Iqaluit (Feb 23/04) - If you are Inuit and have lived on the land or raised a house full of children, then you are exactly what the Government of Nunavut is looking for.

The department of human resources is currently working with all other government departments to change the content of job descriptions so that more Inuit can apply.

"I think it's going to work," said Carmen Levi, deputy minister of human resources. "Many people don't have a lot of exposure to office work, but they have life experience out there they can draw from," Levi said.

When the revisions to the job descriptions are completed two years from now, Levi said life experience will count, "rather than just your actual work history or your academic education," said Levi.

Training will go hand in hand with this new hiring process, Levi said.

"It's a new way of doing business in recruitment," she said.

Human resources is currently reviewing all GN job descriptions, looking for potential barriers for Inuit.

"Maybe jobs that say 20 years of senior management experience only need two," said Levi. "So we are looking at that."

In the South, job descriptions are often used to screen people out, said Tom Rich, deputy minister of community government and transportation with the GN.

Rich applauds the revisions.

"We want to make sure job descriptions reflect the type of people we want to get into government," said Rich.

According to Levi, 45 per cent of the GN workforce are beneficiaries.

Rich said he sees "no reason in the world" why the government workforce cannot reach the 85 per cent mark.

"It takes time," said Rich.

"You can't expect it to be 85 per cent on the day of division."