Administrative (A&P) Recruitment and Employment Procedures

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. Before the recruitment process begins, search committee chairs/hiring officials should obtain information from the Human Resources (HR) and Office of Employment Opportunity & Inclusion (EOI) webpages.

The Hiring Official must be prepared to document all of the following:

• The required minimum 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 minimum required qualifications set forth in the recruitment request;
• The updated position description;
• The venues in which the position is being advertised;
• The individuals involved in the interview process;
• The reasons for the selection and non-selection of all applicants

Prior to beginning the search, the following steps must be taken:

1. Create or review the position description for accuracy.
2. Submit a request to recruit and fill through OASys. This request to recruit must be approved prior to submitting a recruitment request (posting) in OASys. A request to recruit & fill quick guide can be found on the Class & Comp webpage.
3. All A&P recruitments are required to be posted unless an exemption is granted via the submission and approval of the EOI Request for Waiver of Search/Requirement form available through myWings. Requests for internal recruitment must be submitted in writing to Human Resources. Refer to the OASys training resources page for assistance in using OASys.

A search committee is required for all positions at the Director’s level or above and optional for all other A&P positions. The Dean, Director, or Department Head (DDD) is responsible for naming the chair and other members of a search committee. The DDD or department chair should not serve as Chair of the search committee. The committee must be comprised of at least five members and reflect diversity in minority and female representation. At least 51% of the committee members should have completed the search committee training through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Inclusion (EOI) by the time the first round of interviews are conducted. 

Please refer to the Search Committee Guidelines and the Equal Opportunities webpages for additional information concerning the selection and responsibilities of search committees.

If the posting involves a search committee, the search committee members must be added on the Search Committee tab within the OASys recruitment request. Refer to the Search Committee Feature quick guide on how to add search committee members to a recruitment posting. This will allow Search Committee members to access the posting.

All positions must be posted except as noted below under Exemptions.

All positions are required to be posted for a minimum of 10 business days. Positions which have been reopened must be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.

All positions are posted as "open until filled" unless a specific deadline is required and/or requested by the hiring department and agreed upon by HR.

All positions for which a paid advertisement is placed must be open for recruitment no less than 10 business days to ensure appropriate time for response from the public.

All external advertisements must be included in the recruitment request and approved by HR before being placed in any outside resources. All advertisements must include (at a minimum): The position title, salary, deadline/or initial review date, and the following statement:  You must apply online at www.unfjobs.org and submit all required documents to be considered an applicant for this position. UNF is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action Institution.

It is also encouraged to include the Quicklink to the posting itself (e.g., https://www.unfjobs.org/postings/1111) in lieu of www.unfjobs.org in the required statement.

You must insert the text for that advertisement in the field for the external website(s) or print media. 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 listed in your recruitment request and other information that follows.

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 by HR. An advertisement can be placed in www.higheredjobs.com at no cost to the hiring department automatically.

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.  

All applicants must apply online in OASys to be considered an applicant. If they do not apply for positions online in OASys, they are not considered an applicant for the position. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with the Departments of Labor and Justice and the Office of Personnel Management has published guidelines on the definition of an "applicant". Please visit the EEOC webpage 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. 

Human Resources must approve the interview pool BEFORE applicants are interviewed. If the hiring department plans to interview more than one pool, email each pool to HR for record-keeping. HR will review the interview pool and note the approval date in the OASys recruitment history. The recruitment process should include an evaluation of all applications including any attached documents, and the hiring department should make note of the reasons for non-selection for each applicant that is not selected for interview. After interview pool approval by HR, the hiring department must screen applicants via telephone interview prior to requesting approval for campus interviews. Zoom or other online software tools may be substituted for telephone interviews, as long as consistently applied to all applicants selected for that interview phase. Again, the hiring department should make note of the reasons for non-selection for each applicant that is not selected for campus interview. The hiring department can request an exception to skip the telephone interviews and proceed directly to campus interviews by contacting HR in writing, describing the need for the exception to the telephone interview requirement. 

The department must change the status of the applicants in OASys as the search progresses. Do not wait until the end of the process. They may either change an individual applicant's status or change multiple applicant statuses at once. 

The hiring department must conduct employment reference checks on the final candidate(s) prior to submitting a Hiring Proposal. For external recruitments, three (3) reference letters or telephone reference check forms must be attached to the hiring proposal. For internal recruitments, one (1) reference letter or telephone reference check form is required.   

The hiring department must submit an OASys Hiring Proposal to Human Resources for approval prior to an offer being extended. After the hiring proposal is approved, the department will be notified that they are able to extend the offer. The hiring department may not negotiate salary without approval from Human Resources. Upon request or agreement with the hiring department, Human Resources can extend offers on behalf of hiring departments, and will communicate any requests for salary negotiation received from the applicants, as well as prepare the official offer letter. Refer to the A&P Hiring Proposal quick guide for assistance with initiating and submitting a hiring proposal. 

The hiring department must forward the offer letter with signature acceptance, to Human Resources. The offer letter must adhere to the standard offer letter language and include the requirement for the applicant to request and forward official transcripts of post-secondary degree(s) to Human Resources. Offer letter templates can be found on the Human Resources webpage. Offer letters can also be generated and signed electronically within the OASys hiring proposal.

For recruitments conducted by search committee, hiring departments must forward the official search and recruitment file (all documents pertaining to the search) to Human Resources for archival. Search files do not need to include information recorded in OASys or personal notes. Examples of pertinent information are:

• Information on advertising and copies of published ads
• Recruitment letters
• Logistical E-mails between liaison and committee members
• Search Committee meeting announcements, including Osprey Update and University calendar submissions
• E-mails to all applicants, references, etc.
• Copy of rating sheet/matrix used to evaluate applicants, and standard questions asked to each applicant
• 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

The following positions are exempt from the posting and advertising requirements outlined above. Prior to making an appointment, Human Resources 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. Note that the signed offer letter, three (3) reference letters or telephone reference check forms, and official transcripts must be forwarded to Human Resources for these appointments.

• 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 promotion process
• Positions 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 posting and advertising requirements set forth above are not applicable:

• Departmental 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