Using one-page profiles in recruitment (employees)
Technique
A one-page profile is a document that gives people information about who you are. It is a way of sharing your strengths, what others like and admire about you, the things that are important to you and how to work with and support you.
One-page profiles are a person-centred thinking tool often used with individuals supported by services but is also a valuable human resource tool enabling organisations to better understand their employees.
Using one-page profiles with employees, volunteers and individuals reinforces the fact that a person-centred approach is about everyone not just those who are supported by services.
As part of the recruitment process, in addition to completing a job application and/or providing your résumé, you may be asked to develop your own one-page profile.
Your one-page profile will assist staff within the organisation to get to know you in a different way.
If you are applying for a position working or volunteering directly with individuals, your one-page profile will be used to ensure there is a good match between you and the individuals you support.
One-page profiles support organisations to implement person-centred approaches across the whole organisation.
- A person-centred approach involves placing individuals at the centre of all decision-making.
- A person-centred organisation understands that to do this well, staff need to feel valued and empowered; using person-centred approaches within the organisation and with all employees facilitates this process.
One-page profiles will ensure that each employee is seen as an individual and reinforces that we are all unique individuals, human and approachable.
Employers need to gain an understanding of each employee or volunteer, the things that matter to them and how to support them in the workplace.
Your employer will assist you to continue building on your one-page profile on an ongoing basis. The document is about who you are as an individual; it is important that you are happy with the information in the profile and how it is captured.
One-page profiles are used with staff in various ways, including:
- To ensure you are being supported in a way that you want and to assist you to think about what is important to you in the future.
- To support members of a team get to know one another as people and how best to work together.
- To inform team plans so each person learns more about what their individual roles are and how to get the best from one another.
- In the development and support of specific projects.
- To improve the match between staff and individuals supported by the organisation.
Tips
When developing your own one-page profile, identify what people like and admire about you and create a list of your positive attributes, strengths and talents.
Think about your strengths at work and in other areas of your life. You can ask other people that know you well for their opinion.
Think about what others have thanked or recognised you for in the past or commented that you are good at. These things might include the strengths that your referee would list.
This is not a list of accomplishments but a summary of your positive attributes.
Remember what’s important to you. Capture the things that matter to you in both your life and at work.
Add enough detail that others can get an understanding about what you value most and are passionate about.
Think about what makes a good day at work and what needs to be present in the right work environment for you.
Be specific, provide the detail necessary so that others can read it and know exactly what you mean.
For example:
Instead of writing ‘I like time by myself to think at work’. It is better to be clear about what this means to you, such as:
‘I like to find some thinking time each week to consolidate my thoughts and reflect on the work that we are doing.’
Or
‘Being able to think through and reflect on things by myself before talking through any significant decisions is important to me.’
A certain level of detail relating to what is ‘important to’ you outside of work, such as interests and hobbies, will assist the organisation to get a match between you and the individuals supported by the service.
Even if you are not applying for a direct service delivery role, i.e. a disability support worker role, this information will still assist the organisation to know more about you. One-page profiles are a part of a larger person-centred approach and although the purpose is to get to know more about what matters to you at work it is also about getting to know what matters to you as a person.
The information you provide is meant to be more than just a list of things that you like. Explain how you can be best supported.
Think about how you like others to work with you. What is helpful? What isn’t?
If your manager needs to give you feedback, think about what approach is the most constructive for you?
What can other people do to make your day positive and productive?
Think about how you like others to communicate information to you.
If things are chaotic what can others do to assist you get back on track?
What do you value about working with colleagues?
Being specific is important. Instead of writing ‘be honest with me’, think about and capture in greater detail what others need to know.
For example:
‘I appreciate an honest working environment. If there is something I need to do differently please let me know. I would prefer this to happen when other people are not around.’
Template
Download the one-page profile template by using the button above
Additional resources:
- The Workforce Capability Framework.
- The disability career planner and capability framework implementation guide.
- Technique, tips and template – using one-page profiles in recruitment (employers)
- Technique, tips and template – using ‘important to and for’ in job design and recruitment.
Definitions:
The term individual(s) refers to an individual with a disability and their family and/or circle of support.
The terms staff/employee(s) refer to paid or unpaid members of the workforce regardless of their employment relationship with their employer i.e. permanent, casual, full-time, volunteer, etc.
Intellectual property rights are jointly owned by National Disability Services Ltd, PeopleAdvantage Pty Ltd and Helen Sanderson Associates respectively. Concepts and intellectual property used with permission from The Learning Community for Person Centred Practices. ©This publication is copyright. All rights reserved.
