Recruitment Toolkit 1: Pre-Advertising and Planning
This toolkit covers the steps Hiring Managers take before a post is advertised — getting approval, planning your timeline, scoping the intake meeting with DCU People, and preparing your job description. Refer to the Recruitment and Selection Policy for the underlying rules on advertising, board composition, training, and assessment.
Overview of Process
Overview of Process
Your post must be approved before recruitment can begin. The approval route depends on how the post is funded:
- Core/Exchequer-funded posts (12+ months): approved by the University Executive on the recommendation of the Resource Committee (RC).
- Research-funded posts: approved through Finance and Research Support (RIS). See Toolkit 3 for research-specific guidance.
Submit your Resource Committee application:
Resource Committee page (form and guidelines)
Tip: check the RC meeting schedule before submitting and factor that lead time into your overall timeline. The RC considers budgetary and headcount implications as well as the justification for the role.
Once your post is approved, your DCU People Partner will contact you to arrange an intake meeting. At the meeting you and your People Partner will agree the recruitment and selection plan for the role; decisions are recorded in the Recruitment Agreement / Intake Form, signed off by both parties.
Bring the following to the meeting:
| Bring to the meeting | Why / what to consider |
|---|---|
| Draft job description | Use the layout in "Writing a Job Description". DCU People will review for accuracy, market competitiveness, and gender-neutral language before advertising. |
| Suggested external Board member(s) | Sourcing an external expert is often the slowest step. Identify one or more candidates and approach for availability before the meeting. |
| Preferred advertising channels | Standard channels apply by default; flag any additional sector-specific or targeted channels. |
| Proposed interview window | Note any constraints — Board member leave, candidate notice periods, peak academic periods. |
| Presentation or teaching assessment | Teaching assessments are required for Assistant Professor and Associate Professor posts. Indicate format for any other role where a presentation will be used. |
| Training status of proposed Board members | All Board members must complete Interview and Unconscious Bias training. DCU People will arrange training for any who have not completed it. |
Refer to the Recruitment and Selection Policy for the substantive rules on advertising, board composition, training, and assessment.
DCU People measures time-to-hire from the date of advertisement to the date the offer is made. The indicative timeline below is for Professional, Technical and Support roles (c.30 working days from approval to offer).
| Activity | Working Day | Owner | Stage | Checkpoint | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RC-approved role notified to HM and DCU People | Start | Senior Mgmt | Pre-advertising | ||
| People Partner/HM intake meeting; provisional interview dates provided | 1–2 | DCU People Partner | Pre-advertising | People Partner contacts HM to organise intake | 2 working days |
| JD prepared; external Board member sourced | 2–5 | Hiring Manager | Pre-advertising | ||
|
University Executive approves role; HM and DCU People notified
|
6 | Senior Mgmt | Pre-advertising | ||
| Professional, Technical & Support advertising period (14 calendar days) | 6–16 |
People Partner/Talent Team |
Advertising | Allow extra 5 days for Academic or Senior roles | |
| Applicant data shared with HM | 17 | Talent Team | Advertising | Advertising closes; data shared with HM | 12 working days |
| Shortlisting conducted by HM | 17–20 | Hiring Manager | Shortlisting | ||
| Shortlist provided to DCU People | 20 | Hiring Manager | Shortlisting | Shortlisting returned to DCU People | 4 working days |
| Shortlisted candidates invited (7 working days in advance); unsuccessful notified | 21 | Talent Team | Interview organisation | ||
| Interview books issued to the Board | 25 | Talent Team | Interview organisation | 3 working days before interviews | |
| Interview conducted | 28 | People Partner/ Talent Team/ HM | Interview | ||
| President's approval sought and received | 29–30 | Senior Mgmt | Post-interview | ||
| Offer made | 30 | Talent Team | Post-interview |
Time-to-Offer guidance
- Professional, Technical and Support: c.30 working days.
- Academic roles: longer than 30 working days, driven by advertising period and Board availability.
The DCU People timeline guidance above is indicative. The following factors can lengthen or shorten time-to-hire for your role:
- Resource Committee meeting schedule and the date your post is approved.
- Terms and conditions of the role and anticipated level of market interest.
- Market accessibility of talent in the relevant discipline.
- Advertising period — 2 to 4+ weeks depending on the role.
- Expected number of applications and shortlisting workload.
- Time of year — summer Board availability is often constrained.
- Peak academic recruitment window (January–June) creates high demand for interview dates.
- Whether preliminary interviews will be used.
- Notice given to candidates — minimum one week; longer if candidates are travelling from abroad.
- Whether Governing Authority approval is required, and when the next meeting is scheduled.
- Successful candidate's notice period — typically 4 to 12 weeks.
All job descriptions are reviewed by DCU People before advertisement to confirm they reflect the role, are market-competitive, and use gender-neutral language (processed through a language decoder). Send your draft to your DCU People Partner alongside the Resource Committee submission.
Job description layout
Use the following structure for all job descriptions:
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Job title | Job title, area of University/Department, grade, and contract type and length. |
| DCU overview | Standard text — no change required. |
| Overview of School/Unit | The School/Unit, its overall goal, key areas, and structure. Make this attractive to candidates. |
| Overview of role | Purpose, reporting line, key stakeholders, and any major projects or upcoming strategies the postholder will lead or contribute to. |
| Duties and responsibilities | Day-to-day activities; systems and software used; listed in order of importance; clear and non-repetitive. |
| Qualifications, experience and competencies | Aligned to the DCU Career/Competency Framework and the relevant grade. Keep concise; ensure each item is measurable for shortlisting. |
| Essential training | Compliance training the postholder will undertake (e.g. Orientation, Health & Safety, Data Protection (GDPR), Cyber Security Awareness). |
Writing tips
- Order duties and responsibilities by importance; avoid repetition.
- Keep qualifications and experience concise and measurable — these criteria are used at shortlisting.
- Ensure required years of experience and level of education are appropriate to the grade. Seek advice from the Talent Team.
- Name the essential systems knowledge required (e.g. CoreHR, Oracle, SAP).
Example — Essential training wording
"The postholder will be required to undertake the following essential compliance training: Orientation, Health & Safety, Data Protection (GDPR), and all Cyber Security Awareness training."