Recruitment and Selection - Human Resources Policy - 40180

To ensure effective recruitment practices and to provide equal employment opportunity, the following recruitment guidelines must be observed in filling all Faculty Administrator, Faculty, Classified and Wage positions. The guidelines were developed to ensure compliance with the Commonwealth’s Department of Human Resource Management Policy 2.05 Equal Employment Opportunity and Policy 2.10 Hiring.

2.1 Germanna Community College will recruit, select and hire on the basis of qualifications for a specific job without regard to Race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, political affiliation, or persons with disabilities who are otherwise qualified.

2.2 To insure compliance with the institution’s equal opportunity program, specific procedures are included to incorporate input and review from the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO) Officer throughout the process. The hiring of employees shall be in accordance with requirements of the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) and the requirements of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Position or role titles, rank or pay bands, and salaries must be assigned to a position and newly hired employee in accordance with policies and guidelines set forth by DHRM and VCCS.

3.1 The President or his/her designee must approve the filling of any vacancies or the hiring of new employees, prior to initiation of recruitment activities and the extension of employment offer. Vice Presidents may approve the filling of vacancies if the position responsibilities remain the same or become less and if the salary to be offered will be equal to or less than the budgeted salary for the position prior to the vacancy. To initiate the hiring process, the employing unit must complete a Personnel Request Form.

3.2 New Positions-To establish a new position the following must be completed:

3.2.1 Personnel Request Form – (signed by President’s Council Representative and Budget Manager)

3.2.1 Employee Work Profile (Classified and Wage) or Position Description (Faculty Administrators and Teaching Faculty)

3.2.2 Department Organizational Chart to show reporting structure

3.2.3 Justification for establishing position and description of how position will be funded.

3.3.1 Personnel Request Form – (signed by President’s Council Representative and Budget Manager)

3.3.2 Reviewed or revised Employee Work Profile or Position Description.

3.4 The employing unit supervisor and the director or dean for that unit shall develop the vacancy announcement. The announcement shall be approved by the Executive Director Human Resources prior to advertising the position, but within one week of receiving the proposed announcement. Sample vacancy announcements or copies of previous announcements are available upon request. The supervisor and director or dean, in consultation with the Human Resource Office shall develop a matrix of required and preferred qualifications to be considered by the search committee.

4.1 The employing unit supervisor must develop a thorough position description/Employee Work Profile by conducting an analysis to identify actual tasks performed, their frequency, and the importance of specific employee traits or skills needed. Supervisors should also consider if rearranging existing staff and/or work responsibilities and processes could better achieve organizational objectives.

4.2 Employee Work Profiles and minimum qualification standards should reflect major job functions. The supervisor should utilize the Employee Work Profile to develop core responsibilities for the position. The Office of Human Resources is not authorized to place advertisements for positions without a completed Employee Work Profile. If an Employee Work Profile already exists for the position, the supervisor should review the existing description and make necessary modifications for changes that may have or will occur.

4.3 Vacancy listings, announcements, Employee Work Profile, and core measures shall serve as the basis for developing the evaluation criteria. The employing unit supervisor and the Director, Dean or Vice President for that employing unit shall establish evaluation criteria detailing required performance standards and behavior factors that contribute to fully successful employment in the position. In turn, these criteria may be used in advertising, as well as in the selection matrix. Concerns about the matrix shall be resolved by consensus.

5.1 For classified and P-14 positions, work and role titles will routinely be used in advertising, in order to provide a more accurate and commonly understood title to potential applicants. Salaries will be advertised as a range or listing minimum salary (and will be determined by level of work performed within a role, the work unit’s budget and past recruitment history for roles).

5.2 Advertising must include the phrase “An Equal Opportunity Employer or EOE.” In addition to openly advertising a vacancy, the Office of Human Resources, in conjunction with the AA/EEO Officer, shall engage in recruitment aimed specifically at generating applications from qualified minorities, women, disabled individuals, and veterans, when deemed appropriate by the President or his/her designee. As a general rule, full-time positions shall be advertised at least once in local newspapers. If the applicant pool inadequately represents minorities and/or women, or if a qualified applicant cannot be found by the closing date, additional recruiting actions shall be determined jointly by the AVP of Human Resources, AA/EEO Officer, supervisor of the employing unit, and director or dean of the employing unit.

5.3 All job announcements shall also be posted on the College’s web site. All vacant, full-time classified positions shall be listed in Recruitment Management System for a minimum of five consecutive work days. Continuous recruitments may be conducted for those roles identified as being difficult to fill and retain on a College-wide basis.

5.4 Teaching faculty, administrative faculty, certain professional classified staff, and the President’s position shall be recruited for nationally.

5.5 AVP of Human Resources/AA/EEO Officer may authorize exceptions to the posting of vacancy announcements if a recently completed (within sixty (60) days) search must be conducted again. For example, if an employee hired two months ago leaves our employment, AVP of Human Resources/AA/EEO Officer may approve using the previous applicant pool without another posting of the position to refill the position. The request to utilize the same pool should be in writing from the supervisor of the vacant position to the AVP of Human Resources. Documentation regarding authorized exceptions must be retained in the Office of Human Resources recruitment file.

5.5.1 Waiver of advertisement In the event that a qualified part-time employee, previously employed by the College, is available for a subsequent short-term appointment (i.e., 6 months or less), advertisement may be waived and the part-time employee may be placed in the new position. The supervisor of the vacant position must request a waiver of advertisement via email or memorandum. The request may only be approved by the President. Disposition of request must be communicated to the Executive Director Human Resources.

5.5.2 All other aspects of the search shall remain as stated earlier in this policy, including the interaction with the AA/EEO Officer and an interview by the director or dean.

5.6 General advertisements on the website should include the following:

• Minimum range of salary within the pay band (for staff positions)
• Rank or role and position/working title
• Name of work unit and campus location
• Minimum qualifications
• Preferred qualifications
• Core duties and measures (may include an Employee Work Profile)
• Application procedures (including any specialized interview and selection processes, such as panel interview, a practical skills assessment, etc.)
• Benefits Information
• Projected Start Date (if known)
• Closing date for recruitment

5.7 A vacancy announcement may NOT:

• List specific requirements as minimum or required qualifications, unless they are required for accreditation purposes or supported by a class specification and job analysis (should otherwise be listed as preferred qualifications).
• Require a specific number of years experience.
• Require absolute educational qualifications unless required by law.

6.1 A search and screening committee shall be established by recommendation of the employing unit supervisor or director to the President or his/her designee, via the Human Resources Office. Ordinarily, the employing unit supervisor shall serve as chair. At least two other people shall be selected for the committee. Under no circumstances may an individual serve on the search and selection committee and also as a reference for any participating applicant.

6.2 The President, appropriate Vice President or their designee may waive the requirement for establishment of a search and screening committee for certain adjunct faculty and wage staff positions. In this instance, the employing unit supervisor may conduct the interview personally.

6.3 Multiple committees may be convened for certain positions as deemed appropriate by the President or the Chancellor of the VCCS. Community representatives, employees of other State agencies, members of the Local College Board, and/or Foundation Board may also be included.

6.4 The Human Resources Office shall instruct the committee chair on: all legal obligations of the College, the completion of all required forms, and policy and procedure interpretation related to recruitment and hiring.

6.5 In the event that the vacancy under recruitment is faculty-ranked, additional instructional information and committee charge may also be given by the Dean of Instruction. The committee chair shall charge/instruct the remaining committee members and all members of other screening/interview committees. Each committee member shall be provided a copy of the matrix form, which in addition to listing the applicants, contains a statement regarding EEO/AA.

6.6 All Committee members must sign the matrix form indicating their agreement to comply with Germanna’s policy on EEO/AA.

7.1 The goal of affirmative action recruitment efforts is to achieve proportional representation of minorities and women in the applicant pool, in accordance with their availability in the applicable labor market. To monitor these efforts, each applicant is asked to complete the affirmative action section during the application process. The Office of Human Resources shall maintain EEO reporting data.

7.2 Strategies must be devised to increase minority and/or gender representation in future applicant pools if trends reflect that current efforts do not result in representative numbers of applicants. In this instance, the AA/EEO Officer may revise recruitment and advertising efforts to increase applicant pool.

8.1 The Office of Human Resources will share applications, resumes/vitae, and other relevant documents submitted by candidates that meet or exceed the minimum criteria for the position with all members of the committee(s) within four workdays after the application deadline. The Office of Human Resources will not share EEO data with the search and selection committee.

8.2 The Human Resources Recruiter assigned to the project shall be responsible for eliminating applicants that do not meet the minimum or required criteria from the viable pool. Applications omitting important elements shall be classified as NOT meeting the minimum or required criteria. In addition, all applications received after the advertised or published date and time shall be classified as NOT meeting the minimum or required criteria and will not be considered. Each application shall note the date and time indicating College receipt of this data. Any required supplemental documents must be received by the Office of Human Resources prior to submission to the committee. Applicants who submit unsigned applications will be asked to sign them if they are invited for an interview. Deans of Instruction and the Dean of Workforce and Community Education or designee shall be responsible for evaluating transcripts for all adjunct faculty applicants.

8.3 Committees shall use the evaluation matrix developed by the supervisor, director or dean. They shall perform all other screening necessary to select candidates for interview or for hire. All screening actions must be documented to support the action taken. In the event of audits or questioning by applicants for the position, the committee members and HR recruiter must be available to respond to all inquiries.

8.4 The AA/EEO Officer may review the interview list proposed by the committee to ensure the candidates are representative of the service region population, that the committee has complied with all AA/EEO regulations, and that no biases were utilized in screening decisions. Large candidate pools may entail the use of others to assist the AA Officer. It is encouraged that the committees interview a minimum of 15% of the applicant pool providing minimally qualified applicants exist. In the event of large applicant pools a negotiated percentage will be determined.

8.5 The affirmative action review process must be completed within two workdays of the committee’s notice to the AA/EEO Officer that the screening process has identified a pool of candidates to interview. Concerns by the AA Officer shall be expressed to the committee head and the director or dean. The AA Officer, AVP of Human Resources, committee head, and director, dean or Vice President should resolve differences. The President or his/her designee shall have final decision-making authority if differences cannot be resolved at this level.

9.1 Candidates are selected for interviews by the committee and the director, dean or Vice President. Committee members shall either develop a Strengths and Weaknesses Evaluation on all candidates or complete the Applicant Evaluation Form. This documentation along with their recommendations, are to be forwarded to the hiring manager. In the cases of positions with college-wide responsibilities additional persons or committees may be established to conduct additional interviews. The President may interview all department supervisors and higher positions. The President may also elect to interview other positions, and will notify the committee chair of this desire when appropriate. The committee head is responsible for ensuring the coordination of all interviews.

9.2 Generally, candidates will be expected to make their own accommodations. Lodging shall only be paid for candidates at the level of Vice President or the Presidency, unless approved otherwise by the President. The committee head is responsible for ensuring that hotel accommodations are arranged, that lodging is charged to the College within state travel guidelines, and that these expenditures are charged to the appropriate accounts.

9.3 Structured interviews, mindful of equal employment opportunity regulations and sensitive to affirmative action goals, are useful and appropriate tools for assessing candidates. Interviewers shall consistently and uniformly apply evaluation criteria to all interviewees. In addition, interviewers shall evaluate each candidate’s ability and potential, and be familiar with the actual job requirements. Demonstrations of ability are encouraged as long as all demonstrations are fair, equitable, non-discriminatory, and are requested of all candidates. Demonstrations may include presentations, portfolios of work, situational analyses, role-playing and practical skills assessments. Interviewers shall work closely with the HR Department to develop any practical skills assessments, in order to ensure the validity and reliability of these tests relative to the essential functions of the job.

9.4 The interviewer(s) must develop a set of interview questions to ask each applicant. Questions should seek information related to the applicant’s knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the job. Questions that are not job related or that violate EEO standards are not permissible. Specifically, questions regarding race, religion, creed, ethnic group, national origin or ancestry, political beliefs or affiliations, marital or family status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status or age should be eliminated from the interview process. Additional guidelines can be obtained from the AA/EEO Officer and/or the AVP of  Human Resources. The interviewer(s) may ask additional questions in response to any statements or questions from the applicant, or to clarify information indicated on the application. The interview question bank established and maintained by the Office of Human Resources is a resource for committees. All questions asked shall be reviewed and approved by Human Resources to ensure legality and appropriateness.

9.5 Telephone interviews are encouraged for large groups of people to be interviewed, and when one or more interview candidates must travel a long distance. The College will NOT pay travel costs for interviews, except for the Vice President and President’s position, unless approved in writing by the President or his/her designee as an exception to policy.

9.6 All applicants who have been identified for an interview must be interviewed before a final selection decision and job offer are made. Committees or individuals are not required to reschedule an interview if an applicant is unable to make a previously scheduled interview.

9.7 The Human Resources Department and/or hiring manager (or designee) shall conduct reference checks. Reference checks shall preferably be made of the current and former supervisors of the applicant. Just as with the interview, the committee must ensure all questions regarding the reference are fair and equitable. (See GCC Telephone Reference Check) Under the current Virginia Privacy Protection Act, the College is not required to allow applicants to examine reference checks or recommendation letters. Therefore, documentation of reference checks can be maintained in a confidential file (see DHRM Policy 6.10, Personnel Records Management).

10.1 The screening and evaluation work should result in identifying one or more candidates with the best qualifications deemed to be the most likely to be successful employees for the vacancy. When the final applicant pool includes candidates who are equally qualified, gender and racial minorities, disabled individuals, and veterans may be given preference according to the group most underrepresented. The selection must note the preference given and be supported with written documentation clearly indicating how the recommended candidate is fully qualified for the position.

10.2 The committee shall recommend one or more capable and qualified candidates to the director or dean. Candidates shall not be ranked in order of preference; however, the committee is required to provide strengths and weaknesses for each acceptable candidate. The director or dean shall confirm the recommendation or work with committee to reach a consensus. A joint recommendation is made in writing to the President or his/her designee, with a separate comment by the employing unit supervisor indicating his/her ability to work with the recommended candidate.

10.3 In accordance with Chapter 3 of VCCS Policies (Human Resources) and ranking criteria set forth by the VCCS-29, the AVP of Human Resources, in conjunction with the Vice President of Academic Services or his/her designee will determine the appropriate rank and salary for full-time faculty candidates. This determination requires the concurrence of the Budget Officer and approval by the President. The director, dean, AVP of Human Resources, and/or President shall determine an appropriate salary level or salary range if negotiations are required. If the recommended salary is above budget provisions, the supervisor and the director or dean shall work with the Budget Officer and the President to determine feasibility of offering the higher salary and making necessary budget adjustments to accommodate the higher costs.

10.4 Starting pay for full-time and part-time staff positions may be recommended by the employing unit supervisor and approved by the Human Resources Office. The hiring supervisor must complete a Pay Action Worksheet (PAW) documenting the justification for the salary offer. If an exceptional action is requested (i.e., a starting salary rate exceeding 10% of the candidate’s current or relevant base salary and/or the starting salary will exceed what is budgeted for the position), concurrence is required by the Budget Officer and the Vice President for Finance and Administration, President or his/her designee. This is to assure that funding is available, used in a prudent manner, and that starting pay practices are consistently applied College-wide.

10.5 If the hiring process has been determined to be inappropriate, the committee chair shall be responsible for determining and implementing corrective procedures after consulting with the director or dean. The director or dean is encouraged to consult with the AVP of Human Resources and/or the AA/EEO Officer. If committee members, the director or dean believe that procedures have not been corrected after notifying the committee chair, the President shall issue a determination.

11.1 Upon confirmation of the selected applicant and salary or salary range, offers of employment can be extended by the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, or HR Representative. Negotiations shall involve the President, Vice Presidents, Deans or Executive Director Human Resources. No offer of employment may be made until the recruitment file and the recommended applicant’s file are complete and submitted to the Human Resource Office. A file is not complete until all documents requested in the advertisement for the vacancy are on hand in the Office of Human Resources, and include (but are not limited to) the application, letters of referral, and transcripts.

12.1 No College employee may function as judge or advocate in specific situations involving members of his or her immediate family (such as the employee’s spouse, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law). Members of the faculty or staff should neither initiate nor participate in institutional decisions involving a direct benefit (such as initial appointment, retention, promotion, salary, or leave of absence) to members of their immediate families. Employees shall not be employed in the same work unit as a member of their immediate family and they shall not be placed in a position that can influence the supervision, direction, or operations affecting an immediate family member.

13.1 The search committee chairperson must be prepared to justify to the AA/EEO Officer the non-selection of any applicant. The evaluation matrix and all official committee documents, as well as the applicants’ submissions, must be returned to the Office Human Resources within two workdays of the conclusion of the search and prior to an employment offer being made. The following data must be maintained in Human Resources for a period of at least three years from the date the position is filled:

1. Position description
2. Records related to recruitment efforts
3. Copies of advertisements
4. Employment applications
5. Screening and selection criteria applied
6. Interview questions and notes on applicant responses
7. Rational used to eliminate candidates from further consideration and to prefer candidates over other candidates or to select one individual to hire.

14.1 Deans of Instruction and Dean of Center for Workforce and Community Education (credit and non-credit) shall oversee the recruitment and hiring of adjunct faculty, with support from the Office of Human Resources for training and information. The Vice President of Instruction shall bear overall responsibility for this process. Advertisements for anticipated part-time instructional positions should be placed in local or regional publications prior to the start of each semester. Persons responding will form an eligible applicant pool. The Deans of Instruction and designees approved by the VP of Instruction shall ensure that all application files are complete by including the State Application, transcripts, citizenship or immigration papers, tax documents, and any other data designated by the Office of Human Resources as necessary for a complete file. The Deans of Instruction shall offer no faculty member employment without the candidate undergoing a personal interview by the Dean or by a designee approved by the VP of Instruction. Whenever possible, it is expected that several applicants will be considered prior to offering employment to a person. Re-advertising is not required if the lecturer teaches again within a one-year period.

14.2 The Deans of Instruction and Workforce and Community Education, with concurrence of the VP of Instruction, shall determine all adjunct salaries (credit and non-credit).

15.1 Department of Human Resource Management
Policy No. 2.10 Hiring
Policy No. 2.05 Equal Employment Opportunity (5/16/06)
Human Resource Management Manual

15.2 Virginia Community College System
Policies – Chapter 3 (Human Resources)
Salary Administration Plan

15.3 Executive Order I, Equal Opportunity (EO) signed January 14, 2006 by Governor Timothy Kaine

AVP of Human Resources

17.1 Alicia Roberts, July, 2003
Victoria Waldron, September 2003, January 28, 2005, March 2005-Final
Approved by President’s Council, May 16, 2005-rev
Approved by President’s Council, September 6, 2006-rev
Approved by President’s Council, May 16, 2011-rev