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Once a department is ready to begin recruitment for a vacant position, the hiring unit will need to create a posting in JobLink. Below is a guide to each step of the JobLink process that should be followed throughout each stage of the search. Please contact your Recruitment Specialist after reviewing this resource if you have additional questions or experience issues navigating the system. 

On This Page:

Guide to JobLink

Position Descriptions and Approvals

  • All Classified positions must have a published position description in the PD App prior to beginning recruitment. Please contact your HR Consultant for more information about creating or updating an existing position description through Manager Self-Service in PeopleSoft.
  • A position description must be on file for all Administrative and Professional Faculty positions. Please use the Administrative & Professional Faculty Job Description and Performance Evaluation to create a position description and email the document to your HR Consultant.
  • Full-time positions in Academic Affairs must have an approved Recruit to Recruit (R2R) in place prior to beginning recruitment (excluding some grant-funded positions). Please contact leadership within your department/unit with questions on this approval process.
JobLink System Reminders
  • Information entered will be saved each time you click the blue “Save” or “Save & Continue” buttons
  • JobLink will time out after approximately 60 minutes if there is no activity; save your work regularly
  • Log in to JobLink, navigate to the “Home” tab
  • Ensure you are under the “Initiator” User Group in the top right of the screen
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  • Scroll down to “My Links” on the right side of the page; click the appropriate type of posting you need to create

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  • In the pop-up box that appears on your screen, select “Create from Position Type” or “Create from Posting”
    • “Create from Posting” will use a previous posting as a template and pre-populate some fields from that previous posting; you can only create from previous posting that you  have created from your JobLink account

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  • On the following screen, enter the correct Working Title, Division, College/Unit and Department (as shown below); if you do not see the Department you need to post under, contact your Recruitment Specialist

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  • Applicant Flow: Leave the Workflow State as “Initial Review”
  • References:
    • To only collects names and contact information for reference checks, leave these fields blank
    • To collect additional reference documentation through JobLink, choose either “No Document” or “Reference Letter”
      • No Document: The applicant’s listed references receive an email from JobLink with a Reference Form to complete and submit
      • Reference Letter: The applicant’s listed references receive an email from JobLink with instructions to upload a letter of reference to JobLink

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    • References note: “Reference Form” varies per posting type
      • Faculty posting “reference form” asks solely for contact information; faculty postings are often set up to include “Reference Letter”
      • Staff posting “reference form” asks for reference contact information, and also asks the reference to rate the applicant on a scale of 1-5, in different areas, such as Job Performance, Communication Skills, Technical Skills, etc.
  • Online Applications: Leave the “Accept online applications?” checked
  • Accepted Application Forms: Solely for faculty postings, choose the application type you prefer

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  • Click the red “Create New Posting” button; proceed to Position Details

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Fill out all Position Information fields as completely and accurately as possible to avoid delays in the posting process

These fields require information you or your department should have from your HR Consultant when you speak with them about the vacancy before posting the position.

Complete the following "Position Information" fields:

  • Working Title
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Position Number
  • Posting Number
    • Will automatically populate once the posting is created
  • Occupation Family
  • Career Group
  • State Role Title
  • Role Code
  • Position Type
  • Position Status
  • FLSA Status
  • College/Division
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Department
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Reviewer
    • This is the supervisor’s supervisor – two tiers above the position being recruited for
  • Supervisor
  • Name of Employee Replacing
    • please enter “New Position” if applicable
  • Pay Band
  • Pay Band Range
  • Pay Rate
  • Specify Range or Amount
    • If this amount will differ from the pay of the previous individual in the role, discuss with your HR Consultant first
    • Note that departments cannot offer an amount outside of the listed range or above the listed maximum starting salary once the position is posted
  • Is this a JMU Only position?
  • Is this a grant-funded position?
  • General Information
  • Duties and Responsibilities
  • Qualifications
  • Conditions of Employment (pre-populated)
  • EEO Statement (pre-populated)
  • Reasonable Accommodation Request (pre-populated)
  • Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (pre-populated)

Complete the Posting Detail Information fields:

  • Posting Date: Indicate your preferred posting date
    • All efforts are made to post your position within 2 business days of submission; your Recruitment Specialist will shift this date forward as needed based on actual date of posting
  • Begin Review Date
  • Closing Date Open Until Filled
    • Classified and Wage positions must be posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days, after which you may begin reviewing applications and/or close the posting
  • Proposed Starting Date: Indicate the preferred start date
    • Allow time between the Begin Review Date and the Proposed Starting Date to reasonably account for the successful candidate to give adequate notice with their current employer
  • Search Committee Chair: Provide the full name of the search chair
  • Departmental Users With Access to Posting Information: Add the name(s) of individual(s) who need editing access to the posting
    • Only individuals with Initiator level access to the department will appear here; contact your Recruitment Specialist with questions
    • If an individual will need “View Only” access, you will add them as a search committee member on a later tab
  • Additional Posting Information: Share additional application instructions as needed
    • For example, provide context for what required documents are needed to apply, or specific prompts to be addressed in applicants’ cover letters

Click “Save” or “Save and Continue”:

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Fill out all Position Information fields as completely and accurately as possible to avoid delays in the posting process

These fields require information you or your department should have from your HR Consultant when you speak with them about the vacancy before posting the position.

Complete the following "Position Information" fields:

  • Working Title
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Position Number
  • Posting Number
    • Will automatically populate once the posting is created
  • State Role Title
  • Position Type
  • Position Status
  • College/Division
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Department
    • Automatically populated from previous page
  • Reviewer
    • This is the supervisor’s supervisor – two supervision tiers above the position being recruited for
  • Supervisor
    • This is the individual who will directly supervise the position being recruited for
  • Name of Employee Replacing
    • please enter “New Position” if applicable
  • Pay Rate
    • Choose from the drop down
  • Specify Range or Amount
    • Enter the range or amount
    • Note that departments cannot offer an amount outside of the listed range or above the listed maximum starting salary once the position is posted
    • It is common for Faculty positions to be posted as Commensurate with Experience; contact your Recruitment Specialist with any questions
  • Is this a JMU Only position?
    • Note that the department must receive permission to post a JMU Only recruitment; contact your Recruitment Specialist with questions
  • Is this a grant-funded position?
  • Have you received approval from Academic Affairs to recruit for this position? (For Academic Affairs Only)
    • Contact leadership in your department/unit for questions on obtaining permission to recruit via the Request to Recruit (R2R) ePAR process
  • About James Madison University (pre-populated)
  • General Information
  • Duties and Responsibilities
  • Qualifications
  • Conditions of Employment (pre-populated)
  • EEO Statement (pre-populated)
  • Reasonable Accommodation Request (pre-populated)
  • Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (pre-populated)

Complete the "Posting Detail Information" fields:

  • Posting Date: Indicate your preferred posting date
    • All efforts are made to post your position within 2 business days of submission; your Recruitment Specialist will shift this date forward as needed based on actual date of posting
  • Begin Review Date
  • Closing Date Open Until Filled
    • Faculty positions must be posted for a minimum of 30 calendar days, after which you may begin reviewing applications and/or close the posting
  • Proposed Starting Date: Indicate the preferred start date
    • Allow time between the Begin Review Date and the Proposed Starting Date to reasonably account for the successful candidate to give adequate notice with their current employer
  • Search Committee Chair: provide the full name of the search chair
  • Departmental Users With Access to Posting Information: Add the name(s) of individual(s) who need editing access to the posting
    • Only individuals with Initiator level access to the department will appear here; contact your Recruitment Specialist with questions
    • If an individual will need “View Only” access, you will add them as a search committee member on a later tab
  • Additional Posting Information: Share additional application instructions as needed
    • For example, provide context for what required documents are needed to apply, or specific prompts to be addressed in applicants’ cover letters
    • For faculty positions within Academic Affairs, language asking applications to address their diversity, equity, and inclusion philosophy in their application materials is required; this is where you may provide that language – refer to the Academic Affairs Guidelines for Recruiting and Hiring Faculty for more information.

Click “Save” or “Save and Continue”:

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Indicate how many references each candidate should be required to provide

  • If you opted to receive letters of reference or reference forms when creating posting, the listed references will be prompted to submit letters to JobLink
  • If you did not opt to receive letters of reference, the references’ contact information will be available for the hiring unit to contact as part of required reference check conduction

Minimum Requests will default to 3, as a minimum of 3 professional reference checks are required per JMU Policy 1320

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Click “Save & Continue” to proceed:

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Please note that there is NOT an advertising tab for Student and Graduate Assistant postings.

  • Commonly used ad sources are listed here; indicate any ads your department would like to place
  • Use the “Other Advertising Source” fields to provide additional ad locations of interest not shown here
  • Review HR’s Diversity Advertising Sources or contact your Recruitment Specialist to discuss strategic advertising
  • Your Recruitment Specialist will obtain advertising quotes and send them to the hiring unit for final cost approval before ads are placed

Click “Save & Continue” to proceed:

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  • Required, pre-populated questions for all postings:
    • “How did you learn about this position?”
    • “If you selected a source above please type “N/A” in the following box. If you selected “Other” please indicate where you heard about the position.”
  • To include additional questions, select the “Add a question” button on the right of the page:
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  • Search by keyword, check the box beside your additional question, and click “Submit”
  • To ask a question that is not listed, click “Add a new one”; your Recruitment Specialist will review your question for approval during the posting review process
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Click “Save & Continue” to proceed:

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  • Required Documents: documents applicants must upload to apply
  • Optional Documents: documents, if any, applicants will have the option to attach to their application
  • To re-order documents, click and drag the document names
  • Provide context as needed for documents listed here under “Additional Posting Information” field, in the Position Details tab

Click “Save & Continue” to proceed:

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  • Search Committee Members have a “view only” access to view submitted materials from applicants
  • To add an existing user to the Search Committee Members tab, click on the blue “Add Existing User” button on the bottom left of the screen:
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  • Search by name or department; click “Add Member” when the individual appears:
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  • If someone does not appear because they do not have a JobLink account, click “Create New User Account”; complete the required fields:
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Click “Save & Continue” to proceed:

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  • Review all the information displayed here for accuracy
  • To proceed, use the “Take Action on Posting” button in the top right:
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  • Note: Student postings will show “Submit for Approval (Move to Student Employment Review)”; Graduate Assistant postings will show “Submit for Approval (Move to Graduate School Review)”
  • Click “Submit” on the pop-up screen that appears:
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  • Faculty and staff postings: your HR Recruitment Specialist will review the posting and reach out if additional information is needed
    • Every effort is made to post the position within 2 business days of submission for HR Review; your Recruitment Specialist will reach out during this time frame with any questions or if additional information is needed to proceed
  • Student postings: The Office of Student Employment will review/approve your posting; please reach out to their office with any questions
  • Graduate Assistant postings: The Graduate School will review/post your posting; please reach out to their office with any questions

When to close a posting:

  • Postings should be closed once there is an adequate applicant pool
    • Classified and Wage postings must remain open for 7 calendar days
    • AP and Instructional Faculty postings must remain open for 30 calendar days
    • Student and Graduate Assistant postings have no minimum requirement
  • HR recommends closing the posting once you start interviewing applicants
  • You must screen and consider all applicants who apply, not just those individuals who had applied when you started reviewing or interviewing candidates, so be mindful of when it is appropriate to close your posting to ensure every applicant is equally given consideration

To close a posting:

  • Click the “Working Title” of the posting in JobLink
  • Click the “Take Action on Posting” button on the top right of the screen
  • Select “Close Posting (Move to Closed)”
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  • Click “Submit” on the pop-up screen that appears
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To re-open a posting:

  • Postings can be reopened within 90 days of the closing date if a pool of candidates does not meet the requirements of a position
  • Contact your Recruitment Specialist to reopen a posting

To update applicant statuses:

  • You must update all applicant statuses to be able to fill cancel, or mark unsuccessful any posting
    • Please note that every effort should be made to reflect each candidate’s final status accurately to ensure data integrity for all recruitments; work with the search committee chair to ensure you have accurate information
  • Navigate to the correct posting in JobLink; click the “Working Title”
  • Click the “Applicants” tab for the posting
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  • Check the boxes beside the name of each applicant whose workflow state you need to change
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  • Click “Actions”, then “Move in Workflow” from the dropdown
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  • Next, change applicant statuses individually or in bulk using the “change for all applicants” option
  • You will also provide a reason for each candidate not selected for hire
  • If the search was successful, at least one candidate will be marked “Select for Hire” at this stage
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  • Once all applicant statuses have been updated to a final disposition status, click on the red “Save Changes” button on the bottom right of the screen

To update a posting to “Canceled” or “Unsuccessful”:

  • All applicant statuses must first be updated (see previous section)
  • If the recruitment was canceled, use the “Take Action on Posting” button to select “Cancel – Send Email”; click “Submit” on the following pop-up screen
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  • If the recruitment was deemed unsuccessful, use the “Take Action on Posting” button to select “Unsuccessful – Send Email”; click “Submit” on the following pop-up screen
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  • If you are unsure whether the posting should be marked canceled or unsuccessful, contact your Recruitment Specialist

To fill a posting and finalize a recruitment:

  • All applicant statuses must first be updated (see previous section)
  • Return to the “Applicants” tab of the posting
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  • Click the last name of the candidate with a status of “Select for Hire”
  • The next screen will display the selected candidate’s application; click “Start Hiring Proposal” on the top right of the screen
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  • On the next screen, select “Start Hiring Proposal
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  • Click “Save & Continue”, then click “Take Action on Hiring Proposal” and select “Submit for Approval (move to Human Resources Final Approval)”
    • Click “Submit” on the pop-up screen that appears
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  • Student postings will display “Submit for Approval (move to Student Employment for final approval)”; then click “Submit” on the pop-up screen that appears
  • Graduate Assistant postings will display “Submit for Approval (move to Graduate School for final approval) for Graduate Assistant postings, and click the “Submit” on the pop-up screen that appears
  • You are now finished; your Recruitment Specialist will receive and approve the hiring proposal, and then will change the status of your posting to Filled
  • It is the hiring department’s responsibility to contact those that were interviewed but not hired to let them know the position has been filled
  • All applicants with a status of “Not Interviewed” will receive an email from JobLink to let them know the position has been filled once the posting is changed to filled

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Human Resources
Wine-Price Building
MSC 7009
752 Ott Street
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Email Us
540/568-6165
Fax: 540/568-7916
VA Relay 711
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