Streamlining the Public Sector Recruitment Process 2014 SANTA CLARA COUNTY LEADERSHIP ACADEMY Rob Campbell R.J. Citarelli David Nylander Jennifer Schembri Judi Torrico Jen Woodworth

What is the Challenge?

Public sector hiring can be laborious, time consuming, and bound by self- limiting structure. Refining the public sector hiring process can help agencies be more competitive, and entice otherwise reluctant talent to public service.

Research Methodology Informational Interviews  City of San Jose  Town of Los Gatos  San Mateo County  Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District  Santa Clara County Fire Department  Marvell Semiconductor Various literature review (Government organizations, non-profits)

A Case Study

Are your current recruitment processes working in your best interest? Or are they potential barriers to candidates? Recruitment need identified Day 1 Vacancy advertised Day 18 Advertising closed Day 50 Shortlisting completed Day 69 Selection process undertaken Day 91 Verbal offer made Day 128 New recruit withdrew name Day 156 Ideal Recruitment Timeline Recruitment need identified Day 1 Vacancy advertised Day 10 Advertising closed Day 24 Shortlisting completed Day 25 Selection process undertaken Day 30 Verbal offer made Day 31 New recruit commences Day 45 Typical Recruitment Timeline Recruitment need identified Day 1 Vacancy advertised Day 12 Advertising closed Day 26 Shortlisting completed Day 32 Selection process undertaken Day 45 Verbal offer made Day 59 New recruit commences Day 88 Case Study: Senior Systems Programmer

Examples of Streamlining

Universal Eligibility Lists/Position Based Hiring  Problem: Universal eligibility lists promote classification based hiring, where candidate may meet minimum qualifications but have no experience related to specific duties of the position  Resolution: Only use universal eligibility lists for classifications with consistent duties agency wide

“Cascade Hiring”  Problem: Going through a recruitment process for a position that is then filled by an internal candidate, means that another recruitment needs to occur  Resolution: Hire for multiple levels within a classification at the same time anticipating that the higher level will be filled with an internal promotion

Internal/Open Recruitments  Problem: Limiting openings to internal candidates doubles recruitment time if none are successful.  Resolution: Consider all recruitments as open to internal and external candidates to increase applicant pool, and reduce potential for duplicate processes.

Delays in the Recruitment Schedule  Problem: Process delays commonly occur due to conflicting demands of key participants  Resolution: Establish hard timeline and milestone dates prior to, and include in, the job announcement.

“Hire Ahead” Program  Problem: Recruitment is often initiated after departure of incumbent, despite prior knowledge of pending departure.  Resolution: Develop hire ahead program, including budgetary approval for overlap of departing and recruited personnel to allow the for smoother transition and knowledge transfer.

Other Options for Streamlining  Succession Planning  Internship Programs  Mapping the Process

Tools for Use in Your Agency Area of concernKey questionsTacticsStakeholdersPriority Broad strategy Is the process running well—can it be improved? Technology & systems How can we leverage existing technology? Performance measures What key recruitment statistics do we collect? What are they telling us? Planning How much planning is undertaken at the beginning of each recruitment exercise? Value proposition How are we positioning ourselves in the marketplace? Application process How can we make the application process quick for candidates? Selection team How skilled are our managers at recruitment and selection? Selection process Is an interview always necessary? Offers / acceptance How frequently are job offers accepted/rejected? Induction process How effective is our induction process?

Conclusion: Completely overhauling the Public Sector hiring process may seem daunting, but small incremental changes could make all the difference

Discussion/Questions