Hiring tips & tricks

[Katie Grzesiak]

At the last MISC Core Team meeting, it was brought up that some folks are having trouble getting their crews on board.  ISN has overall had success with this, so I thought I'd start a thread to share tips & tricks.

1. Hire early.  As soon as you know you have the funding, think about the positions (seasonal?  year-round?) you want to hire.  For seasonals it's especially important to get your jobs out there early!  ISN usually tries to post seasonal jobs by early March and complete hiring by the end of March to get the best candidates, even though they won't start on the job until May.  The later we wait, the harder time we have filling our jobs.  Year-round jobs are easier to post at any time, as there are always folks looking.
2. Have a clear position description.  There are LOTS of good ways to do this.  I've uploaded an example position for your reference, but as long as you've got the important info on there (what they're doing, where they're working, requirements, and how much they get paid), you're probably good.  The most important thing for ME is to make sure I know what I want them to do, and a clear position description helps with that.
3. Post widely.  Share your job openings with partners and on your own website and Facebook, but post at colleges and universities and on nationwide job boards too!  ISN keeps a list, which I've uploaded for your reference.  Many need a login (free) for a website and require plugging your position description into a form (annoying & time-consuming, but worth it!), while others just require an email.  Some universities and colleges have started using a shared service which saves time.
4. Use a "grading matrix" for interviews.  Interviews can happen in a lot of different ways, so do what you like best, but ISN has found it really useful to use a "matrix" at the end of each interview.  It helps quantify your thoughts as numbers and quick-reference notes to make it easier to narrow down decisions and hammer on the important details.  It's especially useful when more than one person is involved in the interviews.  I've uploaded an example interview template, including the matrix (on the last page), in case you want to use something like this.

What works for you?  How do you attract good candidates and make good decisions?

[Katie Grzesiak]

During today's discussions at the Funding Tips and Tricks breakout, there were questions about how permanent-nut-grant-dependent positions were advertised.  In the "compensation" portion, I just have this line:  "The [position] is a full-time, salaried position for the duration of the grant ([end date]), with the possibility of extension if continued funding is obtained."