Plan
Define your need
- Which duties need to be covered?
- What are the necessary qualification requirements?
- What are the desired qualifications?
The requirements defined in the call for applications will be binding in the assessment of applicants.
Select the correct position code. For technical and administrative positions, the University of Oslo’s position structure (Norwegian) will provide direction. Consider the pay grade in accordance with the University of Oslo’s institutional salary policy.
Who needs to be involved?
Consider the stakeholders that need to be involved, whether recruitment agencies should be used to assist with all or parts of the process or whether a search committee needs to be established.
Schedule
Create a schedule with milestones and document submission deadlines.
The schedule must take into account the forms of assessment that will be used. For example, whether there will be one or two interview rounds, whether applicants will be assessed by an expert committee and whether they will deliver trial lectures.
Set aside time in the calendar for interviews, reference interviews, any trial lectures and the necessary administrative procedures.
Tools
Call for applications: how to attract applicants?
Who is the target group for the call for applications? How to structure a call for applications that reaches the target group in terms of language and content?
Is additional assistance required to search for good candidates?
- Recruitment agencies may be an option for management positions and specialist positions.
- A search committee can be established for senior academic positions.
Diversity
Consider diversity in recruitment - how can you structure your announcement to attract a broader base of applicants? Avoid using wording that unconsciously excludes specific groups.
Advertising
The minimum requirement for where to advertise the position is via the NAV job database and the University of Oslo’s web pages. Academic positions are also published on the European mobility portal for researchers (euraxess.ec.europa.eu).
Consider whether to post the advertisement on finn.no, in relevant journals, in various networks or whether to share with relevant educational institutions in Norway and abroad. How can you best attract the target group for this specific position?
Tools
- Templates for calls for applications in Word format:
- Associate Professor/Professor: Norwegian bokmål, Norwegian nynorsk, English
- Postdoctoral Fellow: Norwegian bokmål, Norwegian nynorsk, English
- PhD candidate: Norwegian bokmål, Norwegian nynorsk, English
- University Lecturer: Norwegian bokmål, English
- Technical and administrative employees: Norwegian bokmål, English
Selection: How to identify the best candidate?
The objective of the selection process is to identify the most qualified candidate.
Is there a sufficient number of applicants?
Quickly clarify whether a sufficient number of applicants with relevant qualifications have applied. If the applicant base is too small or the qualification base is inadequate, consider whether to extend the application deadline or whether the recruitment process should be stopped and reassessed.
Qualification principle
The Norwegian state has adopted is a statutory qualification principle which means that those who are most qualified for the position will be appointed. The qualification principle is based on fundamental principles concerning equal opportunities, fairness and objectivity. The overarching criteria of the qualifications assessment are education, experience and personal suitability.
What is the basis for the assessment?
The applicants’ academic/formal qualifications, experience and personal suitability will be assessed in relation to the qualification requirements defined in the call for applications.
Applicants will be assessed based on the submitted application, interviews (one or more), reference interviews and any work trials/case solution.
Applicants for professor and associate professor positions will also be assessed by an expert committee and on the basis of the completed trial lecture.
Mutual clarification of expectations
The interview is important for assessing whether the applicant is suitable for the position, but also for providing the applicant with a good impression of the workplace and a realistic idea of the duties and level of responsibilities.
Documentation
In connection with appointments in the Norwegian state, several of the administrative procedure rules set out in the Norwegian Public Administration Act and the general requirements concerning proper administrative procedures will apply. In order to take into account requirements relating to documentation and verifiability, the assessments performed in recruitment cases must be based on written records such as written minutes from interviews or assessments from the expert committee.
Tools
- Interview guide (Norwegian)
- Reference interview guide
- Brief film on the qualification principle (Norwegian) (youtube.com)
- Template for assessment of trial lecture: Norwegian, English
Recommendation
The recommendation constitutes a recommendation for the person who should be appointed and forms the main basis for the appointing body’s appointment decision.
The recommendation will be drawn up on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the applicant’s qualifications viewed in relation to the requirements set out in the call for applications.
A minimum of three applicants should normally be recommended in prioritized order, provided that there are that many qualified applicants.
The recommending authority will also ensure that administrative procedures are carried out in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, that applicants with special rights are safeguarded and that no assessments that are discriminatory with regard to age, health, political views, ethnicity, etc. have been made.
Appointment
The appointing body
- decides who to appoint.
- will decide whether or not the appointed individual will be subject to a probationary period.
- is responsible for quality assurance to ensure that proper administrative procedures have been carried out. If the appointing body feels that there is insufficient information or detects procedural errors, the case may be returned for further clarification.
Practical follow-up after deciding on the appointment
When an appointment decision has been made, the immediate manager will contact the new employee to offer them the position.
The start date and any other practical matters should be raised for clarification as soon as possible. The administration will issue an offer letter and employment contract to the person who is offered the position.
When the position has been filled, information will be sent to all applicants.
Evaluation
The appointment process should be evaluated to identify what worked well and what could be done differently in subsequent processes.
Introduction and follow-up during the onboarding period
The onboarding period is an important part of the recruitment process. This is when the foundations for developing and retaining employees will be created. The onboarding period extends from when the appointment decision has been made until the end of the employee’s first year in the position.
If the new employee has a probationary period, it will be important to follow up on the employer’s responsibilities that arise in connection with this, cf. Section 15-3 of the Norwegian Civil Servants Act (lovdata.no). The employee must receive the necessary supervision, follow-up and assessment of work during the probationary period. During the probationary period, the employment may be terminated due to a lack of adaptation to the work or due to not satisfying reasonable requirements relating to skills or reliability. This will be subject to the employee having received the necessary training, feedback and opportunity to adjust.