From today (Monday, 21 November) how we recruit has changed

21 Nov 2022

We are moving to a new online and automated process to make our recruitment process quicker, easier and more efficient.

Over the last few weeks, we have told you about planned improvements to the vacancy creation and approvals process.  From today (21 November) we are moving away from PCM forms to a new online and automated process. This will help to make our recruitment process quicker, easier and more efficient.

Early adopters in the Faculty of Humanities and teams in the Directorates of Planning and P&OD Operations have already moved this new way of working.

Here’s the detail of what’s changed, what you’ll need to do differently when requesting and approving vacancies and where to go if you need help. There will be a transitional period of two weeks, starting from 21 November, where any paper PCMs already working through the approvals journey will not need to be submitted online.

What’s changed for hiring managers?

• When a manager has a recruitment need, they’ll use our recruitment platform, Jobtrain, to create a vacancy and send it for approval.
• You will stop completing paper section 1 of the Post and Contract Management form (PCM) for all recruitment activity (advertised, non-advertised, direct and replacement vacancies).
• A new PCM form has been created for Section 2 (post funding changes) & Section 3 (fixed term extension).
• There is no change to the recruitment Vacancy Approval Matrix. 

What’s changed for approvers? 

• When a manager creates a vacancy and submits for approval, the first and then second approver will receive an email notification from Jobtrain, into a shared mailbox we’ve set up for you.
• You will be able to access the details of the vacancy, review and approve or reject. You won’t need to log in to Jobtrain to do this. 
• Once both approvers have actioned the request to approve, the hiring manager will receive a system notification email advising the vacancy has been approved and is now with the recruitment team.
• The recruitment team will contact the hiring manager to get the ball rolling, in the usual way.

Training guidance and support

You can find full details of the changes and what you need to do on StaffNet. 

• Recruitment Show & Tell – join us for a live virtual demo of the new system.  
• Hiring managers guide – a quick guide for creating a vacancy and sending it for approval 
• Hiring managers step-by-step guide – more detailed guide on creating a vacancy and sending it for approval 
• Hiring managers e-learning module – an alternative to the quick guide 
• Approvers guide – a quick guide for approvers on what’s included in the approval email you’ll receive and the steps to take to approve or reject. 
• Approvers E-learning module – an alternative to the quick guide. 
• Frequently asked questions for hiring managers and approvers to help with questions you might have to get started. 
• Or contact us at PeopleODTransformation@manchester.ac.uk if you need help. 
• If you need direct support with submitting your vacancy or approving a vacancy –you book a virtual 121 Teams call with a member of the team at a day and time to suit you. Simply follow this link to book a 121-support call, select the day and time that suits, complete the details and you’ll see an invite appear in your calendar.   

What’s next? 

This is the first phase in a number of improvements which by May 2023 will enable online shortlisting, interview arranging, job offer and onboarding capabilities - reducing administration time and effort and improving candidate experience ahead of day one.  

We’re excited to bring you this first new feature in Jobtrain and will look forward to your feedback as we start this important and exciting step in improving our end-to-end recruitment process at our University. 

If you have any questions, please contact the P&OD Transformation team or speak to your local P&OD Partner.