The CDC has made several notable improvements in its hiring practices, including a strategy of pursing “quick wins” and putting high priority on customer satisfaction, a study has said.
The National Academy of Public Administration initially had made recommendations at the CDC’s request, with goals including reengineering the hiring process to reflect the CDC culture, and enhance staff competencies and build expertise. NAPA reports on personnel practices commonly are used for potential application elsewhere.
Three divisions of CDC tested competency-based assessment tools to evaluate candidates; strengthening the involvement of subject matter experts in that process; revising recruiting practices to improve the overall quality of the candidate pool; improving communications between selecting officials and the HR office; and having offices work together to identify and address complex needs. The initial results “show significant promise for improving recruitment outcomes and working relationships” among the various offices involved in hiring, the report said.
The average time to hire was reduced from 104 days to 72 and the involvement of subject matter experts “contributed to better assessment questions and the identification of well qualified candidates.”
