The City has digitised its recruitment process, setting a novel tech benchmark for municipalities affiliated to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
As the world forages into the new normal, the municipality is forging ahead with Smart City concepts inspired by Joburg’s drive to become paperless and adopt technological solutions for mundane HR tasks.
This new HR policy is yet to be ratified by Council. It has been employed in a bid to factor social distancing protocols into consideration when conducting job interviews.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Enoch Mafuyeka, the Unit Head for Talent Acquisition, says the City is compelled to leverage technology in sourcing and hiring potential candidates for vacant positions.
“Using digital technology will hopefully help us recruit some of the best people with the most appropriate skills for the vacant posts we have in the City,” says Mafuyeka.
Potential candidates may apply using either a smartphone or by sending an email on a desktop via a reliable Internet connection. Using digital recruitment processes creates flexibility for applicants, enabling them to do the interview remotely, he says.
The digital recruitment process requires applicants to fill in the City’s Virtual Interview Consent form after being shortlisted for the post they’ve applied for. Applicants have to consent to a few stipulations, including confirmation that they have access to the internet and adequate data to attend the virtual interview.
“If applicants don’t have reliable access to the internet, they are then obliged to attend the virtual interview at a physical address that will be communicated by the Human Capital Management (HCM) representative,” Mafuyeka explains.
He notes that shortlisted candidates are required to undergo a rigorous recruitment process through video interviews, which are digitally structured on Microsoft Teams.
“The virtual interview will be recorded for the sake of transparency,” he says.
Given the proliferation of Social Media, some City departments have been using digital platforms to advertise vacant posts and source for talent. This is seen as a cost-effective option to the conventional hiring process, saving HR officials’ time and altering how the City recruits talent.
Mafuyeka says questions related to the digital recruitment system should be directed to an HCM representative within each department.
He adds that the City may consider using a hybrid recruitment system even after the Covid-19 pandemic to make municipal operations smart.
