These guidelines are intended to provide clarity and consistency to the recruiting and hiring practices at Stevenson University. Recruiting high-quality people who share our vision, values and will support our mission is imperative.
For the purpose of these guidelines, an “applicant” is defined as anyone who submits an online application for a position the University is actively recruiting. A “candidate” is defined as an applicant considered most qualified and selected for an on-campus interview. Stevenson University is an equal opportunity employer.
Job postings
Stevenson University provides qualified employees the opportunity to apply for job openings. It is in the interest of the University to allow for career growth and career changes and to maintain valuable employees.
A hiring manager may fill an open position through promotion or transfer of an employee within that manager’s department without the requirement of job posting.
Qualified applicants are considered for all positions without regard to an individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, disability status, citizenship, pregnancy, or any other legally protected characteristics, unless such characteristics are considered Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications. The above includes discrimination that is based upon the legally protected status of an individual with whom an employee or applicant associates. The University will not discriminate against any individual with a physical or mental disability, provided the individual is able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without a reasonable accommodation.
Employees who apply for a position must be employed in their current position for at least one year and have no outstanding corrective actions for performance or conduct. The University may waive the above eligibility requirements.
Authorization process
When a vacancy occurs or a new position has been approved through the budget process, authorization to begin recruitment activities requires the approval of the Vice President for Human Resources. The Hiring Manager will work with their supervisor to create or update the position description then submit it to Human Resources with an updated departmental organizational chart for approval. Once the position description has been approved, the Hiring Manager can proceed using the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) posting process. The ATS workflow requires approvals before the position will be posted. The search committee is identified and established during the posting process on the ATS.
The following minimum standards have been established for search committees:
Position Recruitment Category | Committee Membership |
Administrative Support | Supervisor, who may add others as desired |
Non-supervisory | Supervisor + 1 or more additional employees (same department) |
Exempt supervisory | Supervisor + 2 or more additional employees (at least one from the same department) |
Director, Dean or Vice President | Supervisor + 2 or more additional employees. Human Resources can assist with suggestions. |
Recruiting and advertising strategy
Human Resources will authorize and manage the recruitment and advertising activity. Decisions will be made regarding specific publications, date to advertise and closing date based upon the recommendations identified by the Hiring Manager contained in the posting workflow. Reasonable efforts will be made to advertise positions at general and position-specific locations to attract minority candidates into the hiring pool.
Human Resources will place, track and process all advertising expenses. All open positions will be advertised on the Stevenson University website. Additionally, Stevenson will only accept employment applications through ATS.
Interviewing and Final Selection
Hiring managers should aspire to diversify the demographics of search committees to reflect the university community’s diverse population. Human Resources will review the composition of search committees and work with hiring managers to improve diversification when it appears lacking. In some cases a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee may be asked to join a search committee to add a diversity focus.
The search committee chair should schedule search committee training with the Director, Talent Management. As soon as possible, the search committee should convene to select the top three to six candidates. The chair of the search committee should screen those selected for interview to ensure the salary expectation is appropriate for the approved position. The chair of the search committee, or their designee, should schedule all interviews.
The chair of the search committee should update applicant status online throughout the applicant review and decision process to reflect the applicant’s status (such as not interviewed, not hired) and select the reason for non-selection.
The Hiring Manager should send estimated travel expenses to Human Resources in advance for authorization. Human Resources will authorize all candidate travel expenses prior to scheduling the applicants’ on campus interviews.
Based upon the level of the position being considered, a second round of interviews may be appropriate. No more than three candidates should be included in a second-round on-campus interview.
Note: When internal candidates are interested in an open position, the search committee may interview internal candidates who meet the required qualifications according to the Employee Posting Guideline.
Human Resources must approve all pre-employment skills testing in advance. All developed supplemental applicant testing needs to be relevant and consistently predictive of the abilities or work experiences related to the position.
When the search committee has reached a decision on the best fit for the position, the Chair of the Search Committee should present the following to the Hiring Manager:
- Candidate documents from the ATS
- Detail of reference checks
The hiring manager will then discuss the candidate’s salary recommendation with their supervisor/vice president. Upon agreement, they will then contact the candidate to discuss salary, potential hire/start date, background investigation, degree verification, and the remainder of the hiring materials. After the salary has been agreed by the candidate, the hiring manager will complete the Hiring Proposal in the ATS.
Closing the Search
Upon approval of the Hiring Proposal, the following activities will occur:
- The Hiring Manager will change the status of all remaining applicants in the Applicant Tracking System.
- Human Resources will generate an offer letter.
- Human Resources will enter the new hire into the HR/Payroll system.
- Human Resources will send the Hiring Manager a New Employee Checklist and OIT form.
- Human Resources will mark the posting as filled in the ATS.
Note: All new employees are expected to attend the orientation programs conducted and organized by Human Resources. This information will be contained in the employee’s offer letter.
Pre-Employment Background Investigations
The University will conduct a pre-employment criminal background investigation for all new hires. All conditional offers of employment are contingent upon completion of this process. The investigation is conducted in accordance with federal, state and local laws and regulations including the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The results of the criminal background investigation will be maintained confidentially in Human Resources.
(Approved November 2020)