TPE Onsite 2017 San Antonio is about four months away, but it’s never too early to think about your search process. In fact, to increase your chances of a successful recruitment, we encourage you to begin thinking about your next team member NOW! Whether you’re new to the selection and recruitment process, or if it comes second nature to you, we thought sharing a few tips before March might help you get moving in the right direction.
Work Backwards
This may sound silly but you need to know the end goal—in this case, the optimal start date. But rather than set an arbitrary date or the obligatory July 1, consider a few other things. When does your payroll cycle begin? When will the office/apartment be available? Will you or the immediate supervisor be on vacation? Are there training dates that are a MUST? There are bound to be a few more logistics to consider, but this seems like a good place to start. Okay, now that you have the start date…..
Tell Me Something Good
Even if the position you plan to fill is an existing one, it’s always a smart idea to review the job description. Confer with Human Resources to determine if there are new practices or policies in place that may require an update to the position description. Is this position impacted by the recent FLSA thresholds? Should you include a statement explaining your department or campus approach to the new standards? Has the job description been written for a specific person rather than a departmental need? Great, job description is complete! Now, it’s time for…..
Location, Location, Location
Where you advertise your position is as important as who you select for the position. The Placement Exchange is a great place to start (shameless plug). That said, you should also consider if you plan to attend the TPE Onsite event or merely wish to place the add on the TPE Job Board, as your options vary depending on your approach. Feel free to contact a member of the TPE Employer Development Team to learn more about those options (employers@theplacementexchange.org) You should also think about other online platforms (i.e. associations, listservs, social media) as ways to get the word out about your job opportunity. And word of mouth still works. So, now it’s time to move on to the next phase of the recruitment process….
Who’s With Me
Putting together a selection team is essential, even if it’s a party of one. If you have the ability to do so, enlisting at least one other person or a small team of folks to provide support during the process is ideal. There’s a lot to accomplish before a new person joins your team; so the more you can distribute the work, the better your search will be. Consider assigning someone to manage correspondence, another to handle interview scheduling, and yet another to develop the interview questions and review process. These aren’t the only things to consider, but starting here will likely reveal other areas of focus. Okay, so you have a team, now what? Remember….
It Takes a Village
Even with the best team around you, you still need others to make this work. Develop a list of campus and external partners that will be instrumental in your search process. Confirm your position is approved for recruitment (i.e. HR & Budget). Contact online platforms for posting guidelines (i.e. listservs, TPE). Speak with a colleague who’s done this before. Not sure where to look? Well, the TPE Employer Development Team is connecting with some seasoned professionals who are willing to lend their expertise leading up to and after the TPE Onsite event and will share their insight via blogs, webinars, and testimonials. Look for more details by visiting the Resources section of the TPE website.
We hope you have found this short checklist useful. As we stated earlier, we are here to help. Please feel free to contact us at any stage of your search process. And visit the TPE website frequently as we will provide useful tips, resources, and guides to a successful search. Be well.
