Title: #IV-8A.
Campus Hiring Guidelines
Date: December 21, 2007 (Replaces version dated April 12, 2004)
HIRING
GUIDELINES FOR POSITIONS LONGER THAN ONE SEMESTER IN DURATION
When a position becomes vacant, the Executive
Level Administrator and the supervisor will assess whether the position will be
filled and/or whether any changes in the position may be required to support
evolving institutional or departmental goals.
This review allows opportunities for the college to increase its
efficiency and effectiveness in the use of human resources.
When it is determined that a position will be
filled, the following steps shall occur:
A. ESTABLISHING AND ORGANIZING THE SEARCH PROCESS
1. For
every vacancy and every new position created, an accurate and specific position description shall be prepared by the hiring supervisor. Responsibilities
of the position, qualifications, experience and education requirements, etc.,
shall be outlined in detail.
·
For
classified, non-classified and Faculty Equivalent/Academic Professional (FEAP)
positions, the description shall be prepared on the appropriate position
description form provided by the campus Human Resources Office.
·
For
faculty positions, the division chair shall provide a written description of
the requirements for the specific position (such as degree, experience,
technology skill, etc.) to supplement the general "Faculty Position
Description" provided in #IV-13.
2. The
hiring supervisor attaches the position description (or summary of specific
requirements for a faculty position) to the Personnel
Requisition (available online or from the Human Resources Office), submits
it to the Executive Level Administrator for approval, and forwards it to the
Director of Human Resources.
3.
For
non-faculty positions:
·
The
Director of Human Resources obtains
the approval of the Campus President on the position description and submits it
to the Classification and Compensation Unit in
·
The
Classification and Compensation Unit determines whether the position is
classified or non-classified and recommends a job title and classification
(classified or nonclassified) to the Campus President.
4.
The
Chief Financial Officer documents the availability of funds and budget impact
on the Personnel Requisition and forwards the requisition to the Campus
President’s Office.
5.
The
Special Assistant to the President, who serves as the campus Social Justice
Representative, will document whether underutilization of minorities or females
exists in the job category of the position and will forward the request to
initiate a search process or to seek a posting waiver to the Campus President
for approval.
6.
If approval to proceed with a search process is
granted by the Campus President, the Executive Level Administrator takes
appropriate action to fill the position:
·
In
all instances of recruiting faculty, faculty equivalent/academic professionals,
or nonclassified staff, the appropriate administrator appoints a screening
committee and chairperson. Screening
committees will be composed of representatives of the various key
constituencies with whom the incumbent will interact. Whenever possible, screening committees
should include members of protected classes (women, members of minority groups,
veterans, and persons with disabilities).
·
In
accordance with §18B-7-1d,
“A nonexempt classified employee, who applies and meets the minimum
qualifications for a nonexempt job opening at the institution where currently
employed, whether the job is a lateral transfer or a promotion, shall be
transferred or promoted before a new person is hired.” The provisions of §18B-7-1d
shall not take precedence over mandates in the campus Affirmative Action Plan.
·
When
filling classified staff positions, the hiring supervisor will carry out the
applicant screening process under the guidance of the Social Justice Representative.
7. The campus Social Justice
Representative monitors affirmative action efforts undertaken during the search
and selection process.
The Social Justice Representative is not a member of a screening committee. The responsibility for affirmative action in
the search process rests with the screening committee and hiring administrators. The Social Justice Representative monitors
the recruitment, screening, and selection process and serves as a resource person
to enable the institution to act affirmatively in recruiting women and members
of minority and protected groups (Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans/American
Indians and Asians). The WVU at
Parkersburg Equal 0pportunity/Affirmative Action Plan provides information regarding the campus affirmative action goals
and strategies to achieve those goals. A
copy of this document is available in every Executive Level Administrator's
office and is provided to each screening committee chair.
8. The Social Justice Representative
reviews the Affirmative Action Plan's goals and objectives to determine if
women and minority groups are underutilized, and notifies the hiring supervisor
or screening committee if underutilization is identified.
·
Where
there is underutilization of minorities and/or women, it is expected that
special efforts will be made to attract those candidates.
9. In consultation with the appropriate
administrator, the Human Resources Director shall prepare a position
advertisement consistent
with the requirements listed in the position description.
·
The
inclusion of equivalencies (i.e., "masters or equivalent") is
recommended as appropriate. If a specific degree is required in the ad, persons
who do not meet the specific degree requirements cannot be considered.
|
Education* |
Experience** |
|
High
School Diploma/G.E.D |
4
years experience; or 1 year experience for 1 year of education |
|
Up
to 18 months beyond High School |
completion
of a 6 month program or at least 6 months of work experience |
|
18
months to 3 years beyond High School |
19
to 36 months of work experience |
|
Associates
degree |
minimum
19 months work experience |
|
Bachelor's
degree |
4
years of work experience; for a non-related degree, apply 1 1/2 years toward the
educational requirement (this is for General Education Curricular courses) |
|
Master's
degree |
related
bachelor's degree plus 2 years of related experience at the appropriate level;
OR related associate's degree plus 4 years of related experience; OR high
school diploma plus six years of related experience at the appropriate level |
|
Doctorate
or other terminal degree |
no
equivalencies apply |
* 900 hours at a vocational/technical school is
equivalent to 1 year of education
** ALL work experience referred to
above MUST be directly related AND at the appropriate level
·
The
ad must contain a statement that the position description/announcement is
available in alternative format (e.g., large print, Braille, audiotape or disk)
by contacting the Director of Human Resources.
·
Position
announcements and/or advertisements shall request the names, addresses, and/or
telephone numbers of at least three professional references.
·
Completion
of an employment application packet will be required for all positions.
·
The
ad shall direct all expressions of interest to the Director of Human Resources,
WVU at
·
The
ad will contain the statement "
·
Before
ad copy is submitted to a publication, the Social Justice Representative shall
approve it.
·
The
use of the campus logo is required.
·
The
position must be advertised in appropriate and sufficient recruitment sources.
·
The
hiring supervisor will inform all faculty and staff in the hiring unit of
vacant positions and encourage them to assist in recruiting a pool of qualified
and diverse applicants.
·
At
least fifteen days must elapse
between date of publication of advertisements and the beginning of the
interviewing process.
·
Hires
can occur only at the rank and/or title identified in the advertisement.
10. The chairperson of the screening
committee consults with the appropriate administrator, and then with the
committee to discuss the position description, time requirements and other
criteria for the search procedure.
11. All advertising expenses incurred in the
search process are paid by the Human Resources Department; other expenses are
paid by the unit for which the search is being conducted.
B. PRE-INTERVIEW SEARCH AND SCREEN
GUIDELINES
The following guidelines describe the pre-interview and search and screen
process.
1. In consultation with the Human
Resources Director, the hiring administrator determines appropriate and
sufficient sources for advertisement of the position and outreach for
recruitment of candidates, especially those from underutilized groups,
individuals with disabilities, and veterans of the Vietnam-Era.
·
The
Director of Human Resources will place the ad in the designated publication(s)
after the Social Justice Representative has approved the ad.
·
Position
announcements shall be posted in the following locations for a minimum of
fifteen (15) working days for all professional positions and a minimum of ten (10) working days for all other
positions:
ü On the designated bulletin
board for Human Resources information in the main building.
ü On the campus
Intranet and Internet sites
ü WVU Jobs Bulletin
(for all non-faculty positions)
·
Professional
publications will be used including specialty journals and listserves.
·
Advertising in the
Chronicle of Higher Education is required for all administrative
positions.
·
Other
modes of advertisement and recruitment are required and may include:
ü
Distributing
the position description to historically black colleges and universities and to
minority-oriented professional organizations, etc.
ü
Soliciting
nominations and recommendations from members of campus community
ü
Contacting
personal and professional colleagues
ü
Corresponding
within personal and professional networks of screening committee members.
·
An
extensive list of recruitment sources is available in the Human Resources
Office. Departments should add their own
sources as appropriate.
2.
Various other outreach activities are determined; applications
and nominations are solicited through personal and professional contact
networks. Use of available Internet
listserves specifically targeted to disciplines and jobs, particularly those
targeted to minorities, women and other protected groups, is required.
3. Applications and nominations are
acknowledged as they are received by the Human Resources Office.
4.
As
applications are received, the optional Self-Identification Form (SID) is
forwarded to the
Social Justice Representative for compilation of statistical information.
5.
The
Social Justice Representative reviews the representation of women and
minority persons in
the pool of applicants before the application deadline (or advertised date when
the review of resumes will begin). At
this point, the Social Justice Representative determines whether a more
intensive strategy to recruit women and minority persons is necessary. This strategy may involve additional advertising, telephone and
personal contacts, etc.
6.
The Social Justice Representative will
review with the screening committee
criteria
for reviewing, application materials, and documenting references and
information obtained from interviews, which shall be drawn from the qualifications
and required experience set forth in the position description.
7.
The screening committee develops a timeline
for activities.
8.
Sample form letters and clerical assistance
in the processing of
correspondence with applicants will
be provided by the Human Resources
Office.
9.
As applications are reviewed and advanced in
or eliminated from the screening
process, notes are to be kept by the
screening committee justifying the reasons
for each such decision.
·
The screening committee reviews references for the
persons to be interviewed.
·
Individual
committee members may not ask the
candidate to provide additional references without the knowledge and approval
of the committee chair.
·
The
screening committee will solicit letters of reference or contact references by
telephone.
·
Thorough
written records of information received through telephone reference checks will
be maintained in the search file.
·
All
information and documentation received through review of references must be
treated as confidential; all requests by candidates for confidentiality in
review of documents and information received through references shall be
honored.
·
Individual
committee members may not contact a candidate’s colleagues or former supervisor
without express permission of the candidate.
·
The
screening committee will use the criteria as listed in the job description to
carefully evaluate all information and commentary received from references.
·
Based
on its review of references, the screening committee may wish to eliminate
additional candidates from further consideration for interviews.
·
The
screening committee should keep notes justifying all decisions to advance or
eliminate candidates from further consideration in the screening process.
10. The screening committee develops a “short
list” of candidates to be interviewed and consults with the appropriate
administrator and the Social Justice Representative regarding the list.
·
The
screening committee may wish to identify a "reserve" pool of
candidates at this time; these candidates would be available for secondary
consideration after the first round of interviews is complete.
·
If
a candidate withdraws from the search, the candidate should provide written
notification. If written notification is not available, documentation of the
withdrawal (i.e., via telephone call) will be placed in the search file.
11.
All documentation and discussions
pertaining to the Committee's work shall
be considered confidential. It is inappropriate for committee members to
share confidential information about its
work with candidates or with those not involved in the hiring process during or
after the search process.
C. INTERVIEW GUIDELINES FOR SEARCHES CONDUCTED
BY A SCREENING COMMITTEE
1. Depending on the scope and nature of the
search, some or all of the following individuals and groups may be included in
the interview process:
Students and/or representatives of
student government
Faculty members and/or
representatives of the Faculty Senate
Staff members and/or representatives
of the Staff Council
Co-workers
Chairpersons
Directors
Deans
President
Representatives of other key campus
groups (internal or external) as appropriate
2. The screening committee develops a
written interview evaluation form in conjunction with the Social Justice
Representative to be distributed to all interviewers prior to the actual
interviews.
·
The
chairperson of the screening committee will contact each candidate to extend
the formal invitation for an interview and to discuss the interview format and
expectations. General information on
·
Ideally
at least three (3) candidates will be interviewed.
·
The
Director of Human Resources will coordinate the schedule of interviews and ensure
that the interview schedule for all finalists includes interviews with the
Executive Level Administrator and Campus President.
·
The
Director of Human Resources will advise or assist candidates with regard to
travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, reimbursement guidelines, and
offer general assistance to them with their visit to campus. Candidates should be asked at this time if
they require any accommodation to facilitate the interview process.
3. Several
basic guidelines will be followed in all on-campus interviews:
·
A member of the screening committee or an
appropriate designated staff person should be available to escort candidates to
and from all interviews or activities.
·
In
the actual interview session, the designated escort(s) will introduce each
candidate and, where practical, the interviewers.
·
Copies
of the candidate's application materials will be distributed to all
interviewers before the interview.
·
The
candidate may be asked to make brief introductory remarks on general topics such
as his/her reason for applying for the position, qualifications and relevant
experience, etc. This general
introduction may be followed by a question and answer session and finally by an
invitation for the candidate to make concluding remarks. (NOTE:
It may not be necessary or advisable to develop a rigid format for
individual one-on-one interviews.)
·
All
candidates for faculty positions will be required to present a teaching
demonstration according to instructions provided to them in advance.
·
The
Social Justice Representative will provide all interviewers with guidelines
that should assist them in making appropriate pre-employment inquiries. Interviewers should be aware that the West
Virginia Human Rights Commission and campus policy specifically forbid
pre-employment inquiries that express, "directly or indirectly," a
limitation, specification or discrimination as to race, religion, color,
national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or
disability.
·
When
recruiting professionals, campus and community tours and social activities are
an important component of the on-campus interview process.
D. FINAL
CANDIDATES AND OFFERS OF EMPLOYMENT
1. For searches conducted by
a screening committee, the committee submits to the appropriate administrator a
written report containing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the final
candidates (all those candidates who were
interviewed).
·
The
screening committee (or hiring supervisor) will document notes on all decisions
made regarding candidates.
·
The
WVU at Parkersburg Affirmative Action Plan specifies that when candidates are
assessed to be substantially equally qualified for a position, a member of a
protected class should be given preference if underutilization exists. If members of two protected classes are
substantially equally qualified for the position, the member of the more
underutilized class should be given preference.
2. The Executive Level Administrator selects
the final candidate and indicates his/her recommendation along with the
recommended salary and proposed starting date on the Personnel Requisition, and
submits it to the Social Justice Representative. If the administrator considers none of
the candidates recommended by a committee to be acceptable, he or she may ask
the screening committee to consider the reserve pool of candidates.
3. The committee (or hiring
supervisor) provides the Social Justice
Representative with all records of the search and selection process, including
all candidate evaluations, records of reference checks and specific information
required for the Search and Selection Activities Report.
4. When the position being filled is a
faculty, non-classified or FEAP position, the Social Justice Representative
submits the Search and Selection Activities Report Form to the Social Justice
Office in
5. An offer cannot be made to a candidate
until:
The Search and
Selection Activities Report has been approved by the Director of AA/EO Programs
in
The Campus President
has indicated approval of the candidate, salary and starting date on the
Personnel Requisition.
6. Should the candidate reject the offer,
the position may be offered to the next candidate by following the steps
outlined in Steps 4 through 6 in this section.
E. CLOSING THE SEARCH
1. The Director of Human Resources
notifies all remaining candidates of the selection of an individual to fill the
position.
2. The search files are closed and all documentation,
records and reports relating to the search process, including records of all
written and verbal contact with applicants, will be stored in the Human
Resources Office for a minimum of
three years.
An
interim appointment to a position is a temporary reassignment that is used as a
short-term solution in order to continue the day-to-day activities of a
unit. When an interim appointment occurs,
the employee normally assumes the full responsibilities of the vacant
assignment. Interim assignments normally
should be for a minimum of four weeks and should not exceed a year in duration. It is the policy of
The
following guidelines apply when appointing an individual to an interim
position:
1. The Executive Level
Administrator seeks authorization to fill the position on an interim basis by
initiating a Personnel Requisition.
2. When recommending
an individual for appointment to an interim position, the Executive Level
Administrator will indicate in writing the procedure used to identify the
individual. The procedure should ensure
that consideration is given to all individuals who would qualify for the
position. This is best done through an open procedure with sensitivity to
minority and women employees in the unit.
3. The letter of
appointment will include a statement indicating whether the interim employee
may apply for the permanent position.
The letter should also make clear that the individual’s original
position would be available upon completion of the interim appointment. The employee shall also be made aware that
the assignment to the interim position does not guarantee an eventual permanent
assignment to the position.
4. An individual who
is appointed to an interim position must be qualified to fulfill the
responsibilities of that position, unless extenuating circumstances prevail.
5. Interim
assignments are not intended to prepare or train an interim employee for a
permanent assignment. Time spent by an
individual in interim positions cannot be used in determining qualifications
for the same permanent position.
Experience gained by an individual in an interim dean’s or chair’s
position should not represent the primary basis to be used in determining qualifications
for the permanent position.
As soon
as practicable after a position becomes vacant a search should be initiated.
G. Exceptions to General Posting Requirements
Under
certain conditions, the advertising and search requirements for filling a
position may be waived in
§ include a complete explanation of the reasons for the
request,
§ identify the position title/rank,
§ include a copy of the position description,
§ identify the candidate and provide the candidate’s race
and gender,
§ provide the application/resume of the candidate,
§ provide the length and terms of appointment,
§ indicate how the person was identified, and
§ provide race and gender composition of the unit in which the
position resides.
The
circumstances under which an exemption to posting may be granted are as
follows:
1. Affirmative Action Requests. When an
appointment or appointments would further the spirit of Affirmative Action
2. Resignation from an administrative position of a faculty
member who will remain with the particular department. If the
administrative position is to be filled by someone currently employed on the
campus, no general posting is necessary.
The department will be consulted by the Dean or other appropriate hiring
administrator on possible candidates.
Consideration must be given to Affirmative Action requirements.
3. Vacancy occurring in a faculty position under time
constraints such that a temporary faculty member must be appointed to fill the
position.
The term of such appointments must be consistent with the provisions of
WV Higher Education Policy Commission Series 9 and WVU Board of Governors Policy No. 2. An approved
Affirmative Action search must begin in a timely manner following the temporary
appointment.
4. Reorganization involving collapsing and/or combining
positions.
Principles of Affirmative Action must be followed and adherence to such
principles monitored by appropriate administrative officers.
5. To re-employ qualified persons affected by layoff. Vacancies may be
exempt from posting requirements pending evaluation of the position
requirements against the qualifications of those laid off employees on the
campus recall list. If vacancies have
been posted, the position may be removed from the competitive selection process
in order to re-employ qualified persons affected by layoff who are on an active
recall list.
6. Position changes as a result of disciplinary reassignments
following review and authorization by the Campus President.
7. Other circumstances of necessity as determined by the
Executive Officer for Social Justice in
A
Search and Selection Activity Report must be submitted regardless of a waiver
being granted.