Tool 5:Selecting an Advertising Strategy
What is the Main Goal?
The main goals of recruitment advertising are to make people aware of an ACTPS vacancy and to encourage a wide range of suitable applicants.Taking time to consider your advertising strategy will assist you in achieving a successful recruitment outcome.
What Should I Consider?
When determining your advertising strategy, you should consider the following questions:
Selecting an Advertising Strategy
It is a legislative requirement that all permanent ACTPS vacancies, and temporary vacancies of sixmonths of longer, are advertised in the online ACT Government Gazette, incorporated on The Jobs ACTwebsite is designed to assist you with achieving successful outcomes through the provision of a central, recognised platform for ACTPS recruitment advertising.
However,after considering the questions above you may consider utilising additional advertising mediums to attract suitable applicants. Examples of possible advertising mediums include:
- Online Recruitment websites – have the potential to reach a wide audience and allows comprehensive information about the vacancy and the ACTPS to be provided, and is often less expensive that most other forms of advertising media; or
- Recruitment Agencies – are useful to consider when there are skill shortages, a vacancy is needed to be filled quickly, or potential applicants are to be head-hunted.
The use of print media for recruitment advertising must only be used for certain positions or employee groups where it is considered advantageous or relevant. This is due to the high costs associated with print media advertising compared to the marginal contribution to successful recruitment outcomes.
If you have determined that your recruitment process would benefit from a more diversified advertising strategy, Shared Services Recruitment can provide further advice relating to the scope of advertising services available.
Advertising with an Attraction and Retention Incentive (ARIn) Amount
Before advertising any vacancy, the substantive classification of the role must have been assessed to be correct. The classification must be one contained in the relevant Enterprise Agreement and cannot be at an Executive level (if the classification is assessed as being incorrect, then the position should be appropriately reclassified).
The position description and/or organisational structure of the business unit should be critically examined to assess if they can be adjusted to mitigate the need for the ARIn.The role (or similar role) must have been advertised, or have been recently advertised, without an ARIn.
If the field of applicants attracted from initial advertising is, or was, unsuitable, the position may be re-advertised either with or without an ARIn and this should be discussed with the HR manager.
If the position is to be advertised with an ARIn, a submission to the Head of Service must be lodged through the office of the Deputy Director-General, Workforce Capability and Governance, CMTEDD, prior to re-advertising the role which addresses the value and circumstances of the proposed ARIn and supplies the required evidentiary material to support the claim. A form for this purpose is available through the Shared Services website.
Where a position is advertised with an ARIn, the advertisement should include the full dollar amount offered, and note that the ARIn is reviewable every twelve months.
Selection committees need to inform applicants who apply for positions where an ARIn amount has been placed within a job advertisement that the provision is subject to annual review and can be terminated or its value altered either up or down dependent on it meeting varying eligibility criteria including market rate.
Following the selection process, the successful applicant should be informed in the letter of offer that an ARIn is not an entitlement. The provision of an ARIn, even one that is given immediately upon commencement as result of a recruitment selection process, does not mean that the recipient is entitled to be paid or afforded wages and/or conditions of employment expressed within it for the duration of the recipients working life within the ACTPS.
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ACT Public Service Recruitment Guidelines, Tool 5: Selecting an Advertising Strategy