Three years after the “great resignation” of 2021, recruitment continues to be a high priority for employers across the country, including state legislatures. In response, legislatures are recruiting in interesting ways, such as the Utah Legislature’s first-ever job fair at the state Capitol, aimed at showcasing careers in legislative affairs and recruiting for open positions.
“We wanted to provide attendees an opportunity to hear from current staff about our work culture, showcase how each office fits into the legislative process and how there are many pathways to a career in the legislature,” says Debbie Cragun, Utah’s legislative services administrator.
The spring career fair provided job seekers direct access to veteran legislative staff. Attendees were welcomed by Rep. Brady Brammer, House Rules Committee chair, and heard comments from staff from various offices, including the Office of Legislative Auditor General, the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, the Utah Senate and House of Representatives. Attendees also learned about the process of applying for employment with the Utah Legislature.
Utah is not the only state using a variety of recruitment methods. Earlier this year, NCSL’s Center for Legislative Strengthening surveyed legislative HR and staff directors, asking about recruitment and retention efforts. Benefits of a strong recruitment program include:
- Improving morale by bringing in individuals who fit well with the office culture.
- Attracting top talent.
- Filling vacant positions quickly.
- Improving employee retention rates.
- Reducing costs associated with prolonged or failed recruitment attempts.
- Enhancing the candidate’s experience by providing a positive first impression of the hiring organization.
Survey respondents shared a variety of recruitment tools ranging from hiring bonuses to flexible work schedules. Top recruitment strategies included:
1. Employee referral programs: Tap into your employees’ personal and professional networks by offering incentives such as bonuses, additional time off or other rewards to motivate employees to refer qualified job candidates. Having a structured initiative where organizations encourage their employees to recommend candidates for open positions can have big payoffs including:
- Faster hiring—referred candidates may need less initial screening and can speed up the initial review process.
- Higher-quality candidates—employees tend to refer individuals they believe are a good fit for the position and office culture, leading to better hires for the organization.
- Cost effectiveness—referrals reduce the need for extensive advertising and recruitment efforts.
2. Higher education partnerships: Build partnerships with local undergraduate, graduate and law schools to promote internships and full-time employment opportunities for legislative staff offices. Engaging with students whose field of study aligns with public policy interests is a win-win for the legislature and students alike.
3. Enhanced benefits: Make sure job postings include benefits that start on the first day of employment. Benefits are attractive to candidates new to the workforce or who are moving to the legislature from a position outside state government. Comprehensive benefits, including health and dental, retirement plans and sick and annual leave, are an important part of an employee’s overall compensation. Enticing potential employees with a benefits package that starts on Day 1 of employment can help legislatures edge out competitors who can offer a higher starting salary.
4. Flexible work schedules: Offer flexible work schedules for full-time and part-time staff positions. Especially post-pandemic, flexible work schedules have become popular with potential employees. Allowing staff to work staggered start and end times, or the ability to work from home, is attractive to some job seekers. Flexible schedules can provide staff with job satisfaction and better work-life balance, but they also have been shown to benefit employers through higher productivity and lower turnover.
5. Compensatory time: Provide comp time to acknowledge that employees’ dedication to the institution is valued. Legislative work can be unpredictable during the session, leading to long workdays and weekends at the office.
6. Professional development: Offer development and training programs to help employees learn new skills that can enhance their job performance and further their career growth, leading to higher job satisfaction.
Approaches embraced by the private sector are monetarily focused and include sign-on bonuses and starting salaries above market rate. Regardless of which recruitment strategies your legislature prefers, they can help attract top talent to legislative staff positions.
NCSL’s Center for Legislative Strengthening serves as a resource for legislative HR professionals to gain knowledge and network with their colleagues in other states. NCSL’s A Guide for Writing a State Legislative Personnel Manual has examples of language on recruitment and retention, including for comp time, flexible work schedules, employee benefits and employee assistance programs.
Selena Saucedo is a policy specialist in NCSL’s Center for Legislative Strengthening.