Planning recruitment well: practical scheduling for occasional recruiters

Practical guidance to plan recruitment stages early and reduce delays that cost time and candidates.

In the Northern Territory Public Service, recruitment processes are expected to be finalised within six weeks of advertising.

For occasional recruiters, that timeframe can feel tight — not because of a lack of intent, but because planning recruitment alongside a full workload is complex. Panels, shortlisting, interviews and referee checks all need to align, often across busy diaries.

When planning is left too late, recruitment can stall. Candidates withdraw, timelines stretch, and momentum is lost.

This short, practical session focuses on planning recruitment well from the outset. It shares realistic ways to map key stages, book placeholders early, and coordinate panels and referees so recruitment keeps moving without last-minute pressure.

The aim is not to rush recruitment, but to reduce avoidable delays and make the process easier to manage for people who recruit occasionally, not every day.

who this session is for

This session is suited to:

• Managers and executives who act as panel chairs and rely on others to coordinate recruitment steps
• Executive support staff and internal scribes who schedule recruitment activities
• People balancing recruitment with a busy day job
• Anyone who has lost candidates due to delays or struggled to keep recruitment moving

No recruitment or HR background required.

what the session will cover

• Planning recruitment stages before advertising
• Identifying critical decision points that cause delays
• Booking panels and key meetings early without locking everything in
• Coordinating referee checks alongside other recruitment steps
• Simple tools and timeframes that support momentum
• Practical approaches that reduce follow-up, rework and stress