Final ‘Reframing Recruitment’ webinar covers key takeaways from series

An MMA “Reframing Recruitment” webinar today featured speakers from previous webinars and workshops in the series, covering topics including innovative hiring strategies, vacancies and advertising, interviewing, and onboarding.

Jen Breaker, the assistant town manager and communications director in Danvers, began by discussing the goal of the four-part “Reframing Recruitment” series: to offer timely hiring strategies during a global labor shortage that became more apparent since the COVID pandemic.

Caitlyn Julius, the assistant human resources director in Springfield, summarized the importance of being proactive, rather than reactive, in municipal hiring. She also encouraged appointed and elected officials to reframe local government as a business.

Salem Human Resources Director Lisa Cammarata shared highlights from the first Reframing Recruitment session, which took place during the MMA Annual Meeting in January. She encouraged attendees to think outside the box in their approach by using graphic ads, offering sign-on or recruitment bonuses, and hanging flyers on bulletin boards. Recruitment is no longer a “check the box” item, Cammarata said. It needs to be prioritized 24/7.

Shrewsbury Human Resources Director Kristina Ordung summarized key takeaways from the March webinar, which focused on vacancies and advertising. She said it’s important to create a staffing plan to proactively consider short- and long-term department needs. She said transparency is essential in recruitment and job ads, because it fosters positive relationships within the community.

Newton Human Resources Director Michelle Pizzi O’Brien summarized the April webinar, which focused on the interview process. She offered tips for reviewing applications, building an interview panel, selecting the best questions for prospective candidates, and creating a positive candidate experience. O’Brien also discussed how to conduct an effective interview and tailor the process according to the municipality’s current vacancies and community needs.

Rachel Glisper, principal of Crossroads DEIB and vice president of GovHR, discussed the difference between orientation and onboarding, the topic of the May 17 webinar. Glisper said onboarding can be enormously beneficial to long-term employee retention, although each new employee is unique and will have individual needs. She stressed the importance of building a process that contains some “rinse and repeat” elements to avoid reinventing the wheel with each new hire, like color-coding paperwork.

During a question and answer session, panelists discussed optimizing hiring with limited resources, streamlining the onboarding process, and advocating for a recruitment budget increase. Inquiries about centralizing recruitment under human resources, allocating funds for sign-on bonuses, and advertising salary ranges for positions were also addressed.

Breaker and Julius led the four “Reframing Recruitment” sessions, and were joined by a special guest for each.

Previous sessions:
• “Reframing Recruitment: What Happens After the Offer,” May 17
• “Reframing Recruitment: The Interview Process,” April 19
• “Reframing Recruitment: Setting the Table – Vacancies and Advertising,” March 15
• “Reframing Recruitment: Advancing Municipal Hiring Strategies,” held during the MMA Annual Meeting in January

• Reframing Recruitment: Key Takeaways from Vacancy to Post-Recruitment presentation (8M PDF)