DOR Hiring Guide for Managers

General

One of the most important decisions you will make as a manager is the selection of a new employee. One of the most significant expenses in a budget is the cost of employees. How can you help ensure that you will get the best person available? How can you work optimally with the state personnel system in completing this crucial task? What is your role in the hiring process? The purpose of this guide is to give you a place to start in answering these questions.

As a hiring manager, you are investing funding of the residents of Colorado in work production. Our goal is to ensure that your decision has a good return on investment. If you were to invest your own finances, consider the time and effort that you would expend to ensure that your money has a good return on investment. It is critical that you take due diligence to ensure you are hiring the right employee to serve the residents of Colorado.

Not only are you a part of the hiring process, your role at the very beginning of the hiring process is critical. The initial decisions you make and the way you communicate those decisions to others in the hiring process about how to fill your vacancy and the ideal candidate for the position may well determine the caliber of the individuals from whom you may hire.

As a delegated hiring authority, you are a recognized expert in your field. Your knowledge and experience regarding the vacancy you are about to fill are the immediate factors in determining how the hiring process will proceed. You will be supported and assisted in this process by DOR’s Office of Human Resources (OHR) team. Your OHR team may also consult with the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA), Division of Human Resources (DHR) regarding best practices, State Personnel Rules and Director’s Administrative Procedures.

In an effort to increase efficiency, the Statewide Recruitment & Selection process was developed through a collaborative effort between statewide HR professionals and customers of the State of Colorado’s recruitment and selection process.

State of Colorado’s recruitment and selection process:

1. Step One: Identify vacancy.

2. Step Two: Confirm or develop job requirements.

3. Step Three: Develop a plan to fill.

4. Step Four: Recruit and qualify applicants.

5. Step Five: Comparative analysis to identify top candidates.

6. Step Six: Interview and select candidate.

7. Step Seven: Make a conditional offer to the selected candidate.

8. Step Eight: Offer Job To Your Selected Candidate

Step Two: Confirm Or Develop Job Requirements

Together with your HR Analyst, you will need to develop and implement the most effective hiring plan for your vacancy to attract and hire the most qualified person for the job.

Before meeting with your HR analyst, think about the nature of the position and consider researching and assembling certain general information. Review the items in the following checklist to prepare for initial discussions with HR:

• Review the current Position Description (PD) as the job may have changed. If necessary, revise the PD to accurately reflect the current duties assigned to the position. Ensure that the essential functions of the job are identified. If the vacancy is not a newly created position, information from hiring processes can be helpful. Review the Class Description for the vacancy. Identify how the position fits into the overall organizational structure of the department, division and/or work unit, and if necessary, update the position on an organizational chart.

• Identify the primary goals and objectives of the position.

• Identify the primary tasks, duties and activities of the position, particularly those that are most important for successful job performance. The key tasks identified will be useful in the development of the comparative analysis.

• Review performance evaluation criteria for previous incumbents; this may help identify the most important job elements.

• Review the minimum qualifications (i.e., education, experience, licenses and certification) for the position. The published minimum qualifications must be used; however, the fields of education and/or types of experience should be specific to the position. Discuss this with your HR Analyst.

• Determine the knowledge, skills, abilities and other personal characteristics (KSAOs) a qualified person must possess to be successful in the job along with preferred qualifications.

• Evaluate the geographic location, the current labor market, and any unique aspects of the position that might deserve additional attention during recruitment such as non-traditional work hours or required certifications.

• Develop a list of conditions of employment, if applicable, for the position. Common conditions of employment may include passing a background check, maintaining a valid Colorado driver’s license, agreeing to a compensatory time agreement, being able to lift a designated amount of weight or perform other physical demands of the job, agreeing to being on-call, shift-work, and agreeing to travel independently throughout the state including during inclement weather and overnight stays.

• Anticipate how many applicants are likely to apply and, from your knowledge of the field, try to forecast the candidates you expect to be interested in and qualified for the position. Identify employers, educational institutions, community organizations, social media, or professional organizations that may be sources of potential applicants or who can provide advice about recruiting. When you meet with your HR Analyst, they will assist you in identifying other recruitment techniques.

• Consider which type of comparative analysis (e.g., application review, skills assessment) might best assess the competencies that are critical to successful job performance. Have you used a certain type of assessment that worked well in the past? There are many different assessments available, and your HR Analyst will review the options with you.

• Consider developing supplemental questions to use with the job announcement that may be effective in distinguishing and identifying key job-related information about an applicant.

• Determine the availability of other subject matter experts to assist in comparative analysis development and/or evaluation.

• Verify that all necessary paperwork (PD, recruitment consultant spreadsheets, NeoGov requisitions, etc) has been completed and processed.

• Decide if you want to review applicant information other than, or in addition to, the job application, and if so, when? For example, do you want the individuals referred to submit official transcripts, additional job references, cover letters of interest or resumes?

Once you have covered all of the items in the checklist, meet with your department’s HR team to ensure that your questions are answered and confirm that all involved have the same expectations as to how the remainder of the selection process will occur and to develop a plan to fill. Although important, speed of selection should not be the primary consideration when filling a vacancy. Getting the right fit for the job should drive the process.

Step Four: Recruit And Qualify Applicants

Once your announcement option is decided, you will want to decide how far and wide you wish to recruit for the position. Most classified positions are posted on the CO-Jobs website; however, you have many other recruitment options. Examples include:

• Colleagues: Check with past or present colleagues working in the same field as your vacancy for possible applicants or recruitment ideas that have been successful.

• Employees: Current or former employees are an excellent source of referrals of qualified applicants for specific vacancies.

• Professional Associations or Publications: This type of recruitment can be used to target a specialized audience. Identify organizations related to the position and explore the potential to advertise your job posting, list serves or other means of networking with members of the organization.

• Social Media: Review your department’s policy on social media and available technology resources to expand your recruitment on the internet beyond CO-Jobs.

• Job Fairs: Participate in local or regional job fairs to attract potential applicants with the necessary competencies for your vacancy.

• Schools: Direct written communication with vocational schools, colleges or universities that have relevant academic majors may provide a good source of qualified applicants.

• Professional organizations: Many professional organizations have contacts lists, job bulletins or list services through which you can target qualified applicants.

• Paid advertising: There are many paid print and web-based recruitment sources including Monster.com, Craigslist.org, Jobing.com, etc.

• ConnectingColorado.com: This website is maintained by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in partnership with Colorado workforce centers and is focused on connecting our local employers with job seekers. This service is free to state agencies.

Colorado Constitution and State statute require all appointees to meet minimum qualifications for the position being filled. Each classified position has minimum qualifications which must be met by applicants before they are allowed to participate in the comparative analysis process. Be sure to work with your HR Analyst to specify the types of education and experience required for your vacancy.

After an announcement has closed, your HR Analyst will review all applications to identify applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and any necessary special requirements.

Step Six: Interview And Select Candidate

The goal of any post-referral assessment, including interviews, is to further refine efforts to identify the best and most qualified candidate for a given position.

Post-referral assessments may be conducted in a wide-variety of ways, some of which include:

• Behavioral-based interviewing

• Writing samples

• Structured interviews

• Assessment centers

• Work samples

• Realistic job previews

Among the many types of post-referral assessments, interviews are the most common. Interviews can be done in one or more stages. Interviews typically involve the supervisor or appointing official authorized to make a selection but may also include a team of employees who will be working with the individual selected. Hiring decisions based on team interviews often result in hiring highly qualified employees who are readily accepted by their peers. Refer to the Interview Process and Practice document.

The interview process is your opportunity to further assess if that individual is the best fit for your job. The most successful interviews are conducted as a structured dialogue between you and the applicant. Structured interviews include a standard set of questions asked of each individual interviewed, with follow-up questions asked as appropriate. Another consideration is asking each candidate a question related to a problem or challenge of the position for which you have been searching for a solution. Not only will each applicant be responding with their best answer to a challenging question, but you will have a variety of possible solutions to assess to address the problem or challenge. Research has shown that a well-structured interview process typically produces more effective hiring decisions.

Whichever post-referral assessment format you select, it is important to limit inquiries to areas related to the job. Inquiries not related to the job must be avoided. During this step, you should talk about the job, its duties and responsibilities, the organization, its programs, achievements and benefits, career possibilities and opportunities for growth, development, and advancement, conditions of employment, work hours and the individual’s qualifications, abilities, experience, education, competencies and interests.

Before asking a question during a post-referral assessment, remember to ask yourself, “How does this question relate to the job?” Send your HR Analyst your interview questions prior to conducting your interviews. OHR and/or the Colorado Civil Rights Division can provide you with a guide that advises what inquiries are lawful and unlawful in an interview. They will also assist you in finding other post-referral assessments or help you develop job-related, behavior-based inquiries.

Finally, checking references is an important part of the post-referral assessment process. It’s a good idea when scheduling an interview with a candidate to request they bring current contact information for past supervisors and other business references. If you are hiring someone who is a current or past state employee, be sure to make an appointment with the HR office in their current or most recent department to review their personnel file.

Upon successful completion of any post-referral assessments, you are now ready to make a conditional offer to the selected candidate. If you do not want to make an offer to any candidates in this pool, speak to your HR Analyst for options.

Step Eight: Offer Job To Your Selected Candidate

Once your finalist has passed all the pre-employment checks, work with your HR liaison or HR Analyst to send an offer to your candidate. Refer to the Hiring Checklist for more details.

Once the hiring decision has been finalized, make sure that your new employee:

• • • • Is scheduled for and attends new employee orientation;

      • Signs the necessary disclosures and other paperwork;

      • Receives a performance plan and a copy of the current PD within 30 days of the hire date; and

      • If necessary, receives a training plan that will ensure his/her adequate development.