Recruitment

Before we start

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Recruitment

This resource aims to support those who need to recruit and select research
staff.

Recruitment is the process of identifying whether a vacancy

does (or should) exist and interesting potential applicants in
it.

Selection is the process of deciding which

actual applicants is suitable.

(if any) of the

It can be used as a standalone resource or as part of broader personal

development.

Learning outcomes
By completing each section and its associated
exercises, you will:
o

Gain a broad understanding of the importance of each part of

the recruitment process and the possible danger spots.

Understand the legal framework relating to recruitment and

selection.

Have a greater understanding on how a good or bad

interview experience might impact on an applicant and the
implications this could have for your research team.

Understand the importance of record keeping during the

recruitment process.

Introduction - Getting it wrong

Think about recruitment and selection from beginning to end.
Write down as many items as you can of where things can go wrong and
the implications.

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Getting it wrong There is not enough money

Always check you have enough funding for your recruitment first

Getting it wrong Poor job description

This will give candidates the wrong picture of what is required and you will
get a pool of applicants not suitable for the job

Getting it wrong - Poor, unclear person

specification
This makes it difficult for applicants to make their application concentrating
on their qualifications, skills and attributes.
Short listing will be difficult and ultimately you will get a small pool of
suitable candidates.
Most research funded jobs are specialist and typically you will get few
applications anyway, so poorly written person specifications will make this
worse.

Getting it wrong - Advertising in the wrong place

Getting this wrong may mean you do not attract your target applicants and
you will not get many suitable applications

Getting it wrong - Short listing taking too long

and then rushed
This is not fair on the success of your project and you may miss good
applications as applicants will go elsewhere.
It is not fair on the applicants who have taken time and trouble to complete
an application form.

Getting it wrong - References taken up at the

last minute
This can hold up the selection process and gives the candidates the
impression you are not really interested in them and they may want to go
somewhere else.
It is not fair on the referees who may feel they have to rush the reference to
meet a deadline

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Getting it wrong - Interview poorly structured

This does not get the best out of each candidate and gives them the feeling
that your institution is not a good place to work.

Getting it wrong - Poorly worded questions and

some against law
This gives the wrong impression and some questions that contravene
legislation may mean a legal complaint e.g. Race/Sex Discrimination etc

Getting it wrong - Taking too long to make

selection decision
This may mean good candidates go elsewhere.
Sometimes you do get two very strong candidates and you do wish to
pursue the strongest one first e.g. chase references.
It is vital that you do not leave other appointable candidates without
information as this gives a bad impression of you, your team and your
institution.
If you are faced with this seek advice from HR.

Process of recruitment
Making a wrong decision, or adopting bad practice when recruiting research
staff can be costly, not just in legal terms, but will effect the overall
performance of your project.
Objectives
This section gives you the opportunity to appreciate the recruitment process
as a whole. By the end of this section you should have a broad
understanding of the importance of each recruitment process and the
Possible danger spots.
This section covers the following:

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The recruitment process stages and exercise

Exercise on the pitfalls in the recruitment of research staff

The recruitment process stages

The recruitment process begins when you have Approval to recruit into your
research group. Methods of approval vary so you will need to follow the
internal process.
Typically recruitment for research posts is dependant on funding within the
award. You will need guidance from your institution on how to manage this
part.
Remember that recruitment doesn't finish until after the appointment has
been made and you have reflected on any changes that you would make in
future recruitments.
Based on your knowledge, write down the different stages of the recruitment
process in the sequence that they occur.

The recruitment process stages Quiz

Using the list below place each process in sequential order that the
recruitment process should follow:

1) Advertise
2) Decide on selection methods and timescales
3) Identify vacancy
4) Interviews and test
5) Make final selection and give Feedback
6) Organise the panel and short list
7) Prepare job description and person specification
8) References

Feedback below.

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Feedback
1) Identify vacancy
Before you start you will need to identify your vacancy. If you
are replacing someone who is leaving the project you might
ask yourself:
o

Should the post be replaced at all?

Should it be replaced in a different way?

This provides an opportunity to reorganise the team and the

responsibilities within it.

By changing the responsibilities of the post you may be able

to fill a gap in the existing team making it more productive.

Have you got the funding? Without it you will not be able to
start the recruitment process

2) Prepare job description and person specification

You will need to prepare a job description and person
specification before you advertise.
3) Decide on selection methods and timescales
At this stage you might wish to consider other selection
methods as well as the structured interview.
4) Advertise
You need to advertise the post in an appropriate publication
or website.
5) Organise the panel and short list
Confirming the membership of the selection panel is best
done as early on a possible so that you ensure everyone is
available and the recruitment assignment is not delayed.
You will need to ensure a prompt, fair short listing process
involving the selection panel.
6) References
In line with your universitys processes, references with the
job description and person specification need to be sent to
referees in good time for the interview date itself.

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7) Interviews and test

You will need to conduct a well structured interview process
in line with your institutions procedures.
For some posts, it may be appropriate for a work sample
test.
8) Make final selection and give Feedback
Once the interviews have been completed you will need to
ensure the panel makes a recommendation of who to
appoint, or to make no appointment if no suitable candidates
were interviewed.
Some unsuccessful candidates may request feedback on
their performance. In such cases it is important you provide
constructive feedback to enable them to consider how they
may approach any future job application process.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding the

employment of research staff
What are some of key questions you have regarding the employment of
research staff?

The project is coming to an end and one

member of staff is leaving.
Sometimes replacing a member of staff near the end of the project can be a
problem:
o

The money is running low

You have not the time to recruit and train before the project
ends

Do you need to replace the vacancy?

Can you manage without?

Can you reorganise some of the work and then recruit someone at a
different level i.e. to complete more routine tasks and let the project team
concentrate on the more complex aspects of the project? If you can do this
and you need clerical or technical input, you may be able to save time in the
recruitment process or even employ a temp or casual member of staff.
Please check what your local policies and procedures are beforehand.
Remember any solution will hinge on whether you have the money so
check this first.

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A member of the team is on long term sick, the

project is suffering
Anyone on long term sick will be covered by the institutions terms and
conditions of service and will have their employment rights associated with
their contract. They will be entitled to sick pay in accordance with their
contract.
Understandably you will have pressure to complete the project. You might
want to check to see if there is any spare funding that you can use. Even if
it means recruiting at a different level (see note 1).

A member of staff is going on maternity leave

This can happen and the member of staff is covered by their contract of
service and sex discrimination laws.
Check whether there are provisions in your grant for maternity pay and
replacements for staff going on maternity leave.
Some bodies do not make provisions for this and you will need to check this
out.
If the maternity leave occurs at the beginning of the project and you have
permission to replace then you may wish to recruit in the normal way.
If the project is coming to an end you may wish to reorganise the work and
recruit at a different level (see note 2).

I want to employ a student they have the skills

I need
This is not fair recruitment practice, although the skills and expertise would
be useful to you.
Students (assuming that they will have graduated or are working to the
recommended number of hours for a student) will need to be recruited
following a proper process and considered alongside other applicants.
The biggest pitfall here is the recruitment of students or ex students from
non EC countries. Due to work permit rules, this is not always possible and
can cause much hassle for you, the student and the organisation. There are
very strict rules in the conversion of student visas to employment visas
mostly this is not possible.
It is not good practice to get anyones hopes up before you have checked if
there are any issues surrounding a work permit.

Job descriptions and person specifications

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Before you start writing anything, review any existing job specification or
write a new one. It is important to spend time to really think about what you
need. Time spent here will make sure that you do not recruit in haste and
affect the performance of your project.
Your institutions recruitment procedures must be robust and justifiable and
should stand up to external scrutiny. The Job Description and the Person
Specification form the basic foundations of a good process.
These documents outline the duties of the post and the skills required to do
a job.
Candidates will be measured against the criteria written in these
documents, so they should be well written, accurate, clear and
unambiguous.
Once you have completed this section you should be more aware of the
things to include in a Job Description and Person Specification.
You will understand the purpose of each document and how they differ from
each other. You will have thought about the importance of making criteria
appropriate, clear and measurable.

How to write a job description

Speak to all those involved with the post to establish tasks required and
they agree with the role.
Describe accurately the requirements and duties of the job.
Avoid wording which implies that members of one sex are more likely to be
able to do the job.
Do not use too much jargon otherwise you may not attract a wide enough
pool of applicants.
It is good practice to split the job description into different tasks rather than
produce one large paragraph of narrative.
It is important not to restrict the job description to only about four or five
duties.
You may wish to include a paragraph about the project.

Exercise on how to write a job description

Read the job description in the notes Entitled The University of Blank
and then answer the questions.

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How to write a person specification

The Person Specification is a profile of the personal skills, qualifications,
abilities and experiences you will look for in the recruitment and selection
process.
The criteria you decide on should relate directly to the duties of the job
description and contain the minimum requirements essential to do the job
effectively.
These criteria should then form the basis of the advert in order to attract the
most suitable candidates and the basis of the selection criteria.
For many research posts qualifications, abilities and experience are often
specialised and it is likely that you attract only a small number of applicants.
It is a good idea to stand back and really question whether what you have
drafted as essential criteria are really essential.
Sometimes you may be able to train staff in certain specialist skills and thus
you may widen the pool of applicants.
It is not good practice to base the specifications on the personal qualities of
the person currently in post rather than the tasks needed.

Suggestions for drawing up a Person

Specification
1) From the job description pick out the duties, grouping together those
which are similar.
2) Translate duties into the abilities and skills needed to do the job.
Specify necessary skills as far as possible in precise job-related
terms.
3) Identify any specific knowledge requirements for the job or
requirement of some evidence of ability to learn.
4) Where relevant indicate qualifications and level of education
required for the job, be as precise as possible.
5)

Identify experience required to carry out the job. Define the extent.

6) Decide which skills, experiences, qualifications are essential to the

job and which are only desirable.
7)

Essential and desirable specifications

Essential means that this is the minimum criterion needed to carry out the
job and the job cannot be done without these criteria.
No one without these criteria will be offered the job, no matter what other
attributes they might possess.

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Desirable refers to those criteria which are not essential; someone could do
the job without this.
If more than one candidate satisfies the essential criteria, specified
desirable attributes can be taken into account in selection (it may be useful
to set out the desirable criteria in order of priority).
Attributes not identified as either essential or desirable should not be taken
into consideration in the selection process.
Be aware that different institutions will ask you for different formats in the
presentation of a person specification.
Some will ask you to identify which criteria you will short list against at
application form stage.
This is because there are certain attributes required for jobs that cannot be
tested on paper such as interpersonal skills, oral communication, and
presentation skills.
This is much fairer and you should be able to defend easily any complaint
made by an unsuccessful applicant after initial short listing.
Some institutions may ask you to indicate from where you will gather the
evidence to match any applicant to the person specification e.g. application
form, interview, presentation etc.

Advertise
Posts should be advertised in appropriate areas e.g. jobs.ac.uk correct
publications and journals. You will need to be aware of any rules and
procedures in your institution.
Draft the advertisement to reflect job description and person specification.
It is good practice to give closing date of a minimum of two weeks after the
advertisement appears.
You will need to check what rules there are with regard to closing dates in
your own institution.

Do all research posts have to be advertised?

Not all vacancies are advertised.
Write down some scenarios where there may not be a need to advertise

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Short listing
Objectives
Once you have completed this section you will understand the importance
of short-listing and use of rigorous systems to maintain the fairness of the
selection procedures.

The role of selection criteria

The production of selection criteria, mutually agreed by the panel, forms the
core of a fair and effective selection process.
It is important for fair selection because:
o

While no selection of people can be made completely

objective, it should be the aim of the selection panel to
reduce as far as possible the subjective nature of the
process, which can inadvertently lead to unfair
discrimination.

All panel members should be able to assess candidates

against the same standards.

If candidates know what standard they are being assessed

against, selection is seen to be fair.

It is important for effective selection because:

The availability of written selection criteria enables a panel to carry out the
selection in an organised and efficient way; it makes short-listing easier and
interviewing more focused.
To some extent unsuitable candidates are enabled to 'deselect' themselves,
particularly if key selection criteria are reproduced in the advertisement for
the post.
A detailed job description should be used as the basis for drawing up
selection criteria, so that all criteria relate to the post in question and not, for
example, to the qualities of the previous post-holder. For jobs which
normally attract large numbers of applicants, there may be a temptation to
include more criteria or set higher standards than are necessary.
This should be resisted: not only may it result in indirect discrimination, but
an over-qualified candidate may be appointed, with job dissatisfaction the
potential consequence.

Setting criteria for short-listing

Selection criteria should include the skills, abilities and qualifications
required of the successful candidate. Other requirements, such as
availability to work unsociable or long hours, should also be listed.
Selection criteria that you use must be clearly stated in the person
specification. A distinction should be made between the selection criterion
itself and the evidence which may show that a candidate meets the
criterion.

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Ideally all criteria should be capable of being measured, either through

candidates' applications or CVs, the interview or a selection test. This
becomes difficult when qualities such as motivation, enthusiasm or a
pleasant personality are included.
It is useful to consider carefully how such criteria relate to the job
description, what means would be used to assess candidates against them
and what kind of evidence would be acceptable.
This is an area where personal preferences can unconsciously influence
decisions, and an undefined feeling that someone 'wouldn't fit in' can lead to
a candidate being unfairly rejected.
The Equal Opportunities Commission recommends that candidates should
receive as much information as possible about the post for which they are
applying.
Accordingly, consideration should be given to including the full selection
criteria in the information sent to candidates.
This is good practice in terms of equal opportunities; it also enables the
candidates to make an informed decision about whether or not to apply for
the post, thus reducing the likelihood of large numbers of applications from
clearly unsuitable candidates.
You will already have thought about the person specification and how and
where qualifications, skills and attributes can be assessed in the recruitment
procedure in the section about how to write a person specification.

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Short listing candidates for research posts

o

Arrange for the selection panel to meet to short list (click

here for some notes about the selection panels for research
staff)

Send out papers in advance

Agree which criteria you will short list against and ensure that
these can be assessed from an application form

Use the selection criteria on the job description and person

specification

Each candidate should be assessed against all the selection

criteria, and not against each other

With a large number of applications, it may be more

appropriate to select first by reference to the 'essential'
criteria, applying the 'desirable' criteria in the course of a
second round if it is necessary to reduce the numbers still
further

Do not introduce any extra criteria as this is unfair and could

be discriminatory

Keep a record of the short-listing process, including an

indication of the reasons for selection or rejection in each
case. Such records may be required by an employment
tribunal in the case of a complaint of unlawful discrimination.
You may wish to use a chart (click here)

Write to unsuccessful candidates unless this is done

centrally for you

Conclusion - Recruitment
The aim of this resource was to support those who need to recruit and
select research staff.

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Recruitment is the process of identifying whether a vacancy

does (or should) exist and interesting potential applicants in
it.

Selection is the process of deciding which

actual applicants is suitable.

(if any) of the