Hiring Process

The hiring process for most University employees is a shared responsibility between a manager and the Department of Human Resources. (Academic Personnel Services supports open faculty positions and personnel actions of faculty, academic department salaried staff, and graduate assistants.)

PageUP

Faculty, Staff and Student PageUp instructions for posting positions.

Graduate Assistant PageUp instructions.

Selecting a Search Committee

A search committee must be appointed with as diverse a composition as practicable (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, etc), even if you must draw members from related departments.

We recommend that you arrange a meeting between an HR Generalist, the search committee, and the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity (OEEO) to discuss the recruitment plan, advertisement plan, selection process and applicant data collection process. Once OEEO approves of these plans, the recruitment plan and advertisement must be included in the PageUp request to fill action.

Advertising

Once a vacant position has been posted in the University's Applicant Tracking System, PageUp, Human Resources will also post advertisements.

Free Advertising

Once a vacant position has been posted in PageUp, HR will post free advertisements. Unclassified; Supervisor, Administrative and Technical Support Staff (SATSS); and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) are advertised with Ohio Means Jobs. Unclassified positions are also posted on The Chronicle of Higher Education, Higher Ed Jobs, Inside Higher Ed, and HERC Jobs.

Paid Advertising

Human Resources utilizes a third party advertising vendor, Polaris, for departmentally-funded advertising needs. The following process is used to post paid advertisements for open positions:

  1. Indicate your advertising needs in the Advertising Section of the request to fill a vacancy in PageUp.
    • Please include the OEEO established recruitment plan. This allows OEEO to see your planned advertising. Should you need to add additional advertising after submitting your request, you may contact your designated HR Generalist.
  2. HR will request a quote from Polaris for the locations where you would like the information advertised.
  3. Once the quote is received, your HR Generalist will send you a cost sheet for your approval.
  4. Once departmental approval is received, your HR Generalist will notify Polaris to proceed with posting the position.
  5. After Polaris has posted your advertisement, they will send links/copies of the advertising that they posted to HR to be printed and included in the official HR Search Folder.

Commonly-Used Advertising Media

  • Career Builder
  • Indeed
  • Monster
  • The Journal-News (Hamilton and Middletown newspaper)
  • Craig's List
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Interviewing and Selecting a Candidate

Interviews and reference checks are important because they enable you to learn more about an applicant, while the candidate has the opportunity to become familiar with the demands of the position. The process allows both parties to exchange information, ask questions and evaluate the potential for establishing a professional working relationship.

Reviewing Applications

To assist with reviewing applicants, you may find it advantageous to create a spreadsheet with the Minimum and Preferred Qualifications listed, with each applicant either meeting or not meeting each qualification. If an applicant does meet the minimum qualifications, change their applicant status to "Not Qualified."

For unclassified positions, prior to the selection of candidates for interview the hiring department or search committee chair will identify those candidates that meet minimum qualifications for the position as part of the candidate pool.

The search committee chair must request the pool of applicants be reviewed by OEEO by selecting "OEEO pool review" in PageUp. OEEO must approve the composition of the applicant pool before candidates are invited to interview.

  • If OEEO finds the candidate pool to be unacceptable, OEEO in consultation with HR will make a determination whether to conduct additional recruitment or to close the search. If additional recruitment is undertaken, the hiring department must again request an updated pool review prior to conducting interviews.
  • If OEEO finds the candidate pool acceptable After receipt of OEEO's approval to move forward, the search committee or hiring department, can begin the for interview process.

Scheduling Interviews

Schedule interviews directly through your department. See Scheduling Interviews for preparation tips, sample interview questions, and steps for contacting the candidate.

Reference Checks

Reference checks should be initiated for all final candidates, prior to recommending a candidate for a position. See Guide to Checking References for details, policies, and answers to common questions.

Submitting an Employment Recommendation

Once interviews are completed and a candidate is identified for final consideration, the department must complete an employment recommendation through PageUp. A hiring department may not recommend an applicant who does not meet the required minimum qualifications for the position.

  • For Unclassified positions, the department may extend a verbal job recommendation of employment.
  • Classified job searches are governed by civil service rules and/or bargaining unit contracts. Human Resources must extend potential job offers and negotiate salaries on your behalf.
  • The Office of General Counsel is responsible for assisting with most employment-based immigration (International Work Authorization) matters.
  • Some positions may allow for a Cellular and Data Stipend.  Managers can request the stipend at any time in ProcessMaker.

HR Application Approval Process

When we receive the Employment Recommendation, we initiate a background check and review the recommendation for completion. We then submit the action to obtain appropriate approval (i.e., OEEO, Budget office, and the divisional vice president).

Once we receive approval and the background check, we conduct a final review and then make a verbal offer (for classified positions) and send the official offer letter. Applicant will receive an email with their offer letter and instructions on how to electronically accept position and complete their personal data sheet in PageUp.

We then build the applicant's file in the Banner HR Information System, and sends employee a welcome email which contains their UniqueID and Banner ID. We copy the department on this email.

Finally, the department manager should follow the guidelines of welcoming new hires.

Post-Offer, Pre-Employment Exam (If Applicable)

Some positions (e.g., food service, building and grounds, and maintenance) require that applicants pass a physical examination before receiving approval for hire into that particular position. The exam is completed at the Ross Medical Center.

Hiring Independent Contractors

In addition to employees, Miami also hires independent contractors, with specific guidelines for determining when a position should be filled by an independent contractor.

Volunteers

Individuals who wish to volunteer at the University must follow Miami's guidelines.