Factsheet: Working with outsourced recruitment support

Overview

In accordance with the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework, agencies are required to ensure an agencies core work isn’t outsourced, however APS agencies may sometimes require the services of an outside supplier to provide recruitment services.

Recruitment services outsourced by agencies can include administrative support, such as scheduling and scribing, assessment tools, and coordinating large-scale recruitment exercises. Decisions about the outsourcing of work must be made with regards to the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework and Whole of Australian Government Procurement Arrangements, as well as agency procurement policies and procedures.

Using outsourced support effectively

To use outsourced support effectively, agencies should:

• include the time to procure services in planning for the recruitment process
• know what elements will be included in the recruitment process before engaging a provider for help
• schedule time to provide information on the role and operating environment
• have a good understanding of the responsibilities and work related qualities required for the role, so that this can be shared with the provider
• be clear about what services are required and when (e.g. search, shortlisting, scribing, writing the selection report, referee checks, etc.) at the beginning of the process, to ensure resources can be allocated in advance
• be clear about the timing, scope and agreed standards for delivery of service
• ensure there is clarity about responsibilities for the agency and the recruitment provider to ensure that all necessary steps in the recruitment process are completed and
• be clear about expectations for frequency and type of communication with candidates.

Agencies should ensure external recruitment providers capture information throughout the process to provide meaningful feedback to candidates, and consider if additional information should be collected and provided to inform succession and development activities.

Candidate care

Interactions with the recruitment providers may inform a potential candidates’ view about the vacancy, agency, and APS recruitment more broadly. If contact with candidates is part of the arrangement, agencies should set clear expectations regarding who should be contacted and when.

For example, sometimes agencies will notify internal candidates who have not progressed to interviews or not been successful earlier than external candidates, in order to ensure staff engagement with internal candidates is maintained.

Compliance with the APS employment framework

When an agency uses a recruitment provider it remains the agency’s responsibility to ensure the provider is aware of, and complies with, legislative requirements and agency-specific policies, procedures and guidelines throughout the process. Responsibility for upholding merit, shortlisting decisions and suitability decisions remains within the agency.

Remember

Where outsourced support is used to assist with shortlisting, the selection panel must still be comfortable with the shortlisting recommendations.

• For smaller candidate pools, this could mean reviewing all candidates to ensure they agree with the recommendations.
• For larger candidate pools, this could mean providing guidance to the provider on how the shortlisting should be conducted, and then affirming the shortlisting recommendations by reviewing a smaller group of candidates.

Whichever method is used, it is good practice to document how the shortlisting process has been conducted in the selection report.

The delegate for the recruitment process must be satisfied that the recruitment process has been fair, transparent and based on merit. Agencies must ensure that employment opportunities are correctly notified in the Public Service Gazette, even when an external recruitment provider is used, to ensure all eligible members of the community have had a reasonable opportunity to  apply[1]. Any supplementary advertising undertaken on the agency’s behalf must comply with the Department of Finance coordinated procurement arrangements.

Remember

Outsourced recruitment support may sometimes include automated tools to assist with the assessment of candidates. It remains the responsibility of agencies to understand what work-related qualities the tool is assessing, whether the assessment method is sound, how algorithmic biases are mitigated, and whether the tool supports merit-based decision making.