Information for Principal Recruitment Selection Panels
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Education and Training Shared Services Centre ‹ Principal Recruitment ‹ Information for Principal Recruitment Selection Panels

Information for Principal Recruitment Selection Panels


These FAQs have been developed in response to commonly asked questions from selection panels.

It is designed to assist selection panels in making informed selection decisions. It aims to provide advice to panels to resolve issues in a manner that is consistent with Departmental policy, good HR practice and the Public Sector Standards in Human Resource Management, as they relate to the recruitment, selection and appointment of Principals.

 

Redeployment

 

How does the redeployment process work?

Redeployment clearance is required to be obtained for any vacancy of six months or more. The redeployment clearance process is initiated once a Recruitment Request form is received by the Principal Recruitment team.

When your Recruitment Request form is received, available redeployees and unattached Principals will be considered. Where a suitable match is identified, ETSSC will make a recommendation to the Executive Directors regarding proposed placements. Note that vacancies of less than six months may be utilised, in consultation with Directors Schools, where required to facilitate temporary placements for redeployees until a substantive placement can be found.

Directors Schools have an opportunity to consider the skills and experience of the redeployee against the needs and context of the school. Where a Director Schools does not support the placement of a redeployee, a written assessment of the redeployee’s suitability is required to be provided on the Redeployee Referral and Assessment form. Decisions regarding placements are made by the Deputy Director General, Schools.

Does the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Standard apply to the assessment of redeployees?

No, because it is not a recruitment process, however the Redeployment Standard relates specifically to the redeployment process. The Department’s redeployment policy for Level 3, 4, 5 and 6 Principals provides more detailed information regarding the redeployment process.

The Recruitment, Selection and Appointment standard does apply to a selection where a redeployee applies as an applicant for an advertised vacancy outside of the redeployment process.

Are the conditions for ERT / EIP / EIT the same as before?

The conditions for ERT and EIT at this point remain unchanged. Currently, these processes are being discussed with the Office of the Public Sector Standards Commission.

EIP process will be aligned with the Public Sector Management (Redeployment and Redundancy) Regulations 1994 (process as noted above).

Any person can apply for any advertised position, regardless of the level. These candidates will be assessed on merit, along with all other applicants. Compassionate transfer will be at the discretion of the Director General on the basis of a recommendation by the Executive Director, Human Resources.

 

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Advertising

 

How can I improve the quality of applications that I receive?

Advertisements for vacancies have historically contained school context information and the generic JDF, however, panels have clear ideas about the work related requirements of the job. Examples of work related requirements that are additional to the generic JDF requirements include:

  • Ability to meet short and medium term priorities (eg. Curriculum leadership, workforce development etc);
  • Past or proposed approach to the Classroom First Strategy
  • Applicant’s ability to address participation rates of indigenous students etc.

Director Schools can select applicants based on the needs and context of the school, provided these are made clear in the advertisement. Director Schools are encouraged to critically evaluate advertisements to ensure that the role is well described and to ensure that selection decisions made on the needs and context of the school are defensible.

How long should applicants be given to apply for a vacancy?

Unless requested otherwise, the Principal Recruitment Team will advertise positions for a period of two weeks, generally closing on a Monday, allowing applicants three weekends to apply.

There is, however, no specific requirement for the length of time for job advertisements. Too short a time period may affect the quality of the applications received or discourage applicants who would have otherwise applied.

The length of the advertisement may also be aligned to the vacancy tenure eg. a shorter time period may be suitable for advertising of a short term temporary vacancy.

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Applications

 

Can I accept a late application?

No. The Jobs WA website will close the vacancy to applications at the time and date stated in the advertisement. The process provides for the submission of online applications only. Where there is a technical system malfunction that affects an applicant’s ability to submit their application online, they are advised to contact the Principal Recruitment team immediately to discuss their particular case.

Applicants are also advised to submit their application early to avoid the vacancy closing before they have completed the online submission process. Applicants are able to change their application at any time up to the closing date but are unable to do so after this date. District Office staff are not authorised to accept late applications on behalf of applicants, even if those staff work within the District, or at the District Office. Where an applicant contacts the District Office or Panel Chair regarding difficulties with submitting an application, they are advised to contact the Principal Recruitment Team for advice. Where it is considered that there are extenuating circumstances that may warrant consideration of a late application, Directors are encouraged to contact the Principal Recruitment Team in the first instance.

What school information must I provide to potential applicants?

From January 2009, an additional statement has been included in the information for applicants in the job advertisement that advises them to locate school information on the Schools Online page of the DET website. It is hoped that this will reduce the impost on Districts to provide extensive information to applicants. Feedback has also been received that schools have been inundated with requests for this information and applicants have been reminded that all queries should be directed to the contact in the job advertisement. Directors must ensure that the contact person listed in the advertisement is not also a prospective applicant.

There is no requirement to provide information to applicants other than that which is publicly available.

Panel members should take care in the preparation of interview questions to ensure that these can be answered effectively by anyone with access to publicly available information, so as to ensure fairness and equity for all applicants.

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Selection Process

 

What does the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Standard cover?

It covers every type of recruitment – fixed term, casual or permanent. However, for vacancies of less than six months, a person cannot claim a breach of standard under the Regulations, unless the period of appointment could be extended or the person appointed could become permanent.

Can I use a Consultant and do they have to comply with the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment standard?

Recent feedback from Directors Schools indicates that the use of Consultants has been helpful to supporting the new recruitment and selection process. Consultants, and Panel Chairs in their use of Consultants, need to ensure that the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment standard is met for all selection processes.

What if the Consultant I want to use does not know how to use RAMS?

User manuals have been developed for consultants who are required to use RAMS. Within these manuals are step-by-step processes for updating RAMS and using available functions to support the recruitment and selection process.

The Principal Recruitment team provided training to interested consultants on the Common Use Arrangement for HR Services in April 2009. Consultants who have attended the training will have gained a good knowledge of how to administer the recruitment and selection process on RAMS. Consultants who have not attended training will be able to follow the process using the manuals referred to above.

Where a Consultant has a query about a RAMS function, they should be encouraged to contact the Panel Chair in the first instance; otherwise the Principal Recruitment team can be contacted for assistance.

I understand I must have an independent panel member. What is meant by independent?

As outlined in the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy, a panel will comprise at least three members. Gender or cultural representation will also be provided where appropriate.

All panels are to include at least one independent member. This could mean:

  • A member of the school community (eg P&C, School Council); or •
  • A member of the local community (Shire, other Govt. agency); or
  • A peer Principal from another school; or
  • A HR Consultant; or
  • A representative of the DET program area (eg. Aboriginal Education or GATE Program)

Note that all GATE Schools are required to have a representative of the GATE program included on the panel. While it is important that the line Manager, the Director Schools, Chairs the panel, it is not expected that more than one Director Schools would be included on the panel.

Panels should take care when selecting community members for panels and ensure that the member is briefed with regard to confidentiality requirements and Government selection processes. Some panels have conducted briefings for panels prior to the short listing meeting to provide this background information and the context of the school which was seen to add value to the recruitment and selection process.

Do panel members have to declare their prior knowledge of applicants?

Panel members should ensure that where they have prior knowledge of applicants, other panel members are aware of the nature of this relationship and are satisfied that the integrity of the selection process will not be affected. This ensures that all panel members are aware of any potential or perceived conflict of interest, and assists to ensure that selection decisions are robust and defensible.

This declaration is considered sufficient and panel members will no longer be required to list their previous working history associated with each applicant. The declaration of interests and any panel discussions relating to those interests should be clearly documented within the Selection Report.

The Panel Chair may ask a Panel member to withdraw from the process if the interest could be seen as having a negative effect on the perceived integrity of the selection process.

How do I assess applications using only a CV & Covering letter?

The Principal Recruitment process features a streamlined application process requiring only the submission of a CV and covering letter. This has resulted in panels needing to change the way they assess applicants on the basis that statements against the selection criteria are no longer provided.

Assessment of applicants using their CV and covering letter enables panel members to assess applicants on a more holistic basis and avoids the unduly strong focus on the written responses to selection criteria. The Office of the Public Sector Standards Commissioner (OPSSC) has provided some guidance to panels in assessing applicants using CV’s.

The advice indicates that “Resume assessment is a proven tool for streamlining the selection process and attracting a wide range of candidates to apply for public sector positions. The resume should ideally provide the panel with an applicant’s main claim to suitability for interview. Further assessment can then ‘flesh out’ the applicant’s abilities and experience against the requirements of the position.”

Resume assessment also refocuses the panel’s assessment to consideration of the entire package of skills, knowledge and experience that an applicant brings to the role, rather than the laborious assessment of responses against selection criteria.

Further information can be found on the Principal Recruitment (Resources) and OPSSC websites.

What constitutes a proper assessment?

The OPSSC has recently released a definition of the ‘proper assessment’ required by the Public Sector Standards relating to Recruitment, Selection and Appointment as follows:

“To make a proper assessment, the panel must:

  • examine each candidate's claims or CV as claims to the position (that is, the panel's judgement from the material Available as to the suitability of the person to do the job);
  • seek to verify the candidate's relevant claims (for example, an external assessment as the suitability of the person to do the role, such as a work test or referee report).
  • prior to final signing off, have someone scrutinise the process for robustness (in other words, would an independent person consider the panel's approach met the principles of merit based assessment?).”

The panel is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the first two dot points above are achieved.

The quality assurance and independent approval processes currently applied to Principal Recruitment selection processes provide the required scrutiny outlined in dot point three above.

Care must also be taken to ensure that advertisements are written and selections are undertaken in such a way that external applicants are treated fairly and equitably in the selection process to ensure that the process is open, competitive and free from bias. As such, panels should avoid the use of agency jargon and should ensure that interview questions are worded in such a way as to not unfairly favour internal applicants.

Do I need to advise applicants when they are not shortlisted?

While it is not a requirement of the Public Sector Standards that this advice be provided, the Principal Recruitment team has received feedback from a number of applicants who have expressed concern about not being advised that they were not shortlisted even though interviews had been scheduled or completed. Breaches often result from applicants not feeling informed about the process. It is recommended that panels utilise the templates available within RAMS to advise applicants that they have not been shortlisted.

If I advise applicants that they have not been shortlisted, can they ask for feedback ?

Applicants are to be advised that they can access feedback once they receive formal notification of the selection outcome. It is not appropriate to give feedback to applicants before the process has been completed.

What information can be divulged to applicants?

Feedback provided should relate only to the process used and how the claims of the applicant were assessed. Feedback should focus on comparing the claims of the applicant against the work related requirements of the job, rather than comparing the strengths of candidates. Information produced during the process is kept in trust and divulged only to those with a need to know. All panel members are required to declare a commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of information that becomes available to them as a result of their participation as a panel member. Panel Chairs are encouraged to emphasise this requirement to panel members, and in particular community members who may not be as familiar with Government recruitment and selection practices.

Where an applicant requests a copy of a referee report that has been used in the assessment of their application, the applicant should be encouraged to access a copy of the report directly from the referee. This ensures that the referee is aware of the request and can discuss the report with the applicant if required.

OPSSC advise that applicants are able to access components of the selection report that relate to them.

Do I have to interview?

Interviews are not considered mandatory. Panels are able to determine how best to assess the suitability of applicants. Where interviews are conducted, interview questions should be developed to enable an assessment of the applicant’s skills and abilities in relation to the work related requirements of the job as described in publicly available documents, including the advertisement, any school-specific attachments, the Job Description form, the DET or School website, and School profile information available on Schools Online. Applicants should be provided with as much information as possible about how their suitability will be assessed eg. If the decision will be made on applications, interview and referee reports, it is important to advise applicants of this at the beginning of the interview, or when the invitation to interview is given.

How much notice of an interview must I provide to applicants?

The Recruitment, Selection and Appointment standard does not stipulate required periods of notice, however, panels should consider the following in determining how much notice to give:

  • applicants required to travel to attend an interview and whether this can reasonably be achieved within the time Available?
  • as far as is practicable, applicants should be provided with the same period of notice of their interview
  • The amount of notice should be reflective of the amount of time that would be required for the applicant to prepare for the interview (eg. if a lengthy presentation is requested to be provided, more preparation time could be given to account for this)
  • Weekend days and public holidays count as part of any notice period on the basis that interview preparation is likely to occur outside business hours (ie. notice given does not have to be reflected in working days only);
  • Two to three days is generally accepted as reasonable notice.

Must I ask the same questions of each applicant at interview?

The Standard does not require that all applicants be asked the same questions at interview, however, selection decisions must be equitable and based on merit. The panel is able to use individual questioning to interrogate the claims of applicants at interview. Panels should take care not to progress into lines of questioning that will give an applicant an opportunity to provide additional information that could be considered an advantage when compared with other applicants.

What happens if a shortlisted applicant cannot attend their scheduled interview?

Within reason, offer another date, time, or location or if practicable, offer alternatives such as telephone, videoconference etc. If the panel genuinely believes that the applicant is frustrating the process by being unrealistic about interview availability, consideration may need to be given to excluding that person from the process, where this is considered reasonable. Factors to be considered include the length of the vacancy, the extent to which the panel has tried to accommodate the needs of the applicant.

Applicants are advised in the application instructions ‘Where an interview forms part of the assessment process, applicants should make themselves available for interviews. Where it is not possible to interview face to face, a telephone interview may be possible, but this would be at the discretion of the panel’.

The attempts made and the reasons for exclusion of an applicant in those circumstances should be documented in the selection report in RAMS.

How does the pool process work?

Approval has been given for the use of temporary appointment pools for Level 4, 5 and 6 temporary vacancies of up to twelve months. There are clear business rules in place for the use of appointment pools. For more information, contact the Principal Recruitment Team.

Please note that the use of temporary appointment pools to fill vacancies does not exempt the vacancy from the redeployment clearance process. Directors Schools wishing to fill vacancies in excess of six months from a pool are advised to contact the Principal recruitment process to seek redeployment clearance prior to submitting a Movement or Commencement Advice form to appoint an applicant from the appointment pool.

Are referee checks required?

Referee checks are a means of achieving the verification of claims of applicants.

The recent advice from the OPSSC regarding the requirements of a “proper assessment” has meant that agencies are now reviewing their policies to ensure that they reflect these requirements. The Department is currently considering the implications of this advice on our recruitment and selection policies. While it is not currently a mandatory requirement for panels to obtain referee reports in all circumstances, Departmental policy on this practice may change. This document will be updated to reflect any further developments in this area.

Where referee checks are used, it is recommended that they be obtained at the end of the selection process, to interrogate the claims of the most competitive of those applicants interviewed. Applicants suitable but not competitive may be rated suitable subject to a referee report being conducted to validate their claims if they were subsequently offered the position when more competitive applicants decline. This minimises the additional workload created for Director Schools required to prepare numerous referee reports for applicants who are not likely to be recommended for appointment.

Referee reports are considered a valuable tool in the recruitment and selection process. Many panels find that verbal referee reports elicit richer and more specific feedback on candidate performance and attributes. Verbal referee reports should be supported by written notes, which form part of the selection report. An optional referee report template has been provided for Panels who wish to use it. Applicants are asked to ensure that their first listed referee is a recent supervisor as many applicants have previously provided referee reports for peers or Deputy Principals.

Can a panel member also be an applicant’s referee?

Yes. Panel members should review applications at the initial stages of the process to check if they have been listed as a referee. If so, it is recommended that they provide their report prior to the commencement of shortlisting, to be considered after interviews have been conducted and validation of applicant claims is required. This is to ensure that the referee report is written independently of the panel members’ role in the selection process.

Can the panel use a referee who was not nominated by the candidate?

Yes, however, the applicant should be informed and given an opportunity to comment on any possible bias of the referee or limitations on their ability to comment on the applicant.

Referees contacted by the agency in these circumstances must legitimately have been in a position to have observed the applicant’s work-related skills, knowledge and abilities.

What do I do once the panel has signed the selection report?

It is critical that the Panel Chair email the Principal Recruitment team to advise that the selection report has been finalised. This will initiate a review to ensure that all information is complete and will initiate the approval process.

Panels are reminded that the report is to be signed by all panel members prior to advising the Principal Recruitment team, to avoid delays.

Once all requirements have been met, the report is forwarded to the DDG, Schools for endorsement.

What does the quality assurance process involve?

Since the introduction of the Principal Recruitment processes, all selection reports have been reviewed by the Principal Recruitment Team at ETSSC prior to submission to the Deputy Director General, Schools for approval. This assessment has involved cross-referencing of the selection report against applicant details on the RAMS system, to ensure that all applicants are accounted for, and that pool candidates were offered interviews. The assessment also includes a summary of whether the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment standard has been met and a recommendation as to whether the report should be approved.

Over time, this role will change for Level 4, 5 and 6 Principals with the quality assurance process accessing only a random sample from all reports submitted. To assist in the approval process, selection panels will be supported through the provision of a checklist that which will prompt them to verify their compliance with the Standards prior to submitting the report for approval.

Can the panel advise applicants of the selection outcome prior to the report being approved by the Deputy Director General, Schools?

No. It is important that panel members do not communicate selection decisions to applicants prior to reports receiving approval from the Deputy Director General (DDG) Schools. In approving the report, the DDG Schools will review the report together including any comments that may have been provided through the quality assurance process. Depending on the advice, panels may be asked to revisit a part of the selection process or provide additional information. For this reason, Panels may not provide verbal advice until after the final report is signed. Where suggested changes are not fundamental to the selection, the DDG may approve the report subject to additional requirements being met.

The Principal Recruitment Team will contact the Panel Chair to advise when the report has been signed and will provide the opportunity for the Panel Chair to contact the successful candidate personally, as well as any unsuccessful applicants at the discretion of the Chair. Once this advice has been completed, successful and unsuccessful letters will be sent via email by the Principal Recruitment team including details of the applicable breach period. Once the breach period has expired, and a Movement Advice has been received, the successful applicant will receive a written offer of employment which they are asked to sign and return. The Directors, Schools will receive a copy of the employment offer sent to the successful applicant.

Taking up new positions, when will this occur?

The respective Director Schools will negotiate for mutually agreed commencement dates of new positions, to ensure minimal disruption for both the school being exited and the school where the new position is being taken up.

Who can give feedback to applicants?

Panel Chairs are responsible for coordinating feedback to applicants. This will usually be provided by the Panel Chair, however, it is noted that this may at times be provided by the HR Consultant. Feedback from applicants indicates that the level of satisfaction of applicants with the quality of feedback is greatest when the feedback is provided by the Director Schools, rather than a Consultant. Panel members should be aware of this in deciding who will provide feedback to applicants.

It is important that the person nominated to give feedback is available and accessible during the breach period. Breaches often result from applicants being unable to obtain appropriate and timely feedback. Once the breach period has passed, you will be able to confirm the recommended applicant in the position. If a breach is received, you will be advised of the process to be followed.

If it is decided that no one is suitable, and it is decided to advertise again, is the first process finished, or is it an ongoing process?

It depends on the circumstances. If the panel has decided that no candidate is suitable and makes the decision to not appoint from the selection process, then the original process is finished. If, however, the panel wishes to supplement the field, for example by readvertising more widely or using executive search, then the process is ongoing. If you wish to utilise this option, it is recommended that this be included in the vacancy advertisement and that any expansion of the field of applicants occurs prior to interviews being conducted. If the process is extended, any future advertisement must be clear in stating how previous applicants will be treated in the process.

Can applicants claim a breach of the RSA Standard where no appointment is made?

Yes. If a panel recommends that no appointment be made from the selection process, unsuccessful applicants who are affected by the decision can lodge a breach against the selection process.

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