Recruiting the First Nation Administrator - A Toolkit

The duties of the First Nation administrator are broad in scope and vary from day to day. The hours of work also vary, depending on needs, and can be overwhelming at times. These factors make recruitment, development and retention of the First Nation administrator difficult. This toolkit was developed to assist with the first challenge - recruitment.

Sections of the Toolkit are outlined below. The Toolkit and First Nation Administrator Primary Duties and Core Competencies section can be viewed online. To obtain a hardcopy, call (toll-free) 1-800-567-9604.

Included in the Toolkit:

Primary Duties and Core Competencies
The main duties of an administrator and the competencies to look for in candidates at the developmental level and/or the superior performer level of proficiency.

Generic Work Descriptions
A work description outlines the duties of the position. Once it has been established what the administrator will do, a decision can be made on what qualifications he or she will need.

Selection Profiles
The selection profile outlines the attributes one would look for in an administrator candidate: knowledge; abilities; skills and aptitudes; personal suitability; experience; education; occupational certification; and language proficiency.

Recruitment Advertisements
A well-crafted recruitment advertisement is needed to help attract qualified candidates to the position. The advertisement is based on the work description and the selection profile.

Assessment Tools
An assessment tool enables the selection committee to assess candidates in a fair and transparent manner.

What Is The Competency Model?

The core competency approach to human resource development was selected because this approach goes beyond defining a set of mechanical skills related to a position, to identifying personal characteristics that enable superior performance. A competency model is a set of individual competencies or characteristics that is developed for a specific job or job family. For the job of First Nation administrator, the First Nation Administrators Task Group (the Task Group) identified eight categories of primary duties and four clusters of core competencies.

What Are The Basic Duties Of An Administrator?

The Primary duties form the basis of the core competencies. They have been grouped into eight categories:

• Policy
• Financial
• Council
• Staff
• Government Relations
• Community Relations
• Planning
• Practical Reserve Issues

What Competencies Do Administrators Need?

The core competencies have been grouped into four clusters:

• Thinking Capabilities
• Leadership Effectiveness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Note: Full details on all primary duties and core competencies can be found in the First Nation Administrator Primary Duties and Core Competencies document.