• Section 1 - Policy Principles
• Section 2 - Selection Panels
• General Requirements for the Constitution of Selection Panels
• Membership of Selection Panels
• Section 3 - Shortlisting
• Section 4 - Selection
• Application
• Interview
• Referee Reports
• Section 5 - Appointments
• General Requirements for Appointments
• Potential to Meet Selection Criteria
• Appointment to an Academic Leadership Role
• Sessional Academic Appointments
• Section 6 - Appointment by Invitation
• Selection
• Approval
• Section 7 - Notification and Feedback
• Section 8 - Record Keeping and Monitoring
• Section 9 - Variation to Policy

Section 1 - Policy Principles

(1) The University aims to recruit the highest quality staff whose skills and attributes best fit the University’s vision, goals and strategic objectives. This is achieved through the implementation of fair and robust recruitment and selection processes that are responsive to the University’s needs.

(2) The University aims to achieve gender equity and reflect community diversity in its workforce and will aim to ensure that all recruitment and selection processes are inclusive, including targeted advertising to under-represented cohorts, and the use of identified positions, where appropriate. Accordingly, action may be taken to pro-actively advertise positions to potential applicants from groups that are under-represented in the staffing cohort of the University generally or in a particular occupational group or organisational unit. This includes for example, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, women (particularly in senior management positions and some academic disciplines), people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people who have a disability.

(3) Appointments will be made on merit, normally guided by the following principles:

1. the position is advertised sufficiently widely to attract a suitable applicant pool; and
2. assessment of applicants occurs against the selection criteria for the position; and
3. the selection methodology and decision is appropriately documented.

(4) The grounds for decisions on the recruitment, selection and appointment of staff are to be free from patronage, favouritism, bias, unlawful discrimination, and conflict of interest.

(5) The Chair of the selection panel will, wherever practicable, be required to demonstrate good faith efforts to source candidates from diverse gender and cultural backgrounds.

(6) Staff members who are on leave are entitled to apply for, and be considered for, advertised job vacancies.

Section 2 - Selection Panels

General Requirements for the Constitution of Selection Panels

(7) Selection panels are constituted for all positions except as indicated in the Recruitment and Advertising Policy and Section 5 Appointment to an Academic Leadership Role, below.

(8) Membership of selection panels should be established in accordance with the University's policy on gender balance and equity in the constitution of committees (Council Procedure 1 - Committee Operations).

(9) The minimum number of members on a selection panel will be three.

(10) The composition of the panel must include someone from outside of the hiring Department/Faculty.

(11) Gender balance is generally considered to be achieved where persons of one gender do not constitute more than two thirds of the membership of the panel.

(12) The Chair of the selection panel is required to make a genuine effort to achieve a selection panel that is gender balanced. If the Chair is unable to achieve gender balance, advice can be sought from Equity or Human Resources.

(13) When approving the request to recruit, the authorising officer should satisfy themselves that the proposed selection panel is appropriately constituted.

(14) For positions which include applicants who have identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background (e.g. via the QUT e Recruitment system), organisational units are required to include a panel member of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background on the selection panel at the shortlisting stage. Organisational units can seek assistance from Human Resources.

(15) Where an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicant/s is not shortlisted for interview, the Chair of the selection panel will consult with the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander representative to determine if they wish to remain on the selection panel at the interview stage.

(16) Where a panel member resigns prior to interview, the Chair of the selection panel (otherwise the authorising officer if the Chair resigns) must endeavour to maintain gender balance if that has been compromised and, if necessary, provide a replacement panel member.

(17) Only persons who have completed QUT’s training on recruitment and selection processes and equity principles will chair selection panels unless otherwise agreed by the Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer. The Chair of the selection panel is responsible for ensuring that the panel complies with the University’s recruitment and selection policies and procedures, and that due process is followed.

(18) Where a potential conflict of interest exists (for example where a selection panel member is related to an applicant either by kinship, close personal circumstances, or financial interests), the panel member must declare this to the Chair of the selection panel or, in the case of the Chair, to the authorising officer delegated to approve the appointment. Appropriate action will depend on the circumstances and advice in these situations may be obtained from Human Resources and with reference to QUT Conflict of Interest Policy.

Membership of Selection Panels

(19) Use the following as a guide and with reference to General Requirements for the Constitution of Selection Panels above.

(20) Note: where it is deemed appropriate that a staff member is to be a member of a selection panel, wherever practicable, relevant staff will be given the opportunity to express an interest in being considered for selection panel membership.

Section 3 - Shortlisting

(21) Shortlisting will be determined by the Chair of the selection panel in consultation with the panel as appropriate. Candidates selected for shortlisting should meet the essential selection criteria.

(22) Where it is necessary to further reduce the shortlist, assessment will also occur against desirable criteria (where these have been included in the position documentation).

(23) Selection panels will be mindful of diversity, including gender and culture, when shortlisting suitable candidates. Judgement of merit against the selection criteria should take account of the diverse ways in which responses may be expressed or demonstrated, with respect to applicants from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, people from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds and applicants for positions where it is a non-traditional area of employment for women or men.

(24) Where required, the Chair may co-opt a specialist adviser to assist the panel in its deliberations, such as someone with knowledge of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultures, cultural diversity, sexuality or disability issues.

(25) Where an applicant has identified that they have, for example, a disability, injury or health condition requiring adjustments, the Chair should make reasonable adjustments available to accommodate the needs expressed by the applicant. The Chair (or nominee) should seek advice (e.g. from Equity and/or Health, Safety and Environment) if they are unsure what constitutes ’reasonableness’, or how to implement the requested adjustments.

Section 4 - Selection

(26) Selection decisions should be based on multiple sources of data with the aim of achieving a comprehensive assessment of applicants. This information is used as the basis on which the selection panel concludes that the recommended appointee is the most meritorious. Three forms of selection methods are compulsory and must be used as part of the selection process. These three compulsory methods are the application, the interview, and referee reports including, unless exceptional circumstances exist, one from the candidate’s most recent direct supervisor. Additional selection methods may also be used and could include, for example, psycho-metric tests, in-basket tests (that is, problem solving/prioritising), presentations, or folios. The administration of any selection tests should be assessed by Human Resources in advance.

(27) The University will require a ‘Working with Children Check’ (Blue card) and/or criminal history check where applicable to a position as a condition of employment.

Application

(28) Applications are assessed as part of the shortlisting process.

Interview

(29) Within any one selection process, all interviews have a similar structure, and each applicant is given reasonable and equitable opportunity to respond to similar areas of questioning, and to establish their claims against the selection criteria.

(30) Questions about personal circumstances are not asked unless they are directly relevant to the job requirements and their relevance is explained at the outset. Such questions are normally asked of all applicants.

Referee Reports

(31) Referee reports may be verbal or written and may be received before or after the interview. Where referee reports are obtained before interview, reports must be obtained for all applicants being interviewed for the position. Where referee reports are obtained after interview, the selection panel has the option of obtaining reports for only the preferred applicant. The selection panel (usually the Chair) should, wherever possible, let the applicant know when referees will be contacted and if there are special considerations to take into account before doing so. Selection criteria for the position should be available to referees, but it is for the referee to determine in what form they wish to respond.

(32) Where verbal reports are given, the member of the selection panel obtaining the report (usually the Chair) should make an appropriate record of conversations with referees. Reference records should be as accurate a representation as possible of conversations and not give a misleading impression of an applicant. 

(33) An appointment should not be made to a position without first obtaining a minimum of two (2) referee reports including, unless exceptional circumstances exist, one from the candidate’s most recent direct Supervisor.

(34) Approval to appoint must be obtained from the authorising officer, prior to making any or written or verbal offer.    

Section 5 - Appointments

General Requirements for Appointments

(35) The recommendation for appointment is determined on merit by referring to the selection criteria for the position. Where it is necessary to further differentiate applicants, reference is made to both the essential and desirable criteria where included in the position documentation. Selection panels must provide clear documentation of all stages of the selection process.

(36) Appointments are approved in accordance with the Register of Authorities and Delegations (QUT staff access only).

(37) Selection panel deliberations and decisions should only be discussed with the selection panel and the officer authorised to approve the appointment. 

(38) Selection panel recommendations must be forwarded from the authorising officer to the Human Resources Department together with the associated selection documentation (e.g. referee reports).

(39) A selection panel is not obligated to make an appointment where the panel agrees that there is no suitable candidate(s) for appointment.

Potential to Meet Selection Criteria

(40) In the event that an applicant being recommended for appointment does not meet one or more of the selection criteria, but the applicant is considered by the selection panel to have the potential to do so within the period of probation, or for fixed-term appointments within the term of appointment, the applicant may be appointed (subject to the authorising officer’s approval). As part of the recommendation, the selection panel should identify professional development activities considered necessary during the period of probation, or fixed-term appointment, to inform the authorising officer when considering the appointment. In such cases where the authorising officer approves the appointment, the letter of offer of appointment will state specific matters to which professional development activity is to be directed.

Appointment to an Academic Leadership Role

(41) This information is to be read in conjunction with the Academic Leadership Roles in Teaching and Learning Policy. Appointment to an academic leadership role is in accordance with the following:

Sessional Academic Appointments

(42) Sessional academic staff are appointed by the authorising officer usually on a semester basis. A sessional academic appointment can be made to one or more of the following distinct academic activities: lecturing, tutoring, clinical nurse education, marking or other academic activity. Definitions of these sessional academic activities and the corresponding salary rates are contained in the QUT Enterprise Agreement (Academic Staff) (Schedules 5 and 2 respectively).

(43) Duties are normally determined and assigned by the relevant Head of School according to the class of work for which payment has been approved (i.e. lecturing, tutoring, clinical nurse education, marking or other academic activity).

Section 6 - Appointment by Invitation

Submission to the Vice-Chancellor and President

(44) The Vice-Chancellor and President may waive the requirement to advertise a position and make an appointment by invitation.

(45) To make an appointment by invitation, the relevant Executive Dean of Faculty, via the Provost, or Head of Division makes a submission to the Vice-Chancellor and President outlining justification for appointment to be made by invitation. The Vice-Chancellor and President may consult with the Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer regarding the submission.

(46) In the case of appointment as Executive Dean of Faculty, the Provost will make a submission to the Vice-Chancellor and President. In the case of appointment as Provost, Deputy Vice-Chancellor or Head of Division, the Vice-Chancellor and President may, following consultation with the Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer determine that appointment by invitation may be considered and document the decision. The Vice-Chancellor and President will consult with the Chancellor prior to approving an Appointment by Invitation process for Executive Dean/Head of Division and above.

(47) An appointment by invitation submission will include:

1. justification of the exceptional circumstances for appointment to be made by invitation;
2. the curriculum vitae of the proposed candidate;
3. selection criteria and duty statement for the position;
4. proposed composition of the appointment panel having regard to the general requirements for the constitution of selection panels in Section 2 above; and
5. the proposed process for assessment of the candidate.

(48) The proposed process for assessment must have regard to this Policy, be appropriate to the type and level of the position and be designed to assist the panel to assess the candidate against the selection criteria and requirements of the position.

Selection

(49) Where the Vice-Chancellor and President determines that appointment by invitation may be considered, an appointment panel will be established. The composition of the panel and the process used to assess the candidate will be determined by the Vice-Chancellor and President having regard to the type and level of the position, and having regard to the general requirements for the constitution of selection panels in Section 2 above.

(50) The appointment panel will make a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor and President.

Approval

(51) The Vice-Chancellor and President will make a determination on the suitability of the candidate and decide to approve or decline appointment by invitation. The Vice-Chancellor and President will report to Council on appointments made by invitation. 

(52) Further information on the process and required documentation for Appointment by invitation is available on the Human Resources website.

Section 7 - Notification and Feedback

(53) The Chair of the selection panel may inform the preferred applicant that the selection panel has made a recommendation for appointment subject to formal approval. No commitment of employment, or conditions of employment, may be made formally or informally by the Chair (or a member of a selection panel) to the preferred applicant prior to formal approval of the appointment by the authorising officer.

(54) The Chair of the selection panel (or nominee) is required to contact all unsuccessful interviewed candidates and advise them verbally of the outcome of the selection exercise, offer to provide verbal feedback on their application and interview performance, and acknowledge their participation in the selection process. All unsuccessful interviewed applicants are also notified in writing by the Human Resources Department.

(55) Unsuccessful interviewed applicants may obtain from the Human Resources Department the selection panel's rating of their application.

Section 8 - Record Keeping and Monitoring

(56) The Human Resources Department keeps records of individual selections, including selection documentation. The application and referee reports of the successful candidate will be placed on their personnel file, once their appointment is finalised.

(57) The Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer and the Director, Equity, or their nominees, may attend any University selection process meeting to receive and review all relevant documentation and to observe and advise the Chair on University selection procedures. Any such attendance is recorded in the selection panel's record of proceedings.

(58) Human Resources will maintain records of recruitment and selection processes and for a sufficient period of time to meet compliance with relevant legislation and reporting processes such as those required by the Australian Government for recording gender designation and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Section 9 - Variation to Policy

(59) In exceptional circumstances, with the concurrence of the selection panel Chair and the Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer the relevant authorising officer may approve a variation to this Policy. Any such variation will be documented and held in Human Resources.