Policy Statement
Appointments to and promotions within the public service can only be made through a Public Service Commission (PSC) approved assessment process. A competition will normally occur after all priority considerations have been applied (refer to PSC’s Priority Considerations and Alternate Staffing Methods Policy for further information). Following a competitive process or the use of a previously conducted job competition, the Selection Board will develop and submit a recommendation package to the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer of the hiring Department/Agency for final selection.
In accordance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015, information will only be obtained for its intended purpose; all personal identifying competition records and information must be protected, and must not be disclosed or shared without consent of the applicant.
Application
This policy applies to all organizations specified in Schedule A of the Public Service Commission Act (PSC Act) and to positions in those organizations not otherwise excluded by Section 4 thereof.
Definitions
For the purpose of this policy:
Competitive Process – a process utilized to establish the merit of candidates to be assessed for appointment to and promotion within the public service.
Delegated Staffing Authority – delegated authority from the PSC to another government entity to exercise and perform powers and functions of the PSC related to appointment and promotion.
Field of Competition – the area from which the candidate applications are invited for consideration in the recruitment of positions. Generally, the field of competition would be either internal (employees of the public service entities scheduled to the PSC Act) or public (persons eligible to work in Canada).
Job Advertisement – an outline of the duties and minimum qualifications required to establish relative merit of candidates.
Job Analysis – establishes bona fide merit criteria including knowledge, abilities and personal suitability competencies that will become the basis for assessment.
Previously Conducted Job Competition – a previously conducted job competition may be utilized by a Selection Board to fill future positions in accordance with the Previously Conducted Job Competition Policy.
PSC Approved Assessment Processes – defined processes, procedures and standards based on merit and designated by the PSC to assess candidates for appointments to and promotions within the public service. All assessment activities will be conducted by a Selection Board.
Recommendation Package – documentation supporting the selection of candidates deemed to be qualified for the appointment or promotion in order of merit, in accordance with the Rule of Three; includes the recommendation report, resumes for all recommendable candidates, and the online job posting. Where applicable, a secondary evaluation is included for bargaining unit positions, and is conducted by the appropriate scheduled employer.
Reference Check – the verification of information provided by the candidate including experience, knowledge, abilities, and personal suitability. Relevant referees are individuals who have acted in a supervisory capacity to the candidate or have significant knowledge of the candidate’s work experience, normally this would include current and recent referees.
Rule of Three – the Selection Board shall, in order of merit, recommend three candidates per position to the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer.
Selection Board – a designated panel/committee led by a Selection Board Chair, convened to conduct competitions for the recruitment of public service positions.
Selection Board Chair – an official who is certified and acting on behalf of the PSC on a Selection Board, convened to conduct competitions for the recruitment of public service positions.
Roles and Responsibilities
Candidate
It is the responsibility of the Candidate to:
- clearly demonstrate required qualifications and where applicable, eligibility to apply for internal positions; and,
- provide contact information for appropriate referees in a timely manner, who may be contacted by the Selection Board.
Referee
It is the responsibility of the Referee to:
- provide accurate and timely references.
Department/Agency
It is the responsibility of the Department/Agency to:
- ensure timely and accurate submission of the Request for Staffing Action (RSA) or other accepted forms of recruitment approvals;
- assist and support with the promotion and marketing of available employment opportunities;
- identify representatives for Selection Boards;
- select individual from list of recommended candidates;
- verify conditions of employment and extend written offer of employment to the selected candidate(s); and,
- address questions or concerns from candidate(s) should they accept the offer and transition to the role.
Delegated Staffing Authority
It is the responsibility of the Delegated Staffing Authority to:
- respond to requests for recruitment and determine the appropriate PSC approved assessment processes;
- obtain recruitment information only for its intended use and maintain all recruitment records in a secure and confidential manner; and,
- determine the appropriate field of competition – internal or public.
Selection Board
It is the responsibility of the Selection Board to:
- ensure the job analysis and advertisement are reflective of the position being recruited;
- determine assessment activities and develop related assessment tools;
- establish screening criteria based on the requirements and qualifications identified in the job advertisement and conduct screening activities;
- confirm eligibility of candidates for internal competitions;
- conduct candidate assessments;
- rank and recommend candidates to Departments/Agencies as per the Rule of Three;
- ensure that relevant reference checks are completed on the selected candidate(s), and document all references;
- provide appropriate documentation for unique circumstances which may arise during the conducting of references (e.g. a current supervisor on the Selection Board, use of a colleague, unable to contact second reference);
- advise referees that the information they provide may be shared with the candidate;
- use professional judgement in determining whether references are satisfactory and verify the information obtained from the candidate during the assessment process;
- determine if a candidate will no longer be considered for appointment;
- notify candidates of their status at each stage of the assessment process;
- ensure privacy practices and standards pertaining to recruitment records and the conduct of assessment processes; and,
- provide candidates with feedback when requested.
Public Service Commission
The Commission shall:
- advise Delegated Staffing Authorities on PSC approved assessment processes;
- monitor and audit to ensure compliance with this policy;
- provide guidance and interpretation of this policy; and,
- adjudicate complaints related to the application of this policy, pursuant to the PSC Act.
Rule of Three
In respect of each appointment or promotion, the Selection Board Chair shall, in order of merit, recommend three candidates to the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer. The recommendation list may include additional candidates in groups of three, in order of merit, but the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer shall exercise final selection amongst the first three recommendable candidates. Only in those circumstances where selection of the first three recommendable candidates has been exhausted under the guidance of the PSC, may the Deputy Minister/Chief Executive Officer select from the next group of three candidates. The recommendation list may include less candidates where there are fewer qualified candidates.
Where more than one position is recruited from the same competition, the Selection Board Chair shall increase the number of recommended candidates in line with the Rule of Three as outlined above.