Your role, as a Hiring Leader  in the Selection part of the Talent Acquisition phase is not just to fill vacancies in your department.  To make the best “hire” possible, you are accountable for making decisions throughout all stages of the hiring process that are transparent and fair; and to search for candidates who will significantly impact and contribute to the College’s culture of diversity and inclusion and supports the College’s Strategic Plan and the College’s values.

Your role is to understand the position, culture and values of the College, and to ensure that the candidate you are hiring possesses these qualities.  Your role is to be knowledgeable of the benefits of working at Langara and to be able to inform candidates if they ask.

As the “Recruiter” you will representing the college and be engaging with candidates who may be future employees of Langara.  To attract the best talent, your role is to offer a great candidate experience!

In the information below, we will provide information on the steps in selection, the core things you need to know in order to make the right hire, how to find and attract candidates, how to interview candidates, what are legal questions to ask, and everything you need to know before you make the offer.

Tools:

Posting a Vacancy

Before you initiate recruitment for any position, you must ensure that you have a position number, appropriate budget, and approvals in place.  It will be necessary to review your departmental needs and priorities and determine whether the position description on file is current, and accurately captures the essential requirements of the job in order to attract candidates to the posting.  Once the position description has been reviewed, the position will be posted on the College’s Employment Opportunities website.

CUPE vacancies must be posted for a minimum of 10 days for temporary postings and 14 days for permanent positions. Internal candidates must be considered prior to reviewing external applicants. 

Shortlisting Applicants

The shortlisting process is one of the most important functions of a successful hiring process.  To begin, the hiring leader objectively reviews each and every application against the essential (minimum) selection criteria stated in the job posting and then determining who should move forward in the competition for further assessment. Your shortlisting approach should be documented; and must be transparent, equitable and fair. It should minimize or eliminate decisions that are based on bias, gut feelings or subjective criteria. Always short list so that your criteria is based on the job description and posted education and experience, aligned with the BC Human Rights Code, and objective and evidence-based.  A screening summary template can be used to help organize your assessment of candidates.

Tools:

Testing (optional)

When considering testing, determine whether testing is necessary for the position you are recruiting.  While testing is not required for all competitions, it allows job applicants to demonstrate their skills and abilities in relation to the job you are recruiting. In many circumstances, it can be an invaluable tool in helping you to compare and determine the superior candidate and make an objective hiring decision.

For many of the College’s clerical positions, the following Kenexa Tests are used to assess the candidates in the following areas:  Typing, Data Entry, English Grammar, Word, and Excel.  If the available testing in Kenexa does not meet your requirements, and it is determined that testing is necessary in establishing whether a candidate meets a knowledge or competency of a skill/ability, you will need to develop your own assessment.   Consider keeping the length of the testing within reason, at no more than an hour and be sure that the testing is relevant to the job and consistent with the job description.  Keep in mind that a testing process that is too complicated, long, or onerous, may deter qualified candidates from applying or lead to candidates dropping out of the process altogether.

Interviewing Candidates

The foundation for a successful hiring process is the interview. The best interview format is face-to-face, but video interviews can also take place using Zoom or Skype.  In each competition search, to be fair and equitable, the same series of questions will be given to each candidate using a variety of situational and competency based interview questions.  You can create your own interview guide by using the Interview Template and selecting interview questions from the Competency Based Interview Questions provided in the Leader’s Toolkit.

Creating a positive candidate experience by treating them with respect and courtesy and asking the right interview questions, will result in the right candidate being hired, higher engagement, retention, and better fit with the team. Give all your attention to the candidate by listening, making eye contact, and staying engaged, especially by putting away any electronic devices, phones, or laptops that can be distracting.  One of the most important things at the end of the interview is to allow room for questions from the candidate to ask about the organization and to provide the candidate when you will be able reach a decision.

Avoid asking candidate(s) questions about a candidate’s sexual orientation, marital or family status, religion, age, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, criminal or summary conviction, or political belief.  These questions are prohibited under the BC Human Rights Act, and may be perceived as discriminatory by the candidate if they were not successful in the position.

Tools:

Reference Check

Once a suitable candidate has been determined, the Department should perform reference checks; at least two references checks should be completed with the candidate’s direct supervisors (within the past 5 years). Workday provides sample reference checking questions and you may contact Recruitment for assistance, as requested. Please ensure that you have the candidate’s consent before contacting references. After references checked, and you have decided on the best candidate, it is time for preparing for the job offer!

Regrets & Closing the file

Once an offer has been accepted, it is time to close the file, and send out regrets to any candidates that were not successful on the posting.  The competition file with interview guides, any notes, should be sent to Recruitment for their records. 

Continue to the New Employee Onboarding section of this toolkit to learn about making the verbal offer and welcoming a new employee onto your team.