Workforce planning is currently in motion with executive teams in schools and/or authorities to ensure their workforces are equipped to tackle the challenges and opportunities in 2023 and beyond. With schools more future focused and the current labour shortage making hiring harder than ever, the planning phase is the crucial first step in the recruitment cycle.
Planning > Resourcing > Attraction > Selection > Evaluation > Induction
In this article we will focus on the planning stage and with the help of recruitment, marketing, and education experts we will try to answer the question:
How can a recruitment action plan help a school better navigate the critical labour shortage?
The Importance of Strategy
Avoid the expectation that the resources which worked last year or even this year will be enough to help you recruit in the current climate. An annual recruitment action plan should include an evaluation of past recruitment, covering everything from cost, time advertising, jobs boards and resources used. Most of all, evaluation should cover the successes of past recruitment; that is, did the vacancy get filled or not. And if appointments were made- did they fulfill the needs of the job and the organisation?
Long service leave, maternity leave and retirements can be forecasted which can assist in planning. However, from an organisational perspective – look carefully at broader strategy and how it impacts your workforce. If the strategy is future focused it will help you to decide the organisational skills, knowledge, and values needed to fulfill opportunity and overcome known challenges.
“the panel should always include an experienced recruiter in the school who will be the chair (e.g., executive member), as well as the team leader(s) who will be working directly with the successful applicant.”
We sat down with experienced school leader Glenis Gumley who adds, “when you are employing a teacher, you need to consider the profile of other teachers in the department. With a few additional years of experience, is this person potentially a new leader in the school? Can you consider a graduate? Do you have potential mentors for a new graduate? You need to consider the future growth of your new employee. What do they have to offer that is not strictly part of the role you have advertised? What interests do they have that could add to their suitability for a position at your school?”
Time is of the Essence
The teacher shortage means increased demand leading to teachers wanting to know more information before applying. Careful planning will give you all the time you need to build attraction and selection resources that align with the technical and organisational needs of the school. Role descriptions or candidate engagement documents need to be ready for presentation at the time of advertising.
Your recruitment plan should set timeframes for every role forecasted. Avoid using past timeframes as today, teachers are available one day and gone the next. The pressure to carefully hire in less time is difficult but needs to be addressed.
It is crucial to pre-book diary time with each of the interview panel members as far as possible in advance.
Senior leaders such as Principals and Deputy Principals have very busy diaries with meetings scheduled months ahead. Don’t forget to include a reflection time for all panel members after the conclusion of the interviews.
Panels and People
Your plan should set roles and responsibilities of individuals within the school. Panels should be set and should vary depending on the role. Each panel should have the necessary knowledge and recruitment skills. Panels should be equipped with professionals who have the candidate assessment know-how but also the ability to engage candidates. Panels need to be made aware of timeframes and stick to them.
With more suitable people involved, making the right hiring decisions despite having less time to recruit will be easier.
Gumley shares, “the panel should always include an experienced recruiter in the school who will be the chair (e.g., executive member), as well as the team leader(s) who will be working directly with the successful applicant.”
In Conclusion
We hope this overview will help you to plan your next recruitment campaign to attract more suitable candidates and better inform your hiring decisions. In our next article, we will expand on contemporary resources that improve attraction and selection.
Additional Articles
Best Practice – Advertising and Attraction
Best Practice – Selection and Appointment
Best Practice – Induction and Evaluation
Biographies
Glenis Gumley
Glenis is an experienced school leader whose career has included the key roles of Head of Houses, Head of Senior School and Deputy Principal across several leading independent schools in Melbourne. She has also worked in the tertiary sector and is currently employed at Melbourne University in the Graduate School of Education.
