Interviews & Offers
Before you start
As you start considering candidates, 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.
- You will want to note the applicant’s communication skills, attitude, preferences and ability to answer questions without preparation.
- Applicants can be scheduled for an interview at the conclusion of the phone screen or at a future date.
References
Reference checking is the final opportunity to obtain important information about your applicant’s past performance.
Some reference check best practices are:
- Conduct three (or at a minimum two) reference checks
- Use professional references rather than personal, since personal references aren’t as helpful for professional settings
- At least one of the references should be a former supervisor, since he/she will be able to offer the most direct assessment of the applicant’s skills and abilities
- Use the reference check questions below to guide your conversation. The questions are also available on the Reference Check Template.
- What is your relationship to the candidate? How long have you known each other, and in what capacity?
- What did the candidate do at [employer name]? What were his/her responsibilities?
- How do you think the candidate’s skills and experience will match with this position as I’ve described it?
- Where do you believe the candidate will have significant strengths to offer in this position?
- Where do you feel the candidate will face challenges in this position?
- Ask some specific job/skill related questions based on the essential functions of the job description (ex. Attendance and promptness, cooperation, quality of work, oral and written communication skills, balancing priorities, team player, social media and technical capabilities, interacting with the public/visitors, supervisory ability, etc.)
- Is there anything else you feel we should know about the candidate?
- Is the person eligible for rehire / If you had the opportunity, would you rehire this individual? Why or why not?
- If there are aspects of the candidate’s qualifications that you’re hesitant about, take the opportunity to ask targeted, probing questions to test your concerns
- If you’re having difficulty reaching a particular person, ask the candidate if they can assist or provide another contact
Please note that reference information is considered confidential and should not be shared with the applicant.
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.
Training Spotlight
Personnel Action Forms
Learn how to complete HR-related forms like the Personnel Action Form (PAF) in HRMS.