EPA RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS

Thursday March 8, 2007Ann PennEqual Opportunity/ADA Officer

EPA Recruitment and Selection ProcessI. OVERVIEW OF EPA RECRUITMENT PROCESS

AND SEARCH PROCEDURES

II. DEVELOPING RECRUITMENT PLANS

III. SEARCH COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITY

IV. REVIEWING AND EVALUATING APPLICATION MATERIALS

V. INTERVIEWING AND SELECTION

VI. RECORD RETENTION

VII. QUESTIONS

OVERVIEW OF EEO RECRUITMENT PROCESS

I. Recruitment Plan

II. Interim Report Applicant Flow Summary EEO Data Form

III. Final Equal Opportunity Report

IV.Waiver of Recruitment

Recruitment Plan

Interim Statement

Applicant Flow Form

Final Equal Opportunity Statement

Waiver of Recruitment

DEVELOPING A RECRUITMENT PLAN

Departments should develop recruitment plans relevant to their area and/or discipline

Every search should begin with appropriate planning.

Professional and personal contacts, including professional associations and colleagues at other institutions should be utilized.

Special efforts to identify minority and women candidates through advertising in targeted publications should be taken.

Advertising is one strategy to pursue, but more active strategies and personal contacts will be required to reach the widest range of potential candidates. Tenured/tenure track faculty positions must be advertised nationally for a minimum of 45 days. Fixed term faculty vacancies must be advertised locally and regionally for a minimum of 30 days. EPA Non-faculty positions must be advertised for a minimum of 30 days. Senior level EPA non-faculty vacancies must be advertised regionally with selected positions advertised nationally (e.g. Vice Chancellor’s, Director’s and Deans)

Advertise and employ other strategies that will help maximize the use of time and resources

Advertise in a variety of media.

Other affirmative recruitment techniques to build a diverse applicant pool include:

Recruitment at regional and national conferences, make personal contacts with minorities and women at professional conferences and invite them to apply

Letters or telephone calls to colleagues at other institutions to seek nominations, including contacts with women and minorities

Request names of potential candidates from women and minorities at the university and at institutions with strong graduate programs for women and minorities in your discipline.

Send announcements and request nominations from departments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Women, Hispanic and Native American serving institutions

Letters written to organizations of minorities and women in the appropriate field requesting that the position opening be circulated and publicized as widely as possible among its members

Publications and electronic job-posting services targeted at diverse groups

Always include statements on the department’s commitment to equal opportunity and diversity in your advertisements and on your website.

Every effort should be made to include minorities and women on the search committee. Select members within the department who are committed to and/or have experience with enhancing diversity. Ensure that the committee represents a variety of perspectives on the role and function of the vacant position. Consider including, as appropriate, a member from another department or program as a member or ex-officio adviser for the search committee.

Search committee membership should include women and minorities

SEARCH COMMITTEES

It is expected that all hiring for EPA tenure-track and fixed-term faculty positions and for EPA non-faculty positions will be done through the use of a search committee. Search committees are expected to work closely with the departmental Equal Employment Opportunity Officers.

The Committee Charge The committee should receive a charge setting forth the

expectations for the position and the search committee’s role in helping to fill it. The committee charge should include a detailed position description with preferred and minimum qualifications and advertising and outreach sources. The committee should be charged with developing selection criteria that is objective and based on the position requirements.

At the beginning of the search is a good time to review the department’s workforce composition and identify departmental needs with respect to diversity and consideration of under-representation of women and minorities as well as other issues as they relate to conducting an equal opportunity/affirmative action search.

Search Committee Responsibility The search committee should review the recruitment

plan and develop additional strategies as appropriate to enhance the applicant pool ensuring that it is diverse and competitive.

The committee reviews the position description and establishes the selection criteria and methods for screening, evaluating and interviewing candidates. The selection criteria must be directly related to the requirements of the position. Another important responsibility of the search committee is to take care to ensure that all applicants are treated equitably throughout the process.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality should be maintained during the search process with regard to information about candidates, committee discussions and deliberations.

REVIEWING AND EVALUATING APPLICATION MATERIALS

The search committee’s review of applicants should be done in an objective and systematic manner. Committee members should agree upon and use the same screening criteria for all applicants. It is also important that all applicants be treated in a consistent and equal manner. Any techniques or procedures used to select or screen applicants must be applied uniformly to all candidates and should be documented.

The committee evaluates the applicant pool by screening resumes and cover letters based on the advertised minimum and preferred qualifications. Based on the review of materials submitted by applicants, identify those who will be considered for further consideration and those who have been eliminated. Document the reasons for eliminating applicants from further consideration. Complete the Interim Report before scheduling interviews.

INTERVIEWING AND SELECTION

Telephone Interviews The committee should develop questions to be asked in the

telephone interviews, ensuring equity and consistency. Questions must be related specifically to the qualifications and responsibilities advertised in the position vacancy announcement. (See guidelines for asking questions during the search process)

Identify and develop a schedule for the interview. Conduct the phone interviews and record responses.

When telephone interviews are completed identify semi-finalists to be brought to campus for in-person interviews based on established search criteria, the applicant’s experiences and skills and interview responses. Determine those candidates who are eliminated and no longer under consideration, document the reasons on the applicant flow log.

On Campus Interviews

Develop a schedule for the interview process with a consistent format for each candidate to ensure an equitable basis for evaluation. The structured interview format helps to ensure consistency and comparability for each candidate.

Identify all individuals and groups to be involved in the interview process. Develop an interview rating sheet and disseminate to all those involved in the interview process. Provide interviewers with the position description and responsibilities of the job. Identify who will facilitate group interviews, discuss confidentiality expectations and review provide guidelines on asking questions during the search process.

Develop an interview format for each candidate interview to include:

Welcome and overview Questions based on the responsibilities and

qualifications to be asked of the candidate Questions from the candidate Closing, including a summary of the rest of the search

process

Evaluate candidates on their qualifications and thefull range of their strengths and experiences. Document all decisions comparing credentials and qualifications of the candidates.

Reference and background checks Identify the stage of the search process when

references will be checked.

Confirm with candidates that references will be checked.

Use a standard questionnaire to check each candidate’s reference check.

Recommendations to the Hiring official Collect and review rating information from all

interviewers. Meet to evaluate candidates, identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of each candidate as they relate to the position description and the criteria used to evaluate the finalists.

Submit a recommendation to the hiring official with specific information regarding each finalist candidate to the hiring official.

Recommendations to the Hiring official Provide criteria used to identify and select

finalists.

Ensure that all committee opinions are expressed to the hiring official.

When a selection has been made, the hiring official submits the Final form to the Equal Opportunity Office for approval to make the offer.

Record RetentionSearch documentation should include:

Material submitted by each applicant Evaluation of search materials Copies of all correspondence Copies of all ads Summary of search committee meetings Name, position and title of each search

committee members

Search committee records should be maintainedfor three (3) years

QUESTIONS ????