Hiring Process

This procedure describes the process* Human Resources and Search Committees (including Hiring Managers, Search Chairs, and other members) will use to fill approved contracted positions at Lane Community College. Part-Time Searches are generally decentralized to the department with the expectation that committees strive to adhere to the following process as closely as possible.

Phase 1

1. The Hiring Manager completes the Classified Job Description Questionnaire (JDQ) or Management Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ) (if applicable) and submits a request to fill.
   1. The Hiring Manager’s supervisor will follow applicable College practices for review and approval of position requests, which may include the department’s Cabinet-level executive bringing the request to the Cabinet for approval to fill. 
2. Academic Deans follow the annual Academic Affairs Contracted Faculty Position Request process to request full-time faculty positions.
3. An HR Analyst is assigned to each authorized search.
   1. The assigned analyst contacts the hiring manager to inform them of the search assignment and communicates the next steps regarding the search process.
4. The Hiring Manager appoints the Search Chair and Search Committee members. 
   1. A search advocate may be assigned to the Search Committee as a non-scoring member. The search advocate’s role is to serve as a resource for ensuring that potential bias is reduced throughout the search process.
5. The Search Chair is oriented to their role by the HR analyst, creates a search folder/drive, provides each Search Committee member with a confidentiality agreement form, and schedules a Search Committee orientation.
6. The position posting is entered into the Applicant Tracking System.
   1. Minimum posting duration is 30 days unless otherwise determined by bargaining, working agreements, and/or HR approval. 
   2. Minimum Qualifications are determined based on the job group, and by the Hiring Manager with HR approval.
   3. The posting is first sent to the Budget Office for confirmation of fund availability prior to being sent to the HR analyst for final review.
   4. HR analyst will notify the college with a Notice of Vacancy once the posting is live on the recruitment website.
7. The HR Analyst guides the Search Committee through the orientation, and the Search Committee Agreement Form, wherein the Search Committee determines the committee decision-making process, what evaluation components to use, who will develop and evaluate those components, and the total weighting of the components. This form must be finalized prior to the release of any applications to the Search Committee.
8. The Search Committee, Search Chair, and Hiring Manager develop the evaluation components as determined in the search committee agreement form, and at the request of the hiring manager, provides the components to the Search Chair and Hiring Manager for final review and approval. The HR Analyst reviews the components for validity and legality (ensuring they are aligned with the posting, including minimum qualifications, preferred qualifications, job description, etc.), suggests edits, and ultimately approves the components.

Phase 2

1. The HR Analyst releases the affirmative action report to the VP of HR & Labor Relations for review with the Hiring Manager and Cabinet representative(s) to determine whether the applicant pool is sufficiently diverse. They may extend the posting or approve the release of the applications to the Search Committee pending approval of the search components by the HR Analyst.
2. The Search Committee, Search Chair, and Hiring Manager review applications for criteria outlined in the screening grid component.
3. The Search Committee, Search Chair, and Hiring Manager determine who will be selected for interviews based on the average rankings and use the decision-making modality agreed upon in the Committee Agreement Form.
   1. The cutoff point for interviewees is determined by natural breaks in average ranking.
4. The Search Chair provides the HR analyst with a completed Recruitment Report, stating which applicants are selected for interviews and a copy of the complete Screening Grid workbook.
5. The HR Analyst creates an Affirmative Action Report from the Applicant Tracking System EEO Report.
6. The HR Analyst submits the Recruitment Report, screening grid workbook, and Affirmative Action Report to the Recruitment Manager for approval.
7. The Recruitment Manager evaluates the materials for Affirmative Action compliance and approves the search process to move to the next step if deemed to be in compliance.
8. The HR Analyst communicates the approval to interview to the Hiring Manager and Search Chair and provides Interview Reimbursement information and templates for the Letter of Justification, Employment Recommendation, and Job Description (if applicable) forms.
9. The Hiring Manager, Search Chair, or other appointee from the committee, contacts the selected candidates to schedule interviews.
   1. Any materials related to the interview/evaluation process are to be provided to all candidates such that each candidate has the same amount of time with those materials. (e.g., all candidates receive interview questions 30 mins in advance of their interview).
10. The search committee, including the Hiring Manager, conducts the interviews and evaluations.
11. Scoring members of the Search Committee individually determine their scores for each candidate and each component.
12. The Search Chair compiles the scores into the screening grid spreadsheet, where each candidate’s scores and ranks are averaged into a Final Summary according to the weight that was previously established in the Search Committee Agreement Form.
    1. All interview/evaluation notes and materials are collected from the Search Committee and stored in the search folder/drive.

Phase 3

1. The Search Committee deliberates to determine whom they recommend for hire to the Hiring Manager based on interview outcomes and results on the screening grid. 
2. The Hiring Manager takes into consideration the Search Committee’s recommendation and makes their determination of whom they are going to reference check, and 
3. The Hiring Manager creates reference check questions to be approved by their HR analyst.
4. The Hiring Manager conducts at least two professional reference checks on the selected candidate(s) once the HR analyst approves the questions.
   1. If Reference checks are conducted via telecommunication, there must be at least one (1) committee member present on the call in addition to the Hiring Manager.
   2. Reference checks may be sent through email.
   3. Reference checks may not be sent via text message.
   4. When possible, one of the references should be the candidate(s) most recent supervisor. Conditions may arise where it isn’t possible to obtain references from the current or most recent supervisor. In such circumstances, the Hiring Manager will work with the HR Analyst to move forward.
   5. The hiring manager identifies their recommendation for hire and then communicates this decision to the Search Committee.
5. The Hiring Manager completes the Employment Recommendation, Letter of Justification, Department Organizational Chart, and Job Description (if applicable) and sends these forms (along with the completed references) to the HR analyst.
6. The HR Analyst sends a message to the Budget Office to gain confirmation that the budget is still available.
7. HR conducts the new hire placement, initiates the candidate's criminal background check, and compiles the executive review file documents. Once compiled, the file is sent for executive and Affirmative Action review and approval.
   1. The candidate’s criminal background check must be completed prior to beginning their employment.

Phase 4

1. The executive review file is reviewed and approved by HR, all/any Associate Vice President(s) and Vice President(s) who oversee the department the candidate is to be hired into, and the President.
2. Upon final approval by the President, the HR Analyst announces the approval to the Hiring Manager, as well as the HR department. 
3. The Hiring Manager makes the offer to the candidate and communicates their wages and all/any next steps outlined in the approval email from the HR Analyst.
4. The Hiring Manager communicates to the HR department if the candidate has accepted the position, and their start date if so, as well as completes the onboarding next steps designated to the Hiring Manager in the approval email from the HR Analyst.
   1. A department administrator or coordinator may assist with onboarding next steps.
5. The Hiring Manager contacts the other interviewed candidates notifying them the position has been filled, then notifying the HR analyst that this has been completed.
6. The HR Analyst moves the applicants and posting workflows in LEO to reflect the result of the search, and archives the search drive/folder.
7. In the event that the Hiring Manager selects a candidate different than the one(s) that were recommended by the Search Committee, if this was not discussed with the committee prior to reference checks, then an additional meeting will be scheduled for discussion of the decision.  
8. Post-search survey is sent to Search Chair, Search Committee Members, and Hiring Manager by HR Analyst.

Phase 5 - Failed Search

In the event that the outlined process fails to find a qualified candidate for the position, the search may be deemed a failed search. The process for concluding a failed search proceeds as follows:

1. The Hiring Manager completes the Failed Search Letter of Justification, outlining the reasoning for deeming the search to be failed.
2. The letter is reviewed by HR managers for validity and legitimacy.
   1. The HR Analyst stores the Failed Search Letter of Justification in the executive review file (if applicable) or search drive.
3. Upon re-approval to fill, the Hiring Manager, in consultation with the Search Committee, makes any alterations to the posting and submits the posting to the Budget workflow in the Applicant Tracking System as per Step 5c.
   1. The Hiring Manager communicates the desired posting duration if deviating from the standard posting lengths listed in Step 5 of this document.
   2. The HR Analyst announces the Notice of Vacancy to the College as per Step 5d.
4. If no changes are made to the evaluation components or committee membership, the search process resumes from Step 9.
   1. If changes are being made to the Search Committee membership, the search resumes from Step 6.
   2. If changes are being made to evaluation components ONLY, the process resumes from Step 7.
5. Separate from this process, an HR Manager may fail a search due to substantial and irreconcilable procedural problems that jeopardize the College’s ability to complete an EEO-compliant search. In the event that this occurs, the HR Manager will meet with the Hiring Manager and Search Committee to explain the reasons and next steps.

*HR retains the ability to implement administrative adjustments to the search process as deemed necessary and appropriate to ensure an EEO-compliant search and in the furtherance of Affirmative Action Plan goals.