The Public Sector Commission has released an online toolkit to support hiring managers to run innovative recruitment processes that attract the best possible people into the Public Sector.
The Hiring Managers’ Toolkit has resources and information set out under the four phases of a recruitment process — plan; attract; assess and select; and appoint.
Announcing the Toolkit, Public Sector Commissioner, Sharyn O’Neill said it could be used to make the recruitment process more efficient and effective, as well as provide a more positive and inclusive experience for candidates.
“In 2020-21 there were 19,000 advertisements created on JobsWA, attracting 270,000 applications,” Ms O’Neill said.
“This is a huge investment of time and resources across Agencies,” she said.
“The Toolkit has ideas and opportunities to innovate and get the best possible results from this work.”
Ms O’Neill said the labour market was currently very competitive “so we want Agencies to present employment opportunities in a way that attracts diverse and highly capable candidates”.
She reminded hiring managers undertaking a recruitment process that they must adhere to the standards and principles set out in the Public Sector Management Act 1994.
Ms O’Neill said this included that decisions must be made on merit — there must be a proper assessment of candidates’ skills, knowledge abilities and previous experience.
“Decisions must be equitable — impartial and free from bias, nepotism and patronage, and they must be transparent and able to be reviewed,” she said.
“There must be no unlawful discrimination against people seeking employment.”
The Commissioner said the resources and information in the Toolkit satisfied these requirements while giving hiring managers ideas about how to think differently to get the right people for their jobs.
“The Toolkit provides clearer direction and information while recruitment policy and practices are being reviewed,” Ms O’Neill said.
The Commission’s Toolkit can be accessed at this PS News link.
