At an institution as dynamic as Middlebury College, there is often a great deal of staffing activity. The primary concern of the person responsible for hiring is finding the most qualified person for the position within the most efficient time frame. Human Resources shares this commitment and will work with the hiring supervisor to facilitate an efficient and effective process. We are also accountable for ensuring internal consistency and fiscal responsibility. In order to meet all of these goals, we have developed a standardized hiring process. Please follow these guidelines whenever a vacancy occurs or a desired staffing change results in additional personnel costs. In the event that a decision is made not to fill a vacant position, please notify the Budget Office and the position will be removed from your budget. It is to the benefit of the individual department and the entire organization that the budget accurately reflects staffing expenditures.
Please Note: Requests for schedule changes that result in a reduction of hours and position reclassifications that occur within a department can usually be initiated with a Status Change form. Requests for casual workers (defined as temporary appointments of less than 6 months or on-call appointments), can be made via an abbreviated process-see guidelines for the Casual Wage Hiring Process. If unclear, please contact the Employment Manager in Human Resources to determine the appropriate process to follow for your request.
Step One: Identification of a Staffing Need
This generally occurs as the result of a person leaving your department or a restructuring of operations.
Step Two: Request for Personnel Process
In order to fill most staff positions (even a previously budgeted position), a formal staffing request must be completed and submitted to Human Resources. As described below, the Staff Resources Committee must approve most requests. In order to initiate this process, the first requirement is to electronically submit a position requisition. This form includes a section to review/update the job description and a section for you to write a position justification explaining the basis of the need. (A department-specific organizational chart is also required but must be emailed separately to the Employment Manager in Human Resources.) Once the requisition has been completed, routed and reviewed by those in the appropriate approver chain, (the Sr. Administrator, Vice President, Employment Manager, Compensation Manager, Budget Director, and HR Director), your staffing request will be forwarded to the Staff Resources Committee for final approval.
For specific information on what to include in your position justification or other details specific to this first important step in the recruitment process, please review the attached overview of the request for personnel process.
Step Three: Staff Resources Committee Approval Process
To ensure that staffing requests are reviewed from an institutional perspective, most requisitions must be submitted to the Staff Resources Committee (SRC) for approval. The SRC is a 5-member committee comprised of the Director of Human Resources, the Staff Council President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Executive Vice President for Administration and the Sr. Advisor for Organizational Effectiveness. When considering staffing requests, it is the Committee's role to ensure the most responsible and best possible use of staff resources. The SRC has committed to meeting once a month to ensure the timely consideration of all staffing requests. Please visit the Human Resources Website to view a complete list of SRC members and their current meeting schedule.
Step Four: Recruitment Strategy
Once the requested position is approved, the next step is to begin the formal recruitment process in order to identify qualified candidates. For each job vacancy, the Human Resources Office and the appropriate senior administrator will determine if there is a candidate internal to the department for whom the vacancy is a natural career progression. In such cases, posting of the position may not necessarily occur. In addition, temporary positions of 9 months or less are not necessarily posted as determined by Human Resources in consultation with the hiring department. If broader recruitment is necessary, the position will be placed on the Employment Opportunities List located on the Human Resources Website so that both staff members and external applicants can apply for the position. Some positions may also be advertised in print and electronic venues as determined by Human Resources. We have developed guidelines for ad size and placement. Human Resources will also seek to increase the diversity of the applicant pool through targeted advertising, as appropriate for the position. Additional advertising generally occurs only after the position has been posted on the Employment Opportunities List for 5-10 business days.
Step Five: Identifying Candidates
Applicants interested in a posted position must submit a resume electronically through the Human Resources online applicant tracking system. Once a resume has been submitted for an open position, the hiring supervisor will be able to log into the system and view the resume online at any time. When qualified candidates have been identified, the hiring supervisor can begin scheduling interviews and should email the HR Employment Assistant as those interviews are scheduled so that Human Resources can properly track the progress of the search through our online applicant tracking system. Human Resources will then forward a College disclaimer/reference form to those candidates selected to interview. The form must be completed and returned by email to HR if the applicant chooses to interview with the College. Human Resources will also notify candidates no longer being considered for a position. It is the hiring supervisor's responsibility to ensure a fair and appropriate interview process. For more information on conducting legal/effective interviews, please contact the Employment Manager in Human Resources.
Step Six: Reference Checking / Decision to Hire
Once the preferred candidate has been identified, the hiring supervisor should check references. Reference check forms are available on the HR Website. If references are acceptable, proceed to Step Seven. If references are not acceptable, either repeat the process with the runner-up candidate or return to Step Four.
Step Seven: Making the Job Offer
Positions subject to posting must appear on the Employment Opportunities List for a minimum of 5 business days before a hiring supervisor can proceed to the offer stage. A hiring supervisor should always contact Human Resources at this phase of the process in order to determine an appropriate hiring wage and start date for the individual. This requirement exists to preserve the integrity of the College's staff Wage and Salary Program and to help Human Resources ensure consistent hiring practices across the institution. The HR Employment Manager is responsible for making official job offers. If the Employment Manager is unavailable, please contact the HR Compensation Manager.
If the candidate accepts the job offer, the Employment Manager will send an appointment letter, outlining the terms of the appointment. Electronic copies of the appointment letter will be sent to the hiring department's senior administrator and the payroll department. If the candidate rejects the offer, either return to Step Five and check references for the runner-up candidate, or return to Step Four.
Step Eight: Closing the Search
After a candidate accepts a position, the hiring supervisor will be notified, the position will be removed from the Employment Opportunities List and the formal employee set-up process will begin in Human Resources. At this time, there are also a few remaining steps for the hiring supervisor to take to help properly complete the search process. This includes contacting all candidates who were interviewed but not hired to notify them that the position has been filled; and assembling all search documentation and forwarding it to Human Resources for record retention compliance. Such documentation includes all notes taken during the search, including printed copies of resumes upon which any notations may have been made; all written reference checks or letters of reference; any other written materials, lists, logs, emails, etc. which the search committee may have produced.
Finally as the hiring supervisor should plan and prepare for the arrival of his/her new employee, to ensure a smooth transition for the new employee and other members of the department. Please refer to the Hiring Supervisor's Checklist.
Feel free to contact the Human Resources Employment Manager (x5466) with any questions.