At The Lost Dogs’ Home we view every candidate as a potential member of our team as we have a variety of different career paths. These range from administration, animal to professional opportunities. When recruiting, we look for people who display a connection to our vision and values to support our cause.
We believe that effective recruitment and selection is critical to achieving organisational goals. The Home seeks to attract the highest quality candidates and to select the best applicant for each position.
Our recruitment and selection policy and process is designed so that every vacant position is recognised as being essential to the organisation and that only people who have demonstrated the competency to meet or exceed the performance expectations of the position are appointed.
The recruitment policy endeavours to ensure that the organisation is providing a workplace that allows each individual to grow and develop in a diverse environment. The Lost Dogs’ Home is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) for all employees and the broader community.
It is required that all recruitment decisions:
- are based on the principles of merit and established criteria, so as to be free of bias and discrimination, and in accordance with the principles of EEO. In terms of merit, it is essential that an applicant possesses the skills, knowledge, required qualifications, history of performance, and the necessary potential and/or ability to perform in a position. Established criteria refers to pre-determined objectives and transparent requirements are suggested to differentiate between candidates and minimum expectations for candidates
- are compliant with the approved recruitment and selection procedures, ensuring procedural fairness is maintained
- the treatment of the candidate is a focus as it impacts upon the organisations reputation and brand. It is expected that candidates are treated professionally, with respect and that their application is managed confidentially.
- provide current staff with access to permanent vacancies as they arise, with the exception of specialist roles where external candidates will be sourced.
- are inclusive of managers, supervisors and human resources staff as required for the position, as outlined in the procedure.
Conflict of Interest
A person who has or has had a close personal relationship with an applicant, or who has had any other non-work related interest shall not take part in any aspect of the selection process as it could lead to a potential or actual conflict of interest. In these circumstances a person must decline an invitation or nomination to be involved in the recruitment and selection process.
Conflicts of interest may arise in situations where a person’s private arrangements, benefits, interests (whether pecuniary or otherwise), personal circumstances or personal or family relationships could, or could be perceived to impinge on a person’s ability to act impartially.
Prior to the commencement of recruitment
- Review continuing need for positions. Review and agree requirements and expectations of position
- All positions must have a current, approved position description
- Approval to Recruit Form must be filled in
- Newly created roles are required to be factored into the budget and approved by the CEO
- Authority to recruit for existing and newly approved roles need to be approved by the relevant SMT member
Internal candidates
All employees, who have been in their current role for at least 12 months, are eligible to apply for internal vacancies. Internal candidates are required to inform their existing line manager.
Screening and Selection
Candidates for permanent full time and part time positions must be interviewed by a minimum of two representatives from the Home, inclusive of the manager and a member of the HR department. A minimum of two interviews will be conducted for these positions.
Only internal candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria for the position will be interviewed. Selection of both internal and external candidates will be based on merit and be evaluated against the requirements outlined in the position description.
During the screening and selection process, managers and human resources may be required to exercise discretion, taking into account all relevant information that is available.
Reference Checks
Two reference checks must be completed prior to any offer of employment. Work related referees accepted only and must be from a person in which the candidate has directly reported into i.e. manager, supervisor or team leader. Personal references will not be accepted.
Identification check
All candidates must provide us with either a birth certificate, passport or drivers licence as proof of identity.
Qualification check
Where a qualification is an inherent requirement of a position eg. a relevant animal handling certificate, proof of the relevant certification must be evidenced by the organisation prior to the employee’s commencement.
Police check
The company may require a police check to satisfy security or other requirements (eg. as part of a working with children check). The provision of a valid police check may be requested as part of the selection process and/or as a condition of employment.