This document is an internal policy of YAPA. Use it to help develop your own agency's internal policies. You will have to make changes to suit your own context and any legal requirements which apply to you.
Policy
Employment processes for YAPA will be fair and just, ensuring that the best possible applicant is offered the vacant position in a timely and efficient manner.
Procedures
1. Preparing a job description
The first step in the employment process will be a review of the job description for the position. This is necessary in the case of an existing position and in the case when a new position has been funded.
The Executive Officer will prepare the draft job description. Feedback from previous staff members, existing staff members and relevant steering committees may be taken into consideration in developing the draft job description. Formal agreements with the funding body will also be referred to.
In the case of employing an Executive Officer, the Board of Management will seek recommendations from staff prior to finalising the job description and selection criteria.
All job descriptions must be approved by the Board of Management.
Job descriptions must include
- name of position
- location on SACS Award and/or salary level (ensuring that this is the most up to date salary level)
- hours employed per week
- major tasks to be undertaken
- accountability and reporting mechanisms
- essential and desirable criteria (ie the skills and experiences needed to do the job)
- name of the funding body
- period of funding - ie time limited or permanently funded subject to continued funding of YAPA.
2. Advertising
All positions will be advertised on the YAPA website.
All positions of Grade 5 and above will be advertised in the Sydney Morning Herald on 2 consecutive Saturdays usually under the "Community" section.
Consideration will also be given to advertising all positions through
- Local newspapers
- NCOSS website (http://www.ncoss.org.au)
- Koori Mail
- Ethnic newspapers
- Other peak organisations
- YAPRap, egroups
- Student noticeboards
- The Land newspaper
The job ad will include
- Name of position
- Hours employed per week.
- That the position is a YAPA position.
- That YAPA is an EEO employer.
- That YAPA offers over award conditions.
- Funding body
- Length of funded position
- SACS grade and/or salary
- A very brief explanation of the job
- A statement that applicants must phone or download an information package and give a contact phone number
- Closing date.
Job ads will not include -
- Selection criteria - this information in included in the information pack.
- Mailing address - this information should only be provided to those who phone or download an information pack.
Generally 3 weeks will be provided between the job advertisement and the closing date. This will ensure that applicants have enough time to receive an information package by mail and have time to put together an application.
3. Information packages
Information packs will be provided to applicants who phone and ask for them, they will also be available on the YAPA website.
The information packs aim to inform applicants about the position and interview process.
Information packs will include -
- A copy of the job description, including the selection criteria
- An explanation of how to apply for the job, how to address the selection criteria (using the YAPA factsheet), how to forward their application, closing date for applications, and when interviews will be held.
- An disclaimer stating that the applicant is responsible for ensuring that their application is received by YAPA.
- A consent form for conducting a Working With Children Check.
4. Employment panel
The YAPA Board of Management is legally responsible for all employment matters.
The Board of Management will delegate the responsibility of employing a staff member to an employment panel.
The employment panel will consist of 3-4 people, and in special circumstances 5 people.
For positions of Grade 5 and above, the employment panel will consist of
- A representative of the YAPA Board of Management
- The Executive Officer
- A young person
- An independent person
Other people to include on the panel (varies for each position) may be
- A service provider
- A funding body representative, when required as a condition of funding
- A steering committee representative
Note that representatives may fill more than one of these positions, ie a young Board member, or an independent from a funding body.
The Executive Officer will be the convenor of each Employment Panel of a Grade 5 position. In the case of employing an Executive Officer, a Board member will convene the panel.
Young people on employment panels must be provided with additional support during the employment process. The Convenor will be responsible for fully explaining the employment process and the skills required by the employee. Young people are entitled to an equal voting right on the panel. Young people who are not on the Board of Management will be paid for their time.
In the case of positions of SACS Grade 1-4, existing staff members may be delegated responsibility for carrying out the interview process in consultation with the Executive Officer. The Executive Officer will participate in the interview.
5. Important principles
The Convenor is responsible for outlining the following principles to the employment panel and ensuring that such principles are followed at all stages of the recruitment process -
- Equality
This means that all applicants receive the same information package, be offered the same amount of time to apply, answer the same selection criteria, and be asked the same interview questions for first interviews. The selection criteria must be the basis for deciding the successful applicant.
- Non-Discrimination
This means that the panel will not discriminate against anyone because of their age, disability, sexuality, race, sex, marital status or religion. Some positions may be identified if a project is targeted to a particular community, ie an Indigenous position, if prior approval has been given by the Anti Discrimination Board.
- Confidentiality
Panel members must keep details of the employment process confidential. This means the information cannot be shared with anyone else, including other Board members or with other applicants.
6. Selecting applicants for interview
The employment panel will meet to read through and score each application that is received.
Scoring of applicants will be carried out against the advertised selection criteria, on the YAPA employment template forms.
Each panel member must fill out a separate sheet for each applicant and clearly record their own name on each form.
Applicants who do not address the selection criteria will not be considered.
After each panel member has finished all applications, the panel members will select, by negotiation with each other, 2-8 applicants to interview based on the scoring against the selection criteria.
7. Writing interview questions
The employment panel will agree on the interview questions prior to the interview day. Generally 5-8 questions will be asked at the interview. 5 minutes is allowed per question and the interviews should take 40-45 minutes each.
The interview questions will be based on the selection criteria and the job description.
All applicants at a first interview will be asked the same questions. Points of clarification may also be asked.
For positions of SACS Grade 5 and above, a homework question may be given to applicants before interview, to be answered or presented on the day.
8. Confirming interviews
The Convenor will phone applicants who are to be offered interviews.
Applicants will be provided with -
- Date and time of interviews
- Interview venue and parking arrangements
- Who to ask for when arriving at the venue
- How many people will be on the panel
- How many questions they will be asked
- How long the interview will take
- Whether they will have time to read the questions before interview
- If there is any question they should receive before hand
- That the questions relate to the selection criteria
- Who to call if they have any questions, emergency contact details
This information will also be emailed to applicants when possible.
9. Conducting interviews
The selection panel will meet before interviews start and run through the interview process.
Generally, interviews will be organised about one hour apart so that 10-15 minutes is provided to review each interview and take a break.
A break will also be included for lunch and YAPA will cover the costs of lunch for all panel members.
Applicants will generally be provided with 15 minutes to read the questions in a quiet, private space before being interviewed.
To commence the interview, panel members will introduce themselves, explain how the interview process will work, and briefly discuss the aims of the position.
Panel members will take turns to ask questions and take brief notes during the interviews.
At the completion of the interviews, the Convenor will
- Ask "Do you have any questions?" (the Convenor should answer any questions)
- Tell them when a decision will be made (this may take up to a week or more if referees are hard to contact)
- Check that contact phone numbers for referees haven't changed. Check that their referees include at least one past supervisor.
- Thank them for attending the interview.
The Convenor will forward completed Working With Children Checks from preferred applicants to the Approved Screening Agency.
10. Choosing the right employee
Panel members will negotiate amongst themselves to reach agreement as to who is the preferred applicant. The decision will be based on the written application and interview performance as it pertains to the selection criteria.
If a decision cannot be reached the panel may decide to hold a second interview between 2-3 applicants.
If a suitable applicant is not found then the position may be re-advertised.
11. Carrying out referee checks
Referee checks must be carried out for each position.
Referee checks will be carried out for the 1-3 people that are being considered for the position. Referee checks will be carried out even if there is only one outstanding candidate.
If the decision is based on a claimed qualification then a check will be carried out to verify that the qualification has actually been received.
12. Questions to ask referees
Applicants must list at least one supervisor from their past employment as a referee, not just past co-workers or mates.
If the Convenor becomes aware that no past supervisors have been listed then they will phone the applicant and ask them to provide contact details or a reasonable explanation as to why this can't be done.
The Convenor will carry out referee checks which will include the following questions -
- What is your relationship with the candidate?
(checking that the job title, duties and timeframes claimed by applicants are true and that the referee was a supervisor rather than a co-worker)
- What do you see as their main strengths?
- What do you see as their main areas for improvement, where they may need extra support? (Explaining that this will help the organisation better support the applicant if they get the job)
- How are their time management skills? Can you give some examples?
- How do they define boundaries between themselves and young people? Can you give some examples?
- What was the single greatest contribution they made in their previous role?
- What skill or attribute would you most miss about them?
- If you had the opportunity to employ them (again), would you?
- What are their teamwork skills like? Give an example.
- Is there any reason at all why we shouldn't employ them?
- Ask additional information about any criteria that is particularly important
- Any other comments?
The answers to each of these questions will be documented and reported to other members of the employment panel.
13. Offering employment
Once the employment panel have made a decision to offer someone the position, the Convenor will phone the applicant offering them the position conditional on their passing a Working With Children Check.
A Working With Children's Check will be carried out prior to the applicant commencing in the position.
The offer of employment will be documented in writing, following the standard YAPA letter of offer, and signed by a member of the Board of Management.
The letter must state -
- Hours to be employed per week
- Normal hours of work
- Length of employment
- Which office the position is to be located at
- SACS Grade and/or salary level
- That the offer is conditional upon passing a Working With Children's Check
- That the position is offered on a 3 or 6 month probationary basis and will be confirmed as permanent after a satisfactory performance review.
- That the position is permanent, subject to continued funding of YAPA by the relevant funding body.
- That staff are expected to follow all policies and procedures of YAPA. By accepting the position they are indicating their willingness to follow the policies and procedures.
The applicant must sign the letter and return it to the Convenor to indicate they have formally accepted the position.
14. Informing unsuccessful applicants
The Convenor will phone those that attended an interview but were unsuccessful to inform them of the interview outcome.
A letter will be written to all other unsuccessful applicants who were not offered an interview.
When feedback is provided to applicants it will relate to how the preferred applicant better met the selection criteria. (This must be the basis for employment decisions).
15. Keeping employment files
The Convenor will ensure that a copy of the following documents is kept for six months and placed in a locked filing cabinet-
- All of the job applications
- Score sheets for each applicant
- Interview notes for everyone that was interviewed
The following documents should be kept permanently -
- Preferred applicant's application
- Referee checks for the preferred applicant
- Letter of offer that has been signed
16. Informing staff and management
The Convenor will ensure that all staff and Board members are informed of the appointment of the staff member as soon as possible.
Date adopted by the Board of Management |
23 May 2005 |
Date of commencement |
1 June 2005 |
