Human Resources Manual - 105 - Preparing the Job Advertisement

1. A job advertisement provides relevant information to qualified individuals to encourage them to apply on a position.  Preparation is required to develop an effective advertisement.

2. Human Resources Representative means those employees of the Department  of Human Resources designated to co-ordinate the recruitment process.
3. Selection Committee includes, but is not necessarily restricted to, a Human Resources Representative and the Supervisor of the position being filled.  Where appropriate, a member with technical expertise or community representative may be added to the Selection Committee, either as a full participant or in an advisory capacity with no vote in the final hiring decision.
4. Competition File is the official record of the competition containing all documents required by policies and guidelines.
5. Equivalencies are the various combinations of education and experience required to do the essential duties of the job.
6. Qualified means that applicants meet predetermined education and experience or equivalencies that are established by the Selection Committee.
7. Systemic Employment Barriers refer to job requirements that unfairly exclude qualified people from competing for jobs.  For example: requiring "GNWT experience" may discriminate against people who have never worked for the GNWT.

8. Under no circumstances should a competition be advertised unless the Deputy Head or his/her delegate has approved a valid job description and organizational chart.
9. The job advertisement must not result in the establishment of systemic employment barriers.
10. Positions should be evaluated prior to advertising whenever possible. Advertising without an evaluation will negatively impact quality and/or quantity of the applicants.  Therefore, only under extenuating circumstances may a position be advertised while awaiting job evaluation.  In this event, the following statement should be included in the advertisement: “Salary is currently under review”.
11. Newspaper advertisements may be in shopping list or full body format.  Job advertisements must be placed on the GNWT Human Resources website.
12. If appropriate, a mid-sized ad may be used in place of a full-body ad.  A mid-size format includes the same information as a full-body advertisement, but with less detail in the duties, education, experience and equivalencies section.
13. A shopping list advertisement shall include the following:
    1. Position title;
    2. Employing department;
    3. Position location;
    4. Type of position (indeterminate, seasonal, term, part time);
    5. Hourly and annual salary;
    6. Northern Allowance amount;
    7. Competition reference number from PeopleSoft;
    8. Closing date;
    9. Where to submit application (phone, mailing address, e-mail address, fax number);
    10. If applicable, that the position is a management or non-traditional occupation;
    11. Equivalencies will be considered;
    12. An eligibility list for similar positions may be established;
    13. Employment in some positions requires an acceptable criminal records check.  Possession of a criminal record will not necessarily disqualify candidates from further consideration;
    14. Candidates must clearly identify their eligibility under the Affirmative Action Policy in order to receive priority consideration;
    15. Underfills may be considered;
    16. Transfer Assignments may be considered; and
    17. For copies of the job poster and description please visit the employment opportunities page on the Human Resources website.
14. A full-body advertisement should include the following:
    1. A brief summary of the major duties (from the job description);
    2. The basic combination of education, experience knowledge and skills identified in the screening criteria and job description;
    3. Position title;
    4. Employing department;
    5. Position location;
    6. Type of position (seasonal, part-time, term);
    7. Hourly and annual salary;
    8. Northern Allowance amount;
    9. Competition reference number from PeopleSoft;
    10. Closing date;
    11. Where to submit application (phone, mailing address, e-mail address, fax number);
    12. Affirmative Action employer;
    13. If applicable, that the position is a management or non-traditional occupation;
    14. For copies of the job poster and description please visit the employment opportunities page on the Human Resources website;
    15. Equivalencies will be considered;
    16. An eligibility list for similar positions may be established;
    17. Employment in some positions requires an acceptable criminal records check. Possession of a criminal record will not necessarily disqualify candidates from further consideration;
    18. Candidates must clearly identify their eligibility under the Affirmative Action Policy in order to receive priority consideration;
    19. Underfills may be considered;
    20. Transfer Assignments may be considered; and
    21. Government of the Northwest Territories' logo. Exceptions are made for individual boards and agencies.
15. All jobs must be advertised  on the GNWT website: www.hr.gov.nt.ca/employment
16. Where possible, internet advertisements shall include the same information as a full body ad.
17. The following statements should be included in every advertisement:
    1. “Candidates must clearly identify their eligibility in order to receive priority consideration under the Affirmative Action Policy; and
    2. Equivalencies will be considered.
18. The closing date is normally two weeks from the advertisement’s first appearance in a newspaper (closing dates could be staggered e.g. Monday, Wednesday or Friday); however, this may be lengthened or shortened depending on the Department’s specific requirements.
19. Where appropriate, the following statements should also be included in advertisements:
    1. This is a non-traditional occupation; and/or
    2. This is a management occupation.
20. Criminal records checks are required for all positions of trust (see Section 113- Conducting a Criminal Records Check).
21. Middle management occupations are not considered management occupations for the purposes of the Affirmative Action Policy. Only those positions with a four-digit NOC code starting with 001 are considered management occupations.  These are Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister, Director and Superintendent level positions.
22. Some middle management occupations may be non-traditional occupations.  The Human Resources Representative will need to verify the NOC code for the position and refer to the Non-Traditional NOC Code List.  This list is updated biannually.

23. Prior to advertising, the Human Resources Representative confirms whether there are employees on the Staffing Priority List to consider for the position.
24. The Human Resources Representative generates a competition reference number from the Peoplesoft Recruitment Module and includes the Department Code (e.g. Ref # 2006-63-3512).
25. The Human Resources Representative determines the required distribution for the advertisement and prepares an appropriate draft using the information specified in the job description and screening criteria. 

26. The Supervisor approves the advertisement prior to the position being advertised. The Human Resources Representative must ensure there is consistency in the education and experience listed in the job description, the screening criteria and the advertisement.

27. Copies of the advertisements shall be placed on the competition file.

Public Service Act
Section 17, Appointments by competition