Recruitment & Hiring

The success of any organization is closely tied to the quality of its employees. This is particularly true for the senior leader/executive director of your organization. The senior leader/executive director is responsible for setting the tone and establishing the workplace culture. They are charged with operationalizing the mission, vision and strategic priorities of the organization and serving as bridge between the board and the staff. Investing in a strong recruitment process will support in hiring the right person for the position and your organization.

The following section outlines the key steps and considerations in the recruitment and hiring process. It highlights processes that consider an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) lens, as well as other best practices in finding and attracting quality candidates.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please consult your Engagement Partner.

PREPARE FOR RECRUITMENT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Must:

• Appoint the HR Committee to lead the recruitment and hiring process for the new senior leader/executive director; or

• Create a sub-committee of the board to lead the recruitment process and appoint a Chair of the committee.

Best Practice:

• Create a Terms of Reference for the HR Committee identifying the scope of the committee’s responsibilities.

• Determine the process and whether the HR Committee will be charged with appointing a senior leader/executive director or leading the process up until one (1) or two (2) preferred candidates have been identified and the board gets to conduct the final round of interviews to select the finalist.

Consider:

• Whether an interim senior leader/executive director will be required to serve your transitional needs while a new senior leader/executive director is selected. 

• Whether the board has the capacity and expertise to conduct the hiring process and if there is value in working with a recruitment firm. 

• Your Engagement Partner may be able to provide an impartial list of potential resources and/or organizations who could support your needs. 

Resources:

• HR Committee Terms of Reference

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Must:

• Build a job description that accurately states details about the senior leader/executive director role.

• Use the Sample Executive Director Job Description to articulate the role and responsibilities, as well as essential and desirable criteria (skills, aptitudes, knowledge and experience).

EDI Best Practices:

• Use gender neutral pronouns. Avoid binary personal pronouns and instead use ‘they’ or ‘the candidate’.

• Be aware of ‘feminine’ versus ‘masculine’ words.

• Avoid extreme modifiers such as, ‘world class’ or ‘unparalleled’. These can discourage qualified candidates who may not self-identify with the terms or language used.

• Focus on the necessary requirements rather than the ‘nice to haves’ to give latitude to candidates with transferable skills.

• Communicate your commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Doing so will help signal to potential candidates that their personal identity and experience will be welcomed and supported.

Consider:

• Surveying existing employees, board members and the outgoing senior leader/executive director to update the job description to determine critical knowledge, skills, and attributes for successful performance.

• Looking at similar job postings on the JCC Resource Catalogue, Charity Village or other job sites to identify language and/or qualities that are applicable to the job description you are creating.

Resources:

• Sample Executive Director Job Description

 

HIRING TIMELINE

Must:

• Determine the hiring timeline using the steps outlined in this chapter. First, select an ideal start date. From that date, work backwards to determine a realistic timeline that provides adequate time for each step of the process to occur.

Best Practice:

• Allow a minimum of two (2) weeks per step to keep the hiring timeline on track.

Consider:

• Reviewing how long previous hiring searches have gone on for previous senior leader/executive director roles to support an accurate development of your timeline.

 

POSTING THE JOB

Must:

• Build a job ad that includes highlighted information using the Sample Job Posting.

• Take a strategic approach as to where you will post and how you will monitor both postings and applicant submissions.

• Consider target pool of candidates, and look at posting on:

  • Divisions of Family Practice or Doctors of BC website
  • Indeed
  • Charity Village
  • BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
  • PCN Jobs BC
  • University job portals
  • Local community newspapers

• If you determine that you would like your position posted on the provincial divisions careers page and LinkedIn profile, please contact Jeff Chan (jchan@doctorsofbc.ca). 

Best Practice:

• Within the Sample Job Posting, add details specific to your role and location to capture the attention of multiple candidates. 

Consider:

• Consulting your Engagement Partner for additional suggestions and support where required.

Resources:

• Sample Job Posting

REVIEW APPLICATIONS

Must:

• Review all applications. Eliminate applicants who do not meet the basic criteria or qualifications.

• Use the job description to shortlist appropriate applicants to approximately 5/6 applicants for telephone interviews.

Best Practice:

• Upon initial review of cover letters and resumes, separate applicants into an A, B, or C pool. If you have a strong A pool, take only these applicants to the next step.

Consider:

• Sending a courtesy email to all candidates indicating you have received their application and will contact them only if they are selected for an interview.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Must:

• Build a consistent list of questions to be used for all interviews, including telephone and in-person interviews.

• Use the Interview Guide to get started. Analyze the job description to build out additional role-specific questions.

Best Practice:

• Consistently apply the same interview questions and structure to all candidates.

Consider:

• Consulting your Engagement Partner for additional suggestions and support where required.

Resources:

• Interview Guide

 

TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

Must:

• Use short telephone interviews to quickly screen out applicants who are inappropriate for the position. 

• Use the Telephone Interview Guide to get started.

• Determine 3 or 4 candidates who will move forward to in-person interviews. 

• Make a courtesy call or send an email to unsuccessful candidates who participated in a telephone interview. 

Best Practice:

• Use the same set of questions for every candidate and try not to deviate. This commonality fosters consistency and accelerates your ability to discern differences between candidates.

• When all telephone interviews are complete, decide which candidates to invite to an in-person interview. Make decisions based on each candidate’s resume and telephone screen.

• Be very judicious when assessing the quality and relevance of answers to your questions. If you get a red flag, rule them out.

Consider:

• Ensuring the candidates’ career goals align with those of the position. If they do not, question their suitability.

• Consulting your Engagement Partner for additional suggestions and support where required (e.g., when hiring a senior position).

Resources:

• Telephone Interview Guide

 

IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS

Must:

• Determine whether a Sub-Committee of the board (i.e., a Hiring Committee or HR Committee) will conduct the in-person interviews. Provide the list of interview questions to interviewer(s).

• Conduct the first round of in-person interviews.

• Conduct the second round of in-person interviews, as required.

• Conduct additional interviews and/or practical situational requirements, as required.

• Notify unsuccessful candidates.

• Make a courtesy call or send an email to all candidates who participated in an in-person interview.

Best Practice:

• Use the Interview Guide to get started.

• Ask a variety of questions to determine whether they have the skill and experience to do the job, as well as the leadership skills and experience to represent your organization and lead your team.

• Make notes during the interview for reference when assessing and making final decisions.

Resources:

• Interview Guide

NEW HIRE

REFERENCE CHECKS

Must:

• Request at least three (3) references for the top 1 or 2 candidates. 

• Complete reference checks before even an indication of an offer is made (including verbal offers). 

• Use the Reference Check Form to ensure consistency. Adapt the questions as required.

• Complete a criminal records clearance, as required for the position.

Best Practice:

• References should include current and/or most recent employer(s).

• For Executive Director positions, ask for references from previous supervisors, as well as staff they have managed.

• Request both emails and phone numbers for contacting each reference.

• Reach out to the references provided and set a time to connect. This helps avoid multiple unanswered phone calls.

Consider:

• Reviewing the candidates’ social media presence.

Resources:

• Reference Check Form

 

MAKE AN OFFER

Must:

• Obtain any necessary approval for the hire.

• Determine a proposed start date and salary.

• Call and make a verbal offer to the preferred candidate.

• If a criminal records clearance is required for the role, inform the preferred candidate that the offer is pending a successful criminal records clearance.

• Be prepared to receive a counter-offer. In some cases, your preferred candidate may want to negotiate their start date, salary and/or other entitlements such as paid vacation, etc.

• Follow up the phone call with a signed Sample Employee Agreement, signed by an authorized signatory, via email. 

 

PREPARE AN EMPLOYEE AGREEMENT

Must:

• Draft an employee agreement outlining the start date, salary, benefits, etc. Use the Sample Employee Agreement to get started. 

Best Practice:

• An employee agreement should set out the rights, responsibilities and obligations of the organization and the employee during the period of employment. The employee agreement can include: 

  • Position information: job title; department; who they will report to; etc.

  • Term of Employment: on-going or fixed term

  • Hours of Work: hours of work and description of any flexible working options, such as working remotely; working evenings and/or weekends; etc.

  • Compensation and Benefits: salary/hourly rate; benefits plan eligibility, if applicable; any other additional benefits

  • Paid Time Off: include information about vacation and sick time entitlements

  • Confidentiality Agreement: reference to employee’s legal obligation to abide by the Confidentiality Agreement

  • Termination Terms and Conditions: amount of written notice required; Employer’s right to terminate for cause; etc.

• Include the job description as an appendix to the employee agreement. 

• Give the employee a deadline to review and sign the offer (generally 3 to 5 business days).   

• Include other supporting documents in the offer email (e.g., job description, relevant handbooks/policies referenced in the Employee Agreement). 

Consider:

• Including other relevant documentation, as applicable, in the package to the preferred candidate for their review and signature such as:

  • Confidentiality Agreement

  • Conflict of Interest Declaration form

  • Direct Deposit Form

  • Emergency Contact Information

  • Benefits enrollment form, if applicable

  • Criminal Records Clearance information, if applicable

  • Employee Handbook Template

• Alternatively, as part of the onboarding process, review the documentation listed above with the employee as part of their first day of work.

Resources:

• Sample Employee Agreement

• Confidentiality Agreement

• Conflict of Interest Declaration form

• Direct Deposit Form

• Employee Handbook Template

 

CRIMINAL RECORDS CLEARANCE

Must:

• If your organization requires a criminal records clearance as a condition of employment, a policy must exist to articulate the organization’s position and requirements.

Best Practice:

• Criminal records clearance is required if an employee will work directly with vulnerable populations. They are also important if the employee will have financial responsibilities within the organization.

EDI Best Practices:

• To support diversity and inclusion, some policies include statements that describe the organization’s acknowledgement that there can be stigma surrounding people’s criminal history. To avoid perpetuating shame, the organization may not consider crimes around drug offences, sex work, property offences, or poverty-related offences as relevant in determining a candidate’s suitability for a role.

Consider:

• The policy should describe relevance of a past criminal record to a candidate’s eligibility for employment, or an employee’s eligibility for continued employment. The policy could also articulate that a criminal records clearance will be reviewed based upon the following factors:

  • The nature and gravity of the offense(s) for which the candidate or employee was convicted/charged (i.e., convictions for hate crimes or other power-based crimes)

  • The time that has passed since the conviction and/or completion of the sentence and/or any other evidence of rehabilitation since the criminal conviction

ANNOUNCE NEW HIRE TO THE ORGANIZATION

Must:

• Confirm the new hire’s information for existing team members and/or the board. Include details such as: the start date, role and any other relevant information about the successful candidate.

Best Practice:

• Do not communicate any information until you have received a signed Employee Agreement confirming the candidate’s acceptance of the position.

Consider:

• Preparing a formal announcement to external stakeholders to celebrate and welcome the new hire to the organization.