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Recruiting & Onboarding

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The recruiting and onboarding process is exciting, and it also is something that takes a lot of collaboration and hard work.

In this section we’ll provide you the tools and resources you need to:

  • Create position descriptions
  • Advertise and promote openings
  • Review and screen applications
  • Build an interviewing team
  • Interview candidates
  • Make an offer of employment
  • Onboard your new hire

 

In-depth resources

Explore the pages below to get more information on specific steps in the recruiting and onboarding process. You can also reference our employment process guide for a general overview.

Hiring College Students

Graduating students* may work through Student Employment through their Commencement Day. Commencement dates may vary by school.

*Graduating international students last day may be affected by the I-20 expiration date used on their I-9.

There are 3 options to consider when hiring recently graduated/former, non-matriculated, inactive or current students.

  1. Hiring “Students” Through Human Resources: Use this option for recently graduated, former “students” who are unable to be hired through Student Employment, or through Form 506/520 (see #2). This includes non- matriculated UR “students”, who will continue to work past Commencement Day, non-UR students, and co-op/intern students from other universities. These “students” must be hired through HR using the same process as for other staff hires:
    • HRMS Form 600 ─ Staff Requisition
      This form is used to hire “students” (as identified above) as Time-As-Reported (TAR) with an End Date; this form can be accessed by logging into HRMS. Send the completed 600 Form to the HR Service Center and indicate that there is a Strong Candidate Identified (SCI). For Medical Center Divisions, a signed and approved Medical Center Exemption Form is required. The applicable TAR fringe benefit rate is charged to your department.
    • Strong Staffing
      Former “students” may be hired for up to six months through Strong Staffing, the University’s in-house temporary services department. Strong Staffing Requisition Forms are available here. The applicable Strong Staffing fringe benefit rate is charged to your department.

      • When requesting that a former “student” be hired by Strong Staffing, be sure to allow two weeks’ minimum for Strong Staffing’s pre-employment requirements to be met to ensure the “student” does not experience an interruption in pay.
      • Strong Staffing will schedule your summer hire(s) for a mandatory Payroll Orientation, conducted weekly.
      • Positions involving direct face-to-face contact with patients require a physical and a drug screen; patient contact positions also require that former “students” attend UR Orientation. Strong Staffing will coordinate and schedule these pre-requisites.
  2. Hiring Current Students Using HRMS Form 506/520 for Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Appointments: Use this option for hiring current University of Rochester Graduate Student and Postdoctoral candidates. Students from other schools would be hired into staff positions (see #1) unless approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
  3. Hiring Current Students through the Student Employment Office: This option is used for hiring current matriculated UR students not hired on a 506/520 form (see #2). Visit JobLink through the Employer link on the HRMS home page. JobLink allows you to post jobs, review student applications, hire matriculated UR students, verify I-9s, and access student employment resources.
    • Commencement Day is the last day graduating students may work through Student Employment. All students who graduate must become inactive following graduation.

Note: Departments are responsible for terminating students that have resigned, graduated, or are on inactive status [leave of absence] etc. through Student Employment; visit JobLink > On Campus Employer > Forms and Information > Terminations.

For questions related to hiring students, please feel free to contact:

Employment Services Liaisons: HR_liaisons@hr.rochester.edu

Strong Staffing: hr.tsp@hr.rochester.edu

Student Employment: seo@rochester.edu

Recruiting and onboarding process: Quick reference

The following is a general guide of the employment process. Additional information is outlined in HR Policy 133: Recruitment and Selection and the Manager’s Toolkit.

Explore the drop-downs below for a quick overview. You can also download a printable version of this guidance.

1. Job posting process

Defining the job

If you’ve got a new position on your team or the job responsibilities of an existing position have changed, your first step will be to consider the objectives and responsibilities of the position to define the job. Visit the Job Posting Process section of the Manager’s Toolkit to learn more and to find the necessary forms.

Obtaining approval to fill the position

Complete a Staff Requisition form, accessed through HRMS, to obtain approval to proceed with posting the opening. Each department has designated trained staff who have access to complete the Staff Requisition form. If you are unsure of who in your department can complete the Staff Requisition form, please contact your HR Business Partner.

Once the appropriate department and Finance signatures are obtained, the form should be emailed to Employment Services at hrscreqs@rochester.edu.

  • If the posting is for a new position, include the 600 form provided when the new position has been approved.
  • Divisions 50 and 90 must include a signed exemption form indicating approval to proceed with hiring despite the hiring freeze.
Posting the opening

Once a position is approved, it will be posted to the University of Rochester website and a number of employment sites, including Indeed. The department contact listed on the Staff Requisition form will be notified. Note if a strong internal candidate was identified, the position will only be posted in the hiring department and will not appear on websites.

Visit the Job Posting Process section of the Manager’s Toolkit for additional steps you can take to post and advertise your opening to strengthen your candidate pool.

2. Interviews and offers

Before you start

Be sure to complete the Ethical and Legal Obligations in the Hiring Process training in MyPath. This twenty-minute online training is required for everyone involved in interviewing applicants.

If you will be hiring someone under the age of 18, understand the strict state and federal regulations concerning child labor laws.

Reviewing resumes

Once the position is posted, you’ll want to review resumes regularly against the job requirements to identify candidates you’d like to talk with. Consider education, experience and overall background, as well as longevity in each position, gaps of employment, and career progression as appropriate.

Phone screening

This step provides the hiring manager the first opportunity to interact with the applicant. A standard list of questions should be crafted for each recruitment to ensure that the process is consistent and that the manager and applicant remain focused.

Interviewing

Interviewing is a critical step in recruiting candidates and building a strong team. Visit the Interviewing & Making an Offer section of the Manager’s Toolkit for additional interviewing tips.

References

Reference checking is the final opportunity to obtain important information about your applicant’s past performance. The Interviewing & Making an Offer section of the Manager’s Toolkit has best practices and a reference check template to help you with the reference check process.

Making an offer

Once you’ve selected the final candidate, ensure he/she has completed the University application and contact your HR Business Partner to discuss the salary. HR will consider the candidate’s qualifications and experience, as well as the qualifications and experience of incumbent employees. Finance will also be engaged according to departmental practices.

Once the salary has been determined, complete the Request to Make an Offer form and email it to your HR Service Center liaison. The HR Service Center will notify you once the offer has been reviewed, and then you may call the candidate to extend the offer verbally.

Once you’ve notified your HR Service Center liaison that the offer has been verbally accepted, the HR Service Center will generate paperwork and send it to the candidate.

Once a candidate has accepted the job offer, return to HRMS to update the disposition of each candidate and to close the requisition. External applicants (excluding applicants for faculty, nursing practice and Strong Staffing positions) with a disposition of Not Selected will receive an automatic email within 24 hours notifying them they have not been selected.

3. Pre-employment and onboarding

Pre-employment

Once the candidate has signed and returned the offer letter, the HR Administrative Services team will contact the candidate to guide him/her through the pre-employment paperwork process and to schedule New Employee Orientation and pre-employment physicals if required.

New hires will be directed to stop by Brooks Landing prior to beginning employment to complete legally-required paperwork and get benefits information. They can also request a parking pass through the Department of Transportation and Parking.

Onboarding

Make a strong first impression and set the groundwork for them to hit the ground running by ensuring they understand the job requirements, gain familiarity with key co-workers, have the tools they need to do their job, and feel welcomed and energized to join the University of Rochester! Visit the Pre-Employment & Onboarding section of the Manager’s Toolkit for a New Employee Onboarding Checklist to guide managers through the key steps for a successful onboarding.

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As you create or update positions, consider our University’s core beliefs — equity, inclusion, access, integrity, freedom of ideas, respect, sustainability, and accountability — and how they bring Meliora to life.

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