¶ The Hiring Process
At Phanous, recruitment is processed through a process which is common at the base level and will be customized at the subsequent layers. Figure 1 illustrated the overview of the process.
Key decisions such as those related to acception/rejction are taken by the hiring committee which consist of the PIs, the HR Manager and the Lead Researcher Associated with the lab.
For some positions, the recruitment process may not expand the entire length of the pipe and might reach a conclusion at an earlier point in the process.
The process comprises of three stages and several steps. Each position has its own hiring committee and might utilize different metrics.
¶ Stage 1: Sourcing Pipe
The purpose of the sourcing stage is to prepare a suitable pool of basically qualified candidates for later stages in the pipe. In case of a new position, this stage begins by composing a job description package, and end by a screening of interested candidates.
¶ Job Description Package
New job offerings are opened by creation of a new job description package by the hiring committee. This will contain:
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Job Title
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Job Description
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Qualifications
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Responsibilities
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Application form content (which typically contains):
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Complete name and titles
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Full contact details
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How was the applicant informed about the vacancy
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Expected duration of employment
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Resume
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Cover letter
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Required items in the Supplementary Application pack
¶ Publish
Existing, or newly created job description packages will be published upon a request for the respective position. Request for recruits need approval of the respective hiring committee which might differ depending on the nature of the job and the role itself.
Upon approval of the request, details of the vacancy will be published in Workable and across the Phanous digital content platforms, including Social Media platforms.
To be considered for screenings, candidates must complete the application form in the allocated deadline (if there is a closing date). Referral applicants will also be required to complete this step.
¶ Screening
The purpose of screening is to direct only qualified candidates into the APP. Selection at this stage is only on the basis of meeting the necessary qualifications and there will be no comparative assessment. Rejection at this stage may also be automated based on simple conditions.
¶ Checklist for Stage 1
This is a quick checklist of stage 1.
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Stage 1 is screened (i.e. less people exit the stage than enter it)
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Screening in stage 1 is qualification based only (no skill assessment)
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Screening in stage 1 is default-pass. Candidates will fail the screening if it is shown that they don't meet one or more of the requirements.
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Mandatory documents for stage 1 are Application Form, Covering letter and full resume.
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A candidate cannot be considered for stage 1 with incomplete documentation.
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It is aimed that stage 1 is completed within one week of submission.
¶ Stage 2: Application Pack Pipe (APP)
The Application Pack Pipe (APP) refers to an innovative segment of the overall recruitment pipe which has been engineered to increase the efficiency of the pipe by considering the following:
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Phanous is new in many ways. As an entity in the national and international ecosystem it is new. It is also new in the sense that it is one of the first, if not the first, truly private and industry sponsored research centres with an intention for fundamental research. Finally, the model with which we intend to develop our research profile is a principally different when compared to typical research canters. When people apply to be part of Phanous, we feel it is important that they are made aware of these stark contrasts so that they can make the right decision.
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For most of our positions, the supplementary application pack material is not routine content to ask for job applications in Iran. Things such as the SOP or the SOR are norms for applications abroad for most students, but researchers might have trouble filling these for a new research centre of which they know little. At the same time it is important for us that distinguished talent successfully reaches the end of the pipe. For this we feel that - at least during the early stages of the development of Phanous - qualified candidates will need assistance in completing the supplementary application pack material. This assistance will be offered in the APP.
The APP stage consists of the following steps:
¶ Introduction Meeting
The introduction meeting is a non-interview session with the candidate. It is held by one of the PIs, and/or the lead researcher. The meeting is interactive and both sides may ask questions.
The introduction meeting serves the following purposes:
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Give the candidate a complete overview of Phanous, its background and main operating principals.
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Clarify the entire recruitment process
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Describe the operation of the respective research lab
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Specify the content of the application pack to the candidate
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Provide the candiate with contact details of persons relevant to the application.
¶ Informal Sessions
Once the candidate has had the introcution meeting, the process will enter a prepration period in which the candidate will seek to complete his or her application pack as per the requirements. The duration of the period is dynamic and is dependent on how quickly the candidate will get the
material in order.
During this period, the candidate may - on their own accord and intitive - arrange any number of meetings with any member of Phanous, in particular the PIs or the lead researcher. The purpose of such meetings is for the candidate to source the information required to complete the application pack material.
Specifically, most candiates are required to hand in some sort of a statement as part of their application pack. A good statement needs to be written in reference to specific lab research work; since the candidate needs to justify their contribution to the lab. Therefore candidates are encouraged to consult with lead researchers to find out about all aspects of research work.
Phanous HR provides guidelines to the candidates on how should these statements be written, and are not supposed to direct such enquiries to the lead researchers. The lead researchers are also discouraged from discussing the statement itself with the candidate (i.e. how to write one, what should be included in it ...)
¶ Complete Application Package
The application pack pipe is finished upon the candiate submitting the completed documents. The protocol proceeding the submission of the documents is as follows:
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The PI and the associated lead researcher will review the documents.
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There will be no assessment at this stage, however the documents are used to highlight areas of interest/concern for follows up in the subsequent general and technical interviews. The follow up may be in the form of interview questions or tasks.
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The candidate will be scheduled for the first (non-technical) interview.
¶ Checklist for Stage 2
This is a quick checklist of stage 2.
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Stage 2 is not screened. All candidates entering the stage will proceed to stage 3, unless they withdraw themselves.
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Any meeting or session during this stage is informal and organized by the candidate themselves. Phanous will not solicit any meetings.
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Candidates are not supposed to seek help with writing their statements. They are only supposed to use the opportunity of the meetings to find out more about the work that is - or is planned to- happen at the labs. They may also use the chance to find out more about Phanous.
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It is aimed that stage 2 is completed within three weeks.
¶ Stage 3: Evaluation Pipe
Applicants who submit their completed packs will enter the Evaluation pipe. This consists of two main interviews; a nontechnical general interview, and a technical (professional) interviews with the additional possibility of a task.
¶ General Interview
The purpose of the general interview is to focus on the applicant's soft skills. Here are the key points related to the general interview:
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The interview is attended by the HR Manager and one of the PIs (preferably) not the same one as in the introduction meeting.
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The focus is on the soft skills, culture fitness, and other human related issues. However, technical questions may be asked if felt necessary.
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There will be no tasks for this interview. The reject/accept decision is made solely on the basis of submitted documents and the interview.
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Applicant are entitled to feedback if they ask for it.
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If the applicant is successful, they move onto the technical interview. If not they will receive the rejection letter
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We should aim to complete the process by two weeks.
¶ Technical Interview
Applicants who pass the general interview are shortlisted for the second interview which is technical by nature. The purpose of the technical interview is to focus on the candidate hard skills and readiness for the job from a technical point of view. Here are the key points related to the second interview:
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The interview is attended by the lead researcher, and one other person who may be a PI, or another member of the research team.
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The focus is on the hard skills, readiness to perform, and technical suitability for the job.
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Based on the outcome of the professional interview, the committee may decide to accept the applicant directly, reject the candidate, or to define a task.
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If applicants are rejected either before a task or after one, they are entitled to feedback if they ask for it.
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If the applicant is successful, they move onto the technical interview. If not they will receive the rejection letter.
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From general interview shortlist, to the decision on the outcome of the technical interview, should take two weeks or less.
¶ Technical Task
The committe may decide to set the applicant a task to complete. Tasks are varied in nature and scope.
Oncce the applicant has submitted the task, there will have to be organized a task review session in which the deliverables are examined in the presence of the candidate.
Here are the key points related to the tasks:
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Tasks should be designed to require at most 20 hours of work.
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Tasks are defined by the person to whom the applicant will be directly reporting to, should they get employed.
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Tasks should be designed to eliminate specific areas of concern or to shed light on any grey areas. Tasks should not be given to delay decisions or when a decision is not clear.
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The final decision (accept/reject) should be communicated to the candidate in the task review session. This means the task report should be studied in advance and the session is only reserved to clear up any ambiguities.
¶ Checklist for Stage 3
This is a quick checklist of stage 3.
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Stage 3 without task should be completed in about four weeks, and with task in about 6 weeks.
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The hiring committee will determine if a task a required, but the task is specified by the person directly reportable to in the respective position.
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Tasks should required less than 20 hours of work and be specific in what aspect of assessment they help.
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It is aimed that stage 2 is completed within three weeks.