SCREENING COMMITTEE HANDBOOK 6.2009 1
SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCREENING COMMITTEE HANDBOOK INDEX I. Introduction...3 II. Declaring a Vacancy...3 III. General Responsibilities of the Chief Human Resources Officer......4 IV. Reflections on Candidates Qualities...4 V. Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity...4 VI. VII. VIII. IX. General Responsibility of Chairperson and Committee members...5 Screening Committee Composition...6 The Role of the Screening Committee...7 Minimum Qualifications...8 X. Confidentiality, Professionalism, Ethics, Conflict of Interest...8 XI. Narrowing the Field...9 XII. Reference and Background Checking...9 XIII. Interview...10 XIV. Interview Activities...10 XV. Recommendation of Finalists...11 XVI. Responsibility for Notification of Candidates...11 XVII. Document Transmittal to Human Resources...11 XVIII. How to Handle Inquiries From Applicants...12 Attachments: A 2005 Affirmative Action Policy Statement...13 B Conducting a Telephone Pre employment Reference Check...14 C Sample Questions in the Diversity Area...17 D Task Force Recommendations...19 2
SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SCREENING COMMITTEE PROCEDURES I. INTRODUCTION The process and procedures for the screening and selection of applicants for administrative, exempt professional, classified and faculty positions with South Puget Sound Community College are set by the college. The processes stated in this manual are set forth in compliance with applicable laws on non-discrimination, generally accepted professional personnel practices, and internal college values and policies to ensure the selection of highly qualified individuals, promote diversity, and provide career opportunities for full-time employee candidates working at the college. It is important to keep in mind that committees are formed to appraise and screen applications and recommend finalists to the president or appropriate appointing authority not to act as a selection committee. The ultimate selection responsibility lies with the president as delegated by the College Board of Trustees for administrative, exempt professional and faculty positions; and with the appropriate appointing authority in collaboration with the chief human resources officer for classified staff. II. DECLARING A VACANCY Declaring full-time faculty vacancies for the following academic year should occur as early in the fall quarter as possible, and preferably no later than November 30 of the preceding year. Fulltime faculty vacancies are determined by the appropriate vice president and the president based upon, but not limited to, such criteria as contribution of the position to the curricular offerings, enrollment trends, current staffing patterns, retirements, resignations, attrition and the financial resources available. The screening process is initiated when the vice president, with approval from the president and his staff, authorizes a personnel requisition form to the Human Resources Office. Such requisitions should be received in the Human Resources Office no later than January 1 of each year for position vacancies to be opened by February 1 and closed by March 31 of each year. Declaring administrative, exempt professional or classified vacancies are determined by the president and his staff. The decision to fill a vacant or create a new administrative or exempt professional position is based on workload requirements, budgetary considerations and the overall administrative needs of the college. The president in conjunction with Human Resources may choose either to conduct an internal administrative or exempt professional search or to solicit applications from candidates both internal/promotional and external to the college community. Position vacancies are initiated when the President and his staff authorize a personnel requisition form to the Human Resources Office. 3
III. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER It will be the responsibility of the chief human resources officer (who is also the college Affirmative Action Officer) to provide guidance and technical assistance to the committee in regard to fair employment practices, affirmative action, the college s commitment to diversity and other related areas. In addition, materials on affirmative action in employment, uniform guidelines on employment selection procedures and pre-employment inquiries are available and will be reviewed with the screening committee as part of this handbook. This process should assist the committee to understand the legal groundwork for screening and interviewing and to develop good questions and sound interview techniques. The Human Resources Office will be responsible also for position descriptions, advertising, posting, distribution and maintenance of records, as well as all correspondence and communication with candidates. IV. REFLECTIONS ON CANDIDATE QUALITIES One major issue the committee will be confronting is the candidate who has the most qualifications, either formal education or work experience, versus the candidate who may best fit the overall needs of the college. It is often much easier to rate a candidate higher if he/she has quantifiable qualifications (e.g., additional education, more years of teaching, etc.). A primary charge of the committee is to discover those special experiences and qualities that candidates possess which meet the college s goals for excellence through high quality instruction, support services and diversity. The value of providing diversity in a leadership position or promoting a career opportunity must not be underestimated as a job-related quality. It is essential that screening committees go beyond paper credentials and evaluate and value the other human qualities of the candidate that will enhance the position, programs and college. The following vision statement is part of the college strategic plan: The college faculty, staff and students are a community of diverse cultures, ages, sexual orientations, races, religions, abilities, ethnicities and nationalities working and learning in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and mutual respect. V. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY South Puget Sound Community College is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. The concept of equal opportunity is nondiscriminatory in the hiring process against any job applicant on the basis of that applicant s race or ethnicity; creed; color; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability; or whether a disabled or Vietnam era veteran. Affirmative action goes further in establishing a plan for the college to actively seek and employ persons of classes that are under-represented in various job classes when comparing the college workforce with appropriate labor market data. These protected classes include people 4
of color, people with disabilities, people over the age of 40, veterans of the Vietnam era and disabled veterans and females for those positions under-represented by females. The college will make every effort to eliminate barriers to equal opportunity encountered by these protected group members and improve employment opportunities available to underrepresented groups. In this effort, the college s policy statement of affirmative action states, The college will continue to recruit, hire, train, promote and improve opportunities for individuals in all job classifications solely upon their qualifications and ability or potential ability to carry out the duties of the job and shall consider race; color; creed; religion; national origin; gender; marital status; age, mental, physical or sensory disability; or whether a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam eras only when such is a bona fide occupational qualification as reviewed and approved by the Human Rights Commission or any other agency with similar jurisdiction. See Attachment A for the full Affirmative Action Policy statement. While the college is extremely conscientious of diversity, it should be noted that all candidates will receive fair and equitable treatment and will not be discriminated against in the employment process. VI. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY OF CHAIRPERSON AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS Role of Hiring Committee Chairperson The Committee Chairperson manages the work of the committee and consults closely with Human Resources throughout the recruitment and selection process. The Chairperson advises the Chief Human Resources Officer about committee activities, requests assistance for responding to inquiries and complaints, and facilitates the interviews. The Chairperson is responsible for assuring that all information about the screening and selection process is kept in absolute confidence. Duties of the Chair include: Ensure collaboration and confidentiality during the process. Convene the committee for the initial orientation and planning meeting, prior to position closing date. Collaborate with HR and committee members to create rating guide, to set timeline for application screening, to schedule interviews and reference checking. Collaborate with committee to develop interview questions, scenario, tours and format for interviews. Facilitate interview sessions (welcome, introduce committee; explain process to candidate, etc). Write committee recommendation from committee to president and/or respective VP for candidates selected to move forward for a second interview. Collect all notes or committee documents and forward them to HR. Pending second interview outcome w/president and VP s, follow up meetings as necessary 5
The overall general responsibility of the committee and of each committee member is to be fully knowledgeable of the information in this manual which will provide a fair and consistent procedure to assess the qualifications and traits of candidates and identify finalists for recommendation to the president or appropriate appointing authority. All employees on the screening committee, in addition to representing their constituency groups, are to represent the college, students and the students needs. In that regard the committee is to develop written job related rating criteria, to rate the candidates, to conduct further assessment such as reference checks, to interview the top candidates and finally to recommend finalists with accompanying supporting documents. VII. SCREENING COMMITTEE COMPOSITION A. Admin/Exempt/ Classified Screening Committees Once a vacancy has been determined, the president, vice president or manager will appoint a screening committee for the vacancy. Employees are appointed to the screening committee to ensure the following: 1. representation by those who would serve as colleagues of the applicant; 2. representation by those who would serve in the role of supervisor to the applicant; 3. when applicable, representation by those who would be supervised by the applicant; 4. diversity across protected classes (as defined in Article V, Paragraph 2 of this handbook). At a minimum, the screening committee should have: 1. an administrative appointment who shall act as chair; 2. one or more faculty, classified, administrative or exempt professional member(s) from the area in which the vacancy exists; 3. one or more persons from protected classes; 4. additional appointments to provide broad college representation; and 5. the chief human resources officer may be an ex-officio member. B. Faculty Screening Committee Once a vacancy has been determined, the president or vice president will appoint a screening committee for the vacancy. Employees are appointed to the screening committee to ensure the following: 1. representation by those who would serve as colleagues of the applicant; 2. representation by those who would serve in the role of supervisor to the applicant; 6
3. when applicable, representation by those who would be supervised by the applicant; 4. diversity across protected classes (as defined in Article V, Paragraph 2 of this handbook). At a minimum, the screening committee for faculty positions should have: 1. an administrative appointment who shall act as chair; 2. the division dean, if the vacancy is in a faculty/instruction division; 3. one or more faculty, or other college member(s) from the academic or technical discipline in which the vacancy exists; 4. one or more persons from protected classes; 5. additional appointments to provide broad college representation; and 6. the chief human resources officer may be an ex-officio member. If a screening committee requires expertise in a specialized area (or for diversity) additional employees, students, representatives of program advisory committees or other community representatives may be appointed by the vice president or Human Resources. All screening committees will attempt to reflect ethnic and gender balance. VIII. THE ROLE OF THE SCREENING COMMITTEE A. Committee Tasks The screening committee chair will meet in advance of the position closing date to receive initial guidelines and training from Human Resources. This includes information regarding confidentiality, creating the rating guide, format for interviews, and to determine the hiring timeline. 1. The committee meets to develop a timeline for screening applications and to choose tentative interview dates and times. 2. The committee works collaboratively to develop the rating guide for rating applicants and identifying qualified finalists. 3. The committee will set at time frame to submit interview questions. B. Candidate Selection Criteria - The Rating Guide The rating guide is taken verbatim from the job posting. It is the fundamental task of the committee to discuss the criteria for the position and assign a number weighting to each area. The committee will give appropriate weights to the criteria that are used. The criteria must be job related, within the values of the college, fair to all applicants and must be measurable. It is important to not over-emphasize experience. The committee is looking for the candidates that, on paper at least, exhibit the most suitable knowledge, experience, abilities and traits to fill the position. Years of quantifiable experience are good but not 7
a sole measure of the qualities the committee is seeking. Qualities which may enhance the candidate s ability to empower or serve as a role model for students, faculty and staff are important. Look for reasons to screen in candidates not screen out candidates. Likewise, faculty positions also have common elements. These typically are: 1. education/scholarship; 2. teaching experience in both the primary subject matters as well as interdisciplinary or developmental areas that may be required or desired; 3. specific experience in the discipline or subject matter; 4. experience and sensitivity in relation to diverse populations; 5. computer aided instruction and other knowledge or experience in various instructional or delivery systems; 6. curriculum planning and development; 7. where applicable, other relevant work experience for vocational certification requirements or added value; and 8. experience in working with various learning styles and abilities. The committee should consider giving value to generic skills or transferable skills. For example: If an applicant has fiscal experience in an arena outside of higher education, the rating instrument needs to address and value that experience. Committee members are expected and encouraged to attend all committee meetings so the same information is heard and communicated to all members in the same manner. It is also expected that each applicant be rated by every member of the committee. All rating sheets, committee notes and other documents are to remain confidential and turned over to the chief human resources officer after the position is filled. IX. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS The minimum qualifications must be met by all candidates. The practice is that Human Resources will screen the applications for minimum submission requirements (college application, resume etc.). All applications will be made available to the committee. The chair and the screening committee will be given time to screen and score all applications to ensure they meet the minimum qualifications. X. CONFIDENTIALITY, PROFESSIONALISM, ETHICS, CONFLICT OF INTEREST The committee will be given original application materials and electronic copies. The materials must be safeguarded and treated with confidentiality. This may seem fundamental, but each committee member must act in the highest manner of professionalism. Committee members must feel free to express their opinions within the 8
committee structure while maintaining the confidential nature of the committee s work with non-committee colleagues It is assumed that each committee member, while retaining a special perspective, will make every effort to operate objectively and will leave bias and partisan loyalty out of his/her search efforts. Trust dictates that each member operates in a professional and confidential manner at all times regarding the committee charge, not only during committee proceedings but at other times as well. It is assumed that all members serving on the committee accept the charge to be professional, fair and ethical. XI. NARROWING THE FIELD No set number of finalists is mandated when narrowing the field. The human resources office will create a listing of the final average scores for the committee s review. It is the goal to narrow the field to a point of reasonable exclusion and inclusion. The smaller group of candidates must be as representative of diversity as the original group. In other words, there is to be a good mix of candidates of sufficient quality to proceed. Only the chief human resources officer has the demographic information provided by the candidate(s). The chief human resources officer may need to be consulted at this stage. For example: If the original pool had a diverse group of candidates while the smaller pool does not, then the committee needs to stop for re-evaluation and to discuss various options or the pool will not reflect the goals of the college. There may be occasions when a position is re-advertised because the quality is lacking or the pool is not sufficiently diverse. This decision will be made by the president after consultation with the committee chair and the chief human resources officer. XII. REFERENCE AND BACKGROUND CHECKING The use of reference and background checking is essential in the screening process. This step will occur after the final recommendations have been made to the president and his staff on the top candidates only. See Attachment B for an example of a telephone reference form. The chair will organize the reference check process with human resources. A standard form will be developed with standard questions and a standard to judge the responses. The questions asked should not telegraph the answer nor should they be formed in a leading fashion. Questions should also probe for potential in candidates as well as past accomplishments. The best candidate for a position may well be one that possesses abundant potential but has not had the opportunity to use that potential. Open ended questions can elicit more detailed and informative responses. If the committee desires a specific response to an area of inquiry the question should be focused to elicit that response. Both individuals submitted by a candidate as references and individuals not submitted by the candidate can and should be called. As a matter of courtesy, the candidates must be notified 9
by the chair or the chief human resources officer that this action is taking place. If the candidate objects, then the committee must decide to delay action on that candidate or drop that candidate from further consideration. XIII. INTERVIEW The field is reduced to those candidates selected for an interview. Again, there is no set number but keep in mind that the committee must submit a list of acceptable finalists to the president. A diverse pool of internal candidates, female candidates, candidates of color and candidates with disabilities should be in this interview group when possible. The committee should not arbitrarily set a fixed number to interview. Too many candidates who look good on paper do not interview well; likewise, other candidates with a more modest track record become leading candidates after an interview is granted. Extra time should be taken to do a thorough job. Granting an interview is not offering someone the position. Many committees feel stressed and pressured and want finality to their tasks by limiting interviews to a select few. In order to encourage and promote diversity and career paths of candidates, committees should give candidates every possible consideration. XIV. INTERVIEW ACTIVITIES While the interview is still the primary activity of the day, committees should consider other activities as well. For instance, having the candidate teach a short lecture or deliver a lesson plan is appropriate. Doing some other kind of hands on demonstration has also been used for instructional positions. As long as the activity is fair, job related, legal (as stated in applicable federal and state laws and regulations) and consistently used with all interviewees, it can be a good screening tool. The chair and human resources coordinate the interview day(s) and time(s) with committee members and the chief human resources officer. The human resources office staff will contact the candidates and schedule interviews, indicating to the candidates the process, any activities planned, etc. Obviously the development of the interview questions is an important task. The questions need to be standardized and job related for every candidate to avoid problems of bias and discrimination and to avoid off-the-cuff statements or questions that may be perceived as unfair or illegal. The college and most employers in general have experienced claims of unfairness in employment because committee members appear biased in the areas of age, gender, color, race or disability. Specific questions relating to affirmative action and diversity need to be asked. Questions to the candidate should be worded to extract specific answers related to his/her leadership role, involvement, activities, etc. in this area. See Attachment C for examples of questions in this area. Interview questions should be reviewed by the chief human resources officer. 10
XV. RECOMMENDATION OF FINALISTS After the interviews are conducted, the committee is to make final recommendations in writing to the president or appropriate appointing authority which would list those candidates determined to be acceptable by the committee, not ranked, but listed alphabetically with each candidate s strengths and weaknesses as determined by the committee. There is no maximum number of candidates to be recommended. Remember that the finalists are not ranked and the submission of these names to the president or appointing authority explicitly states that the committee is confident that any candidate put forward meets the stated qualifications of the position and the needs of the college. In a very highly specialized position, there is sometimes a small candidate pool. In this circumstance, the committee may be able to recommend only one or two finalists. If this is the case, the committee needs to provide the president or appointing authority with rationale on why the committee was not able to recommend a larger number of candidates. The final pool of candidates must be sufficient in number to give the president or appointing authority a broad choice of diversity so as to accommodate potential candidate withdrawals, weak references, inadequate final interviews, etc. in considering the final decision. There may be candidates that were close in the paper scoring that can now be interviewed, or a previously interviewed candidate may be re-evaluated for submission as a finalist. The committee needs to be flexible to accommodate these contingencies. For this reason it is better to be more inclusive in the number of candidates to interview. XVI. RESPONSIBILITY FOR NOTIFICATION TO CANDIDATES The responsibility for notification is shared among two areas: 1. Written notification to all candidates will be the responsibility of the human resources office. Unless specifically designated to do so, committee members are not to discuss action in committee meetings especially regarding applicant names, personal or professional information, nor are they to personally notify successful or unsuccessful candidates. 2. Personal notification to all unsuccessful candidates presently working at the college is the responsibility of the chief human resources officer. 3. Personal notification to all interviewees not recommended as finalists is the responsibility of the human resources office. 4. Personal notification to all other finalists is the responsibility of the president and/or the chief human resources officer if asked by the president. XVII. DOCUMENT TRANSMITTAL TO HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICE Documentation should be conducted in all aspects of the process to provide a defense for affirmative action, equal employment opportunity or bias complaints and/or litigation as well as for validity, adverse impact and the public s expectations for fairness. 11
All documents such as rating sheets, committee notes and memoranda need to be collected, organized and sent to the human resources office. The human resources office has the primary responsibility to keep these documents for potential future claims or litigation by an applicant as well as for general record retention requirements. XVIII. HOW TO HANDLE INQUIRIES FROM APPLICANTS It is common for some applicants to ask questions of committee members or the human resources office staff as to reasons why they did not succeed in a particular phase of the process. Any committee member receiving such an inquiry from a job applicant should be courteous and recommend that the applicant call the chief human resources officer. Under no circumstances should the committee member reveal any confidences of the committee. The procedures in this handbook are legal and college processes. In order to protect the credibility and reputation of the college, the committees and the committee members, it is essential that each and every committee member be knowledgeable of these procedures and processes. If there are any questions, please contact the chief human resources officer. 12
ATTACHMENT A SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE 2005 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY STATEMENT POLICY STATEMENT [60-2.13(a), 60-2.14 & 60-2.20-WAC 357-25-025(1)] South Puget Sound Community College is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal opportunity and nondiscrimination to applicants and employees without regard to race or ethnicity; creed; color; national origin; sex; marital status; sexual orientation; age; religion; the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability; or whether a disabled or Vietnam era veteran. The college is equally committed to take affirmative action to increase the numbers of American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Blacks, Hispanics, women, persons age 40 and over, persons with disabilities, disabled veterans and Vietnam era veterans in positions where it is determined they are under-represented. The college will make every effort to eliminate barriers to equal opportunity encountered by these affected group members and improve employment opportunities available to under-represented groups. Following are the specific goals within the policy: A. The College will continue to recruit, hire, train, promote and improve opportunities for individuals in all job classifications solely upon their qualifications and ability or potential ability to carry out the duties of the job and shall consider race; color; creed; religion; national origin; gender; marital status; age; mental, physical or sensory disability; or whether a disabled veteran or a veteran of the Vietnam eras only when such is a bona fide occupational qualification as reviewed and approved by the Human Rights Commission or any other agency with similar jurisdiction. B. The College will ensure that all personnel actions such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, return from layoffs, college sponsored training, education, tuition assistance, social and recreational programs will be administered without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran. C. Goals will be set equal to availability in areas where affected classes are determined to be underrepresented. The College will make every good faith effort to meet these goals. D. The President, South Puget Sound Community College, 360-596-5206, is charged with the overall responsibility for assuring that the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action policy is administered effectively. It is incumbent, upon each member of the college faculty, administration, and staff to make a good faith effort in the execution of this policy. E. The College commitment to this expressed policy is distributed annually to all employees. President July 28, 2005 13
ATTACHMENT B CONDUCTING A TELEPHONE PREEMPLOYMENT REFERENCE CHECK by James M. Elliott and Ray R. Fortunato Purpose A pre-employment reference check is intended to discover any undesirable factors in a job applicant s background prior to making an employment commitment. Why Use the Telephone? The ideal way to conduct such a check would be by personal visit, but since this often is not possible, a telephone check is adequate. Letters or forms rarely uncover negative information. People hesitate to write comments they might give either in person or by telephone. Because of the stylized approach of form letters, the necessary information you are seeking may not be elicited. A telephone check can be guided into different avenues, depending on how the person giving the information is reacting to your questions, which provide much more flexibility than does a written response. Preparing for the Telephone Call The original interviewer of the prospective employee should make the reference check. In all probability, he/she is the most familiar with the applicant and will have the background information to do the necessary probing. Be sure to obtain permission from an applicant if you plan to call his/her present employer. You can t afford to jeopardize the applicant s employment. The Call Itself Call the person who had direct supervision over the applicant. Don t attempt to get reference information secondhand. For instance, don t try to get information from someone in a staff relationship (such as the Human Resources Office) unless no other channel is available. People in the Human Resources Office or the Accounting Department can verify dates of employment and termination, but they are not usually in a position to give valuable information regarding the job applicant s former work habits, performance, personal habits, etc. Here are some do s and don ts to consider: 1. Don t leave a call-back if the person you are trying to reach is not available. You may receive the return call when you are unable to discuss the applicant. 2. However, sometimes reference checks can be made by voice mail if you can leave a direct question and the question can be answered by voice mail. 3. Identify yourself immediately, explain your position with your organization, and tell the party why you are calling about the applicant. 4. Assure the person you contact that any discussions you have will be held in confidence. 5. Ask whether he or she is free to discuss the situation. 6. Offer to have the party call you back collect if you sense that he/she doubts the legitimacy of your call. 7. Try to establish rapport with the person you are calling. Perhaps he/she has a son or daughter attending your institution. Maybe you know someone in their organization. Many times a freer exchange of information comes about when the individual you are calling identifies with your organization, your position, or some other mutual point of interest. 14
ATTACHMENT B 8. Tell the person about the position for which the applicant is being considered. A better evaluation can be made if done in relation to a specific job. The job must be explained completely enough to have meaning. 9. Ask a general question such as, How do you think the applicant would fit into our vacancy? After the person responds, lead in with more specific questions such as: What was the nature of the applicant s work with you? What are the applicant s strengths? How did the applicant get along with co-workers? How did the applicant get along with supervisors? Did you consider the applicant to be reliable? Did the applicant meet commitments? Has the applicant been bypassed on promotions with your company? Why did the applicant leave your employment? Is there anything else you would like to tell me about the applicant? Would you re-employ the applicant? 10. Let the person talk freely in answering for as long as he/she wishes without interrupting. Often a question from you at the wrong time will shut off further information. 11. Follow up and probe when you feel the contact is reluctant to discuss certain factors. Many times a further explanation of why you are digging in will elicit the information you want. After all, you are doing the applicant a favor by checking. Placement in the wrong job could lead to ultimate unhappiness or even dismissal. 12. Be alert for obvious pauses in answering when you ask questions. Often these are a sign that further questions may bring additional information you might not otherwise have received. 13. Don t be concerned about how long the conversation might take. A few dollars for a toll call might save untold dollars in expense in making the wrong hire. 14. Don t hang up until you are sure that you know the opinion of the person called. Frequently you will receive ambiguous answers. The person called may give very little useful information. One technique that often works is to summarize the conversation by making either of the following two statements: I take it that you don t recommend the applicant for the position, or I take it that you highly recommend the applicant for the position. Sometimes one or the other of these summary statements evokes the responses you need. 15. Glance at your checklist of questions to be sure you have covered everything. 16. Always end the call by asking the person, Would you re-employ the applicant? Often this question brings forth information that you were unable to get by other questions. 17. Be sure to thank your contact for his/her help. 15
ATTACHMENT B Page 2 TELEPHONE REFERENCE CHECK CONCERNING A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE My name is ( ) and I work in the (department) at (institution). We are filling a position within our department and would like to verify some employment information on (applicant s name), who was employed by you from (beginning date) until (ending date). 1. What was the nature of his/her job? 2. What did you think of his/her work? 3. What are his/her strong points? 4. What are his/her weak points? 5. How did he/she get along with other people? 6. Would you comment on his/her: A. Attendance B. Dependability C. Ability to take on responsibility D. Ability to follow instructions E. Degree of supervision needed F. Overall attitude G. Quality of work H. Quantity of work 7. Did he/she have any personal difficulties that interfered with his/her work? Why did he/she leave the position? Would you re-employ? Yes No Why not? 8. Is there anything else you would like to comment on regarding (applicant s name) employment or job performance? 16
ATTACHMENT C SAMPLE QUESTIONS IN THE DIVERSITY AREA 1. In your prior position as, how did you promote diversity in employment? 2. What strategies did you implement that proved successful? 3. As a classroom instructor, how have you accommodated students with disabilities and students with varying learning abilities? 4. How have you changed your course curriculum and teaching method(s) to reflect the need to infuse multiculturalism and diversity? 5. As an educator how have you minimized bias in programs and promoted equity? 17
South Puget Sound Community College Hiring Process Task Force Recommendations Attachment D 1. Appointing authority works collaboratively with Human Resources (HR), appropriate dean or director and supervisor to: Review and update position description to reflect current needs. Develop recruitment strategies, including the length of time to post the position announcement. Identify screening committee chair and members. Create personnel requisition. Note: Appointing Authority: An individual lawfully appointed to appoint, transfer, layoff, reduce, dismiss, suspend, or demote employees. (WAC 357-01-025) At SPSCC this is a member of the President s staff. 2. HR creates position announcement to be reviewed by committee chair, initiates recruitment efforts, schedules and conducts the screening committee orientation. 3. Screening committee and chair collaborates with HR to determine: Scoring for applicants meeting minimum qualifications. Interview questions. Format for interviews. Reference questions. Who will check references, when reference checks will be conducted, and how information will be shared with the screening committee. Timelines 4. Screening process begins when posting date closes: Applications screened by HR for minimum qualifications. Committee members notified when applications are ready for review and scoring. When scoring is complete; HR compiles scores and computes averages. Committee receives scoring averages and recommends number of candidates to interview. HR sends letters to candidates not selected for an interview. 5. Interview process: HR schedules interviews with candidates First interviews conducted no later than one (1) month after position closes. Committee recommends finalists to be sent to appointing authority. Appointing authority conducts second interview. Scheduled by HR. Hiring decision is made by appointing authority in consultation with VP for HR. 6. Hiring process: HR makes offer of employment to candidate within seven (7) days of final interview. 18
HR notifies committee of candidate s decision. Timelines: In order to conduct a timely hiring process the following expectations should be maintained: Personnel requisitions will be completed within two (2) weeks after the decision to fill a vacancy is made. The budget office will review personnel requisitions and verify there is adequate budget for the position prior to submitting to HR. Position announcements are to be placed no longer than two weeks unless agreed upon in step 1. The screening committee orientation will be held prior to the position close date. First interviews will be conducted within one (1) month after the position announcement closes. An offer of employment will be made within seven (7) days after the final interview. Expectations - Human Resources: Provides training, coaching, and consulting for committee members regarding the hiring process. Plays a consulting and facilitating role in the hiring process and may be an ex-officio member of the screening committee. Provides training on EOE, AA and legal liability. Maintains current forms and procedures on the college intranet. Forwards all internal candidates to the screening committee if they meet minimum qualifications. Internal candidates not hired for a position may request feedback from the vice president for HR. Actively and continuously research recruitment strategies to increase the effectiveness of recruitment and reflect the college s values toward diversification of our workforce. Recruitment strategies may require customization based on the position and may require more advertising than normal. HR and the appointing authority will work collaboratively to determine how costs for customized recruitment will be paid. Provides training, coaching, and consulting to all supervisors involved in the evaluation process, including the six (6) month probationary period for classified staff. Provides, to the screening committee chair, full access all applications and at the request of the chair an applicant s inclusion or exclusion may be reassessed. Rev.6.2009 19