2022-09 Redirect
Below is our hiring process and resources to ensure all applicants receive fair and equal opportunity. We are here to assist you with the University’s hiring process and the actions required to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations (e.g., statutes relating to equal employment opportunity, etc.).
How to Hire
Student hiring is a collaborative effort between Career Services, Financial Aid, Human Resources, and the hiring department. Career Services will assist with job postings. Financial Aid will provide funding and regulations for the College Work Study program. Human Resources will collect hiring paperwork if the candidate passes the background check. Use the steps below when hiring hourly student assistants.
1. Post Position
You, the hiring manager, will post the job on Handshake. For information about posting, refer to the Career Success Center.
2. Screen Applications
You will review new applications for minimum qualifications and experience. There is no minimum for the number of applicants that must be selected for interview.
3. Interview
It is recommended that you allow candidates 24-48 hours of notice for their interview and notify them of the following:
- Title of Position
- Location of Interview (physical address, building, office number)
- Parking instructions (if necessary)
- Contact name and call back number
- Interview logistics
The same questions should be asked of all candidates and it is recommended that interviewers utilize a matrix to score candidates.
4. Make an Offer
You will make an offer contingent on a background check at least 10 days after the post was posted. Upon acceptance of the offer, discuss and come to agreement on the work schedule.
Contingent on Background Check
If the background check results have not yet been received, the offer will need to be conditional and contingent upon a successful background check.
Work Limits
Hourly Students cannot exceed 28 hours per work week across all of their positions. International students are limited to 20 hours per work week.
5. Request a Background Check
You, the hiring department, will complete the background check request online through MySam.
6. Hiring Paperwork
If the candidate passes the background check, we (Human Resources) will send and collect hiring paperwork.
7. Submit EPAF
When the paperwork is complete, we will send you an email instructing you to submit the electronic personnel action form (EPAF) through the Employee Services Center.
8. Select the First Day of Work
Students may begin working when their hiring paperwork is complete.
Human Resources will provide assistance with hiring graduate assistants. Use the steps below when hiring for a graduate assistant position.
1. Obtain FTE Approvals
You, the hiring manager, must obtain approval for FTE appointments over a total of .50 FTE from the relevant Academic Dean.
2. Post Position
You will post the job on Handshake. For information about posting, refer to the Career Success Center.
3. Screen Applications
You will review new applications for minimum qualifications and experience. There is no minimum for the number of applicants that must be selected for interview.
4. Interview
It is recommended that you allow candidates 24-48 hours of notice for their interview and notify them of the following:
- Title of Position
- Location of Interview (physical address, building, office number)
- Parking instructions (if necessary)
- Contact name and call back number
- Interview logistics
The same questions should be asked of all candidates and it is recommended that interviewers utilize a matrix to score candidates.
5. Check Enrollment
You need to find out how many credit hours the best candidate is enrolled in during the fall and spring semesters. If the best candidate is enrolled in under 6 credit hours, you must obtain approval. For non-academic areas or grants, reach out to us (Human Resources). For academic areas, reach out to The Graduate School.
6. Make an Offer
You will make an offer contingent on a background check at least 10 days after the post was posted. Upon acceptance of the offer, discuss and come to agreement on the work schedule.
Contingent on Background Check
If the background check results have not yet been received, the offer will need to be conditional and contingent upon a successful background check.
Work Limits
Graduate Assistants are limited to 20 hours per work week regardless of citizenship status.
7. Request a Background Check
You, the hiring department, will complete the background check request online through MySam.
8. Hiring Paperwork
If the candidate passes the background check, we (Human Resources) will send and collect hiring paperwork.
9. Submit EPAF
When the paperwork is complete, we will send you an email instructing you to submit the electronic personnel action form (EPAF) through Banner.
10. Select the First Day of Work
Graduates may begin working when their hiring paperwork is complete.
An HR Staff Specialist will coordinate with the hiring department to fill faculty and staff positions. Use the steps below to hire for a staff or faculty position.
- Request to Fill a Position
Review Job Description
Prior to posting a vacancy, please review the job description to ensure it accurately reflects the position’s duties, essential functions, and the educational and experience requirements.
Modify Staff Position (Change Existing FTE), if necessary
If you need to request substantial changes to the job description to an extent that a reclassification may be required, please initiate the modify staff position action in the University’s employment system (PeopleAdmin).
Request Staff/Executive Staff Posting Replacement, if necessary
If you do not have substantial changes to request to the job description, initiate a posting replacement action to replace a vacancy for an existing FTE.
User Guide - Post and/or Advertise a Position
Posting
Once your action has been approved in PeopleAdmin, expect a call from the HR Staffing Specialist. They will review posting options with you prior to posting the position.
Questions to expect include:
- Are you willing to accept additional experience as a substitution for the education required?
- Are you willing to accept additional education as a substitution for the experience required?
- Are you willing to include related fields for any required education and experience? We will need you to provide the related fields.
- Would you like to include disqualifying screening questions and ranking criteria?
Advertising
All faculty and staff positions are posted on the SHSU PeopleAdmin website, with the Texas Workforce Commission, Inside HigherEd and the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. In addition, faculty and executive staff positions are posted with the Chronicle of Higher Education. You may advertise available positions in other places, upon approval from us. To pay for advertising space (digital or print), consult with Procurement & Business Services.
If you plan to advertise the vacancy in additional publications, you must include the following.
- Instructions on where to apply
- Our EEO/AAP Statement. “麻豆精品 is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and Smoke/Drug-Free Workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or gender identity or expression. 麻豆精品 is an "at will" employer. Employees with a contract will have additional terms and conditions. Security sensitive positions at SHSU require background checks in accordance with Education Code § 51.215.”
- Screen Applications
As new applications are received, the hiring manager will use an Applicant Screening and Selection Matrix to objectively compare an applicant’s qualifications to the minimum qualifications in the posting and to other applicants for the position. Review the application/resume for the candidate’s education and experience, then compare each to the requirements under the “Education & Experience Requirements” section of the posting. A minimum of three applicants are must be selected to interview.
Calculating Experience
- If a candidate indicates they have worked part time at a job, and the number of hours worked is 20 or more per week, count the total time of employment.
- If the candidate worked part-time less than 20 hours per week or have not indicated the number of hours worked per week, count the total time of employment and divide it by 2.
- If you are accepting additional education in lieu of required experience or additional experience in lieu of required education, the following equivalency rules apply.
Degree Equivalency
DegreeExperienceAssociate's 2 years Bachelor's 4 years Master's 6 years College Hours Equivalency
HoursExperience30 undergraduate 1 years 60 undergraduate 2 years 90 undergraduate 3 years 120 undergraduate 4 years 18 graduate 5 years 36 graduate 6 years Interview Selection
If an applicant meets the minimum requirements and you would like to interview them, change the workflow status of the applicant in PeopleAdmin to “Recommend for Interview.”
If the applicant does not meet minimum requirements or you do not wish to interview them, please send an email with the requisition number and list of applicant names to HR in order for appropriate communication to be sent to the applicants.
Veteran's Preference
If you select seven or fewer applicants for an interview, one qualified veteran’s preference applicant from the pool must be interviewed. A qualified veteran’s preference applicant is any applicant that meets the qualifications for the job as stated in the job posting and who self-identify as being eligible for Veteran’s Preference on the application. If you select more than six applicants for an interview, at least 20% of the number interviewed must be qualified veteran’s preference applicants. If there are no veteran’s preference applicants in the qualified applicant pool, there is no requirement to interview a veteran.
- Interview
Once you are ready to interview, send an email to HR with the list of candidates you would like to interview. If higher qualification screening was conducted, provide the specific criteria that was used. HR will review each candidate recommended for interview to verify they meet the minimum requirements. You will receive notification of when to proceed with scheduling your interviews.
Scheduling
Please allow candidates 24-48 hours of notice for the interview and inform them of the following:
- Title of position
- Location of interview (physical address, building, office number)
- Parking instructions
- Contact name and call back number
- Interview logistics
Matrix & Questions
Hiring manager must prepare interview matrix and questions that cover objective, job related criteria and provide information on the applicants’ knowledge and competencies to perform the job. You may use our matrix template or create your own. You will need to create job specific questions.
- Plan to open the interview with rapport鈥恇uilding questions that will put the candidate at ease. Ask the candidate to take 2-3 minutes to share an overview of their education, skills, and reason for applying.
- Analyze the work-related qualities that are important for someone to possess in the position and design questions that will help determine whether a candidate has those qualities (e.g. working within short deadlines, multi鈥恡asking, constant change of direction, etc.).
- Instead of giving hypothetical situations, ask how the candidate actually handled a similar work situation in the past.
- Avoid asking close鈥恊nded questions that only require a “yes”, “no”, or one-word answer.
- Do not include any questions related to race, creed, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, child care, health issues, etc.
Conducting
Introduce yourself (and committee, if applicable) at the start of each interview. Explain how the interview will be conducted. The same questions should be asked of all candidates. All interviewers should complete an interview matrix for each candidate which includes interview questions and answers. Allow the candidate time to ask questions. For best results, use the 80/20 rule – applicant talks 80% of the time and interviewer talks 20%.
- Check References
Before sending information about your selected finalist to HR, you will need to conduct reference checks.
Who are the references you may contact?
- References provided by the applicant on the application
- Supervisors listed in the employment history section of the application – Remember to first notify the candidate before contacting their current supervisor to give the candidate an opportunity to notify their supervisor
- Previous SHSU supervisors, if applicable
General Instructions
Introduce yourself to the reference, provide the nature of the call and have a set of questions for the reference.
Questions
- How long have you known X and in what capacity?
- Describe the candidate’s overall work performance in terms of skills, qualities and contributions to your organization.
- What are X’s professional strengths and areas for development?
- What are X’s unique professional qualities?
- How would you compare the performance of X with that of others who have held the same job?
- Please describe overall work/performance in terms of attitude, dependability and trustworthiness.
- Is X someone you would hire (again)?
- Why did X leave your organization?
- Is there any additional information that you feel we should know in considering (x) for employment?
- Select Best Candidate
When finalizing your selection you must consider the veterans or former foster youth employment preferences. If you have two or more top applicants who are equally qualified and suited for the position, but one is eligible for an employment preference, you must choose the applicant who is eligible for the employment preference.
After reference checks are completed, send the following information about the selected finalist to HR:
- Candidate’s name
- Requested hiring salary
- All interview matrices
- Hiring Evaluation Checklist
- Indication that reference checks were completed
- Make an Offer
Offers can only be extended after Human Resources has given approval and should be offered in the monthly amount. Upon acceptance of the offer, discuss and come to agreement on start date for candidate. This date can be any date that both candidate and hiring department agree upon.
Contingent on Background Check
If the background check results have not yet been received, the offer will need to be conditional and contingent upon a successful background check.
Accepting a Counter Offer
If the candidate counters on the offer and hiring department is able to increase amount, contact Human Resources. Human Resources must approve any change in salary offer before candidate is notified.
- Submit Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF)
Upon approval from HR, the contact person listed in PeopleAdmin will be sent the details to generate an EPAF.
Departmental administrative staff are responsible for
- Submitting faculty EPAFs through Banner
- Submitting grant-funded EPAFs through Banner & adding ORA to the approval queue
- Submitting university funded staff positions to the Employee Services Center
- Background Checks
Once Human Resources receives a selected candidate, they will start a background check. The candidate will start the background check process by following the steps provided by our background check provider via email.
For staff positions, the Staffing Specialist will inform the candidate that they are a finalist for the position and retrieve pertinent information for their ID creation before the background check process may begin.
- Prepare for First Day of Work
Human Resources will coordinate the completion of onboarding documents through the candidate's university email.
Getting Started
Refer to Finance & Operations Human Resources Policy HR-20 for employee qualifications and hiring guidelines.
Measuring Qualities with KSAs
Knowledge, Skills, and Ability is referred to as KSAs and used to measure those qualities that will set one candidate apart from the others. KSAs are knowledge, skills, and abilities that a person must possess in order to perform the duties of his or her position. KSAs are listed on each position’s job description and serve as a guide for applicants, employees, and departments to evaluate and assess a person’s likelihood for success in a job.
Knowledge. The subjects, topics, and items of information that an employee should know at the time he or she is hired or moved into the job. Knowledge represents bodies of information that are applied directly to the performance of work functions.
Skills. Technical or manual proficiencies which are usually learned or acquired through training. Skills should be measurable and observable.
Abilities.The present demonstrable capacity to apply several knowledge and skills simultaneously in order to complete a task or perform an observable behavior. Abilities may also relate to personal and social attributes which tend to be innate or acquired without formal instructions. Abilities are enduring talents that can help a person do a job.
Examples
- Clerical
- Knowledge of office procedures and of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and arithmetic.
- Knowledge of records administration and maintenance techniques and procedures.
- Knowledge of inventory control principles and methods.
- Skill in data entry with minimal errors.
- Ability to accurately prepare and maintain records, files, and reports.
- Ability to maintain records of materials, supplies, time, and work performed.
- Communications
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Skill in editing documents for correct grammar.
- Skill in giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Skill in communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Skill in talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form.
- Ability to handle difficult and stressful situations with professional composure.
- Ability to maintain effective interpersonal relationships.
- Ability to understand and follow instructions.
- Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving
- Skill in collecting and analyzing complex data.
- Skill in analyzing and organizing technical data.
- Skill in using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Ability to process information logically.
- Ability to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.
- Financial/Accounting & Budget
- Knowledge of generally accepted accounting procedures and principles.
- Knowledge of budget control methods, policies, and procedures.
- Ability to prepare financial and accounting records.
- Ability to analyze, consolidate, and interpret accounting data.
- Ability to compile, organize, interpret, and communicate accounting data and results concisely.
- Ability to manage a budget and work within the constraints of that budget.
- Managerial or Supervisory
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Skill in monitoring/assessing the performance of self, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate programs.
- Ability to direct and organize program activities.
- Ability to establish goals and objectives.
- Ability to establish program goals and objectives that support the strategic plan.
- Ability to effectively plan and delegate the work of others.
- Ability to plan, assign, and/or supervise the work of others.
- Ability to train others.
- General
- Skill in managing one’s own time and the time of others.
- Skill in completing assignments accurately and with attention to detail.
- Ability to work under pressure and meet close deadlines.
- Ability to analyze, organize and prioritize work while meeting multiple deadlines.
- Ability to analyze and prepare documents, reports, and correspondence.
- Ability to process and handle confidential information with discretion.
- Ability to review work for accuracy.
- Ability to work evenings, nights, and weekends as necessary.
Hire an International
Human Resources International Coordinator provides the university guidance for hiring international workers in conformity with federal immigration laws. International candidates, international employees, and hiring managers should review the related policy and reach out to our International Coordinator for guidance. Our International Coordinator, Heather Varela, may be contacted by emailing hvarela@shsu.edu or calling extension 4-4458.
Read PolicyResources
PeopleAdmin Guide
Search Committee Training
Interview Matrix
Background Check for Hourly Student
Background Check for Graduate Asst
Faculty/Staff Checklist
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