When a vacancy arises, in deciding whether to recruit, managers should consider the following:

• Has the vacancy arisen because of a member of staff leaving, or a need for a new role has been identified as a result of the Service change/restructure?
• Is there a need to recruit, taking into consideration, the Service workforce action plan and future workforce requirements? Could the work be accommodated in other ways?
• Have work patterns, new technology or new products altered the job?
• Are there any changes anticipated which will require different, more flexible skills from the jobholder?
• Is the job profile accurate and up to date? Or does it need to be updated on Jobs@Falkirk? Could the possible changes trigger the need for job evaluation?
• If it is not already, could the role be carried out flexibly, for example, on a part-time or job-share basis? Is the role suitable for hybrid working?
• Is the role best-suited to someone working as a permanent employee, or should you consider other options in line with the principles of the Falkirk Council's target operating model (TOM) and within the approved budget. This could include a fixed-term contract (short-medium term due to a specified service review) or casual worker.

As possible alternatives to recruitment managers should consider available internal resources which could offer a budget saving including the following:

Changing existing jobs – Managers can review the existing establishment and make changes to meet Service demands Managers could create alternative role/s, which better suit a service's needs. This may improve career opportunities which helps to address issues attracting and retaining staff.

Changes should be made in consultation with existing jobholders and their Trade Union representatives, Human Resources (HR) and relevant Chief Officers. Changes must be reflected in the Job Profile. As this may result in a change of grade managers must seek advice from Human Resources for guidance on re-grading/job evaluation prior to advertising any vacancy. Sufficient time should be allowed for this, and the grading team should be contacted at grading@falkirk.gov.uk. Where posts are changed approval will be necessary as noted below.

Temporary posts – Managers can consider advertising the post on a temporary basis to allow flexibility or to trial different working hours or patterns. Other situations may occur where temporary appointments arise rather than permanent.

Offering post on a more flexible basis – Managers should consider whether the post can be offered on a Hybrid basis in line with the Hybrid Working Policy or whether the post could be filled by 2 part time employees rather than 1 full time employee. This could help to support working parents and those with disabilities.

Graduates/Modern Apprentices/Trainee Posts – For the hard to recruit professional posts it may be appropriate to consider using training roles with the view to support post holders to develop their skills and knowledge, which in turn would allow them to apply for professional opportunities in future.

The Council’s graduate programme provides graduates with an opportunity to develop a career in local government.

The Council also has a modern apprenticeship programme in place, which is managed by the Employment and Training Unit.

Further information is available from your HR Business Partner or the Employment Training Unit.

In addition to formal apprenticeships, managers might be able to support people through an internship - these are paid placements for a fixed period and are designed to give an opportunity for a higher-level work experience. The Internship programme is co-ordinated by the HR Reward Team.

As part of the council’s "Grow our own strategy" managers could create trainee posts, subject to a business case, which could lead to the qualified role that they are struggling to recruit to. This requires detailed grading for each stage of the training/education and changing tasks/role as qualifications are achieved and therefore advice should be sought from the Business Partner.

Creating of technician or similar level posts to support difficult to fill professional roles

Redeployment of employees – Managers should consider current employees, modern apprentices, and graduates who are proceeding through the redeployment process before advertising or interviewing other candidates. Further information is available from the HR Helpdesk hrhelpdesk@falkirk.gov.uk or can be found in the Redeployment Policy .

Before proceeding to advertise a post, managers must ensure that they have a valid budgeted post and appropriate approval as shown below:

• Obtain approval to create the post by submitting the relevant business case including appropriate funding. Business Case (DOCX file, 18.2 KB)
• Any new or amended job profile should be sent with a completed grading request form to grading@falkirk.gov.uk. This will allow the grading process to start.
• Consult with relevant employees and Trade Unions throughout the process.

* recognising that anything beyond 24 months should normally have Member approval due to the employment rights incurred by the individuals

The approval process must be taken into account when determining timescales for establishing and recruiting to posts.

Once approval has been given for a new post and before recruitment starts the post must be added to the establishment on HR Forms Plus (HRFP) using the request a new post ID option.  This is accessed through Inside Falkirk.  A password is required, and it must be an authorised user who completes the request. 

The recruitment process below is generic to all posts; however there are exceptions for the recruitment of Head and Depute Headteachers for which the following procedure must be followed Appointment Procedure for Head and Depute Headteacher Posts.

All posts must be advertised on MyJobScotland. Adverts in other forms of media, such as Facebook, can be considered in certain circumstances.  If there is an internal ‘expressions of interest’ process, then the relevant Trade Union contacts should be informed.

The system used to administer the recruitment process is called Talentlink and managers should refer to the process guidelines found on the intranet.

The following documents and information are required before a post can be advertised:

• Online Recruitment Advertising Request on HR Forms Plus (all sections must be completed)
• Names of all people that need access to the vacancy online (for administration and shortlisting) and planned dates for shortlisting and interviewing
• Job profile
• Requirement for a criminal conviction check, for example Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) or Disclosure for Safer Recruitment purposes
• Pre-selection questions can be used as initial screening questions on MyJobScotland – these should be based on the essential criteria of the person specification. Some examples may be asking whether the candidate holds the required qualification or has specific required experience.
• Short advert - generic adverts are held by the Staffing & Recruitment team for regularly advertised posts

This is a broad statement of the purpose, scope, duties and responsibilities of a post and is used throughout the recruitment process.

It outlines the essential and desirable criteria required for the post. Essential criteria are those qualities that are absolutely necessary to carry out the duties of the post. Desirable criteria are those which would help the candidate to perform the job more effectively.

Criteria must be non-discriminatory.

All profiles will include Gaelic as essential or desirable, as appropriate to the post and in line with the Council's Gaelic Language Plan. The standard of spoken English must be clear and relevant for the requirements of the job, for example this will be essential for public facing roles.

All job profiles should be reviewed using the Jobs@Falkirk system on a regular basis to ensure that they remain relevant. If changes are made, advice in relation to grading/job evaluation should be sought from grading@falkirk.gov.uk.

The Job Profile System Manager's Guidance is available on Jobs@Falkirk which can be found on the intranet.

There are a number of different options for advertising vacancies depending on the nature of the post:

• Internal only vacancies will be advertised on Inside Falkirk and MyJobScotland
• All other posts will be advertised on Inside Falkirk and MyJobScotland and may be advertised on the Council's social media platforms and Job Centre Plus. MyJobScotland links to other channels such as S1 Jobs, Total Jobs, Forces Families Find a Job, and CivilServiceJobs. This is a cost-effective way of advertising vacancies and consideration should be given to using this advertising source alone to minimise recruitment costs
• Professional/Managerial/Teaching and hard to fill posts– national press, professional journals and additional websites can be considered in exceptional circumstances and only if unsuccessful after using MyJobScotland.

Depending on the vacancy and associated costs, appropriate advertising sources should be selected in consultation with HR and within budget constraints. The use of recruitment agencies should only be considered in exceptional circumstances and only after consultation with your HR Business Partner and appropriate Trade Unions. All appropriate procurement and HR paperwork must be completed if an agency appointment is being made.

Recruitment requests must be submitted on HR Forms Plus attaching the advert and job profile. These are normally processed by Staffing & Recruitment within three - five working days after the service approve the recruitment request, with a closing date of two weeks after advertising. There is an information document attached to all posts to explain terms and conditions and employee benefits. Services may wish to submit additional information about the post and service which can also be made available to candidates on myjobscotland.

The language in all job adverts must be clear and free from bias so that all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Where Gaelic has been included as an essential criteria for a post, the job advert must be produced in both Gaelic and English, in line with the Council's Gaelic Language Plan. It should be noted that this may add to the administration timescales to enable translation of the advert.

In the case of national press adverts, Staffing & Recruitment will pass a final proof copy of the press advert to the recruiting manager, along with details of the advertising costs, where timescales allow.

Candidates should use the application form on MyJobScotland to apply online by the closing date.

Candidates will receive an automatic email confirming receipt of their application. Using an application form ensures that all candidates provide consistent information to help the panel to shortlist against the essential and desirable criteria.

Application forms can be made available in alternative formats on request.

CVs can be accepted for certain posts. The CV Guidance for applicants (link) provides details on how to upload a CV using the MyJobScotland application process.

Managers choosing to accept CVs as an option, should indicate this in additional information section on their recruitment request on HRFormsPlus in order that the Staffing & Recruitment team can set this up.

With the CV as an option, managers will not be using the same format of the structured application when shortleeting. Therefore, they will need to ensure that they read CVs thoroughly to identify if essential criteria established in the job profile, and desirable criteria, if necessary, are met.

Managers choosing to utilise the upload of CV option for their recruitment process will mean that applicants will, along with being able to upload their own CV, still need to provide basic personal information along with completing structured sections of the application in relation to the guaranteed interview scheme, disclosure checks as required, referee details, positive action and optional equality monitoring.

If you have offered a post and the candidate does not proceed, you can go back to interviewed candidates (if they were suitable) within 6 weeks of the interviews.