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merit-based recruitment and selection plan

Human Resources Policy HR 17 98 Revised 3/1/07

SCOPE: This policy applies to all positions Subject to the Personnel Act.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this merit-based recruitment and selection plan is to fill positions subject to the State Personnel Act from among the most qualified individuals.

In the recruiting and selection process, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will give equal employment opportunity to all applicants, without regard to race, religion, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, disability or political affiliation/influence. Selection decisions will be based solely on job related criteria.  The recruitment and selection process will be consistently applied, nondiscriminatory, and promote fairness, diversity, and integrity. The recruitment and selection process will comply with all Federal and State laws, regulations, and policies.

POLICY:

COMMITMENT FROM MANAGEMENT

The Chancellor, Human Resources Director, Vice Chancellors, Deans, Directors and Department Heads, as well as all managers and supervisors accept responsibility for ensuring that all hiring practices are applied consistently and equitably, thereby demonstrating commitment and support of the merit-based recruitment and selection plan.

This responsibility includes ensuring the recruitment and selection process complies with all applicable state and federal laws, policies, and rules governing personnel actions, including Senate Bill 886. The merit-based recruitment and selection plan will also comply with established policies issued by the Office of State Personnel. Positive efforts will be made to recruit qualified individuals including minorities, women and persons with disabilities for applicant pools.

ETHICS STATEMENT

The citizens of North Carolina and the state workforce deserve strong assurances that knowledges, skills and abilities (KSAs) and competencies are the basis for state government hiring decisions, not political patronage. In order to assure the integrity of University employment, every employee has a responsibility to view public service as a public trust and to act impartially. Preferential treatment will not be given to any private organization or individual based on political affiliation or influence.

COMMUNICATION

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will implement strategies to inform employees, applicants, and the general public of the merit-based recruitment and selection plan.

After receiving approval from the State Personnel Commission, UNCP will provide information to current employees using existing university sources such as the Brave Bulletin, the New Employee Orientation process and others to explain the Merit Based Recruitment and Selection Policy and processes.   A copy of the university plan, will be available in the Human Resources Office, Suite 347, Lumbee Hall, One University Drive, Pembroke, and will be available electronically on the Human Resources web site at http://www.uncp.edu/ba/policies/hr/hr1798.htm.  Persons with questions may contact the Human Resources Office at (910) 521-6279.

In addition, UNCP will post the merit-based recruitment and selection position statement, “Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer”, on the Human Resources Employment Opportunities Board and Online Employment web site job listings.

TRAINING

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will provide merit based recruitment and selection training to managers, supervisors and human resources staff on a scheduled routine basis.  Updates and revisions to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke's merit-based recruitment and selection plan will be communicated through written materials and training sessions.  Special training is available on request to hiring departments and search committees.

ROLE DEFINITIONS/EXPECTATIONS

A. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellors are responsible for leadership in developing and implementing merit-based procedures and demonstrating commitment and support for merit-based recruitment and selection.

B. Financial Managers are responsible for evaluating the need for filling vacant positions, maintaining accurate and current position descriptions for subordinate jobs, understanding the concepts of the merit-based system and communicating the process to employees and applicants, making every effort to achieve and maintain a diverse workforce, demonstrating commitment and support for merit-based recruitment and selection, making all hiring decisions based on merit principles, and documenting selection decisions.

C. Human Resources Director/EEO Officer and designees are responsible for:

D. Employees and applicants are responsible for obtaining vacancy information in order to submit the required application materials, providing full, complete and accurate information in order to submit the required materials, providing full and complete information to their qualifications, and submitting materials for the vacancy by the established deadline.

Applications for vacancy announcements must be submitted for employment by completing an application electronically on the Human Resources Online Employment System (OES) available at http://www.uncp.edu/hr.

PRE-RECRUITMENT/RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will strive to actively recruit from a variety of sources to achieve a diverse workforce that successfully meets the needs and demands of the university.
The Financial Manager, with assistance and guidance from the Human Resources staff, will:

Job analysis is necessary only when there is a change in the duties and responsibilities that impact the qualifications required.  If a current, accurate job analysis already exists for a given job type, there is no need to conduct an analysis for each vacancy. For example, in instances where there is a high volume of positions in a class, frequent turnover in a class, or little job change, there will likely not be a need to conduct a new job analysis each time a vacancy occurs.

The Financial Manager and Human Resources staff should work together to ensure that the critical tasks, essential functions, knowledge, skills and abilities, competencies, and training and experience requirements, including any position specific selective criteria necessary to successfully perform the duties of the position are identified. In order to assure a timely and efficient process, KSAs (included on class specifications) developed by the Office of State Personnel may be utilized for recruitment and selection purposes where they are sufficient to differentiate among qualifications of applicants.
Information from the job analysis, state job specification and position description will guide the hiring manager in drafting the vacancy announcement. Human Resources staff will ensure the vacancy announcement meets the State and university requirements.  Human Resources staff will also consult with the department about adding additional job duty information, as well as preferred qualifications, to vacancy announcements.

The Financial Manager and Human Resources staff will determine the appropriate option in posting a vacancy (internal to the university, state government, or external). In addition, Human Resources staff consults with the Financial Manager to determine additional recruitment sources, if needed, to target specific audiences, including professional journals, newspapers, and technical colleges and universities to target specific audiences.

Prior to the vacancy closing date, the hiring manager will determine any selection tool(s) that will be used in the final evaluation process. Any selection tool(s) utilized will be objective, based upon job-related KSAs and competencies, and be consistently applied to all applicants in the final selection pool. Human Resources staff will be available for consultation and assistance in this area.  Some examples of selection tools include structured interviews, written tests, skills tests, and reference checks.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates for a posted vacant position must complete and submit the appropriate application related to the specific position of interest within the posting period.  Applications that are not complete will not be considered. A complete employment application, which must be submitted electronically on the UNCP Online Employment System must identify and contain:

Vacancies must be posted for five (5) working days if the opening is to be filled within the University.  Vacancies must be posted for at least seven (7) working days if advertised outside the University. If the position is not filled after the first posting period, the time may be extended and the position reposted at the Financial Manager's request.

SELECTION PROCESS

A. DEFINITIONS:

1. Selective criteria: additional essential qualifications specifically related to the duties and responsibilities of the individual position which are determined prior to the vacancy being posted and are included on the vacancy posting.  An applicant who does not show possession of selective criteria is not qualified for the position.

2. Knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs):

3. Competencies:  Sets of knowledge, skills and work behaviors that contribute to success in the job and the organization’s mission and business strategies.

4. Preferences: specific types of experiences, degrees, licenses, KSAs, or other selection factors above those minimally required to perform the duties and responsibilities of a position as determined by the Financial Manager in consultation with Human Resources staff.

5. Essential qualifications (minimum qualifications): minimum training and experience requirements including knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, and selective criteria necessary to perform the work which are included on the vacancy announcement and without which a candidate will not be considered.

6. Qualified: applicants whose credentials indicate the possession of required training and experience, selective criteria, KSAs and competencies included in the vacancy announcement.

7. Most Qualified: The individual or group of applicants who, to the greatest extent, possess the qualifications for the position which exceed the essential requirements described in the vacancy announcement.  The person(s) interviewed will constitute the most qualified candidates.

B.  IDENTIFYING QUALIFIED AND MOST QUALIFIED APPLICANTS:

1. Determining qualified applicants:

Applications are to be submitted electronically to the Human Resources department. The Employment Manager or designated Human Resources staff will screen all applications for a specific vacancy to determine which applicants meet minimum qualification requirements and review the initial applicant pool to identify applicants with priority status.  If the quality of applications forwarded is deemed insufficient, the hiring manager may choose to re-advertise the position. If a position is re-advertised, applicants who applied under the original announcement do not need to re-apply.  Their applications will remain under consideration.

2. Determining most qualified applicants:

The Financial Manager will evaluate the applications to determine to what extent essential qualifications and selective criteria are exceeded in order to identify the pool of most qualified applicants.  The Employment Manager or designated Human Resources staff and Financial Manager will review applicants with priority employment and reemployment status to ensure applicants receive appropriate consideration.

Those applicants clearly exceeding the essential qualifications will be a manageable number, typically between 5 and 10. Any further analysis must continue to be based upon the job-related qualifications identified in the vacancy announcement.

If no applicants clearly exceed the essential qualifications, the Financial Manager may consider the existing applicants to be the most qualified applicant pool, or a decision may be made to re-advertise the vacancy.

3. Use of panel/individual for evaluation process

If a search committee is being used, the hiring department will identify potential committee members and appoint a chair; assistance in this process will be available from Human Resources.  All participants in the process will maintain the confidentiality of the material they review.

When a search committee evaluates applications, committee members will:

The Human Resources staff will be available as needed as an advisor to ensure the recruitment and selection policy and procedures are consistently applied.

When a hiring department representative evaluates applications, he or she will:

Decisions for SPA employment will be made in accordance with the University’s EEO Plan, which is annually reviewed and approved by the Office of State Personnel and the State Personnel Commission.

C. EMPLOYMENT/REEMPLOYMENT PRIORITIES

All employment/reemployment priorities are to be afforded in accordance with State and University policy. This will require, in some instances, that applications of individuals with certain priorities will be included among those referred to the Financial Manager. Individuals involved in application evaluation will receive advice and guidance from the Human Resources staff regarding the priority consideration that must be afforded.

Consideration must be given to applicants that have the following priorities:

Priority Reemployment

Employees scheduled to be separated or separated through reduction-in-force have priority consideration over non-state applicants. RIF candidates must only meet essential qualifications (including selective criteria) to be referred.

Exempt Policy-Making/Confidential and Exempt Managerial:

Employees separated from exempt policy-making/confidential and exempt managerial positions for reasons other than just cause have priority consideration over non-state applicants and must only meet essential qualifications (including selective criteria) to be referred.

Veterans Preferences:

Preference is to be given in initial employment opportunities to qualified veteran applicants.

Promotional Priority:

Career state employees (those having 24 months of continuous SPA service) being considered for promotion are eligible for priority consideration over non-state applicants when the individuals possess substantially equal qualifications.
 
Workers' Compensation:

Employees injured-on-the-job, placed on worker's compensation leave, and who have been released by their physician to return to work, have reemployment priority based upon maximum medical improvement. They must meet the essential qualifications (including selective criteria) for any job for which considered.

D. MAKING THE FINAL SELECTION RECOMMENDATION/DECISION

The final selection recommendation/decision will be made from among the most qualified applicants, which includes applicants with re-employment priority. The hiring manager will utilize selection tools that are objective and based on job-related KSAs and competencies.  Any selection tool(s) will be consistently applied to all persons in the final pool of most qualified applicants.

The Financial Manager will be responsible for documenting the selection process and justifying the hiring recommendation and decision. Human Resources staff will be available for guidance and assistance to the Financial Manager at any time during the selection process. Human Resources staff will review the selection documentation to ensure employment/reemployment procedures have been followed. Applicants not selected for the position will receive an electronically generated email notice of the selection decision.

APPROVAL PROCESS OF SELECTION AND COMPENSATION

Human Resources reviews the selection decision to ensure compliance with the Merit Based Recruitment & Selection Plan and relevant regulations and approves the selection decision. The Employment Manager consults with the Financial Manager to establish an appropriate salary based on qualifications, competencies and equity.

DOCUMENTATION OF PROCESS

Human Resources will maintain documentation of the recruitment and selection process in order to document the decisions and to provide fact-based information for monitoring and evaluating recruitment and selection practices and procedures.

A file in a format useful to the university and acceptable to the Office of State Personnel will be maintained for each selection or canceled vacancy event for a minimum of three years. Each file will contain:

E. APPEALS PROCESS

If an applicant has reason to believe he or she was denied employment due to political affiliation or influence, the applicant may appeal the hiring decision directly to the Office of Administrative Hearings within 30 days of written notification that the position has been filled if all the following conditions apply:

F. MONITORING/EVALUATION

Human Resources staff will periodically review process data from across the University to ensure the recruitment and selection activities are in compliance with the University's plan. Human Resources staff will compile and analyze an annual summary of selection activity for the Chancellor, and write a report that will include analysis of the impact of demographic groups (which is also a part of the University’s EEO Plan). The report will include exceptions to policy, and other relevant factors. Human Resources staff will also comply with the reporting and plan update requirements from the Office of State Personnel.

G. EFFECTIVE DATE

The effective date of this policy is March 1, 2007, as approved by the State Personnel Commission.

Updated: Monday, July 21, 2008

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