Recruitment process at SQA

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SQA recruitment and selection policy and procedure

Recruitment and selection policy

Contents

  1. Purpose
  2. Scope
  3. Associated policies
  4. Approval of vacancies
  5. Advertising vacancies
  6. Selecting applicants for interview
  7. The interview
  8. Offer of employment
  9. References
  10. Fixed-term posts converted to permanent
  11. Moving from a 'permanent' post to a fixed-term post
  12. Appointment of external candidates to fixed-term posts
  13. Review and termination of document

1. Purpose

The recruitment and selection of suitable, high quality staff is an essential part of the SQA's Human Resource Management Strategy. The aim of this policy and procedure is to ensure that SQA recruits the most suitable person for the job.

All appointments shall be consistent with SQA’s obligations as an employer under current legislation and in accordance with current Human Resource best practise.

2. Scope

This document applies to all posts approved for recruitment. Vacant posts may not be approved for recruitment where they are required for redeployment purposes.

3. Associated policies

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following SQA policies where applicable:

  • Consultants (engagement of) policy
  • Equal opportunities in employment policy
  • Equal pay policy
  • Organisational change policy and procedure
  • Performance capability policy and procedure

4. Approval of vacancies

Approval of new or vacant posts will be required before the recruitment process may commence.

5. Advertising vacancies

Posts should be advertised for a minimum of nine working days spanning two weekends. Advertising may extend beyond this minimum period at the discretion of the recruiting manager or may be reduced to a minimum period of one week where there are urgent operational needs. Where a closing date has passed, staff can request that a late application is considered.

6. Selecting applicants for interview

Applicants will submit an application form or CV in order to be considered for the post. The selection process will be carried out by the selection panel member(s) given responsibility for this part of the process. Applications will be considered against the job profile for each vacancy and those who most closely match the requirements of the job will be invited for interview.

7. The interview

Interview panels will be made up of at least two panel members. All internal panel members must have been trained in SQA’s recruitment and selection procedures. Where a post is jointly funded with another organisation or the postholder will work closely with another organisation, consideration will be given as to whether a non-SQA staff member may also sit on the panel.

Panel members will generally be of a grade higher than that of the post being recruited into and a minimum of grade 5. Exceptions to this, however, will include where a manager line manages staff of the same grade, or where a grade 4 supervises lower graded posts and is deemed the most suitable person to carry out the interviews.

The interview will be based around the competencies for the post. Questions asked should allow the applicant to demonstrate how their qualifications, skills and experience have enabled them to develop the required competencies.

8. Offer of employment

Once the interviews have taken place the successful applicant will be contacted with an offer of employment, which will explain the basic terms and conditions of the offer. The offer will be made subject to satisfactory references and a start date will be agreed which takes into account any notice period. Internal applicants will not be held in their current post longer than their contractual notice period.

9. References

A factual reference will be requested for the successful candidate irrespective of whether this is an external candidate or a current employee of SQA. Where satisfactory references are not received before the suggested start date, the individual may be permitted to commence employment. Where unsatisfactory references are received, the offer of employment may be withdrawn.

10. Fixed-term posts converted to permanent

Some posts previously designated as fixed-term posts may be designated as permanent either as a result of restructuring or because of changing business needs.

In circumstances where the post holder has less than 12 months service in the post and a decision is taken to make the post permanent, the job will be advertised. The current postholder can apply for the post and will be considered for selection along with all other applicants.

11. Moving from a permanent post to a fixed-term post

There are different circumstances in which the incumbent of a permanent post (who has a permanent contract in that post), may be appointed into a post on a fixed-term basis. These circumstances are:

11.1 To cover sickness or maternity leave

On the expiry of the fixed-term appointment, they will return to their substantive post with associated terms and conditions, regardless of the length of the appointment. The substantive post may have been filled on a fixed-term basis until the member of staff returns.

11.2 Successful appointment to a fixed-term post

In this situation, the member of staff will have the right to return to their substantive post if the fixed-term contract is for 11 months or less. If the fixed-term contract exceeds (or is extended beyond) 11 months, they will lose the right to return to their substantive post. If the appointment exceeds 12 months, SQA will endeavour to redeploy the member of staff at the grade of the fixed-term post in the first instance. If a post of equivalent grade is not available, SQA will endeavour to redeploy the member of staff to a post of lesser grade, in which case, their salary will be preserved in line with the equal pay policy. In the event that no suitable alternative employment can be found, the contract will be terminated within the terms permitted by the contract of employment. Contractual notice of contract end will be given.

11.3 Secondments outwith SQA

SQA staff who accept secondments to external organisations for 11 months or less have the right to return to their substantive SQA posts at the end of the secondment (on their SQA terms and conditions). Where secondment exceeds (or is extended beyond) 11 months, staff will lose the right to return to their substantive post but SQA will endeavour to redeploy them to a post of equivalent grade as their substantive post upon return to SQA. If a post of equivalent grade is not available, SQA will endeavour to redeploy the member of staff to a post of lesser grade, in which case, their salary will be preserved in line with the equal pay policy. In the event that no suitable alternative employment can be found, the contract will be terminated within the terms permitted by the contract of employment. Contractual notice of contract end will be given.

12. Appointment of external candidates to fixed-term posts

Fixed term contracts will not normally be offered for more than 23 months in the first instance. The member of staff will be given four weeks notice of the expiry of the contract, during which time, the SQA will endeavour to redeploy staff who have more than one year's continuous service.

13. Review and termination of document

This policy will be reviewed periodically to take into account changes to legislation, changes to best practise or changes to other SQA policies that may impact on this policy.

The policy will continue in force until either party giving six months notice to that effect terminates it.

Recruitment and selection procedure

Contents

  1. Planning and preparation
  2. Applying for a post
  3. Leeting
  4. Selection interviews
  5. Offer of employment
  6. References
  7. Feedback

1. Planning and preparation

When an existing post becomes vacant, managers should review the post and consider whether the post needs to be filled or whether the work could be redistributed. If the requirement of the post remains, the manager should seek approval to backfill the post. Where the need for a new post is identified, approval to fill the post is also required.

Once a new post has been approved, the manager must complete a job description document which will be used to confirm the grade of the post.

Where an existing post has been approved to backfill, the manager should review the job description of the post to ensure that it accurately reflects the demands of the job. The outcome of this review may necessitate job re-evaluation.

Once the grading and associated terms and conditions have been confirmed HR will contact the recruiting line manager to agree the most appropriate method of advertising, the selection panel and the recruitment schedule. All vacancies will be advertised internally and may also be advertised externally for example in the press or through specialist recruitment agencies.

2. Applying for a post

SQA will accept either an application form or CV which should be submitted by the closing date. SQA is an equal opportunities employer therefore we request that the equal opportunities monitoring form is returned with the application form or CV. The equal opportunities form will be kept confidential and will not be seen by the selection panel.

3. Leeting

The leeting process is the responsibility of the selection panel members.

Application forms and CVs will be considered and will be evaluated against the job profile. The evidence presented by the applicant must be judged against the skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience defined in the job profile for each post. Each application will be graded using the selection grading form.

The selection panel must be consistent in their leeting decisions. This can be achieved by:

  • leeting all of the applications together rather than on a piecemeal basis
  • using the selection grading form to review previous decisions and ensure consistency
  • the leeter should then decide how many applicants should be interviewed. If there is a high number of applicants meeting the criteria and there is only one post available, it is less likely that all applicants who meet the criteria will be selected for interview

Internal applicants who have not been short-leeted will be informed of this decision and will have the opportunity to receive feedback from the leeter on the reasons for the decision.

4. Selection interviews

Panel members will be competent interviewers and will have undertaken training in SQA’s policy and procedures on recruitment and selection.

Panel members will normally be SQA members of staff. Occasionally panel members may be from external bodies (see paragraph 7 of the recruitment and selection policy). Inclusion of panel members from external bodies should be discussed with the HR adviser.

Applicants will be advised when invited to interview whether a task or test is part of the selection process. All applicants who are being interviewed will be required to undertake the task or test.

The interview will provide evidence of how the applicant matches the competencies required for the role. It is, however, only one source of evidence. Other sources are the Application Form and the results of any task or test undertaken. All evidence will be taken into account when a recommendation to appoint is made.

The interview will be based around the competencies of the job and is an opportunity for the applicant to demonstrate suitability by providing evidence to support their application.

Interviews will be conducted using the ‘behavioural interviewing’ technique. This means that the selection panel will be looking for specific examples of behaviour that applicants have demonstrated which relate to the competencies.

Conducting the interview

It is of the up-most importance that a consistency of approach is used during the interviewing of all applicants. To ensure consistency, the selection panel must ensure that they:

  • Prepare (and record) questions which cover all aspects of the competencies in advance of the interviewing proces.
  • Use this same set of questions for every interview conducted for that post.
  • Avoid using questions which are not relevant to the competencies.

It is the primary role of the interviewer(s) to ask appropriate questions in a manner that provides the applicant with the opportunity to be able to demonstrate if they meet the competencies. Interviews can be quite stressful situations for applicants and therefore to encourage responses, panel members should:

  • Use open question.
  • Use focused/probing questions.
  • Use summarizing questions.

The panel should avoid using closed, multiple, unrelated or rhetorical questions as this could inhibit the responses provided by the applicant.

It should be decided beforehand who from the panel will ask which questions, in order to avoid any confusion during the interview itself.

At the end of the interview the selection panel should inform applicants of the likelihood of when a decision will be made and when they should expect to be notified.

Documentation

During the course of the interview, panel members should ensure that brief notes are taken to record the responses given by the applicant to enable an assessment of each applicants performance in turn but also to be able to compare the applicants.

After each interview, the selection panel is required to decide whether or not the applicant meets the requirements of the post. A brief note should be taken at this stage.

Once all interviews have taken place the interview grading form should be completed. This should indicate how well the applicant has demonstrated their ability to match the job profile as well as the competencies.

The comments section should also be completed, using specific examples can help with objectivity and later on for feedback. Provide specific examples of the applicant’s behaviour at interview and include something about what was said and how it was said. Also include some feedback on the application form and the results of any task or test undertaken. Indicate positive aspects as well as any development needs.

5. Offer of employment

Once the interviews have taken place the chairperson of the panel will inform HR of the successful applicant. HR will then contact the successful applicant to make the offer and confirm the basic terms and conditions of the offer. Salary offers will be made under the terms of the equal pay policy. Once the offer is accepted, references will be requested and the unsuccessful candidates will be notified.

6. References

A factual reference will be requested for the successful candidate irrespective of whether this is an external candidate or a current employee of SQA. Where satisfactory references are not received before the suggested start date, the individual may be permitted to commence employment. Where unsatisfactory references are received, the offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Internal references

An internal reference must be provided by the successful applicant’s direct line manager, who will have completed their PMR. If the direct line manager is unavailable another manager in the section/business area should complete the reference. At the discretion of the HR adviser postholders at grade 4 who have supervisory responsibility may also be able to provide references. Any manager completing an internal reference for someone that they do not work directly with, should ask the direct line manager or another manager who works with the applicant to contribute to the reference.

Information on any outstanding disciplinary, conduct or absence issues will be provided by HR.

7. Feedback

It is essential for individuals to be able to learn and grow. The purpose of feedback is to provide information about performance and behaviour including completion of an application form, results of a task and participation in an interview against the items within a person specification.