Building
Systems That Prove Impact: Job Descriptions, Evaluations & Hiring
RPIE — research, planning, implementation, and evaluation — is at the heart of strategic school
public relations and APR-aligned practice, yet many districts haven’t fully embedded it into the systems that define expectations and accountability.
This three-part webinar workshop series
helps districts apply the RPIE framework to the practical tools that shape communications success: job descriptions, performance evaluations, and hiring interviews.
Whether you lead a
communications team or serve as a one-person communications office, you’ll learn how to translate RPIE into clear role expectations, measurable performance indicators, and interview questions that
identify strategic skill sets. Participants will work on their own documents in real time and leave with revised, ready-to-use tools, plus language to confidently partner with supervisors and
HR.
Part
III: Hiring Through the RPIE Lens: Interview Questions That Identify Strategic
Communicators
Hiring
is one of the most powerful opportunities to embed RPIE into practice. Too often, communications interviews focus heavily on tools, production, and personality, while missing the deeper competencies
districts need most: diagnosing communication needs, planning with intention, implementing with consistency, and evaluating impact. In this workshop-style session, participants will learn how to
craft interview questions and scoring tools that reveal whether candidates can think and operate strategically using the RPIE process, not just create content. Using RPIE as the organizing framework,
participants will build a bank of interview questions and follow-ups mapped to real communications work: research and listening practices, strategic planning and message development, implementation
workflows, and evaluation/measurement habits. This session supports districts of all sizes, including one-person communications offices, by offering structured tools that improve consistency and
fairness in hiring decisions. Participants will also explore how to right-size roles based on department needs and how to align interview processes to job description expectations. Participants are
encouraged to bring a current job posting, role description, or interview questions to revise during the session.
Presenters: Tracy Jentz, APR (N.D.), Director of Survey Research with Donovan Group and Julie Thannum, APR (Texas), Senior Strategist with CESO Communications.
Be
sure to visit NSPRA
Plus
to view the first two sessions of this series.
If you have any questions, please email pd@nspra.org.