This Job Posting Checklist and Sample Job Posting for the Admin-Tech Specialist serves as a thought starter only and is not intended to be presented as a “best practice”.

• No two job postings will be the same as they need to be customized to reflect your organization, the community, the industry you are targeting and the ever-changing labour market.
• As you use the Posting Checklist for current and future postings you will develop more insight into building inclusion into your recruitment strategy and discover new ways to improve your postings.  
• We highly recommend that you keep track of postings that drew the response you were hoping for and use them as a starting point for future postings.
• If a posting did not draw the diversity of talent you were seeking, carefully review it with an eye for potential improvements.

 

Choose from several options to gain visibility for your posting

• Local newspapers. 
• Community job boards.
• Online job boards. 
• Social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)
• Google: “Employment Canada services near me” to get a list of resources in your community/province.  
• The Job Bank: www.Jobbank.gc.ca offers some helpful resources and planning tools for employers and is a good place to post jobs.

To Spark More Ideas: check out the  45 online job boards displayed on WDB’s Local Jobs Hub. They may provide ideas to explore in your community.

Given we know that word of mouth and personal contacts remains the number one way for potential applicants to learn about jobs, it will be important to expand far beyond your usual promotion channels to ensure a greater diversity of qualified applicants. 

• Using the contacts and relationships you have developed in your community outreach efforts- EN2.Outreach-Community-Resource-Links-EN,  Links-FR will greatly assist with getting your posting more broadly circulated.

Engaging applicants in a role specific assignment can help to level the playing field.

• Applicants can take this opportunity to demonstrate the required skill sets in a way that reflects their best selves.
• In addition, it can provide the applicant with a clear sense of what the role is about and what is of particular importance to the hiring organization.
• Further, when you ask applicants to complete a role-related assignment it provides them the opportunity to self-assess if the role is really for them and will reduce the number of applications from candidates not well suited for the daily requirements.

There is no limit to the types of assignments you may choose, however, some common tasks may include;

• Data Analysis,
• Social Media/Web Design or Promotion,
• Sample Correspondence and Report Writing,
• Presentation Development and Delivery to list a few.

It is important to keep in mind that the tasks are not official work but a reflection of the type of activities that are seen as important for success in the role.

The following resources provide

• Direction on when and how to introduce assignments into the application process
• Potential criteria for evaluation

To further minimize the potential for biased evaluation

• Remove names and identifying information from the assignments before sending them to the interview team to evaluate.

• Keep track of your applicants and protect against bias early in the selection process
• Reduce unnecessary barriers that limit your applicant pool 
• Provide the designated screener within your organization or 3^rd party service provider with what is necessary to confidently select the best applications for the interview
• Focus the screener on what is important and place emphasis on “only” the necessary skills, demonstrated abilities and competencies required
• Promote an equitable recruitment process by ensuring that all applications are reviewed against a consistent set of inclusive criteria
• Provide instructions related to established equivalency accommodations, i.e. If there are essential qualifications or skills required the screener will look for equivalent demonstrated ways of knowing, and credit relevant informal learning or demonstrated evidence-based capabilities beyond standard formal education.

• The application screener will be expected to use a detailed job description and required competencies alongside the customized rating tool.
• Applications that meet the submission requirements as per the job posting instructions (i.e. Cover letter/resume/assignment etc.) and achieve the established minimum selection tool score are candidates that would be recommended for an interview.
• Some organizations take additional steps to reduce bias at this first stage of the recruitment process by numbering the applicant submissions and removing names or identifying information before issuing them to the interview panel for final approval.
• Once candidates have been approved for an interview, an email or telephone call to confirm availability and interest in participating in an interview is issued. Information related to the applicant assignment if appropriate should be included at this time.
• Details about the interview format (in-person/virtual), and logistics related to parking and meeting location or virtual meeting log-in information are forwarded in a follow-up correspondence confirming the scheduled interview date and time.

If you determine that you want to use an external 3^rd party service provider or tech-based screening tool there is no shortage of supply.

• It is important to do your homework as not all artificial intelligence (AI) and Talent Acquisition (TA) platforms are created equally.

To learn more about equitable and accountable AI, review this overview by the Algorithmic Justice League (AJL), it explores how to empower communities to mitigate the potential harms and biases of AI.