Supervisor's Guide to Hiring:
Procedures for Filling a Vacant Position
Position Evaluation
The University of Richmond is dedicated to increasing diversity among the campus community and has launched its campaign to become known as an institution that is welcoming of individual differences, and more importantly, that values the understanding of differences as key to a dynamic, interactive and transforming environment for work and education. You as a supervisor/manager will play an integral role in achieving this goal. It will be your responsibility to ensure a diverse work force in your unit/department.
As you begin your evaluation consider the following:
- Is the position still needed; is there a need to upgrade, downgrade or eliminate it?
- Think about the traits and skills of your current team and determine what will strengthen, compliment and challenge your department
- Have the duties or responsibilities changed?
- Are there special requirements needed to do the job; ex: software requirements
Online Application Training Information
There is a PowerPoint presentation and instruction manual to assist first time users. To obtain these materials contact your Employment Services Representative.
- Pat Chandler @ 6675
- Pam Ash @ 6515
User Code
- First time users call your Employment Services Representative to have your account activated
- Returning users may want to verify their User Name and Password by doing a trial log in
Meeting With Employment Services Representative
Schedule a meeting with your Employment Services Representative to begin the process.
Items to be discussed will be one or all of the following:
- Creating a requisition
- Screening questions
- Advertising all positions are advertised in the Richmond Times Dispatch,
The Richmond Free Press, The Employment Guide unless requested otherwise
- Interviewing
- Testing if applicable, any special testing must be approved by Employment Services
before it is administered
- Reference checking
- Job offers may be made only by your Employment Services Representative
- Any questions or concerns you may have
Contact your Employment Services Representative if you have questions anytime during the process.
Creating the Requisition
The following information will be needed to complete the requisition:
- Index, account code and position number
- Employee's name who previously held the position, if applicable
- Job summary one or two paragraphs that describe the position
- Qualifications and skills required to do the job
- Essential duties of the position
- Educational requirements
- Working hours
- Total hours per year example:
40 x 52 = 2080
38.75 x 52 = 2015
- Suggested pay range or salary
- Pay period biweekly or monthly
- Will there be a search committee to select candidates for this position
- Supplemental questions for screening
"Create from Scratch" - use this for first time posting of a position.
- Go to Create Requisition on the left menu and "Create from Scratch"
- Using the instructions from the PowerPoint presentation create a new requisition. Be sure to save and confirm after each page if you are going to continue entering information at a later time, otherwise information could be lost.
"Create from Previous" - use if the position has previously been posted.
- Go to Create Requisition on the left menu and choose "Create from Previous"
- Make appropriate changes to the previous requisition:
- Job title if it has changed
- Index or account number if they have changed
- Individual's name who vacated the position
- Any changes to job summary, requirements, essential duties, education, work hours and months
- Suggested pay range
- Opening and Closing dates
Supplemental Questions
- Questions are an excellent way to prescreen applicants
- You can search for questions or create new ones, the choice is yours
- Your Employment Services Representative can provide you with an example of prescreening questions if desired
- Note that all questions will be reviewed by your Employment Services Representative for legality before the requisition is posted
Scoring
If the questions could be answered by "yes" or "no" or a multiple choice you can assign points to help you rank the applicants.
Completing the Requisition
- Once the application has been completed click on "VP Approval"
- "VP's", after approving click on "Budget Approval"
Budget Approval
All positions must be approved by Susan Galvin, Budget Manager, before being forwarded for Employment Approval.
Employment Approval
Your Employment Services Representative will review the requisition, make any appropriate changes and forward to the Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services for final approval.
Final Requisition Approval
Once the Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services has approved the requisition it will be posted in conjunction with the opening date.
Selecting Applicants for Interviewing
It is your responsibility as supervisor/manager to select the "best qualified" applicants and to "ensure a diverse work force" in your area/department.
- Review the job description and note minimum requirements
- Screen out applicants who require a higher salary than is authorized for the position. Consider their current salary when making this decision; often applicants will state a higher desired salary than they will accept. Call them if there are any doubts.
- It is often helpful to create a ranking chart to record information about each applicant
- Ignore the applicant's name (numbering applications often helps to track who they are), address or personal information to limit subconscious biases
- Be sure to have all applicable documents for the individual, including cover letter, resume and any other required items
- Check work experience for applicability to the position, length of time in each position, promotions or awards received, reason for leaving each position
- Note gaps in employment, but do not assume they were caused by negative reasons
- Check special skills
- Check educational background if required
- Evaluate the answers to the supplemental questions
- Make notes on a separate piece of paper any pertinent questions that arise when reviewing the resume/application and ask those during a telephone interview
- Change the status on the system to:
- Telephone Interview
- Schedule for Interview
- Not Interested in Interviewing
- Alert your Employment Services Representative that you have made changes to the status
Interview Questions
All interview questions must be e-mailed to your Employment Services Representative and approved before interviews are scheduled, including questions to be asked by panels or search committees.
It is critical to conduct lawful employment interviews. The guiding principle behind any question to an applicant - can the employer demonstrate a job related necessity for asking the question?
It is the intent behind the question that is important, as well as how the information is used, that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would examine to determine if any discrimination has occurred.
Ask only questions that are job related and pre-approved by your Employment Services Representative; be sure the information is really needed in order to judge the applicants qualifications, level of skills and overall competence for the job in question.
Generally, problem areas are discriminatory questions that are posed on the basis of the applicant's gender, race, age, national origin, religion or other non-job related basis. Prohibited interview question, for example, would be asking women applicant's different questions than male applicants or asking different questions of married female applicants than single female applicants.
Ask each applicant the same questions and document their answers. Asking all candidates the same core questions helps to ensure that you receive consistent and comparable information from which you can make a defensible hiring decision. However, it is acceptable, even desirable; to ask follow-up questions that will vary by individual if you are seeking clarification of the candidate's responses or their specific work background. These will be useful later to complete the "Justification to Hire" form and may be used for documentation should an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suit occur. This documentation needs to be retained for 3 years.
Telephone Interviews
Telephone interviews may be conducted by calling the applicant directly (it may be beneficial to call and schedule a time mutually acceptable to both of you).
- Briefly describe the position, location, hours and salary range (if appropriate) and ask if candidate is still interested in being considered. If so, proceed to asking pertinent questions; be sure to document all answers.
- If the applicants are to be scheduled for on campus interviews change their status in the system to "Schedule for Interview" and notify your Employment Services Representative
On Campus Interviews
Interviews will be scheduled by Employment Services; you will be contacted regarding your interview availability and if applicable travel arrangements for the applicants.
When a candidate comes for an interview, break the ice by being warm and welcoming. Offer coffee, offer to take their coat, ask if they had any trouble finding your office. A couple minutes of pleasant general talk will set a positive tone for the interview. However, dont get off-track -- the limited time you have together is too valuable to waste on non-job-related small talk. Stay focused on the job and its requirements, not any preconceived assumptions about what the applicant can or cannot do. Remember, any oral statements that the interviewer makes during the interviewing process can lead to potential liability for the University.
Promote the job and the University while keeping your pitch realistic. Unrealistic representation of the job will generally lead to employee dissatisfaction and turnover.
Make sure you elicit questions or provide information which will help clear up any unanswered questions or doubts that are lingering in your or the applicants mind.
Verify educational credentials, if required for the position.
End the interview on a friendly note and, if possible, inform the candidate of the next step and time frame for a decision.
Upon completion of all interviews, do a comparative ranking of the applicants. Contact your Employment Services Representative to discuss the ranking before you proceed. Remember that your Employment Services Representative has met with all your candidates too and may provide you with some helpful insight.
Reference Checks
Conduct reference checks final candidate(s), use current and prior supervisors over personal references since they are less biased and more aware of candidate's work performance (verify that the applicant has given their permission on the application to contact their current supervisor, if not notify them that you will be contacting them). You may wish to refer to the Justification to Hire form for guidance on appropriate information to obtain.
Justification to Hire Form
Once the interviews have been completed, access the "Justification to Hire" form:
- Fill in appropriate information for each candidate that received an on campus interview
- State the name of the first choice candidate
- Fill in the recommended salary; note that Employment Services will have the final decision on the salary offered
- Explain in detail why this candidate was chosen over the others interviewed
- If applicable, fill in the second choice candidates name
- Fill in the recommended salary for the second choice candidate; note that Employment Services will have the final decision on the salary
- Explain in detail why this candidate is your second choice
- Fill in the reference information for the first choice candidate only; if the offer is extended to the second choice candidate the reference information should be entered for that candidate at that time
- Forward the requisition for VP approval
- Alert your Employment Services Representative that the "Justification to Hire" has been completed
- Once the VP has approved the decision, your Employment Services Representative will review the "Justification to Hire" form and alert the Vice President of Human Resources for approval
- After final approval by the Vice President of Human Resources, an offer of employment will be made by your Employment Services Representative
Offer of Employment
The offer of employment may only be made by your Employment Services Representative or another member of the employment team in their absence. The Employment Services Representative will work with the new employee to finalize all remaining details for employment, including start date.
Internal applicants are required to give the standard two weeks notice to their immediate supervisor when transferring to a new position. However, in rare cases when their departure may cause a hardship for the department, the individual may be required to stay longer. The extended time will not exceed 4 weeks from the offer date. |
