Recruiting & Hiring Classified and Wage (Part-time) Positions
Date of Current Revision: September 2007
Responsible Officer: Director of Human Resources
- PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide an overview of the recruiting process for classified and nonstudent wage employees at James Madison University.
- AUTHORITY
This policy is written in conjunction with and under the authority of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management Policy 2.10 on hiring.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12,101 et seq.) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. §791 et seq.) prohibit discrimination against a person with a disability in the offer or conditions of employment and in the participation or furnishing of services. James Madison University is obliged to provide reasonable accommodations to enable candidates to apply and interview for open positions. - DEFINITIONS
Agency Only:
A position for which only current JMU employees may apply. (This excludes individuals classified as affiliates.)
Open Recruitment:
A position for which all state employees and the general public may apply
Virginia Jobs:
The statewide career site for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Positions reflected in the state’s Virginia Jobs system are available for view through the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management Web site. - APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to all persons involved in hiring classified and wage employees at James Madison University. - POLICY
James Madison University will recruit and hire classified and nonstudent wage employees in accordance with federal and state law and university policies. To comply with these policies, to ensure that employment practices are effective and to provide equal employment opportunity, the following guidelines and procedures must be observed in filling all classified and nonstudent wage positions.
James Madison University provides equal opportunity with respect to all employment practices, including employment interviewing and selection, and administers such practices without regard to age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or other information such as marital status that does not relate to the knowledge, skills and/or abilities of candidates.
When requested, departments must provide reasonable accommodation throughout the application and selection process to persons with a qualified disability in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. - PROCEDURES
6.1 ADVERTISING
Departments should determine the recruitment strategy that best fits the department’s needs. This may be done in collaboration with the JMU Office of Human Resources.
Job announcements must include the following:
- The statement “Men and women, and members of all racial and ethnic groups, are encouraged to apply” or the abbreviated statement AA/EOE.
- Position title: Hiring officials will have the choice to use state role titles, working titles or a combination of both.
- Any bona fide occupational requirements. Please call the JMU Office of Human Resources for help in determining appropriate requirements
- A summary of job duties.
- Any educational requirements not required by law, stated with a provision for equivalent substitution of applicable experience or training (i.e. “bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required”).
- Any occupational certification, licensing, or registration required by law.
- Salary or hourly pay rate (hiring officials may choose to advertise one of the following):
- Specific hiring range
- Maximum starting salary
- Minimum starting salary
- Full pay band salary range
- Statement such as “commensurate with experience”.
- Preferred qualifications
- A requirement for related experience (but requiring specific years of experience is prohibited)
- Other aspects of the position such as shift, work hours, etc.
- In the state’s Virginia Jobs system. Job announcements must be posted for at least five consecutive workdays.
- In the JMU JobLink recruitment system.
- Through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities listserv.
- Through the Hispanic Association of Colleges * Universities listserv.
- WHSV.com(TV3) Job Board.
- On the JMU job line.
Exceptions to the requirement for automatic advertisement placement are allowed for the following: - Positions that will be used as a placement for employees affected by a layoff.
- Positions to be filled by agency-initiated demotions, promotions or reassignments.
- Similar positions that become vacant within 90 calendar days from the closing date of the previously recruited positions. The hiring authority may use the same candidate pool if the two positions have the same role title, primary duties, work title and organizational unit.
- Selection panel members should familiarize themselves with the basic responsibilities of the position.
- If they are classified employees, selection panel members should be in the same role or a higher role than the position for which they are interviewing (unless they are a human resource professional whose responsibilities include interviewing applicants).
- Selection panel members should make recommendations regarding their choice of applicants to the hiring authority.
- Age, color, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.
- Mental or physical disability that does not interfere with the applicant’s ability to perform the essential functions of the job with or without a reasonable accomodation.
- Other factors that have no bearing on job-related requirements.
- Unsatisfactory references or relatively weak references
- Applicant’s refusal or inability to accept work schedule, salary, duties or other job-related conditions.
- Job-related education and/or training insufficient or not as strong as selected candidate.
- Job-related experience insufficient or not as strong as selected candidate.
- Job-related knowledge/skills/abilities insufficient or not as strong as selected candidate.
- Interpersonal or communications abilities not suited to the needs of the position.
- The Screening Criteria Grid found in JMUJobLink documenting the following:
- Names for all the applications received
- Specific criteria used to evaluate applicants
- Ratings based on the established criteria
- Interview notes/questions on all applicants interviewed
- Reference check forms
- RESPONSIBILITIES
The JMU Office of Human Resources coordinates the recruiting and hiring of classified and wage employees and oversees this policy. - SANCTIONS
Sanctions will be commensurate with the severity and/or frequency of the offense and may include termination of employment.
- EXCLUSIONS
This policy does not apply to the hiring of administrative or instructional and professional faculty.
- INTERPRETATION
The authority to interpret this policy rests with the president and is generally delegated to the director of the JMU Office of Human Resources.
The university does not require nonstudent wage (part-time) positions be advertised. The departments may fill these positions without interviewing or screening applications. However, if a department chooses to conduct a formal search, the guidelines set forth in this policy must be followed.
6.2 SCREENING
Positions may be posted for a fixed period of not less than five consecutive workdays (seven calendar days) from the posting date. When choosing a fixed period, a closing date must be included in the announcement. All applications received by the closing date must be considered.
Positions may also be posted with an open-until-filled statement. If this method is chosen for a classified position, the announcement must be posted on the state’s Virginia Jobs system for at least five consecutive workdays.
Departments may either interview all applicants for a position or reduce the applicant pool by screening applications/resumes. Before screening applications, the hiring authority must choose up to five job-related criteria based on the Position Description for the position. These criteria will be listed in the criteria boxes and will be used to screen all applicants. The JMU Office of Human Resources HR Service Center is available to assist departments with screening.
6.3 INTERVIEWING
Interviews must be conducted for all advertised classified positions. An exception to this policy regards persons on layoff status. If they are minimally qualified for the position, no interview is required. All candidates selected for an interview must be interviewed before an offer is made. However, departments are not required to reschedule interviews with applicants who were unable to make the initial scheduled interview.
Interview questions should be developed before the interviewing process and all questions must be asked of each applicant interviewed. Questions should be job-related and based on knowledge, skills and abilities. Additional questions may be asked in response to statements or questions from the applicant, or to clarify information provided by the applicant.
Interviews may be conducted by the hiring authority, persons designated by the hiring authority or by a selection panel. The following are expectations and responsibilities for selection panel members conducting interviews:
Reference checks are covered in detail in JMU Policy 1320 Providing and Obtaining Employment Reference Information. This policy may be accessed at http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/1320.shtml
Criminal history checks are covered in detail in JMU Policy 1321 Criminal History Investigation. This policy may be accessed at http://www.jmu.edu/JMUpolicy/1321.shtml
6.5 SELECTION
Reasons for non-selection of applicants must be specific and job related.
Using any of the following criteria as reasons for non-selection is prohibited by law or university policy:
After reference checks have been completed and a decision has been made, departments should contact the JMU Office of Human Resources to discuss the starting salary. After speaking with the appropriate human resources representative, an offer may be made. When the offer has been made and accepted, the candidate and the hiring authority can determine a start date. The human resources office will send a welcome letter to all prospective new classified employees (with the exception of those employees who will be working in the Facilities Management Department).
6.7 RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION RECORDS
The recruiting process is one that is closely monitored by state and federal agencies. It is critical that the process for hiring employees at JMU reflect a commitment to hiring practices that do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.
For the protection of those involved in applying for positions, the information related to the recruiting and selection process shall be kept confidential. In addition, under the Virginia Privacy Protection Act, agencies are not required to allow applicants to examine reference data or recommendation letters. Therefore, documentation of reference checks and information obtained should be maintained in strict confidentiality.
6.8 DOCUMENTATION
It is important to provide rigorous documentation of this commitment with each position filled. It is good practice and a matter of regulation. Therefore, all hiring supervisors of classified positions are responsible for submitting all of the following documentation to the JMU Office of Human Resources within a reasonable amount of time once a selection has been made:
Approved by the President: September, 2001
Index of Terms
Recruiting
Hiring
Screening
Reference checks
Recruiting advertising