Background
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions was seeking an Aboriginal Trainee Ranger. Due to cultural differences, traditional recruitment methods are generally an ineffective way of assessing Indigenous applicants. In particular, the interview process makes many applicants uncomfortable and do not provide an environment to accurately assess and individual’s ability to perform the role. Reflecting this, the department identified the need for a new, innovative approach.
Action
The department was determined to reach as many potential applicants as possible. Understanding that many potential applicants were unlikely to visit Jobs WA. the department expanded advertising to include local newspapers, community boards and social media pages.
The department also arranged meetings with local Aboriginal Elders to discuss and promote advertised positions. This allowed department staff to highlight the opportunities the role would provide the successful applicant and explain the role in more detail. Elders then promoted the positions within their communities, specifically to people who they thought would be a good fit. The information coming from Elders gave the position and department credibility that would not otherwise have been possible. The Elders identified there were not many females interested so they actively searched and engaged female applicants.
The department overhauled the entire recruitment process to allow Aboriginal candidates to thrive. Instead of a formal interview held in an office, staff set up a ‘yarn’ with applicants outdoors under a tree. The selection panel included Elders from the Aboriginal community. Everyone sat in a semicircle, so no one was directly facing each other. Staff allowed extended time to reduce pressure on applicants.
Most applicants were very quiet. To make them feel at ease, panel members started the interview with a conversation on a subject of interest. They did not ask questions but rather led a conversation around the requirements of the role, with each panel member allocated specific criteria to cover. A targeted question was asked only when the conversation could not elicit an answer relating to the criteria.
Panel members did not take notes, another strategy to make the applicants feel comfortable and not be distracted. After each ‘yarn’ the panel allowed enough time to discuss and record the information obtained.
Outcome
Investing time and energy into community outreach and getting the local community on board resulted in a much higher number of local applicants. This was important as previous appointments from outside the area had resulted in a high turnover rate.
By removing formal interviews from the assessment, applicants were freed to demonstrate their skills in a more comfortable setting. This resulted in a significantly higher number of applicants found suitable for the roles.
