Administrative (A&P) Recruitment and Appointment

The University has established the following policy in order to establish an orderly and consistent process for the recruitment and appointment of Administrative (A&P) staff and to ensure that all individuals appointed meet the minimum qualifications for the position.

These policies and procedures will be used in conjunction with the University’s online web-based employment application process. This system called OASys (Online Applicant System) will allow all applicants to apply for positions at the University anywhere that there is internet access. Applicants can apply online from any computer or at designated terminals in the Office of Human Resources. They will be able to upload supporting documents, such as a resume, letter of interest, and even unofficial transcripts. OASys will also allow the hiring officials and appropriate office staff (Point of Contact – POC) to complete a recruitment request along with the recruitment plan and view active, pending and historical recruitment requests. The system allows for flow of information among the hiring official, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (EOD), Office of Human Resources (HR), and the vice presidents (VP). OASys contains many other important features that may be used in the recruitment process. These features are identified in the Hiring Manager’s Navigation Guide.

There are four main objectives central to the University’s Administrative (A&P) recruitment and appointment policy:

to recruit and appoint the best qualified persons in a nondiscriminatory manner with respect to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, veteran’s status, and/or disability;
to ensure that the criteria used for hiring A&P staff are job related;
to ensure that documentation is on file demonstrating the required qualifications for the position; and
to ensure diversity in areas where underutilization of women and minorities is found.

1. General Recruitment Requirements:

All searches must be in compliance with federal and state laws and must yield candidates that meet the minimum required advertised qualifications for the position. Search committee chairs and hiring officials should obtain a copy of suggestions for searches and other information from the EOD website and review these before embarking upon the search process. The hiring official must be prepared to document all of the following;

the required minimal credentials expected for the position,
the diversity initiatives utilized in all stages of the hiring process including the selection and appointment of search committee members,
the criteria and qualifications set forth in the OASys recruitment request and recruitment plan,
the updated position description,
the venues in which the position is being advertised,
the individuals involved in the interview process.
the reasons for selection and non-selection of all applicants.

The hiring official and search committee chair should seek guidance from the Director or Assistant Director of EOD, the next level supervisor and/or the respective vice president for assistance in ensuring that a diverse pool of applicants is recruited.

2. Specific Recruitment Requirements:

A recruitment request and plan is required in OASys to fill vacant or new Administrative (A&P) positions unless an exemption from these requirements has been explicitly granted or a waiver of a search has been approved in writing by the President. The online recruitment request and plan must be completed in its entirety and shall state the credentials required for the position.
Approval to fill vacant Administrative (A&P) positions must first be obtained by submitting a Vacancy Pool Request, and providing supporting materials to the Vacancy Pool Review Committee. This process is completed totally outside of OASys. The vacancy must be approved prior to entering a recruitment request and plan in OASys.
Obtain a copy of the approved position description(pd) from Human Resources. Forward a copy of the approved pd to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. EOD must have the pd before they can review your recruitment request and plan.
Download the OASys Navigation Guide for assistance in using OASys.
All Hiring Officials (HO) and Point of Contacts (POC) must have an OASys user name. Go to http://www.unfjobs.org/hr. On the left side of the screen you will click on 'create user account', then follow the directions. Human Resources will notify you via email when you OASys user account had been approved. If you forget your password do not sign up for a new OASys user account, please notify HR and they can reset your password for you. If you do not find your POC or HO’s name in a drop down menu inside OASys, it is because they have not yet received a user account. Forward them the proceeding directions. Once their user account has been approved, they will be in the drop down menus.
All applicants must apply online in OASys to be considered an applicant. If they do not apply for positions online in OASys, we cannot consider them an applicant for the position. On March 4, 2004 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with the Departments of Labor and Justice and the Office of Personnel Management, published clarification and definition of an "applicant". Please go to http://www.eeoc.gov/press/3-3-04.html to view the complete definition.

For an individual to be considered an applicant in the context of the Internet and related electronic data processing technologies, the following must have occurred:
- the employer has acted to fill a particular position;
- the individual has followed the employer’s standard procedures for submitting applications; and
- the individual has indicated an interest in the particular position.
You must complete the recruitment request and plan in OASys at http://www.unfjobs.org/hr. You must complete all of the required fields as noted by the * in the recruitment request. Note: Even though there are no required fields as noted by a * in the recruitment plan, you must complete the entire recruitment plan for all A&P positions.

Job Summary/Responsibilities must contain all the duties and responsibilities listed in #13 of the approved position description.
Required Qualifications must contain all the required qualifications listed in #16, #17, and #18 of the approved position description.
Preferred Qualifications should contain any additional qualifications that surpass the required qualifications.

You have the choice of requiring the applicants to upload their documents or requiring the applicants to mail their document.

If you are requiring the applicants to upload their documents check all of the "Documents that must be submitted electronically at the time of application". These are documents that the applicant must upload when applying online in OASys. If the applicant does not upload these required documents, the system holds the applicants status at "incomplete application" and they are an "inactive applicant". Once the applicant has uploaded all of the required documents and received their confirmation number, the system will move the applicant's status to "under review by department" and the department will be able to view them as an "active applicant".

The applicant must apply online in OASys and must upload these documents to be considered for the position.
If you are requiring the applicants to mail documents please type the following text in the "Special Instructions" box:
You must mail the following materials: (list materials for the applicant to mail: see examples below)
(1) current CV
(2) Official Transcript
(3) Three Letters of Recommendation

Application materials should be addressed to:
(enter name of Chair)
Chair, Search Committee Position Number (enter number here)
Department of (enter Department name here)
University of North Florida
1 UNF Drive Jacksonville, Florida 32224-7699
You may contact (name here) at xxxx@unf.edu or (904) 620-_____ for further information.

The applicant must apply online in OASys and must mail these documents to be considered for the position.

All outside advertisements must be included in the rr/p and must be approved by EOD before being placed in any outside venue(s). All advertisements must include (at a minimum): The position title, salary, deadline/or initial review date, and the following statement: Applicant must complete a one-page application on-line at http://www.unfjobs.org and must submit all required documents to be considered for this position. UNF is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action Institution.
An advertisement will be placed in http://www.higheredjobs.com at no cost to you. You must insert the text for that advertisement in the field for the external website(s) or print media.
All employment ads in the Florida Times-Union are being consolidated. This is intended to reduce advertising costs for individual departments and to give greater impact to the employment ads. The Office of Human Resources and the Office of University Marketing and Publications will coordinate the new ads. Each department will be charged a proportional amount for its ad. Separate requisitions will no longer be needed. The ads will be streamlined and will direct interested job seekers to the University's Web page for more information. Departments may continue to publish separate ads but will pay the full cost of those ads. Questions can be directed to Human Resources at x 2903. The deadline for the Sunday issue is noon the Wednesday before.

PLEASE BE AWARE: The applicant can only view the information on the recruitment request starting at the position number and ending with the special instructions. They will not be able to view the advertisements you have typed in your rr/p and other information that follows.
If you are going to have a search committee you must create a guest user account and password in OASys when you develop your rr/p. This will be used by the search committee chair and search committee members to access the applicant information in OASys.
OASys does not spell check your work. Click on “view rr/p summary” at the bottom of the page; click on “Printer Friendly Version” in the upper right corner of the page; go to the top of your screen and click on File, then click on send, then click on page by e-mail. Your rr/p is now in an outlook email. Click on tools, then click spell check. Spell check the entire document. You can print a copy of the rr/p and annotate the corrections you need to make on that copy. Close the outlook e-mail. Your OASys screen is still up and you can make any necessary spelling corrections.
The hiring official shall save the recruitment request and send a ‘Printer Friendly Version’ via email to their next level supervisor, Dean and Budget.

To send the ‘Printer Friendly Version’ via email is very similar to the way you utilized the spell check feature in Outlook. Click on “Printer Friendly Version” in the upper right corner of the rr/p; go to the top of your screen and click on File, then click on send, then click on page by e-mail. Your rr/p is now in an outlook email. Address the email to those persons who need to review the rr/p before it is sent to EOD for their review/consultation/approval. This approval process is done outside of the OASys system. Remember, this process does not forward the rr/p in OASys.
Hiring Official’s (HO) are responsible for ensuring that the recruitment request and plan has been reviewed and approved by appropriate personnel. Upon approval of your rr/p from your next level supervisor, Dean and Budget go back into OASys and find your rr/p under “view pending’. Forward your rr/p to EOD for review/consultation/approval. This step in OASys will generate an email to EOD letting them know a recruitment request has received the necessary approvals outside of OASys and that it is being forwarded to EOD for review/consultation/approval.
EOD will review the recruitment request. If corrections are needed EOD will return the recruitment request to the Hiring Official for corrections. This step in OASys will generate an email to the HO and Point of Contact (POC) letting you know a rr/p has been returned for corrections. EOD will send an email via Outlook explaining the corrections that are needed in the rr/p. The HO or POC will make the corrections and return the recruitment request to EOD through OASys.
Once EOD has completed the review/consultation/approval, EOD will forward the recruitment request to the VP for approval. This step in OASys will generate an email to the VP letting them know that a recruitment request is waiting to be approved by them. The VP may also return the recruitment request to the HO for corrections. If this happens, the HO will make the required corrections, forward the recruitment request to EOD and EOD will forward it on to the VP for their final approval.
Once the VP has approved the recruitment request, the VP will forward the recruitment request to HR for advertisement on OASys at http://www.unfjobs.org/ and Higher Ed Jobs at http://www.higheredjobs.com. The posting of advertisements on other web sites or print media shall be the responsibility of the college or department. Advertisements must conform to the language approved in OASys by EOD. Remember that all employment ads in the Florida Times-Union are being consolidated, as this is intended to reduce advertising costs for individual departments and to give greater impact to the employment ads. Questions can be directed to Mary O'Neal at x 2903 or Dan Dundon at x 2140. The deadline for the Sunday issue is noon the Wednesday before.
The hiring official is responsible for aggressively recruiting a diverse pool of applicants that meet the required credentials for the position and thus ensuring the University’s strong commitment to diversity. A search committee is required for all positions at the Director’s level or above and recommended for all other positions. The hiring official is responsible for naming the chair and other members of a search committee. This committee must be comprised of at least 5 members and be appointed with as diverse a composition as practicable.
OASys will automatically generate an email to EOD on the day following the applicant review date or the application deadline date. If you have a deadline date, OASys will automatically stop accepting applications at 11:59pm on that date. EOD will review the applicant pool and enter their approval in the “Pool Certification” tab in OASys. EOD will generate an email via Outlook to the hiring official letting them know that the applicant pool has been approved. They may now start reviewing the applications.

Once applicants to be interviewed are identified, an email must be sent to EOD requesting interview approval of these applicants. EOD must approve the interview pool before applicants are interviewed. If you plan to interview more than one pool, email each pool to EOD (separately) for approval. EOD will review the interview pool and enter their approval in the “Pool Certification” tab in OASys. Upon approval of the interview pool, EOD will generate an email via Outlook to the hiring official/search committee chair informing them that the interview pool has been approved. Search Committees are encouraged to utilize the UNF Search Committee Guidelines set forth later in this policy.
If you are utilizing a search committee for you search, the Director (or designee) of EOD will need to attend the first meeting of the search committee to present the EEO instructions. Contact the EOD office at 620-2507 to schedule the meeting.
Once interviews have been completed and a candidate is identified for final consideration, the hiring official must complete an employment recommendation package. Go to http://www.unf.edu/dept/equalop to download the necessary forms.

The Employment Recommendation Package shall include

Proposed letter of offer
A current resume
Three professional letters of recommendation from persons that can attest to the candidate’s qualifications to perform the essential duties of the position. Letters must be signed and dated and should not be more than one year old at the time of initial hire.
Copies of any other correspondence which documents additional credentials for the position
Specific steps taken to recruit women and minorities

The HO must change the status of the applicant in OASys as the search progresses. They may either change an individual status or change multiple statuses. Do not wait until the end of the process. When the status of all of the applicants has been changed, EOD can reflect that a position has been filled.

When to use the various status changes:

Under review by department – Reflects that a candidate has applied and is ready for your review.
Not Hired – Those candidates that definitely do not meet the minimum qualifications; if you choose this status be sure and also choose the reason that the candidate was not hired.
Telephone Interview Pending – Those candidates that you would like to interview by telephone.
Campus Interview Pending – Those candidates that you would like to bring to campus for an interview.
Campus Interviewed – Those candidates that were brought to campus for an interview.
Candidate 1, 2 or 3 – Your top three unranked candidates after you have narrowed your list down.
Not Hired – Change all remaining candidates when the job offer has been accepted. Choose the reason that the candidate was not hired.
Offered Job – The candidate that was offered the job and accepted.

The HO must send letters to all unsuccessful candidates once the position has been filled.
If a recruitment request is to be cancelled, notify EOD via an Outlook email stating the reason for canceling the recruitment request.

Written records of the recruitment and selection process must be kept by the Office of Human Resources for at least three years. Examples of pertinent information are:

Copies of applications received through OASys
Copies of applicants’ support materials
Copy of approved recruitment request and plan
Information on advertising
Recruitment letters
E-mails to all applicants, references, etc.
List of candidates invited for telephone interviews
List of candidates invited for on-campus interviews
Minutes of search committee meetings
Letters of appointment
Letters of rejections
List of candidates and reason for non-selection

3. Exemptions from Recruitment Requirements:

The following positions are exempt from the recruitment requirements outlined above. However, prior to making an appointment, the vice president or next level supervisor is responsible for approving the process by which an individual will be appointed to the position and for ensuring that the individual appointed to the position has the necessary credentials.

Positions to be filled as visiting appointments, if the appointment does not extend beyond one year.
Other Personal Services (OPS) positions.
Positions to be filled via an internal promotional process.
Position funded from contracts or grants where the principal investigator and/or other proposed incumbents are specifically identified by name in the contract or grant or positions that were terminated because a contract or grant ended but are reestablished by a subsequent contract or grant.
Positions to be filled by persons who have been laid off and who have recall rights under rules, policies, or collective bargaining agreements.
Positions of half time (.5 FTE) or less.
Positions to be filled on an acting, temporary, or emergency basis for one year or less.
Positions filled in settlement of litigation, grievance, or arbitration.

The following circumstances do not represent bona fide position vacancies and the requirements set forth above are not applicable:

Promotions.
Position rotation.
The reassignment or demotion of an employee to a different position.
The reclassification of a filled A&P position if no actual vacancy exists.

UNF SEARCH COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

Creating a Diverse Search Committee:

A search committee can be an effective tool in the recruitment and selection process. Because search committees play pivotal roles in diversifying campus staff, it is important that they include representation from minorities and women. Such persons can provide diverse perspectives and access to nontraditional networks and contacts, as well as lending general expertise and credibility to the work of the committee. It is important that minority and female committee members be of the same general rank or status as other members of the committee and have general familiarity with the position and with the unit doing the hiring. Ideally, such representation can come from within the staff in the unit; if no one is available, every effort should be made to identify persons from other campus units or from the community or seek advice from EOD.

When forming a search committee, care should be taken in formalizing the charge of the committee. The expressed purpose should be clearly articulated and guidelines should be set forth. Search committees may be created simply for advisory purposes or they may be given limited authority such as determining finalists from whom the hiring officer will make a final selection.

Appointing a Search Committee:

Search committees are required at the Director level or above and are optional for other A&P positions. Along with the chair, the committee members are usually appointed by the hiring official. A good faith effort should be made to appoint minorities and women members to a search committee. Committees should include a minimum of five (5) individuals with a general knowledge of the department. If the unit conducting the search cannot identify a diverse pool of candidates to serve on the committee, it should look externally to the campus for individuals with the expertise and time to serve. An individual who accepts appointment to a search committee cannot become a candidate for the position.

Search committee members should not be related by kinship, personal relationships, or be engaged in business ventures with persons who may apply for the vacant position. A committee member having a relationship with a candidate, thus creating or giving the appearance of a conflict of interest should not be a member of the search committee. It is incumbent upon a search committee member to disclose these issues when such a conflict arises. Upon having knowledge of any potential conflict of interest, the committee chair should discuss the matter with the appropriate hiring officer.

Responsibilities of the Search Committee Chair:

Consults with the hiring official to review the search process. If a consultation is needed, contact EOD.
Schedules and directs all search committee meetings.
Serves as a contact person and sends acknowledgement of applications.
Provides user name and password to search committee members for access to application materials by creating a guest user id and password in OASys.
Conducts or assists with reference checks.
Serves as liaison between search committee members and candidates
Arranges travel accommodations for interviewees, as needed
Assesses and discusses with department head/administrator any conflict of interest issues.
Sends letters to candidates as needed.
Submits a list of recommended candidates to be interviewed to the HO.
Forwards committee’s recommendations to hiring official re: recommended candidates’ strengths and weaknesses.
Maintains minutes of all search committee meeting, including information regarding how applicants were screened.
Sends notification letters to all applicants after an employment offer is accepted.
Collects all records from committee members and forwards these records to Human Resources (HR) for 3 year retention period.

Responsibilities of the Committee Members:

Attend all meetings scheduled by the chair
Review all applications for education, experience, quality, and other relevant criteria
Assist in establishing a timetable.
Develop a list of questions for reference checks, if requested.
Contact references/former employers, when assigned, and report finding to committee.
Recommend top candidates to the hiring official.
Assist the chair with travel accommodations and interviewing schedules, as needed.
Participate actively in all search phases, interviews, receptions, etc.
Forward all pertinent records to the chair after the search.

Reviewing Applicants:

Establishment of clear criteria and process guidelines that outline search procedures and responsibilities of members will limit confusion and facilitate the recruitment and selection process. The search committee should discuss and come to some consensus about the standards for evaluating the applications. The committee should make sure that every effort is made to ensure that the process does not unfairly eliminate a disproportionate number of women and known minority candidates.

Creating a Diverse Qualified Pool of Applicants:

Creating a broad, diverse pool of qualified candidates is one of the most important functions of the search process. To be effective, the committee must be creative and aggressive in seeking to identify candidates from diverse groups. The following points should be considered when conducting a search:

Care should be taken to identify and utilize those publications and search strategies that will produce a diverse pool of applicants. Relying on “traditional” publications to announce a position will typically result in a traditional pool of applicants.
People contacts are the most effective means of generating candidates. Efforts should be made to contact colleagues and other professionals to inform them of the vacancy and to request nominations. Follow-up should be provided with a letter and a position announcement that they can share with others.
Forward an announcement, with cover letter, to professional associations serving specific populations (e.g., Women and Minorities in Engineering, Association of Black Psychologists, etc.). Also, recruit in person at national meetings or contact special interest groups for specific information regarding possible candidates. Ask for nominations and follow-up appropriately.
Where applicable, send announcements with a cover letter seeking assistance from Historically Black Institutions. Send them to specific departments rather than to the office of the Presidents or Vice President. Ask for nominations and follow-up appropriately.
Utilize annual directories of Ph.D. recipients. Contact potential candidates by phone to inform them of the position and follow-up with an announcement and cover letter. If the person contacted is not available or interested, ask for nominations of other potential candidates.
Where appropriate, campus based networks should be utilized, such as those available through EOD.

Review of Applicants:

In reviewing applicants, members of the committee should be sensitive to the following:

Biases against individuals from lesser known institutions and organizations. Insistence on considering only candidates with degrees or prior work experience at large, elite institutions may be incompatible with equal opportunity goals.
Biases against candidates who are not active participants in mainstream organizations or networks.
Devaluing research and scholarship which focuses on areas not considered mainstream. Thus, the quality of the research and scholarship should be the main focus as well as an assessment of the individual’s potential for future research and scholarship activity.
Devaluing candidates whose prior professional experience focused on working with special populations. Assumptions that a position calls for a narrow or restrictive set of skills that are not transferable are shortsighted.
Making a concerted effort to invite minorities and women to campus for interviews. Ensure that the process evaluates each applicant fairly. If necessary, request additional references, copies of research articles or other work samples to assist in the evaluation. Consult with EOD if assistance is needed.