Grand Jury Offers County Hiring Advice : Suggests Nationwide Recruiting, Special Contracts for Managers

The Orange County Grand Jury on Thursday issued a series of recommendations designed to help the county attract top-level management employees, including the use of nationwide recruitment drives and individual employment contracts.

The report, issued at a time when the county is seeking both a new county administrative officer and a new Health Care Agency director, essentially says county government should be doing more to make its positions attractive to outside candidates and more to help new employees once they are on board.

Other Suggestions “During interviews with Orange County department heads, it was suggested repeatedly that we investigate the procedures used to recruit executive management personnel,” the grand jury said.

The jury’s first recommendation was that a thorough analysis of a department’s organization and functions be conducted whenever a department head is to be replaced. The review would determine such things as whether the agency is handling matters it should not be handling, or whether it should take on additional responsibilities.

The report also suggested:

- Hiring an outside firm to find candidates and extending the searches beyond Southern California.

- Routinely checking applicants’ statements on job applications to ensure accuracy. “In recent years there have been instances of applicants misrepresenting and exaggerating their educational and professional backgrounds,” the jury said.

- Individual contracts for some executives, allowing the county to “structure a compensation package that is appropriate to both the county’s compensation strategy and the applicant’s needs and preferences.”

- Reimbursing executive job applicants for travel expenses when they travel to Orange County for interviews.

- Furnishing applicants with information on Orange County’s climate, housing market and educational and cultural opportunities. A successful applicant should be provided with a “sponsor” upon the arrival to make the transition easier, the jury said.

The county has hired an outside firm to conduct a nationwide recruiting effort for a new county administrative officer to replace Robert E. Thomas, who is retiring next month.