When the University undertakes a recruitment assignment there will be a University representative identified as the primary contact point for prospective applicants/interested parties for any further ‘technical’ enquiries about the vacancy. This person would normally be the supervisor/line manager of the vacant position who is best placed to market the University, the opportunity and encourage interest.
Generally prospective applicants/interested parties will make contact by telephone and will expect the University representative to be prepared and knowledgable about the university and the vacancy. Having information like the advertisement, position description, ‘ECU Pocket Statistics’ etc., at hand is advantageous.
Why is this important?
This initial contact is very important to record. Rather than just providing the enquirer with information it is an excellent opportunity for the University representative to obtain relevant details about the enquirer.
For example, asking the enquirer questions about their current role, experience, remuneration expectations, career aspirations will provide an indication of the person’s relative competitiveness against the selection criteria. As a result, they may be either encouraged or discouraged from investing time in applying.
Can I use this as part of the recruitment process?
This is an acceptable form of pre-screening that should be undertaken in a respectful manner, importantly allowing the enquirer to make up their own mind if they wish to pursue the opportunity or not.
The enquirer should be asked for their personal contact details ( eg. name, telephone number). These will be of value if someone is identified as a potentially competitive applicant but does not apply for the vacancy. In this case, the University representative may choose to follow-up with the person and ascertain their interest level and any barriers to applying. This approach is especially useful in situations where it is anticipated that acquiring a competitive pool of candidates will be difficult.
These forms of ‘networking’ with prospective candidates are a legitimate activity. If the prospective applicant applies for the vacancy they will be evaluated along with all other applicants in an equitable manner.
How do I record the information?
To enable these contacts to be recorded a template has been designed. It is not necessary to complete the entire form, but allows for any information obtained to be recorded and acts as a prompt for the University representative. Click here to access the template.