Hiring
How People Are Hired Today
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2009 16:43 Written by line Wednesday, 11 February 2009 22:59
Hiring in a "2.0" World
Don't get me wrong, you can obviously get good candidates this way. For instance, when I needed to hire a marketing manager a year ago, I followed the process above and posted my job description to one of the oldest communities on the Web i.e. Craigslist. The result was impressive - 30+ resumes in 48 hours and several qualified candidates. However, what was broken about the process is that I ended up spending the better part of two weeks doing interviews. This go around, I don't have that same luxury so I need to find a better way to locate the best possible candidates with the right skill sets. What's Broken | How to Fix It The two biggest issues I have with the process I've outlined above is one, it's hard to really learn much about a person from a resume. Personally, I've been professionally employed for nearly 20 years now and I'll be damned if 3-4 pages in a Word document can do just to my experience during that time. Seth Godin talks more about this problem in one of his recent posts (thanks to @drthomasho for passing that post along.) Now I understand that this is a necessary evil but that's where the power of community and social networks can really augment the process. In today's world:
My other issue I have is that even if someone looks great on paper, they may not be great in person. Now short of perfecting video conferencing (even that can be gamed), there is no substitute for a face-to-face meetings. However, if I could get a better sense of who someone is first beyond the 25-30 bullets they've used to sum up their career, I may be able to weed out people earlier on in the process. Conversely, I may be end up NOT weeding out someone that would have been cut early because I loved their blog or I know two or three of their colleagues. What's in this for Me/Us? If this works I:
What's in this for You?
Why this Might Not Work for Everyone For people that aren't on social networks and don't blog, my new approach probably may not work. But the people we're looking for really need to be doing both. To that end, back to my "experiment" in hiring using community and social media tools. The Rules If you want to apply for one of these two jobs (descriptions below), here are the ground rules:
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Hiring Process for Academic Jobs
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2009 16:09 Written by line Wednesday, 11 February 2009 22:53
| Job announcements and further research | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The job announcement is often the first formal information you have about the position. That job description is a general introduction to the position, but may not provide a thorough picture of what the department seeks in a candidate. Research both the institution and the department thoroughly to determine your fit with the culture and mission. Review their web sites and talk to people you know who have contacts or relationships with the institution or department. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Applying and accepting interviews | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apply for any positions where there is a potential fit. Accept interviews to judge if the environment is right and allow the department to clearly define its goals and learn more about you. The department may visualize additional goals after seeing what you have to offer. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The search committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The typical search committee consists of four to six members who review applications and narrow the candidate pool. Applications who pass this initial screening are presented to the entire faculty in the department. The entire department then decides which candidates will be invited for an interview.
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Hiring process For Government Jobs
Last Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2009 16:10 Written by line Wednesday, 11 February 2009 22:46
Many Federal agencies fill their jobs like private industry by allowing applicants to contact the agency directly for job information and application processing. But, while the process is similar, there are significant differences due to the many laws, executive orders, and regulations that govern Federal employment.
Many years ago, applicants who passed the civil service test were placed on standing registers of eligibles maintained by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). In addition, applicants had to complete a standard Federal employment application form, the SF-171, to apply for all jobs.
Competitive and Excepted Service
There are two classes of jobs in the Federal Government:
Competitive Service jobs are under OPM’s jurisdiction
These jobs are subject to the civil service laws passed by Congress. These laws ensure that applicants and employees receive fair and equal treatment in the hiring process. They give selecting officials broad authority to review more than one applicant source before determining the best-qualified candidate based on job-related criteria. A basic principle of Federal employment is that all candidates must meet the qualification requirements for the position for which they receive an appointment.
Excepted Service agencies are allowed to set their own qualification requirements
These agencies are not subject to the appointment, pay, and classification rules in Title 5, United States Code. However, they are subject to veterans’ preference. Some Federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), have only excepted service positions. Other agencies, may have some divisions or even specific jobs that may be excepted from civil service procedures. Positions may be in the excepted service by law, by executive order, or by action of OPM.
Agencies in the competitive service are required by law and OPM regulation to post vacancies with OPM whenever they are seeking candidates from outside their own workforce for positions lasting more than 120 days. (Agency, in this context, means the parent agency – i.e., Treasury, not the Internal Revenue Service.)
Who is Eligible
In filling competitive service jobs, agencies can generally choose from among (3) groups of candidates:
A competitive list of eligibles. This record lists the applicants (in rank order) who meet the qualification requirements for a specific vacancy announcement.
A list of eligibles who have civil service status. This list consists of applicants who are eligible for noncompetitive movement within the competitive service. These individuals presently or previously served under career-type appointments in the competitive service. They are selected under agency merit promotion procedures and can receive an appointment by promotion, reassignment, transfer, or reinstatement.
A list of eligibles that qualify for a special noncompetitive appointing authority established by law or executive order. Examples of special noncompetitive appointing authorities include the Veterans’ Readjustment Appointment (VRA), the special authority for 30% or more disabled veterans, and the Peace Corps.
Area of Consideration
The area of consideration, listed on the vacancy announcement, is the source from which the agency will consider candidates. The agency may designate whatever area of consideration it considers appropriate. A candidate who is outside the area of consideration will not be considered.
Veterans Preference
Veterans’ preference recognizes the economic loss suffered by citizens who have served their country in uniform in times of strife, restores veterans to a favorable competitive position for Government employment, and acknowledges the larger obligation owed to disabled veterans. Historically, Congress has reserved preference for those who were either disabled, who served in combat areas or during certain periods of time.
