Policy Number:        725

Date Effective:         03/11/1982                                       

Date Revised:          04/15/2002

References:             UM Affirmative Action Plan; Diversity in Classified Employment; Affirmative Action Plan Exceptions; Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; HRS Procedures

POLICY

Human Resource Services is responsible for developing and administering recruitment procedures for staff positions according to the guidelines of the University of Montana’s established Affirmative Action Plan, Office of Equal Opportunity guidelines, Collective Bargaining Agreements and other relevant state and federal regulations.

PROCEDURE

Recruitment Process

A department with a vacancy may hire an employee utilizing one of four recruitment options.  Human Resource Services will assist departments in determining the most viable choice.  Factors to be considered when determining which option to select include the job duties and responsibilities of the position, the availability of eligible applicants within a recruitment pool, and special recruitment needs.

• Option 1:  Intra-Departmental Recruitment

Any permanent employee within the department may apply for the position.  To be considered a candidate, the employee would have to meet at least the minimum qualifications for the position based on the role description and criteria for selection as defined in the vacancy announcement.  The recruitment period must be at least three working days.

• Option 2:  Campus Recruitment

Any non-temporary employee of the University of Montana may apply for the position.  The employee selected for the position must meet at least the minimum qualifications for the position as specified in the vacancy announcement. 

The recruitment period must be at least five (5) working days.

• Option 3:  External Recruitment

Applications are accepted from any person interested in applying for the position.   The recruitment period must consist of a minimum of five (5) working days.

•  Option 4: Career Ladder

Eligible employees may be promoted through the use of a pre-approved career ladder.  There is no requirement for recruitment if an established career ladder is used.

Request for Recruitment

To initiate a recruitment for a staff position vacancy, hiring authorities shall submit an Electronica Hiring Form (EHF) in U-Approve with the necessary supporting documents.  Approval of recruitments and hires is done through U-Approve. 

If a department elects to use Option 1 and does not have minimally qualified applicants apply for the position, Option 2 or 3 may be subsequently utilized.  If the hiring department first used Option 2 and found no acceptable candidate, the position will be advertised using Option 3. 

1. Reference Checks

• Reference checks are a mandatory step in the selection process.  Applicants are required to provide three references.  References in addition to those listed by the applicant should be contacted.
• Restrictions on pre-employment inquiries apply to inquiries made directly to an applicant or made indirectly about an applicant.  During the process of checking references, the interviewer cannot ask previous employers or other sources about an applicant's disability, illness, workers' compensation history, or other similar restricted matters. 

A copy of the Reference Check Form is included in the interview packet: 

• A Reference Check form must be completed for each reference check
• The interviewer must attempt to verify any negative information received as a result of a reference check by contacting at least one other reference, and
• A copy of the completed Reference Check form must be included with the screening/interview materials returned to Human Resource Services.

Reference checks may be made at any time during the hiring process; however, they are most beneficial when used after an interview.  Although it is not necessary to conduct reference checks on all applicants in the screening and/or interview pool, the decision of when to use checks should be justifiable and applied in a fair and consistent manner

MFPE (Montana Federation of Public Employees) Layoff Pool

According to the collective bargaining agreement between the Montana Public Employees Association (MFPE) and the Montana University System, employees in the layoff pool may apply for any MFPE bargaining unit position vacancy for which they qualify.  Employees in the layoff pool shall submit all applicable application materials in order to be considered a candidate for a vacant bargaining unit position.   Hiring authorities must first consider the application of employees in the layoff pool for open positions in the bargaining unit.

Applying for Employment at UM

The University of Montana encourages providing current employees with opportunities for advancement.  Applicants are responsible for ensuring their application materials are complete and contains current information including statements of knowledge, skills, abilities and experience, as indicated in the vacancy announcement.  All positions posted on the UM JOBS webpage must be submitted through the HRS applicant tracking system.

Screening and Selection

Screening and selection criteria must be job-related and based on the role description and required qualifications.  After screening the applications, the hiring department must return the entire screening packet, including all applications, screening documentation, a list of proposed interview questions, and copies of any proposed tests, to Human Resource Services.  The material is reviewed for compliance with ADA, EEO/AA and other federal/state laws and regulations.  After receiving approval from Human Resource Services to proceed, the hiring department may interview applicants.  All recruitment materials, including justification for selection or non-selection for all interviewed applicants will be forwarded to Human Resource Services for review and final approval prior to the extension of an offer of employment to the preferred applicant.

After acceptance of the job offer by the successful candidate, all applicants who were interviewed for the position shall receive notice from the hiring department advising them that they were not selected for the position.  Any written applicant inquiries regarding the selection procedures or outcome should be referred to Human Resource Services

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, a department is required to make reasonable accommodation for a known physical or mental limitation of an otherwise qualified individual unless to do so would impose an undue hardship.  A reasonable accommodation may be required at any step of the recruitment and selection process such as when submitting an application, interviewing, or testing.  Human Resource Services monitors the recruitment process to ensure compliance with ADA and to assist departments in providing reasonable accommodation for job applicants.

Reassignment

At the discretion of the supervisor, employees may be reassigned to a new or different position of the same job title within the department.  No reassignment shall be considered to be effective until the proposed change has been reviewed by the HRS Associate Vice President.

Career Ladders

Progression pay shall be utilized when employees advance through pre-established career progression plans (career ladders) that have been approved by the HRS Associate Vice President.  The HRS Compensation Team is available to assist departments in the development of career ladders.  However, it must be recognized that career ladder opportunities vary depending on the nature of work performed.  Career ladder opportunities are not available in every position.

To establish a career ladder, there must be a business need for employees to use newly acquired skills on the job.

Recruitment Exceptions

Individuals written into grant and contract proposals by name may be appointed without recruitment to the positions funded by grants.  These positions may not be clerical or administrative support positions.  To be eligible for a recruitment exception, the individual named in the grant under a staff position must possess grant specific professional and/or technical skills that are unique to the grant and that are essential to the awarding of the grant funding.

Only the HRS Director of Recruitment can grant recruitment exceptions for staff positions.  Requests must be submitted in writing a minimum of 10 working days prior to the estimated start date, along with supporting documentation verifying the individual is named in the grant.  The individual(s) for which an exception is requested cannot begin employment without prior approval by HRS.

Temporary Fixed Term Staff

A “fixed term” or temporary employee is one whose employment is not intended to be permanent and with no expectation of employment beyond the period specified, not to exceed one year.  No temporary position may be changed to a permanent position without recruitment.  Any fixed term or temporary employee may apply for any permanent position for which an external recruitment is being conducted. 

No formal recruitment process is required for temporary employment.  The hiring department may recruit employees to fill temporary positions.  The hiring department shall collect application materials and interview candidates.  Assistance is available from Human Resource Services.  All screening and interviewing materials used in the selection process must be job related.