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On-line recruiting system consistency guidelines

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Executive Order 24-04 | Toolkit | Part One

Achieving equity and diversity within state agencies requires a comprehensive approach to recruitment and hiring that identifies and eliminates barriers to employment and institutional discrimination. We understand that processes create burdens for some in our community and limit access for others.

The Online Recruiting System was implemented across state agencies in 2010 to streamline the recruitment process. However, we’ve noticed that the OLRS is being used inconsistently, resulting in unreliable data. Good data will help us understand where people from historically marginalized communities may be experiencing barriers and exclusion in our recruitment process.

Appropriate assessment, categorization, and movement of individuals through the OLRS steps is crucial. This includes compliance with certification and referral of qualified candidates in accordance with the Washington Administrative Code and collective bargaining contracts.
Consistent and reliable data will help identify areas for improvement and remove barriers to state government employment, ultimately improving workforce planning strategies. This includes:

  • Reliable data for strategic workforce planning and recruitment initiatives.
  • Enterprise-wide recruitment processes that are efficient, effective, and accountable.

The Six Required Steps

There are six required steps within the OLRS. The steps are defined and outlined below. They are purposely vague; we do not want to tell agencies how to manage their recruitment process. Once an individual applies, their application should be moved through the steps in accordance with definitions, laws, and policies. Recruiters can add extra steps but at a minimum must use these six steps.

It is important to move individuals through the system in real time. As we prepare for the implementation of Workday, it is imperative that hires within the OLRS be recorded timely to ensure the transfer of individuals to the onboarding process within Workday. Please also note that actions taken to move individuals are time stamped in the OLRS. This is a key component in a legally defensible hire.

Each of the steps below includes a definition, a reference to the Washington Administration Code, the OLRS reference, and the data points of interest that will answer the question: Where are diverse individuals falling out of the recruitment process?

Step One: Applied

Definition: A job seeker has applied online or had their application manually entered.

WAC Reference:

OLRS Source: System Step – Application Received (by applicant) or Application Entered (by recruiter)

Data Insight: Percent of individuals by ethnic group. Best measured monthly or quarterly. Are diverse individuals applying to your jobs?  

Step Two: Eligible

Definition: Individuals from the Applied Step who have been assessed by the recruiter as meeting the minimum qualifications are moved to the Eligible Step. The assessment of individuals is performed in the Evaluation Step, which comes before the Eligible Step and is not mentioned here because it is not a data field for reporting purposes.

WAC References:

OLRS Source: Insight Action – Moved to Eligible List. This action is performed by the recruiter.  

Data Point: Percent of eligible by ethnic group. Are diverse individuals screened out of the recruitment process because of bias during assessments or minimum requirements? Are other jobs open that may be a good fit for those deemed NOT eligible? Does the removal of degrees increase the diversity of the Eligible List?

Step Three: Referred

Definition: Individuals from the Eligible Step who are referred to the hiring manager for further consideration. Referred individuals are also known as the Certified List.

WAC References:

OLRS Source: Insight Action – Moved to Referred. This action is performed by the recruiter.

Data Insight: Percentage of referred individuals by ethnicity. Are there diverse individuals on the Referred List? Note: The diversity of the referred list is for HR and recruiter’s eyes only. Hiring managers should not have access to the diversity of the individuals on the list.
 

Step 4: Interview

Definition: Individuals from the Referred Step who are invited to interview.

WAC Reference:

OLRS Source: OHC Action – Moved to Interview Step. This is typically performed in the OHC when scheduling and inviting individuals to an interview. The hiring manager who has access to the OHC typically performs this action. The recruiter may also perform this action.

Data Insight: Percentage of interviewed by ethnicity. Are your hiring managers interviewing diverse candidates?
 

Step 5: Offered

Definition: Individuals from the Interview Step offered a job.

OLRS Source: OHC Action – Moved to Offered Step from Interview Step. The hiring manager or recruiter can perform this action. The Offered Step is also captured by default if the individual is moved from the Interview Step to the Hired Step.

Data Insight: Percentage offered by ethnicity. Are diverse candidates being offered jobs? Are diverse individuals turning down job offers?
 

Step 6: Hired

Definition: Individuals are considered hired after the hire form is completed and the hire is approved in OHC.

WAC Reference:

OLRS Source: OHC Actions – Moved to Hired Step, form completed, hire approved. This action can be performed by the hiring manager or the recruiter. If an individual was moved from the Interview Step to the Hired Step, the Offered Step will be captured by default.

Data Point: Percentage of hired by ethnicity. Are you hiring a diverse workforce? How does the percentage of hires compare to the percentage of applicants?

Best Practices

  1. Timely Actions: Individuals must be moved to each step in real time. Do not wait until the end of the recruitment process to move individuals through the steps. For example, if an application is assessed and identified as eligible, the individual should be moved to the Eligible Step immediately. Similarly, hired individuals must be moved to the Hired Step as soon as the action occurs. Actions are time-stamped by the system, and candidates should be moved at the time the action is taking place to ensure accurate and timely data.
  2. Collective Bargaining Agreement Compliance: For represented positions, the CBA limits the number of referred candidates to up to 20. There are exceptions to increasing this number under certain circumstances. Recruiters should refer to the appropriate CBA for guidance in such cases.
  3. Troubleshooting: Any system-related issues should be directed to the Department of Enterprise Services OLRS Helpdesk through a help desk ticket. This ensures that technical problems are addressed promptly and do not hinder the recruitment process.

Conclusion

By following these guidelines and ensuring individuals are moved through each step of the recruitment process, recruiters will provide consistent and reliable data. This data is crucial for identifying areas for improvement, removing barriers to employment, and improving workforce planning strategies across state agencies

 

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