• Home
• Workforce Development
• Better Workplaces
  • Better Workplace kit
• Overview
  • Better Workplaces Wheel
  • Essential Human Resource Management
• Employer Responsibilities
• Workforce Planning
• Attract, Recruit & Select
  • Recruiting employees
  • Selecting employees
• Induct, Train & Develop
  • Training employees
  • Developing employees
  • Induct, Train and Develop - Links
• Motivate, Manage & Reward Performance
  • Managing performance
  • Reward performance
• Retain & Support
  • Supporting employees
  • Retain and Support - Links
• Lead & Communicate
• Case Studies
• Glossary

Attract, Recruit & Select

> Attracting employees / Recruiting employees / Selecting employees

Recruiting employees

Recruitment is the process of finding a pool of candidates to choose from.

Flowchart

Essential Human Resource Management process flowchart This flowchart provides logical steps to follow for the recruitment and selection process.

Job analysis

Before you employ people you need to think about what type of role you’re trying to fill. Job analysis is the process of getting detailed information about particular jobs. A job analysis will identify:

• the skills, knowledge and attributes an employee must have to do the job
• new tasks or responsibilities, given changed circumstances in the business.

Template

Job analysis template This template assists you to work out exactly what your business needs and to identify ways in which an existing role could be adapted. You can adjust this document to suit your own needs.

Job description

A job description informs employees exactly what is expected of them and provides a useful document to refer to when you’re evaluating an employee’s performance.

You can also use it to develop selection criteria, identify training needs, and manage performance.

Template

Job description and selection criteria template This template assists in the development of job descriptions and selection criteria. You can adjust this document to suit your own needs.

Selection criteria

Think about the skills, knowledge and attributes that are needed to complete tasks for the job you want to fill. These will help you to fairly evaluate and compare candidates during the selection process. Selection criteria are either:

• essential – elements that applicants for the job absolutely must meet; or
• desirable – nice-to-have skills that would be useful in the position.

Advertising a vacancy

Template

Advertising a job template This template provides examples of what should be included in a job advertisement. You should tailor advertisements to suit your own needs.

• Who am I appealing to?
• Where is my ad most likely to be seen by my target audience?
• What will appeal to my ‘ideal’ employee?
• Is the person I need likely to be working in my competitor’s business?
• What will the general public think of my ad?
• Will my ad grab attention or fade into the background?
• How much will it cost?
• How much time do I have to fill the vacancy?
• Do I need to advertise at all? Do I know someone who knows someone? Is the person I’m looking already working in my business?

When advertising remember that you are required by Australian national and local laws to create a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. There are certain things you cannot include in an advertisement, such as a preference for someone of a particular gender, nationality or religion, for example.

For more information see:

The job application form and acknowledging applications

It is a good idea to have an application form available for applicants to complete.

Template

Job application form template This template assists in collecting important information about your applicants and will help with the selection process. You can adjust this document to suit your own needs.

As a courtesy, it’s also good to acknowledge receipt of applications with a letter. This has the practical benefit as you won’t have to answer the phone when each applicant rings to ask if you received their application.

Template

Acknowledgement of application letter template These templates will assist you in writing letters of response to your applicants. You can adjust this document to suit your own needs.

> Attracting employees / Recruiting employees / Selecting employees

(Keen, S 2005, ‘It takes two’, HR Monthly, Australian Human Resource Institute (AHRI), October, pp 17-19.)