Moving up hiring without due process

On Nov. 1, 11 part-time manager positions were posted on the McMaster Students Union employment page and will be up for two weeks until Nov. 15. Most of the jobs are usually put up later in the year, which calls into question whether the hiring board has considered the challenges this date change creates.

For those unfamiliar, a PTM is the coordinator or director of one of the 35 MSU services offered. Always a full-time student, a PTM is in charge of running the service and sets the tone for said service for the year.

The majority of the jobs put up earlier this month usually aren’t up this early in the year. Typically, PTM positions such as Queer Students Community Centre, the Student Health Education Centre and Diversity Services are hired early second semester.

It may seem like a minor shift to change to move up the hiring of these PTMs, but moving these particular jobs to Nov. with little promotion drastically hinders students’ ability to apply.

I’ve applied to work for a few services before, and the hiring process isn’t easy. Writing the cover letter that each job asks for is stressful and if you move on to the next hiring stage, you’re likely going to have to complete an assignment in addition to the interview.

While difficult, the hiring process usually lands during a relatively calm time for students. But no matter what faculty you’re in, Nov. is probably the busiest month of the semester. Hiring during Jan. has worked well for students as it ensured they had ample time to work on their applications.

That is, of course, if students are even aware these jobs are available. The MSU news page only promoted the job openings on Nov. 6 even though the positions had already been up for five days.

The MSU used their typical methods for promoting positions, but considering that the majority of the posts were delayed and that students were not expecting this sudden change in the first place, I’m wary that the typical efforts will be as effective.

Considering that most services have yet to hold their major events meant to promote their services, it’s unlikely that qualified students are aware that these jobs are available unless they personally know the current PTMs or coincidentally saw the recent social posts.

All of these factors will limit the number of applicants for each role, which is troubling considering how important services such as the QSCC, SHEC and Diversity Services are. The PTM will set the tone for what the services will do next year and without making the jobs accessible to all possible applicants, the MSU is limiting each of these services’ potential.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with moving up the hiring date for some positions and I’m sure the higher-ups have their reasons. But without accounting for the student schedule and sufficient promotion, I’m concerned of how fair and efficient this round of hiring will be. With that said, I do wish all applicants good luck and hope that this editorial motivates those who weren’t aware of these jobs to apply.

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