The trainability of each performance skills

· That the applicant fits into the existing structure of staff

· That the candidates have not been discriminated against.

Activity 3C

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3.4 ‒ Contact referees for referee reports

References

Checking references is an essential part of the selection of a candidate. Every organisation has its own procedures in regards to reference checking. You should make sure that you follow these procedures.

If you however, are required to complete a reference check, you must first get the permission of the candidate to check the references provided. This will give the candidate the chance to notify the referee’s that they will be contacted and by whom. If the panel wishes to pursue further references to obtain insight into the applicants business and educational background, the candidate must give permission for you to do this.

Fotolia_4812280_XSCaution

Make sure that you do not ask discriminatory questions. The questions that you ask previous employers and referees are subject to legal constraints as those asked by the applicant. Case law demonstrates that prior employers have been deemed liable for withholding important job history information.

Confidentiality is essential. You must also keep applicants files in a secure location at all times. The information should only be made available to the selection panel and must be also kept confidential. The Freedom of Information Act protects referees reports from the eyes of the applicant.

Preparation

· Identify gaps and ask questions about them

· Use open ended questions to bridge any gaps in information

· Use behavioural (STAR) questions to gather information.

The candidate and the referee

Before contacting any referees ask the candidate’s permission to contact their referee’s. There may be times when you cannot use a referee as the candidate may still be employed with the company. If you would like a referee from the organisation the candidate currently works at, ask their permission. Failure to do so can mean that you will place their current job at risk.

If you come across this problem, ask your candidate if you can contact:

· Clients in other firms

· People who have left the organisation

· Work associates at the organisation who know their situation

Always be sensitive to what you say. Avoid pauses and emphasising areas. Avoid obvious topics not needed in the reference check.

Telephone calls

When performing a reference check, you should:

· Introduce yourself

· Confirm that you have the correct person.

· Make sure that the person is free to speak and determine if they are able to serve as a referee. Ask questions such as how long did you work together? Were you their supervisor? If so, when?

· Ensure that they are aware that the call is confidential

· Use the application and the candidate’s resume to check that the information is correct.

· Check the duties that the candidate performed. How long they were employed there? What was their reason for leaving? Ask behavioural questions

· Find out where they had difficulties

· How well does the person work under pressure?

· What skills should they concentrate on enhancing?

· To close the interview, find out whether they would re-employ the person

· Thank them for their time. Re-affirm that you will treat the interview as confidential

· Note the time and date of the discussion.

Activity 3D

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3.5 – Prepare selection report and make recommendations to senior personnel for appointment

Please review the selection report outline

Selection Report

Information about the position, including:

· Job title

· Position

· Location

· Full-time, part-time, casual, contract, or other

Application information

· Names

· Withdrawn applicants

Selection methodology

How are the applicants tested:

· CV (curriculum vitae)

· Referee reports

· Group activities

· Demonstration

How they were shortlisted

Order of the shortlist

Referee checks

Yes or No

Pre-employment check

Includes any pre-requisites for the position

Salary to be offered

Recommendation for the appointment

The names of the people on the selection panel

Feedback

Document checklist

May include:

1. Role description

2. All applicants information

3. Referee reports

4. Criminal history check – if applicable

5. Any other documentation required

Fotolia_16208523_SPurpose of a selection report

Selection reports are used to document the official record of the interview process. It aims to not only report a selection panel’s recommendations, it is meant to support their decision and demonstrate that the selection of a staff member was fair and equitable. The selection report provides the final decision maker to select an applicant or to take further action or delegate that action.

The selection report should also be used to provide feedback to individual applicants who request post-selection feedback.

The selection report must be rigorous in describing how the selection panel used the selection process to arrive at its conclusions. It is the responsibility of the selection panel to ensure that all of the documentation is available for the perusal of the person assigned to make the final selection decision.

The report

The report is a record of the steps that the selection panel used to reach their decisions, give clear reasons for their decisions and supply any supporting information for the decisions and/or recommendations. The report should be sufficient to ensure that the appropriate staff member can make the final decision.

Different organisations will have different personnel that will be assigned to make the decision. They may include:

· The HR Manager

· The Chief Executive Office (CEO)

· The General Manager

If there is no suitable applicant for the position, the selection panel should automatically start the recruitment process again. This is less expensive than taking on a new staff member only to dismiss them when they are unable to perform.

Feedback

Though it is rare, some organisations do provide applicants with post-selection feedback. This feedback provides the applicants with constructive feedback about why their application was unsuccessful. This feedback will assist them in future job applications. The panel will usually offer the applicants with an opportunity to receive feedback about their performance and/or the selection process.

To provide feedback you should:

· Fotolia_14576350_SArrange a time and place to offer the feedback

· Prepare the feedback by referring to the selection report details

· Make sure that they understand why they have received the feedback and how it will assist them the next time they apply for a position

· Offer strengths and their weaknesses to assist them in identifying areas in which they could improve.

· Avoid destructive feedback

· Encourage them to apply again.

Panels and recommendations

Panel members must remember that they provide the recommendations for the selection process and the assigned personnel will make the final decision. This report must be professionally represented. Panel members must be clear on which criteria is satisfied and which is not. The report should not be lengthy, but should accurately reflect the process that the panel follows. Your panel should also consider all information in the selection process. The applicants need to have responsibility for presenting information to support their claims and panels are not responsible for filling the gaps.

There will be occasions when consensus cannot be made on a recommended applicant, so a report should be made based on the panel’s difference of opinion.

Panels need to rank or make comparative comments on the number of candidates required to fulfil a position.

Activity 3E

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3.6 ‒ Advise unsuccessful candidates of outcomes and respond to any queries

Make sure that all unsuccessful applicants are advised about their lack of success in the interview process. Give the applicants an opportunity to ask questions. They may not be right for one position, but they could be right for another position. Treat these applicants fairly and professionally so that they will be comfortable to re-apply at a later date.

Advising unsuccessful candidates

Never tell candidates that they have been unsuccessful until the main candidate has accepted their job offer. If the offer is rejected, you may choose to offer the position to another candidate. It will not look very good if you tell a candidate that they are unsuccessful and then had to go back and offer them a position.

General guidelines for unsuccessful candidates are:

· You need to inform them by telephone or email to let them know that they were unsuccessful.

· Let them know that another candidate has been more closely matched to the selection criteria than they have, and that person has accepted the position.

· Thank the candidate for taking the time to apply and wish them well for all future endeavours.

· The feedback provided in the selection report should be provided to candidates who request it or when they request it. A member of the selection panel should be delegated with the task of providing feedback.

· Many organisations counsel internal applicants when they are unsuccessful. The feedback from the interview gives these candidates an opportunity to identify the skills or experiences needed to increase their success chances at a future period of time.

· Fotolia_15998598_XSAny feedback provided by personnel such as referee reports or details of other applicants must not be provided in the feedback process.

The communication process

There are many ways in which you can advise unsuccessful applicants that they did not pass into the next stage of the recruitment process. Standards letters can be sent or phone calls can be made before also sending written advice.

To obtain and retain the best personnel, you should consider advising the unsuccessful applicant that they have not succeeded. The aim is to build the reputation of your organisation for treating applications professionally and fairly. This means that unsuccessful applicants are happy to re-apply with the organisation again. Remember; just because they were not right for one job, does not mean that they were not right for another.

Keep your call to the unsuccessful applicant brief. Introduce yourself and the job role. Let them know that in this instance that they were unsuccessful and that they will receive written confirmation of this in time. Make sure that these phone calls are short and structured.

Treat unsuccessful applicant fairly and remember that all contact with clients can build on the positive reputation of the organisation.

Activity 3F

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3.7 ‒ Secure preferred candidate's agreement

High calibre candidates are in high demand. If you leave them waiting, you may lose them resulting in the need to keep vacancies open longer than planned or having to settle for the next best option.

Delays in the recruitment process

The final process in deciding on a candidate can be a drawn out process that can take time if your organisation does not have procedures in place to ensure that the final decision for a candidate is processed quickly. Try to avoid unforseen delays and make sure that you process the position as soon as possible.

Fotolia_4599019_XSUnforseen delays may include:

The candidate may decide not to join

A frustrated candidate is a candidate that ends up reluctant to join the organisation. Their perception of the organisation can be negative when they are not kept apprised of the situation. They could decide that the length of time of the recruitment process is a reflection on the organisation as a whole and as to whether or not they are really wanted. In Australia, a delay sometimes leads to candidates assuming that they are being kept waiting while the organisation tries to see how their preferred candidate works out.

The level of uncertainty becomes a risk, even if the candidate is eager. They may go to another organisation or their current employer may make several offers to retain their services. This is one thing you do not want to do as their potential employer.

Loss and cost

If the candidate is required to start on a specific date, they may not be able to due to time they need to resign and service out notice with their current employer.

As the manager, you will also need to take into consideration the impact that a delay may have on your team. If a position is standing open too long and the rest of the team are taking steps to fill in the position, over a period of time the morale of your team will be affected and this in turn will mean that you will need to take steps for higher absenteeism, lack of performance and motivation.

Think of the monetary impact that your team may be faced with. If they are only getting paid for their performance, and their performance has slipped, then they may lose ground on pay awards and other promotional and career opportunities.

How do you minimise the recruitment process delays?

If you want the candidate, then you have to work to get the candidate. This means that it is important to make sure that any delays are minimised. Use strategic planning and contingency plans to circumvent delays as they arise.

There are several common delays and they are:

· If there is no up-to-date job description then the tactic to attract superior candidates is delayed due to mismatches in job selection criteria and experience. To obtain the best quality candidate, a concise and clear job description has to be available with any supporting information

· Make sure that timelines are clear. Make sure that you are clear about the start and end of the process, right down to the day in which you will notify the candidate about the final selection. With this information you will be able to manage the expectations of your candidate and provide them with sufficient time frames for interviews and short listing

· Make sure that the person delegated to make the final decision is available to read the panel recommendations and make a final decision. There are times when these people are very hard to make appointments with. If you plan early, then you are able to book their time earlier and a decision and offer will be made faster.

· Committing to interview dates is very important so that you can see each applicant, process their paperwork, such as interview sheets, evaluation sheets and selection reports. Candidates usually take time off work to go to your interview. If you cancel the interview, you will not make a good impression on them. Remember, the first impression of your organisation will be the impression that will stay with them.

· Lack of communication. A lack of communication anywhere in the communication chain can have a negative impact on the organisation. Take the time to ensure that your organisational communication policy is correct. If there is a problem with any part of the channel of communication then steps should be made to improve the problem

· Make realistic goals. Do not over-extend yourself with a position that is not desperate. If this is happening, then there is a problem in your organisation’s policies and procedures somewhere. It is your responsibility to find out what that gap is and to do something about it.

In the end, it does not really matter what the cause of the delay is. Your organisation will lose money, you will lose credibility and all of those superior candidates will go elsewhere. What you need to do is make sure that you identify the cause of any delay and take steps to overcome them to ensure that your candidate is contacted on time.

Break down in the negotiation of a salary

So, you have searched, interviewed, shortlisted and screened and made an offer to your candidates, only to have your candidate hesitate because you are not able to offer them what they want. You should know:

Salary expectations

Find out what your candidates are expecting before the final interview. Also consider the cost benefit of each candidate to reach a decision. A candidate who does not meet the cost benefit expectations should not progress any further.

Cost-benefit analysis is a technique used to determine whether a planned action will turn out good or bad.

Pitching the offer

There is an element of negotiation at this stage. Budgetary constraints can lose you clients as they expect on average a 20 per cent increase on their salary package depending on the level of expertise that they have and seniority. Make your offer as appealing as possible as poor offers will negate the candidate’s enthusiasm and make them consider investigating other options.

Making the final offer

MMoneyIf there is no policy not to negotiate at the offer stage, then let the candidate know when there is no room for improvement. There is a balance between managing your recruitment budget and securing your ideal candidate.

Activity 3G

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3.8 ‒ Complete necessary documentation according to organisational procedures, observing confidentiality and privacy requirements

Documentation

Fotolia_4811872_XSAll documentation includes the:

· CV

· Scans of references or qualifications

· Criminal checks

· Licenses

· Working with children checks

· Referee checks

· Interview sheets

· Selection reports

· Any letters.

All documentation must be processed as per organisational procedures. Documentation is handled differently from industry to industry. Some organisations will retain a copy, with the applicant’s permission, of their paperwork for six months in case a similar position arises that they may fill.

These files need to be kept in a secured location so that no unauthorised personnel could obtain access to the files. If your personnel information is accessed by unauthorised personnel you could be faced with a law suit.

Businesses receive and generate sensitive information every day. An applicant’s personal records are confidential. Your organisation will be accessing private information which you are legally required to keep secure. This security will also be required in the disposal of an interviewee’s personal information.

Disposal of information

Confidential waste and printed materials that are produced as part of the interview should be disposed of through a disposal company sourced to remove shredded confidential information and data from the organisation and make sure that the destruction of the information is completed within current location privacy act provisions and in most cases the organisation delegated to remove the waste will provide a certificate of destruction to protect your organisation from litigation.

To keep control of records to be destroyed, your organisation should have appropriate procedures.

Your organisational procedures in regards to the destruction may include:

No records are disposed of without the authorisation of the HR department in relation to personal documentation pertaining to current, past or prospective staff

Documents are processed and checked to ensure that the correct records are being destroyed.

Once documents have been confirmed, then organisational procedures shall be followed in regards to their destruction.

These procedures may be:

That confidential files are shredded and placed in appropriate wheelie bin, compact bin or other disposal bin with lock and key in a secured location for pick up

That confidential files are placed in appropriate wheelie bin, compact bin or other disposal bin with lock and key in a secured location for pick up

A certified document is sent to the organisation confirming that the documentation has been picked up and destroyed.

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Activity 3H

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4. Induct successful candidate

4.1 Provide successful candidate with employment contract and other documentation

4.2 Advise manager and work team of new appointment

4.3 Advise managers and staff of candidate's starting date and make necessary administrative arrangements for pay and employee record keeping

4.4 Arrange successful candidate’s induction according to organisational policy

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4.1 ‒ Provide successful candidate with employment contract and other documentation

Many applicants will not make the final commitment for a position until they receive a letter of offer and a copy of the employment contract.

Letter of offer

A letter of offer is an official document that provides the following information:

· The employee’s name

· The nature of the jobs

· Start date.

Depending on the scope of the job, when the parties agree the successful applicant is to start and the organisations procedures, the letter of offer may contain:

The tax file formPAYE (pay as you earn). To be taxed correctly this form must be completed. Failure to complete the form means that the successful applicant will automatically be taxed in the higher bracket.

Personal information form ‒ Personal details such as name, address and who to contact if the applicant is injured in the workplace.

Banking details form ‒ To ensure that the successful candidate is paid on time and correctly

Superannuation form ‒ The successful applicant can use their own superannuation or the superannuation of the organisation.

The letter of offer shall have:

· Two original copies of the employment contract.

Employment contract

Two copies of the employment contract should accompany the letter of offer. In most cases, the contracts have been signed. The successful candidate will be asked to read and sign each contract. One contract should be kept by the new employee and the second is handled, one of two ways:

1. The successful candidate will be required to complete the rest of the forms and send them to the office for processing; or

2. Fotolia_9747348_XSThe successful candidate will be encouraged to send the employment contract to the office and may either be asked to bring the other documentation to the office when they complete their induction or to send the documentation when they send the employment contract to the office.

Components of the employment contract

Location

The head office will usually be the location where the employment contract should be sent. The location is usually where the successful applicant will be working or head office. If the successful candidate is relocating, then further allowances and costs will be shown as part of the contract. This may include: relocation costs or relocation allowances.

Hours of work

The hours of work will vary according to the agreement with the successful applicant. For example, hours of work may be: 08:30 to 17:00 with half an hour to forty-five minutes lunch break for a salary employee. However, an administrative employee working five hours a day may be required as per their award or their enterprise agreement to a half an hour break.

These times and any breaks should be clearly displayed. Any further instructions or agreements must be clear and concise.

Responsibilities

Use the responsibilities that you placed in the advertisement for the job or the job description if one is available.

Probation period

Will the successful applicant have a probation period? This is the period where the employer can validate their choice by ensuring that they consistently meet their goal outcomes. The probation period must support the selection decision in that the successful candidate demonstrates the following by:

· Continuously meeting the departments goals and plans

· Fitting in with the team and participate constructively with their goals; and

· Having the skills, knowledge and expertise to develop a career within the organisation.

Compliance

C:\Users\Tom\Desktop\ArtWork\Shuttershock\money_success.jpgThe successful candidate must follow policies and procedures. Policies and procedures are developed to reflect industry standards, legislation such as antidiscrimination, WHS Law and privacy legislation. Failure to follow these policies and procedures can lead to fines and prison terms if found guilty for breach of the law.

Remuneration

Agreed salary including superannuation, allowances, health care, etc. Pay period should be stated, i.e. weekly, fortnightly, monthly for the first of every month.

Leave entitlements

Annual leave

Confirm days of leave entitlements for the day. Outline the daily accrual of leave and provide details of when the successful applicant is eligible to start their leave.

Long service leave

How many years of continuous employment does the candidate have to work to earn leave? How many weeks of leave are they entitled to?

Maternity/paternity leave

Outline the amount of weeks the candidate is entitled for leave.

Sick leave

Sick leave will vary from work place to work place, industry to industry.

Computer abuse

To ensure that staff is not exposed to offensive mail, organisations usually have procedures about computer use and the consequences if they are not followed. Employees, managers and the organisation are responsible in ensuring that the procedures are followed.

Confidentiality

The level of confidentiality will vary according to the level of access that the successful applicant has.

Termination

Termination will usually be raised if breach of any procedures is identified. The term in which a resignation is finalised varies from organisation to organisation.

MCocktail

Activity 4A

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4.2 ‒ Advise manager and work team of new appointment

4.3 ‒ Advise managers and staff of candidate's starting date and make necessary administrative arrangements for pay and employee record keeping

Advise managers and staff

The start date for the successful candidate needs to be communicated to management and staff members who will need to plan for their arrival. For example:

The human resource department, so that they can:

· Plan the induction

· Arrange a mentor/coach

· Arrange any ongoing training as part of their induction.

The finance department, so that they can:

· Pay wages

· Arrange banking

· Process superannuation.

Team members may be waiting for a new staff member to assist them or to give back the duties to the position. When an employee leaves suddenly, is terminated or resigns and the position is not filled straight away, staff may be called on to cover the position until a new candidate is employed.

This is another reason why it is important to minimise the delays that may arise in the recruitment process. If the delays become too long then the morale of the team will be affected. By communicating the imminent start of a new team member while lift morale and give team members something to look forward to.

MSpannerMake sure that the date is communicated using organisational procedures. Include team members in the induction process and ask if any would like to volunteer to assist the candidate in the walk through the work site. Acknowledge their suggestions and provide them with ongoing feedback to motivate the team.

Activity 4B

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4.4 ‒ Arrange successful candidate’s induction according to organisational policy

Inductions

The first impression that the successful candidate has of the organisation is in the organisations induction program. To reinforce the impression that they have made the correct decision, by making them feel welcome; provide them with the tasks and standard of work required to make a quick transition into their role. There is a cost effective tools that you can use to induct, follow up and evaluate as part of the organisations continuous improvement program.

Management plays a large role within any program, so it is important to make sure that you have their support. This support can be obtained by asking for their feedback in the development of the induction plan.

The goal of an induction program is to make sure that new employees learn the structure and the processes within the organisation.

This means that new employees must:

· Learn the culture of the organisation

· Learn the structure of the organisation; and

· Learn the KSAs (knowledge, skills and attitudes) to be successful in their organisation.

By performing these tasks, you will be:

Reducing

Increasing

· Staff turnover and absenteeism

· Reducing accidents

· Incidents and disputes

· Increasing productivity

· Facilitate learning and development

· Job satisfaction

By making an employee feel welcome and comfortable, you will increase their smooth assimilation into the organisation and their retention rate will increase.

If your organisation does not have an induction program, then you should take steps to develop one. To ensure that you receive the full support of management, you need to develop the plan in consultation with strategic managers.

When designing an induction plan, create a checklist that will assist you in designing an outline to your induction plan.

Induction checklist

Your induction checklist should include:

Induction checklist

History of the organisation including:

· Mission and vision statement

· Organisational chart – highlight important key staff

· Site layout, including walkthrough

· Products or services

Terms of employment including:

· Leave, contract, probationary period and contracts

Pay details including:

· Date and how

Work conditions including:

· Code of conduct and ethics, policies and procedures, where to find them, dress code, WHS law

Walkthrough including:

· Introduction to the team, work area, emergency procedures, job, amenities.

Prioritise the list to determine what is more important. Follow organisational procedures to ensure that the induction area is free so that their induction takes place in a comfortable location. Ask key personnel to participate in the Induction so that the employee will be able to recognise the personnel. If key personnel are unable to allocate time, ask them to assign another team member to present their section.

The induction plan

Date/time

Topic

Location

How

Who

http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/demosites/series5/506/lo/2002_329_003/documents/2002_329_003_reading.pdf

Once you have completed this plan and consulted with staff and finalised this plan, make sure that every member that is presenting information is given a copy of the plan. Remember this is a plan that may need to be changed to meet individual needs of the employee.

Based on the induction plan, design an evaluation sheet to obtain feedback from the employee to identify any areas that they feel may need to be improved. Once the questionnaire is completed ask the employee being inducted if they have any questions.

The most important thing is to ensure that the new employees are aware of where the induction is taking place. Send the location, time and date by either email or letter. Organisational procedure may require that you make a courtesy call the day before to confirm the location time and date.

The human resources life cycle

Otherwise known as the employee life cycle, the HR lifecycle allows you to see where the recruitment process is considered to be in relation to the employment of a member of staff until they leave either the workforce or workplace.

For this unit of competence, we have been looking at 1, 2, 3, 10 of the human resource life cycle.

Activity 4C

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Skills and Knowledge Activity

Nearly there...

Major Activity – An opportunity to revise the unit

At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find an activity titled ‘Major Activity’. This is an opportunity to revise the entire unit and allows your trainer to check your knowledge and understanding of what you have covered. It should take between 1-2 hours to complete and your trainer will let you know whether they wish for you to complete it in your own time or during session. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move onto the next, well done!

Congratulations!

You have now finished the unit ‘Support the recruitment, selection and induction of staff'.

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References

These suggested references are for further reading and do not necessarily represent the contents of this Learner Guide.

Legislation relating to human resources in Australia

Legislation information can be found at:

Australasian Legal Information Institute at UFL Address: http://www.austlii.edu.au/

Australasian Attorney Generals Departments Legal Database at UFL Address: http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/

Australasian Industrial Awards and Agreements database

All State Acts can be found listed at URL Address: http://www.weblaw.edu.au/display_page.phtml?WebLaw_Page=Occupational+Health+%26+Safety+Law

Relevant laws include Industrial Relation Laws, WHS Laws, Environmental Laws, and Anti-discrimination legislation. Some of this legislation is shown below. Notice that there is both Commonwealth and separate State/Territory Legislation. In these cases, Commonwealth Legislation usually applies only when there is a gap in State/Territory Legislation.

For more information of workplace codes of practice, Acts and Regulations in WHS for your State, refer to URL Address: http://www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Occupationalhealthandsafety/pages/ActsandCodesofPracticeinyourstateorterritory.aspx

Location

URL Addresses

Commonwealth

Boilers and Pressure Vessels Regulation 1954

Dangerous Substances (Explosives) Regulation 2004

Dangerous Substances (General) Regulations 2004

Fair Work Act 2009

Fair Work Relations Act 2009

Machinery Act 1949

Machinery Regulation 1950

Magistrate Court (WHS Infringement Notices) Regulation 2004 Workplace Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991

Workplace Health and Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995

Public Services Act 1999

Parliamentary Act 1999

Workers Compensation Act 1951 No 2

Workers Compensation Regulation 2002

Employment Law

http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/law/industriallaw.htm#legislation

Comcare

http://www.comcare.gov.au/laws__and__regulations/WHS_act,_regulations__and__code

(accessed 9.10.14)

ACT

Dangerous Substances (Explosives) Regulation 2004

Dangerous Substances (General) Regulations 2004

Discrimination Act 1991

WHS Act 1989 No 18

WHS (Manual Handling ) Regulation 1997

Human Rights Commission

http://www.hrc.act.gov.au/

WorkSafe

http://www.ors.act.gov.au/workcover/index.html

(accessed 9.10.14)

NSW

Coal Mine Health and Safety Act 2002

Industrial Relations Act 1996

WHS Act 2000

Workers Compensation Act 1987

Workplace Injury Management and Worker Compensation Regulations 2002

Anti-Discrimination Board

http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adb

WorkCover

http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/pages/default.aspx

(accessed 9.10.14)

Northern Territory

Dangerous Goods (Road and Rail Transport) Act

Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment

Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act

Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Regulations

Workplace Health and Safety Act 2007

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations

Anti-Discrimination Commission http://www.nt.gov.au/justice/adc/index.htm

WorkSafe

http://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/

(accessed 9.10.14)

Queensland

Industrial Relations Act 1999

Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Regulation 2001

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1995

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 2008

Anti-Discrimination Commission

http://www.adcq.qld.gov.au/

WorkCover

http://www.workcoverqld.com.au/

(accessed 9.10.14)

South Australia

Public Sector Management Act 1995

Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986

WorkCover Corporation Act 1994

Radiation Protection and Control Act 1982

Privacy Act 1988

Equal Opportunity Commission

http://www.eoc.sa.gov.au/

WorkSafe

http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/

(accessed 9.10.14)

Tasmania

Industrial Relations Act 1984

Workplace Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988

Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995

Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998

Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner

http://www.antidiscrimination.tas.gov.au

WorkCover

http://www.workcover.tas.gov.au/

(accessed 9.10.14)

Victoria

Industrial Relations Legislation WHS Act 2004

WHS (Manual Handling) Regulations 1999

Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission

http://www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au/

WorkSafe

http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/wsinternet/WorkSafe

(accessed 9.10.14)

Western Australia

DOCEP Legislation

Industrial Relations Act 1979

Long Service Leave Act 1958

Minimum Conditions of Employment Act 1993

Mine Safety and Inspection Act 1994

Mine Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995

WHS Act 1984

WHS Regulations 1996

Public and Bank Holidays Act 1972

Public Sector Management Act 1994

Workplace agreements Act 1993

Equal Opportunity Commission http://www.eoc.wa.gov.au/Index.aspx

WorkCover

http://www.workcover.wa.gov.au/Default.htm

(accessed 9.10.14)

Standards

Standards Australia: www.standards.org.au/ (accessed 9.10.14)

The HRF-101:2010: www.hrcoach.com.au/standards/about_the_standard (accessed 9.10.14)

Privacy

State

Privacy Legislation and URL Address

Australian Capital Territory

Privacy Act (1988)

Australian Capital Territory Government Service (Consequential Provisions) Act 1994

Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997

Human Rights Act 2004

Freedom of Information Act 1989

Territory Records Act 2002 (public records)

Human Rights Act 2004 (right to privacy)

Spent Convictions Act 2000

Listening Devices Act 1992

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/act (accessed 9.10.14)

Northern Territory

Information Act 2002 (privacy, FOI and public records)

Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act 1992

Surveillance Devices Act 2007

Telecommunications (Interception) Northern Territory Act 2001

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/nt (accessed 9.10.14)

New South Wales

Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998

Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002

Freedom of Information Act 1989

State Records Act 1998

Criminal Records Act 1991 (Spent Convictions)

Listening Devices Act 1984

Workplace Surveillance Act 2005

Telecommunications (Interception and Access) (New South Wales) Act 1987

Access to Neighbouring Land Act 2000, esp. s.16 and s.26.

Crimes (Forensic Procedures) Act 2000

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/nsw (accessed 9.10.14)

Queensland

Right to Information Act 2009

Public Records Act 2002

Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 (spent convictions)

Invasion of Privacy Act 1971 (listening devices, invasion of privacy of the home)

Whistleblowers Protection Act 1994

Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Chapter 4 deals with covert evidence-gathering powers)

Private Employment Agents (Code of Conduct) Regulation 2005 (provisions 14 and 15 deal with work seekers' information and the need to ensure it is not disclosed or improperly used).

Relevant Queensland case law

Grosse v Purvis [2003] QDC 151 (16 June 2003).

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/qld (accessed 9.10.14)

South Australian

Freedom of Information Act 1991

State Records Act 1997

Listening and Surveillance Devices Act 1972

Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1988

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/sa #9 (accessed 9.10.14)

Tasmanian

Personal Information Protection Act 2004

Freedom of Information Act 1991

Archives Act 1983

Annulled Convictions Act 2003 (spent convictions)

Listening Devices Act 1991

Telecommunications (Interception) Tasmania Act 1999

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/tas (accessed 9.10.14)

Victorian

Information Privacy Act 2000

Health Records Act 2000

Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006

Freedom of Information Act 1982

Public Records Act 1973

Surveillance Devices Act 1999

Telecommunications (Interception) (State Provisions) Act 1988

Relevant Victorian case law:

Jane Doe v Australian Broadcasting Corporation [2007] VCC 281 (3 April 2007)

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/vic (accessed 9.10.14)

Western Australian

Freedom of Information Act 1992

Health Services (Conciliation and Review) Act 1995

State Records Act 2000

Spent Convictions Act 1988

Surveillance Devices Act 1998

Telecommunications (Interception) Western Australia Act 1996

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states/wa (accessed 9.10.14)

Definition for Code of practice

URL Address: http://www.docdownload.com.au/document/group.psp?group=human,13121,83657

(accessed 9.10.14)

Government of Western Australia

Dept of Commerce

URL Address: http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/labourrelations/PDF/Work%20Life%20Balance/WLBfactsheet2Jobsharing.pdf

(accessed 9.10.14)

How WorkSafe applies the law in relation to:

Discrimination on health and safety grounds

A Guideline made under s12 of the WHS Act 2004

URL Address: http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/435a5b0040b23fe2bad4bf19ce5b80bf/02921+wor+PC+Docs+Post_Discrimination.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

(accessed 9.10.14)

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Privacy Act 1988

URL Address: http://www.privacy.gov.au/

(accessed 9.10.14)

Australian Bureau of Statistics Website: URL Address: www.abs.gov.au.

(accessed 9.10.14)

Matthews, G; Deary, I.J and Whiteman, M.C. (2003) Personality Traits Cambridge University Press Second Edition

Plan an induction program

URL Address: http://toolboxes.flexiblelearning.net.au/demosites/series5/506/lo/2002_329_003/documents/2002_329_003_reading.pdf

(accessed 9.10.14)

Turner, T. S. (2004) Behavioural interviewing guide: a practical, structured, approach for conducting effective selection interviews. Trafford. Victoria Canada

1. Position becomes vacant

2. Internal transfer or recruitment takes place

3. Hiring is done on the open market

4. Benefits enrolment

5. Training imparted to fill gaps

6. Travel entitlements and management

7. Time reporting and shift planning

8. Payroll for salary disbursement

9. Career and succession planning and compensation management

10. Cost planning and reporting

11. Separation (retirement, resignation)