DOCUMENT 1

0279_0322_EXT – EL2 Director Evidence Synthesis & Innovation – Behavioural Interview Guide

Candidate Name:
Level Being Assessed:
Position Location: (Please note candidate’s preferred work locations)
Date:
Assessor Name/s:
Assessment Adjustments:	☐ Phone Interview ☐ Skype Interview ☐ MS Teams
Workplace Adjustments:

Introduction

Thank candidate for attending. Introduce the panel members.

In this interview, we will be asking 3 questions and will be looking for you to provide us with specific examples from your previous work and life experience. The information in your application and resume have already been considered to get you to this point. Today we will not be asking specific questions about your resume as we are now looking for you to bring your previous experience to life when you provide your examples.

The behavioural questions we will be asking will assess job‐related capabilities for the role. To answer these questions, you will need to think of one specific example of a time when you demonstrated each capability as described in the question. Even if it is something you have done many times, you will do best by giving as much detail as possible around one specific instance.

For each example that you detail, it is helpful to consider the following STAR method:

Situation – what was the situation (i.e. background and context)?
Task – what specific task did you need to accomplish?
Action – what specifically did you say and do? What actions did you take?
Result – what was the result(s) of your actions (e.g. impact, learning, feedback)?

The panel will guide you through this method, asking prompting questions that will help you to provide detailed examples.

Eye contact – apologise and explain that you may not engage in a lot of eye contact during the interview due to taking notes.

We will be sure to leave some time at the end for you to ask any questions you might have, but do you have any questions about the format of the interview before we begin?

Note to panel: Remember not to use evaluative language (i.e. great, good answer) after a candidate responds as this may set unrealistic expectations about the outcome.

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Leadership and Accountability

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Management Diversity and Span

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Stakeholder Management

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Closing the Interview

Thank the candidate for their participation. Remind the candidate that the interview is confidential and you would appreciate that they treat the process as such.

Allow them an opportunity to ask any questions. If they do not appear to have any questions, reassure them that no points are assigned for asking questions, and that you understand they may not have any questions because they have done some research before the interview.

If they ask how they have gone, explain that you cannot provide any feedback until you have seen all of the candidates. At the conclusion of the recruitment process, candidates will have an opportunity to request feedback on their performance.

Overall Interview Comments (to be used for Selection Report):

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DOCUMENT 2

Approved: June 2020

Revised: Feb 2022

Owner: People & Culture Division

Contact: redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant

Your Guide to Hiring New Employees

Your Guide to Hiring New Employees …………………………………………………………………….. 1 How We Recruit ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1 Internal Recruitment options ………………………………………………………………………………. 2 External Recruitment Options ……………………………………………………………………………… 2 Some More Things You Need to Know ………………………………………………………………… 3 Our Recruitment Process ……………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Your Hiring Process ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5 Timeframes ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8 Need More Information? ……………………………………………………………………………………… 8

How We Recruit

Hiring a new employee into the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an important step for your Branch and the following guide will take you through the steps with links and templates to help you through the process. There are a number of ways to engage an ongoing or non-ongoing Australian Public Service (APS) employee under the Public Service Act 1999 (external) (PS Act). Below we have provided more detail into each category to ensure you comply with all relevant regulations.

Regardless of the method of recruitment, all selection exercises are based on the APS Employment Principles which can be found in section 10A of the PS Act. These principles outline how the APS makes decisions relating to the engagement of new employees and promotions to ensure all candidates are treated fairly and equitably throughout the process. This merit based recruitment process is at the heart of our NDIA culture and ensures all candidates are assessed in the same manner to ensure no candidate can be perceived to have received an advantage.

To ensure a new engagement or promotion is based on merit, you must ensure:

✓ All eligible members of the community were given an opportunity to apply to perform the relevant duties.
✓ An assessment is made of the relative suitability of the candidates to perform the relevant duties, using a competitive selection process.
✓ The assessment is based on the relationship between the candidates’ work-related qualities and the work-related qualities genuinely required to perform the relevant duties.
✓ The assessment focuses on the relative capacity of the candidates to achieve the outcomes related to the relevant duties.
✓ The assessment is the primary consideration in making the decision.

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For more information, please visit the APS Employment Principles (external).

There are two ways to recruit to the NDIA:

You should begin with an Internal Recruitment option such as, a current Order of Merit (OoM) or an Expression of Interest (EOI).
If an internal process is not suitable then move to an External Recruitment option.

See below for details of both internal and external recruitment methods. If you require assistance when deciding what method is the best to recruit to your role please contact the Recruitment Team.

Internal Recruitment options

✓ An Expression of Interest (EOI) is useful to fill short-term vacancies of up to 12 months duration. EOI’s are available to ongoing and non-ongoing NDIA employees. The National Recruitment Team will assist throughout the EOI selection process. Please review the Expression of Interest Guide for more information.
✓ An Order of Merit enables you to select candidates who were deemed suitable in a previous recruitment process at the same classification, same engagement type with similar duties and similar location. Orders of Merit remain active for 18 months from the date the position was advertised on APSjobs. The Recruitment team manages Order of Merit lists. Please review the How the Order of Merit works Guide for more information.

External Recruitment Options

Section 22 of the PS Act allows the NDIA to engage ongoing and non-ongoing employees external to the APS.
The NDIA Temporary Employment Register can be used to fill non-ongoing vacancies of up to 18 months duration with a possible extension not exceeding 3 years. The Temporary Employment Register saves the advertising time, as this is open on our external website all year. The APS Employment Principles apply when recruiting using the Temporary Employment Register.
APS Transfer Section 26 engages existing APS employees from other Commonwealth Agencies to fill vacancies by temporarily or permanently transferring those employees into roles.
Secondments are an agreement between the NDIA and another employer for an employee to work in the NDIA for a set period of time whilst they remain an employee of the other employer. To initiate a secondment please complete an External Staff – On-boarding Form.
Labour hire is managed by the Streamlined Sourcing team. The use of labour hire can assist with covering workforce gaps and can provide a strategic short term solution to assist teams or projects across the Agency. Please visit the Labour Hire Workers page for further information.

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Some More Things You Need to Know

The APS RecruitAbility Scheme encourages the employment of people with disability within the APS and aims to improve disability awareness within our recruitment selection processes. Here are a few practical examples as to how RecruitAbility Activities can be added into recruitment processes:

All NDIA roles are advertised under RecruitAbility as standard.
Review all RecruitAbility candidate applications and those who meet the minimum requirements are to be included in the next stage of recruitment assessments.
An applicant meets the minimum requirements of the vacancy if considered to meet the minimum standards that the job requires e.g. experience and ability as well as any eligibility requirements for the position e.g. qualifications.
Determine if any candidates including those who have opted into RecruitAbility require reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
When offers are made and feedback is provided, aim to provide high quality feedback to all candidates particularly those who applied through RecruitAbility. Please visit the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) RecruitAbility website (external) for further information.

Under the PS Act, the NDIA is required to publish all ongoing vacancies and those for a specified term of 18 months or more in APSjobs (external) (APS Employment Gazette) for a minimum of eight days. For non-ongoing vacancies under 18 months it is recommended they also be advertised in APSJobs to ensure a fair and equitable process.

The NDIA Conflicts of Interest policy provides information on the effective management of potential conflicts to ensure the NDIA is maintaining the integrity of its public officials. Please see the NDIA Conflicts of Interest Policy & Fact Sheet for further information.

At times the NDIA may advertise a position as Affirmative Measures to identify particular opportunities open only to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates or people with disability. For more information, please refer to the Identified Positions & Affirmative Measures (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) guide and the Affirmative Measures (Disability Employment) both found on the Recruitment Resources intranet page.

Roles advertised as an Identified Position are used to signify strong involvement in matters related to or directly involved with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Identified Positions include two additional selection criteria to determine ability to work effectively and sensitively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. For more information, please refer to the Identified Positions & Affirmative Measures (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) guide found on the Recruitment Resources intranet page.

The NDIA has worked with the Australian Network on Disability (AND) (external) to become an accredited ‘disability confident recruiter’. We must make all possible reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for candidates with disability and ensure we provide an excellent candidate experience for everyone. Please see the Disability Confident Recruiter Guidelines intranet page for more information.

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Our Recruitment Process

Once you have determined the type of recruitment you will be using, ensure you have reviewed your responsibilities as well as familiarising yourself with who can assist you at each stage. The table below outlines responsibilities through the recruitment process.

Roles	Responsibilities
SES Band 1	• Review and approve requests to advertise role(s) • Review and approve Selection Report
Workforce Planning Team	• Review and approve requests to advertise role(s) • Review Position Descriptions in consultation with Organisational Design Team • Review and approve requests for seating in consultation with Property Team • Oversee the NDIA’s workforce profile
Recruitment Team	• Provide strategic assistance and guidance on recruitment processes and framework • Support Hiring Managers and Panels through the recruitment process • Manage Order of Merit lists • Advertise jobs and gazette outcomes • Organise recruitment panel training • Make formal offer and send letter of offer to candidate • Handover to Services Australia Shared Services for candidate On-boarding • Maintain record of selection reports and recruitment documentation
Recruitment Partner	• Conduct initial assessment and shortlisting if requested • Coordinate logistics of volume recruitment exercises • Notify unsuccessful external candidates via their preferred medium • Registration of candidates into appropriate interview schedule • Conduct reference checks on suitable candidates
Panel Chair	• Initiates Request to Recruit in eRecruit system • Review Order of Merit to fill role (if applicable) • Complete NDIA Recruitment Panel Training and ensure at least one panel member has completed Australian Network on Disability (AND) Disability Confident Recruiter Training • Finalise shortlisting in eRecruit system • Co-ordinate interview request form and point of contact • Upload interview guides with comments to eRecruit system • Compile overall interview comments and scores in eRecruit system for the construction of the selection report • Sign selection report and upload to eRecruit system • Notify unsuccessful and Order of Merit internal candidates via their preferred medium
Panel Member	• Complete NDIA Recruitment Panel Training • Participate in interview process • Provide feedback for the construction of the selection report • Sign selection report
Director Recruitment	• Approve requests to advertise in print (newspaper, etc.) • Approve any above base salary requests

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Roles	Responsibilities
Pre-Employment Team	• Liaise with Services Australia Shared Services to coordinate the on-boarding of new starters and the movement of current employees • Ensure Pre-Engagement Checks are processed prior to commencement date • Process and file pre-employment paperwork • Update and distribute the on-boarding tracker
Services Australia Shared Services	• Conduct Pre-Engagement Checks and confirm new starter details are in order • Enter new starter details into SAP and assign system access • Facilitate movement of existing employees • Process Payroll commencements and changes

Your Hiring Process

We want to ensure we have the most efficient, consistent and compliant recruitment and selection process here at the NDIA. The below hiring process has been designed to ensure the PS Act and NDIA guidelines are followed as well as making sure we are fair, equitable and merit based to all candidates.

Preparing to Recruit

Things to consider when you have decided to hire a new employee:

✓ Discuss the hiring process with your Recruitment Officer to ensure compliance and timeframes are agreed upon and delivered.
✓ Determine the type of vacancy you are looking to fill, will this be an ongoing or non-ongoing position? Have you considered an Expression of Interest or current Order of Merit?
✓ Is the vacancy within your workforce structure? If so, have you sought the appropriate approval or endorsement email from your SES Band 1 to recruit?
✓ Is there a current Position Description (PD) and have you consulted with the Organisational Design Team to develop a current PD?
✓ Engage the Recruitment team to plan recruitment timelines, selection methodology, and candidate pools.
✓ Create request to recruit through the eRecruit system. Password details can be requested by emailing the Recruitment team recruitment@ndis.gov.au. See the eRecruit Hiring Manager User Guide for more information.

Attracting the best applicants

Some steps to undertake to ensure you are engaging the most outstanding candidates:

✓ How and where will this role be advertised to ensure maximum exposure? Is this a hard to fill role?
✓ Roles are traditionally advertised for a minimum of 7 days for internal recruitment and 14 days external recruitment. The standard advertising mediums include: the NDIA Intranet, NDIA External Website, APSjobs and SEEK.
✓ When shortlisting, ensure the candidates meet the minimum requirements of the role and document your decision.
✓ Are there any candidates who opted in for the RecruitAbility scheme?

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Selecting your interview panel

When forming your selection panel, here are a few things to consider:

✓ A selection panel should consist of two or three people. Where possible, the selection panel should reflect diverse backgrounds and experience, have a gender balance, represent equity and diversity and must include an independent panel member.
✓ An Independent panel member is someone outside the roles direct reporting line (i.e. shares a different Branch Manager in National Office or different EL2 Director in States).
✓ Panel members have completed the NDIA Recruitment Panel Training and that at least one panel member has completed the AND Disability Confident Recruiter and Equal Opportunity training.
✓ The Panel Chair is to be at least one classification higher than the role being recruited, all other panel members should be at level or at least one classification higher.

Selecting the best talent

Here are some things to consider when selecting the best talent:

✓ It is important to ensure we provide a high level of candidate care through our recruitment process. This means establishing clear timelines at the beginning of your recruitment process and ensure candidates are provided enough notice to attend interviews (minimum five business days), respond to requests and complete any testing that may be required of them.
✓ Please review the Candidate care – Hiring managers Guide to ensure you understand your role in providing a brilliant candidate experience.
✓ You should aim to finalise your recruitment process in 12 weeks; this is from the time of request to commencement date.
✓ Interview Requests need to be sent to our Recruitment Partner prior to midday. Interview times must be for five days in advance.
✓ Interview Requests with a high volume of candidates will require additional notice. For requests of ten or more candidates, a minimum of six business days will be required. Requests to schedule more than ten candidates should be discussed directly with your Recruitment Officer.
✓ Please also ensure that all of the necessary information is complete when you are requesting interviews. If details are missing such as email addresses or contact details, this can delay the process.
✓ Have you identified any RecruitAbility candidates to progress through this selection process?
✓ You should aim to interview four candidates per vacancy advertised.
✓ Face-to-face interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience for some candidates so it is important we ensure the person is comfortable. The optimal time for a face-to-face panel interview is 40 minutes and should not exceed one hour.
✓ Behaviorally based interview questions are aligned to the Australian Public Service Work Level Standards.

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✓ On completion of the final interview, a decision is made and agreed-to by all panel members for the preferred candidate/s as well as Order of Merit and unsuccessful candidates.
✓ Referee checks are conducted for suitable candidates only. Referee checks are used to confirm the assessment of the candidate throughout the process. Referee checks are conducted online via the Referoo system.
✓ Values alignment, cognitive skills testing, emotional intelligence testing and work sample assessments are other useful tools when assessing candidates. Please speak to the Recruitment team if you require any additional testing to be administered.
✓ Once the selection of the candidate(s) has been confirmed, a selection report is required to be documented for sign-off from the delegate. It is the responsibility of the panel chair to organise the selection report. Signed selection reports must be sent to redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant for compliance and record keeping.

Making the offer and on-boarding

Here is how the offer and on-boarding process flows:

✓ The panel chair must notify all unsuccessful internal NDIA candidates to their business area by the candidates preferred method of contact. This includes Order of Merit candidates.
✓ The Recruitment team make the formal offer and email the Letter of Offer and Pre-Employment Check pack to the successful candidate.
✓ The Recruitment team will notify all unsuccessful candidates only once the preferred candidate has accepted their initial offer and internal from same business area (shares same Branch Manager) candidates have been advised of the outcome via their preferred method of contact. Hiring Managers are no longer required to contact all unsuccessful internal candidates, only those from their business area.
✓ The new starter’s Manager is responsible for making contact prior to their first day. The new starter will also require an assigned point of contact during their first few weeks.
✓ Be sure to talk through the following points with the new starter when you make contact to ensure a smooth transition: arrival time on their first day, details of hours required throughout training, when and where they should go on their first day, a point of contact to call when they arrive, parking and transport details, remind them to bring their tax file number and bank account details and discuss any reasonable adjustments required.
✓ For more information around your responsibilities, to ensure your new starter is set up for success on their first day, please access the On-Boarding New Starters information on our intranet.

Recruitment training is available; each component of the recruitment process is as important as the next so all NDIA staff are required to ensure they have the right delegation and training prior to commencing any recruitment. All training can be organised through the Recruitment Team by e-mailing redacted: s22(1)(a)(ii) - irrelevant.

Please visit the Jobs & Recruitment intranet page for a list of your Recruitment Team Members.

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Timeframes

Outlined below is the expected time processes are to be completed:

✓ Workforce Planning receive the request to recruit and review/approve within 2 business days.
✓ Publish job on NDIA Website and APSjobs within 3 business days of the completion of the request to recruit approval.
✓ Roles advertised to the general public for a minimum 14 days or internally for 7 days.
✓ Panel finalise shortlisting in eRecruit system within 5 business days of the job closing.
✓ Provide candidates with a minimum of 5 business days’ notice to attend an interview.
✓ Panel chair enters interview scores into eRecruit system and uploads interview guides within 2 business days of the completion of interviews.
✓ Conduct referee checks within 2 business days of the request.
✓ Provide feedback to manager on Selection Report within 2 business days.
✓ Process Making Offer (including formal offer) within 2 business days of the request.
✓ On-boarding of external candidates 4 weeks subject to security clearance.

Need More Information?

NDIA Recruitment Frequently Asked Questions intranet page.
NDIA Jobs & Recruitment intranet page.
NDIA On-Boarding New Starters intranet page.

Legislation associated with our Recruitment Process:

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