Human Resources

1. Initiate Search Process | 2. Plan & Develop Search | 3. Receive & Screen Materials | 4. Interview Applicants
5. Select Candidate | 6. Submit Hiring Document | Search Process & Forms

Step Three: Receive and Screen Applicant Materials (Search Committee)

Note: Confidentiality is important throughout the search process. Maintaining confidentiality is essential when receiving and screening applicant information such as resumes/vitas and reference materials. To ensure confidentiality, all external contacts about applicants should be coordinated through the search committee chair.

A. Receive and Acknowledge Applicant Materials

As applications are received, the Interview Exchange System will acknowledge receipt of the application.  The search committee will notify applicants if their materials are incomplete.

B. Screen Applicants

Application Monitoring

Committees are responsible for completing and updating the reasons for non-selection at each step in the screening process. The reasons must be submitted through the Interview Exchange System and approved by the Office of Human Resources before further steps are taken.

Evaluate Applications

Evaluate the applicant materials against the criteria established in the position announcement and job advertisement. While the committee may wish to develop a ranking scale or set point values to use in evaluating the remaining applications, reasons for non-selection must relate directly to qualification criteria.

Additionally, applicants may be screened by conference call, meetings at conferences or by electronic interview. All information received, whether electronically or otherwise, should be treated confidentially.

The reasons for non-selection must be provided to the Office of Human Resources at each screening stage before proceeding to the next step in the process.

C. Check References

Reference checks are a useful way to further assess candidates and can be conducted before a campus visit or following a phone interview.

  • The committee should develop a set of questions to be asked of each candidate’s references.
  • Before any reference checks are made, these questions must be sent to the Office of Human Resources for approval.
  • The basis for the reference check is to verify suitability for the position, but also serves to confirm education, experience and demonstrated ability to perform the job.
  • Only those references provided by the applicant are to be contacted. If the contacts provided are not adequate for addressing work performance, the candidate should be asked to submit additional names.
  • If committees wish to check off list references, please get the applicants approval to do so.
  • Information obtained during the reference process should remain confidential and not shared beyond the committee and hiring administrator(s).

Role of Office of Human Resources in Screening Information

Keep detailed documentation for each screening phase and the reasons for selection/non-selection of each applicant. The Office of Human Resources is responsible for monitoring each search.

In order to monitor the search, the Office of Human Resources will need the name of each candidate who will be invited for interview. The Office of Human Resources monitoring is designed to ensure that only non-discriminatory, job related qualifications and criteria are used in the screening process. Before anyone is invited to interview, the Office of Human Resources must review the selection criteria.