PS-02.B.14 - Recruitment and Employment Policy
Effective Date: April 20, 2023
Issue #: 4
President: Dr. Loren J. Blanchard
1. Purpose
The University of Houston-Downtown is committed to equal opportunity and affirmative action in its recruiting practices. This Policy Statement sets forth the policy and procedures regarding recruitment of staff, temporary employees, and student assistants. A separate policy, PS 10.A.13, Faculty Employment Policies, deals with the faculty employment policy and procedures.
2. Definitions
2.1 Applicant Tracking System (ATS): The automated system that allows job seekers to view and apply for job postings and submit resumes and other documents electronically.
2.2 Background Check: A search for information about an individual's convictions, and verifies birth date, social security number, and employment for staff positions.
2.3 Collaborator: Any individual(s) needing access to the requisition and/or candidate information. This includes the hiring manager and search/screening committee members.
2.4 Job Description: A document that describes the major duties, functions, and authority assigned to a position, the relationship between the position and other positions in the department, and details the minimum skills, education, experience, and abilities required to perform the job.
2.5 Job Posting: The method of displaying current job openings that extends an invitation to those interested to apply. Postings include a summary of the major duties and responsibilities and minimum qualifications for the job.
2.6 Motor Vehicle Report: A record that contains information about a person's driving history, including information about traffic convictions for driving-related incidents.
2.7 Requisition: Template used within the applicant tracking system (ATS) to create staff, temporary, and student positions for publication to the Careers website.
2.8 Position Request (ePRF): The electronic document generated in the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) to create a new position, fill a vacant position, change, or reclassify a position.
2.9 Staff Employee: An individual employed on a regular basis for a period of at least four and one-half months, excluding students employed in positions that require student status as a condition of employment and those holding a teaching and/or research position classified as faculty.
2.10 Student Assistant: An employee whose position requires student status at UHD as a condition for employment, regardless of funding.
2.11 Temporary Appointment: A position of short duration (less than four and one-half continuous months), intermittent in nature, or a position where it is clearly impractical to employ an individual on a continuing basis for more than four and one-half, continuous months.
3. Policy
3.1 Recruitment and selection of candidates for vacant positions are conducted in accordance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies of the State of Texas and consistent with the principles of equal employment and affirmative action.
All staff and student assistant positions must be posted by Human Resources (HR) on the UHD Careers Site prior to the distribution of any public notices, placed advertisements, or screening of applicants. HR will publish all staff positions with a variety of external agencies to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and improve its recruitment efforts of women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
3.2.1 Approved vacancies may be publicized with external advertising venues upon the request of the hiring department. All advertisements must include the appropriate Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement.
3.2.2 Student assistant positions may remain open for one year from posting date. Departments may hire from this pool of applicants for multiple positions throughout the year.
3.2.3 Temporary positions must be posted on the UHD Careers Site.
3.3 All job postings, whether internal or external, must be posted for a minimum of ten (10) working days prior to making a hiring decision. Waivers of posting are not permitted.
3.4 Employment qualifications listed on position requests and job postings must be work-related, consistent with business necessity, and included on the official job description.
3.5 To be considered for a position, applicants must apply online and submit all required documentation at the official UHD Careers Site.
3.6 Screening committees are required for positions with budget authority and/or supervisory responsibilities and for other professional positions determined by the respective administrative officer.
3.7 If a screening committee is required for the candidate review process, the hiring manager will identify the proposed committee membership, including the proposed chair. The area administrative support will add the committee members in the Collaborator and Internal Notes section of the requisition. The committee chair must be identified in the Internal Notes section. The Title IX/Equal Opportunity Officer or designee will review the proposed committee membership and approve the committee during the Requisition approval process.
3.7.1 In accordance with our Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy, the screening committee should be diverse (race, ethnicity, and gender). The committee should consist of a minimum of three committee members.
3.7.2 The committee should include a minimum of two staff within the relevant administrative unit and one outside the unit.
3.8 The hiring manager or committee chair will schedule the first committee meeting.. The first meeting must be scheduled before any applications are reviewed. Prior to reviewing any applicant materials, all committee members must complete the Confidentiality Agreement and HR Search and Screening training in T.A.P.
3.9 All employment decisions must be based on qualifications, relevant experience, and abilities. Candidates must be evaluated based upon their potential to perform the duties established for the position in which the candidate has applied. The position's duties and qualification requirements, as described in the position description, must be used to determine the candidates that possess the basic minimum qualifications.
3.10 All candidates for employment will be subject to a criminal background check prior to an official offer of employment; other background checks may be required depending on the position.
3.10.1 Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) checks must be conducted for positions that require driving a University-owned or leased vehicle as an essential part of the job (see PS 02.A.16, Motor Vehicle Record Evaluation Policy).
3.11 All candidates for employment must not have any outstanding financial obligations to any university within the University of Houston System.
4. Procedures
4.1 Departments in need of temporary staff should contact HR for assistance.
4.2 If the position is new or a reclassification, a Job Analysis Questionnaire must be completed and submitted with the ePRF to HR's Compensation Department for review and approval.
4.3 A requisition is created in the applicant tracking system by the hiring department.
4.4 A notification is sent to the hiring manager that the requisition has been created and is ready for review. Once the requisition is approved by the hiring manager, it is reviewed/approved by the Compensation unit, and forwarded to Talent Acquisition.
4.5 The approved requisition is posted to the UHD Careers Site by HR.
4.6 If a screening committee is required, the Title IX/Equal Opportunity Officer or designee will review the proposed committee membership and approve or deny the committee.
4.7 The screening committee members are given access to the applicant tracking system when the requisition is created by the department. All search committee members should be added in the "Collaborators" and "Internal Notes" section of the requisition.
4.8 Applicants begin applying online at the UHD Careers Site.
4.9 Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are forwarded to the hiring manager or screening committee, if applicable.
4.10 The hiring manager or screening committee, if applicable, access the applicant tracking system using their network username and password. In the event a non-UH System employee is part of the committee, the external member must be set up in PeopleSoft as a Person of Interest (POI) to gain access to the ATS. The hiring department may contact HR to set up the POI.
4.11 The hiring manager and/or screening committee review application materials in the applicant tracking system and complete the hiring matrix for that position. Applicants scoring the highest will be contacted to schedule interviews
4.12 The screening committee chair must send the list of proposed candidates to be interviewed and hiring matrix to the Title IX/Equal Opportunity Officer or designee prior to scheduling interviews. The Title IX/Equal Opportunity Officer or designee will review/approve the applicant and interview pool. Once the interview and applicant pools are approved, the committee may move forward with scheduling interviews.
4.13 All interviews must be conducted using the same medium (i.e., telephone, video conference, and/or face-to-face).
4.14 The interview process may consist of multiple rounds; committee members will score the applicants interviewed on the hiring matrix and select those with the highest scores to move forward to the next round of interviews, if applicable.
4.15 After the interview process is complete, committee members will provide their comments to the hiring manager.
4.16 Skills assessments to determine applicants' competencies are available through HR. If applicant assessment testing is desired, the hiring manager contacts HR and arranges for testing. Once the applicant completes the assigned test(s), the results are emailed to the hiring manager.
4.17 When the final candidate has been identified, the hiring manager or area administrative support will:
a. update applicant status in the ATS;
b. assemble all pertinent search documentation to be scanned and attached to the Requisition in the ATS, and;
c. create an offer grid in the ATS and submit the offer for approval.
4.18 Upon review of the offer grid, a verbal contingent offer is extended to the final candidate by HR for staff positions. Once accepted, HR initiates the Pre-Hire process in the ATS for the candidate to complete. Verbal contingent offers for student and temporary positions are extended by the hiring manager.
4.19 HR initiates a background check on the primary candidate for staff, temporary and student worker positions.
4.20 The hiring manager is notified by HR of the background check results. Should the investigation reflect criminal history, the UHD Chief of Police and VPHR evaluate the results against job-related criteria and make a recommendation as to whether the applicant is "employable" or "not recommended for employment." If the applicant is "not recommended for employment," the VPHR issues a report to the hiring authority, who may accept the recommendation and reject the employment of the applicant or request permission to hire through the appropriate vice president (see PS 02.A.17, Security Sensitive Positions Policy).
4.21 If all relevant background checks for staff, temporary, and student positions are clear, the official employment E-offer letter is sent to the applicant by HR with the Onboarding/New Hire paperwork.
4.22 The hiring manager is notified by HR once the formal offer has been accepted. The new employee's completion of the Onboarding/New Hire paperwork officially hires the new employee and creates a job record in the HRIS system.
4.23 Executive management appointments require approval by the UHS Board of Regents. The personnel agenda item is initiated by the Office of the President.
4.24 New staff, student employees and temporary workers are sent to HR to complete the I-9 process within three business days of the start date.
4.25 New staff hires are required to attend New Employee Orientation, typically on their first day of employment.
5. Review Process
Responsible Party (Reviewer): Vice President for Human Resources
Review: Every three years on or before February 1st.
Signed original on file in Human Resources
6. Policy History
Issue #1: 02/17/11
Issue #2: 06/08/16
Issue #3: 05/17/19
7. References
PS 10.A.13, Faculty Employment Policies
PS 02.A.16, Motor Vehicle Record Evaluation Policy
UH System Administrative Memorandum 02.A.13