Building a Strong Administration

Having a consistent and well-communicated hiring process enables recruitment of more diverse talent: many strong applicants who are not already part of your network can be considered. The following steps can serve as an outline for developing a strong hiring process:

1. Post a Publicly Available General Application Form

It is important to post a general application form as soon as possible after Election Night to capture interest. This does not need to be a complicated application — a simple Google form can suffice. For ease of application review consider purchasing a low-cost application tracking system. These types of systems will allow you to automate parts of the process include emails, resume reviews, micro-site, data dashboards, and filtering of key roles. Workable is one example of a user-friendly applicant tracking system.

If an administration is anticipating a lot of interest, the application should include quantifiable and/or categorical questions so that it is possible to filter applications and accelerate the review process. Be sure to keep the application process simple, quick and straightforward to gather as much interest as possible. The newly elected official can use its social media platforms and network of supporters to promote the general application form.

2. Quickly Identify Top Talent

The process of reviewing applications and making hires will vary based on the administration's timeline, the number of positions available, and the volume of interest. However, certain guidelines are relevant for hiring processes of all sizes. These steps will allow you to draw from a larger talent pool without being overwhelmed by the number of applications.

• Filter applicants from the general pool based on experience and interest: Use data from quantifiable and categorical questions to filter applicants into different lists for review.

• Establish a system to narrow the eligible applicants: Staff review the different lists of applicants and establish shortlists. Use a simple rubric to allow for consistency in score across all applicants. As the pool is narrowed there may be a need to invite eligible candidates to provide more information.

• Set up interview process: Identify staff and external experts from the relevant field to sit on interview panels and narrow down the short list. The newly elected official's time is especially precious during the transition period. Staff should conduct initial rounds of interviews culminating in a final interview with the elected official. Be sure to build in inclusive hiring practices into your interview process. Those practices include structured interviews, bias training and rubric to score candidates.

See below for an example of a hiring process workflow.

3. Activating and Onboarding

It is important to quickly establish key values of the administration and establish a team culture. Once senior staff have been hired, we recommend (1) organizing a retreat before Inauguration Day and (2) encouraging new hires to connect with pertinent transition policy committees. Also, be aware of whether the positions being filled are subject to confirmation by a legislative body so that your administration can prepare for that process.