Hiring Procedures - Staff Search

PREPARING FOR THE SEARCH

1. 1. Department heads initiate the staff hiring process by creating a concise job announcement, using the most current job description available from Human Resources.
   2. Human Resources (HR) provides a market benchmark (with associated salary level) to the Department Head, who works with their Vice President to secure funding. Appropriate approvals by campus administration are required for all positions.
   3. A Search Committee is formed with a chair (preferably a department head) as approved by a Vice President. Staff Search Committees are organized as follows:
      1. The search committee chair serves as a voting member of the committee and will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable employment laws and policies, including equal opportunity, affirmative action, etc.
      2. A minimum of five (5) members will serve on the search committee (a chair plus four others). The voting members on each search committee will include at least two members from an expressed gender identity (i.e. male, female, etc.), at least one exempt and one non-exempt employee, and a trained diversity advocate. The total number of voting search committee members should not exceed seven (7).
         1. When appropriate, faculty and/or non-University employees may be invited to participate in the search process with approval of the Vice President and/or Human Resources.
      3. A Search Committee will be formed for each open position except when two or more positions in the same department are announced at the same time, in which case one search committee may consider all open positions in that department.
   4. The Department Head will work with HR to finalize an advertising strategy that both complies with federal and state advertising guidelines and ensures adequate exposure of the position to potential applicants. Upon approval of the posting, the job announcement is released.

Search Committee Training and Application Timeline

1. 1. The department head forwards a list of Search Committee members to Human Resources for approval. HR reviews committee composition for procedure compliance and schedules training for the search committee.
   2. Search Committee members complete training with HR and establishes an appropriate search timeline.
   3. Applications are received electronically through the University’s employment web page for a minimum of 10 business days.

Screening and Selection

1. 1. On or after the application review date, the Search Committee Chair pre-screens applications based on minimum qualifications to remove unqualified applicants.
   2. HR sends the search committee the Applicant Screening Form.
   3. The Search Committee proceeds to screen qualified applicants using the Applicant Screening Form and marks recommendations for interviews. Completed forms are returned to HR who compiles and maintains the information as part of the search file.
   4. Based on the recommendations of the Applicant Screening Forms and in consultations with the Vice President (as appropriate), a group of candidates is selected for interviews. HR will work with the search committee to coordinate days/times of interviews and will send notice to all unsuccessful applicants.
      1. Search committee may elect to complete virtual interviews (using technology such as SKYPE, Google Hangouts, etc.) as an intermediate step before selecting finalists for on-campus interviews.
      2. Virtual interviews will be scored by all search committee members using a Virtual Interview Evaluation form; completed forms will be returned to HR.
      3. HR will compile and maintain Virtual Interview Evaluation forms as part of the search file.

Interviews

1. 1. Finalists will be invited to campus for interviews. As needed, HR will provide the search committee chair with the following resources:
      1. An interview itinerary template
      2. Travel expense parameters for exempt positions (as approved by HR and UT Purchasing Office)
      3. Local hotels used for overnight stays
      4. Finalists may be invited to participate in the following at the discretion of the Search Committee Chair, who will include these items as part of the interview itinerary. Search committee members may attend these events with the understanding they are not scored and others outside the search committee must be in attendance:
         1. Real Estate Tour and Tour of St. George if the candidate is not from the area (required for director-level positions and above).
         2. Meet and Greet (may include a reception and/or a meal) with department members and/or students
         3. Open Forum and/or meeting with campus employees
         4. Individual appointments with department members if appropriate.
   2. The Search Committee chair works with search committee and department personnel to complete the interview itinerary or a daily interview schedule if no activities are planned outside of the interview.
   3. HR schedules interviews and communicates itinerary to finalists.
   4. HR works with Search Committee to complete an Interview Evaluation form to use as a guide in interviewing finalists.
   5. Finalists are interviewed.
   6. Each search committee member will complete an Interview Evaluation form and turn it into the Search Committee Chair, who compiles the forms and returns them to Human Resources.

Hiring the Candidate

1. Human Resources tabulate all Interview Evaluation forms and works with the search committee chair in finalizing a candidate for hire.
2. Reference checks are completed on the top candidate, then an offer of employment is extended.
   1. For any candidates who would require a H1B Visa, the Search Committee Chair must submit a written justification to the Vice-President. The Vice-President must approve before an international candidate is hired.
3. Human Resources (or the Vice President/Dean as appropriate) will extend a verbal employment offer to the candidate chosen for the position.
4. Once the candidate has verbally accepted the position, HR creates a formal written offer of employment with background check authorization. Once signed, completed, and returned, HR notifies the search committee chair at which point notices to unsuccessful interviewees and any other applicants not previously notified are sent out.
5. HR closes the search and finalizes remaining paperwork for the search file.

(Last revised 8-2016; last reviewed Spring 2020)