Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Hawkins on October 27, 2006, regarding job application acknowledgement notice.
The Department of Human Resources acknowledges those applicants who submit their resumes by e-mail. Unfortunately, right now the department does not have the resources to acknowledge applicants who submit their resumes by post or fax as that process is much more time consuming and the volume of applications is in the thousands. As we migrate to version 8.9 of PeopleSoft, we will be implementing the E-recruit module that will generate a document acknowledging all applicants.
Mr. Hawkins also asked that a web page by set up that would provide the status of jobs, such as open competition, accepting applications, competition closed, screening, interviews, finished and appeal process.
There currently is a section of the Department of Human Resources' website -- linked to the Government of the Northwest Territories' site -- that lists all employment opportunities and the closing dates. However, the staffing process after this point is not linear. While a normal competition would move from screening to interviews to references and completion, this is often not the case. In keeping with the affirmative action policy, departments begin with interviewing affirmative action candidates. However, if none of these candidates is successful in interviews or have poor references, the process moves back to the screening stage. The same thing happens if an individual turns down the job at the offer stage or if a decision is made to consider individuals who do not fully meet the criteria. It would be very confusing for those not fully familiar with the recruitment process.
An applicant may contact his/her local human resource service centre at any time to inquire about the status of a particular competition. They will be advised whether a competition is still in process or not. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.