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opportunity : Diversity Positive Recruitment
:
Defining Positions
Define the position first
1 This section focuses on defining the requirements
of a vacant position. Defining the position should serve as a prerequisite
of drafting the position announcement.
Caution
Attempting to draft a position announcement before
a precise position definition has been agreed is a recipe for confusion
later in the recruitment process.
Critical elements
2 Three critical sets of information are necessary
to define a position effectively:
a) the role, responsibilities and functions
to be performed;
b) the competency requirements for the position in terms
of:
knowledge – derived from academic training and subsequent work experience;
personal qualities – those qualities which tend to be intrinsic such as creativity, innovation or judgment; and
skills and abilities – those skills developed through study, training and experience such as leadership, communication, team skills and cross-cultural skills; and
c) the minimum academic qualifications and minimum experience required.
3 The selection criteria for the position comprise both:
- necessary competencies, and
- minimum academic qualifications and experience.
Diversity alert
• Defining the full set of competencies is critical
to diversity-positive recruitment because it avoids over-reliance on qualifications
and experience. The reality is that a far more comprehensive set of factors
(i.e. competencies as well as qualifications and experience) determines
whether or not a candidate will be successful in the position.
• It is important to avoid overstating the length of experience
required. Position announcements should state the minimum experience
consistent with acquiring the required competencies.
• The way the competencies are defined optimizes the Center’s
ability to attract a diverse range of qualified candidates. Properly
defined competencies focus on the key requirements of the position while
avoiding issues that are irrelevant and discriminatory.
4 It may also be necessary to define the context of the position. This includes defining where the position fits into the broader organization, its relationship with partners or other agencies, etc.
Competencies and diversity
5 Focusing on competencies helps Centers acquire
and develop a diverse workforce. Focusing solely on qualifications and
experience may bar talented people from consideration. Say a Center is
very conservative and calls for a particular IT professional position
to require 10 years’ experience. Will that exclude a brilliant younger
person with only 5 years’ experience who could do everything wanted
and more?
6 Also, it is important to recognize that
women are more likely to be disadvantaged when Centers call for excessive
experience because their typical education and career patterns in many
countries may be different from those of men of a similar age.
Understanding the difference between
“qualifications
and experience” and “competencies”
7 How are competencies linked to qualifications
and experience? Don’t qualifications and experience “guarantee”
the required competencies? Not necessarily!
Caution
Drawing inferences from academic training
A common pitfall in recruiting is that people infer
competencies from qualifications and experience. Often it is assumed
that, because a candidate possesses a PhD, she/he automatically possesses
high level research skills such as conceptual skills, creativity and innovation,
excellent technical judgment and tenacity.
In actuality, completion of a PhD doesn’t necessarily guarantee
high levels of creativity, innovation and judgment. Therefore the relevant
competencies (creativity, innovation, etc) have to be specified as a focus
for testing (during the selection process) whether candidates have them
to a sufficient extent.
Caution
Making assumptions about length of experience
All too often in recruiting, people assume
that if a candidate has five years’ experience, each year’s
experience has added to the previous years. Sometimes this may quite correct.
However, if the candidate has been following essentially the same processes
year after year, for the same client/s, in the same context, etc., she/he
may have only one year’s experience, repeated five times.
8 Consequently it is necessary
to define the competencies being sought: technical/administrative knowledge
as extended from basic academic training, well developed interpersonal
skills, team skills, leadership skills, etc. Then it will be possible
to test for them during the selection process.Sample position description
9 A sample position
description for a scientist
position appears in Tips and Tools.
© CGIAR Gender & Diversity
Program 2006