Recruitment Advertising Policy

It is normal University practice to advertise vacancies, other than casual positions, at least internally, but usually also externally. In exceptional circumstances the University reserves the right to appoint by invitation in which case advertising may be dispensed with.

Casual or fixed-term positions of less than a year may be filled on the nomination of a suitable candidate but limited advertising and a modest selection process should be used where practicable. A selection process is obligatory when a near relative or close friend of an existing staff member has applied for a position in the same Department.

Senior managers have delegated authority to fund positions and authorise the advertising of positions. All requests to advertise must be submitted to the relevant Human Resource Advisor with the authorising signature of the senior manager or approved nominee.

Purpose

• To identify the delegated authority for recruitment advertising and subsequent costs.
• To ensure a consistent and fair approach to recruitment advertising, which complies with relevant legislative requirements and is in accordance with the University's Equal Opportunities Policy.
• To ensure that the best candidates are sought locally, nationally and internationally as appropriate.
• To maximise the effectiveness of recruitment advertising.

References

Appendix A - Guidelines for Writing Recruitment Advertising
The University of Waikato Equal Opportunities Policy
The University of Waikato Appointment of Near Relatives or Close Friends of Staff Members Policy
The University of Waikato Public Relations and Marketing Policy
Race Relations Act 1977
Human Rights Act 1993
Employment Contracts Act 1991
State Services Act 1988
Fair Trading Act 1986
And any other relevant Acts or Amendments to Acts

Procedures

These circumstances are summarised as follows:

• An existing staff member may be appointed to a new or different position where to do so is a necessary part of a restructuring or re-organisation.
• An existing staff member may be redeployed (e.g. to resolve personal difficulties; in a redundancy situation; or in the case of a staff member returning from parental leave or a former staff member returning under childcare re-entry provisions).
• An existing staff member may be transferred to a vacant position as a means of rotating staff for staff development purposes.
• The University may use Work and Income New Zealand or commercial employment agencies for recruiting staff.
• Other justified exceptional circumstances include:
  • The need to act quickly to secure a particular person who is unequivocally appointable in circumstances of scarcity;
    
  • The need to appoint for a fixed-term of longer than one year where specialist skills are required and available;
  • The need to appoint a particular person because of their attributes rather than to fill a vacancy for a predetermined job.

Requests to waive advertising procedures and/or to appoint by invitation require the approval of the Vice-Chancellor (operationally the Director, Human Resource Management Division or the Pro Vice-Chancellor with staffing responsibilities).

2. Position Description and Person Specification

The position description and person specification form the basis of the selection process. These documents provide a framework for advertising details, short-listing criteria, the focus of interview questions and final selection. They are also distributed to prospective applicants. An accurate position description and person specification should ideally be developed before advertising is requested. Human Resource Advisors can assist with job analysis and the writing of appropriate position descriptions and person specifications prior to a vacancy being advertised.

The timeliness of the appointment process is important. Managers and other appointment committee members should anticipate their availability when placing recruitment advertisements to ensure they can shortlist and interview within reasonable timeframes. This provides for good public relations and helps to retain the best candidates among the pool of possible appointees.

3. Recruitment Request

The Human Resource Management Division arranges external recruitment advertising in consultation with managers. Advertised vacancies also appear internally in abbreviated form in the weekly edition of the Official Circular. They are available on the web at: www.waikato.ac.nz/hrm/external/vacancies. Detailed information should be forwarded on the Recruitment/Appointment Request form to the relevant Human Resource Advisor so that recruitment processes can be initiated.

Under the State Sector Amendment Act 1989 the University has a legal obligation to notify vacancies for continuing appointments wherever practicable in a manner sufficient to enable suitably qualified persons to apply for the position.

The recommended minimum placements for advertised vacancies are as follows:

4. Cost of Advertising

Costs vary enormously according to the placement and size of the advertisement. The cost of external advertising is charged to the budget account code provided. Print media costs are based on the number of column centimetres. Composite advertising helps to reduce costs. Quotes for advertisements can be obtained by Human Resource Advisors to assist managerial decision-making provided that final copy is available at least 2 days prior to the publishing deadline. Guidelines on current costs are available from the HRM Division.

5. Drafting the Advertisement

5.1 Content should be consistent with the position description/person specification. Human Resource Advisors may write or edit advertisements and other support documentation in consultation with managers and will ensure that relevant legislative and University policy is adhered to.

5.2 Care should be taken not to include any potentially discriminating criteria (this also applies to the position description and person specification). For example a requirement for a particular qualification should not be specified unless it is needed for the performance of the job. Age related terms such as mature, senior or junior should be avoided. Recruitment advertisements must accurately describe the position. Deliberately misleading potential employees in job advertisements can constitute a breach of the Fair Trading Act 1986.

5.3 Advertisements must be guided by the University's Equal Opportunities policy. No one should be excluded from consideration for a position for which s/he is skilled and qualified as a result of inappropriate processes, rules and attitudes. The University is firmly committed to the principle of non-discrimination. The possibility of a vacancy being filled on a part-time or job share basis should be made clear in advertisements where such flexibility is available. Managers should advertise in both English and Maori and in the Maori media when appropriate.

5.4 Recruitment advertisements reflect on the University as an educational institution. We should aim to:

• attract attention from readers;
• elicit a positive response from an appropriate range of people; and
• demonstrate that we are an equal opportunity employer.

It is vital that authors make the most of the space and budgets available by avoiding unnecessary - and costly - words. Guidelines for writing recruitment advertising are attached in Appendix A.

Every advertisement includes the statement "Equal opportunity is University policy".

5.5 A salary range or an indication of the salary level of a position should generally be included in advertisements but may be omitted where genuine flexibility in salary levels is possible.

5.6 Where a position is not continuing, the fixed-term for which it is available must be specified. Similarly if a position is not full-time, an indication of the number of hours involved should be included in the advertisement details.

6. Closing Dates

The closing date must allow sufficient time for applicants to receive relevant information and submit an application. Longer periods will be required where advertisements need to be placed in specialist journals that have long lead-in times for publication or are published infrequently.

7. Placement of Advertisements

7.1 The University uses a Recruitment Advertising Agency that provides comprehensive recruitment advertising services. These include quotations for costs; placing advertisements in the media; and quality assurance of the University's agreed branding and style. The University uses a standard design format for all recruitment advertisements. All contacts with the Agency are channelled through the HRM Division.

7.2 External advertisements can be placed in appropriate internet sites, newspapers, journals, bulletins, networks, or notice boards depending on the nature of the position and the expected ease or difficulty of securing an adequate field of candidates. The department concerned, in line with Division/Faculty approval processes, will determine placement of advertisements. Human Resource Advisors can outline the various options available.

7.3 Internet advertising can be extremely cost effective and is increasingly being used in conjunction with the print media. Print advertisements can contain less detail and carry a reference to the position on a job site where there is more cost-effective space available.

7.4 The deadlines for placement of advertisements are available from the Human Resource Management Division. Provided that a fully completed Recruitment/Appointment Request form is available, Human Resource Advisors can arrange advertising at very short notice, usually within 24 hours of a publication deadline.

8. Information for Applicants

All advertisements request applicants to contact the Human Resource Management Division for further information. Relevant details are sent in response to all enquiries within one working day.

9. Receipt of Applications

Applications are sent to the Human Resource Management Division where they are held, in a secure area, until the closing date. All applications are acknowledged promptly, normally within one working day of receipt. This service ensures efficient co-ordination of the recruitment process and appropriate notification to candidates at the conclusion of the process.

10. Interview Expenses

Travel expenses are not normally paid when a position has been advertised only locally.

When a position has been advertised in the print media beyond the Waikato, the actual cost of travel will be re-imbursed from areas in which the advertisement appeared and charged to the relevant budget code. (If the mileage allowance for car travel exceeds an airfare, then the airfare equivalent should be paid instead.)

Managers have discretion to pay travel expenses in excess of these guidelines where it is in the University's interests to do so (for example, if the candidate is a strong contender in a weak field).

The payment of interview expenses related to Internet advertising is discretionary given the geographical range of potential applicants who may register interest in any particular vacancy.

Measures of Effectiveness

• Effectiveness of response rates to advertisements ( Applicant Tracking)
• A high percentage of appointments made after first round advertising
• Prompt response to enquiries by Human Resource Management staff
• Applications acknowledged within standard timeframes
• Correct documentation sent out.

Appendix A - Guidelines for Writing Recruitment Advertising

Recruitment advertising, like any other form of advertising, is competitive and aimed at selling a position. The challenge is to get the best response possible. The most suitable candidates probably aren't even looking for a new job. This is your opportunity to get their attention and convince them to apply for a position at the University of Waikato.

A recruitment advertisement must:

• Give the reader a good reason for applying for the position; and
• Have a selling point.

The less attractive the position and the scarcer the skills you are seeking, the harder you have to sell. A selling point can be just about anything - increased responsibility, research opportunities, the ability to work part-time hours - every position has some attractive points that you can illustrate. However, a selling point should be substantiated, otherwise it is meaningless e.g. if you say a position is challenging, you also need to say why it is challenging.

What Information Do You Need?

The most important step in producing a good recruitment advertisement is knowing the position. Initially you may not realise that certain aspects of the position and/or the University may be very interesting and appealing to potential applicants. It is important to look at information beyond the position description.

A Checklist of Questions for Gathering Background Information

Selling Points
Why would someone want this position? What is it that will motivate the target audience to apply? (Be specific) You should also substantiate the selling point - why will this particular selling point get the target audience to apply?

Job Title
Will it mean anything to anyone outside the University or the tertiary education sector - or New Zealand? (If no, then you may need to consider a more helpful title.)

Headline
Does the advertisement need a headline to get the reader's attention? (May only be appropriate if it is a difficult position to fill.)

Job Structure
Where does this particular role fit within the overall organisation or where does the department fit in?

Type of Environment
Small/large team, lively/go-ahead, etc.

Description of the Role
Is there anything important, unusual or interesting about it? Don't state the obvious or regurgitate the position description. Concentrate on the positive aspects.

Description of the Person Required
Qualifications, key skills, relevant experience, personal qualities. Be specific and keep it short.

Salary/benefits/training/opportunities
A selection of these may be worth mentioning.

Writing a Good Recruitment Advertisement

Standard Format
Job Title
Where (describe the University or Department)
Why (would anyone want to apply for this position)
What (are the key responsibilities)
Who (the person specification)
How much (the rewards)
What next (reply instructions)

Points to Remember:

• Read the background information;
• Identify what needs to be included and what can be omitted - highlight the selling point/s and substantiate them;
• The use of we/you (first person/second person) gives a more friendly and informal feel which tends to be more successful. The company/the applicant (third person) is much more formal. Whichever you choose - be consistent throughout;
• Don't regurgitate the position description, re-phrase it to make it more direct;
• Provide an overview of the position but don't list every detail - this is boring and a waste of valuable space (most academics know what the position involves so why not tell them something different or interesting about this position);
• Write simply, imagine describing a position to a friend;
• Be concise, use short words, sentences and paragraphs;
• Eliminate unnecessary words;
• Avoid clichs and commonly used words such as 'self-motivated, friendly and enthusiastic' as you are trying to differentiate your advertisement from others;
• Avoid repetition and think of other ways you can start a sentence;
• Avoid excessive use of punctuation but use plenty of full stops, short sentences help the reader;
• Bullet points take up a lot of space and interrupt the flow of copy; it is often more cost effective to write in sentences.

Proof Reading and Review
When you have drafted your advertisement, read it through carefully and critically. Check punctuation, spelling and sense. The copy should read smoothly and easily. Test it by reading it out loud. If you have time, ask for a second opinion. Finally assess whether the advertisement contains a compelling reason why anyone should apply for this position. If it meets these criteria, then you have written a good recruitment advertisement.

An example of advertising copy is available here using the University's standard design.

Prepared by the Human Resource Management Division