Recruiting and Hiring Procedures:
Staff Positions

I. Vacancy

The Business Office will maintain a pool of completed job applications to assist supervisors in identifying qualified job applicants and will coordinate the overall staff hiring process. While responsibility for selecting a candidate to fill a position vacancy rests with the respective hiring supervisor (normally the department head or convener), no position vacancy may be announced, advertised, offered, or filled without the advance approval of the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations.

When a staff position vacancy occurs, the appropriate department head or convener must contact the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations for approval to fill the vacancy. If such approval is secured, the department head or convener must submit an updated position description listing the major responsibilities of the position and the related qualifications desired in the successful candidate to the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations.

Positions are not to be described with reference to sex, age, race, or religion except where such is justified in writing to the Affirmative Action Officer as a bona fide occupational qualification or preference, e.g., that the Campus Ministry position be filled by a Quaker. Position descriptions should focus on the knowledge, skills, and talents sought; that is, not a Quaker fundraiser, but a fundraiser who can communicate with members of midwestern yearly meetings; not a male custodian but a custodian who can lift 50 pounds.

II. Recruiting

Upon approval of the position description, the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will determine the job classification level and starting wage rate (new employee) of the position vacancy and issue a "Position Vacancy Notice." The notice will typically include the position title, employment status, budgeted hours, classification level, starting wage rate (new employee) and an abbreviated version of the responsibilities and qualifications contained in the position description. The Position Vacancy Notice will be posted on the Position Notice Board in the area of the Business Office (Lower Level of Carpenter Hall) for at least five (5) working days before the position is filled in order to inform current employees of the vacancy and give those interested time to apply. Copies of the notice will be posted to the staff listserve or Earlham Web site. Abbreviated information will normally be posted in the Earlham College Newsletter.

Classified advertising, the Indiana Employment and Security Division, and other community contacts may be utilized in locating qualified job applicants, especially for positions in which supervisory ability or high technical skill levels are being sought. The approved text of position advertisements must carry one of the following statements:

1. an end-note: "AA/EEO"

2. the expansion of 1 above: "Earlham College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer."

3. or, preferably, if not too costly: "As a Quaker college committed to Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity, Earlham especially encourages applications from women, racial minorities, and Quakers."

Employment applications are available in the Business Office. Individuals interested in employment at Earlham should complete and submit an employment application to the Business Office in person or by mail. After being on file for six (6) months, an application will no longer be considered.

III. Review of Applications

The hiring supervisor will review employment applications and normally select several applicants for personal interviews.

IV. Promotion/Transfer

All promotions/transfers must be approved in advance by the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations.

A. Positions not requiring supervisory ability/high technical skill levels.

In the event that there are one or more internal candidates (i.e., current employees) for a position vacancy, the hiring supervisor may elect to interview the internal candidate(s) without considering any external candidates for the position. If the hiring supervisor determines that an internal candidate is qualified for the position, he/she may request that the internal candidate be promoted/transferred to fill the position vacancy. Of course, the hiring supervisor may always elect to interview external candidates regardless of the qualification levels of internal candidates. There is no requirement that internal applicants must be interviewed.

B. Positions requiring supervisory ability/high technical skill levels.

In the event that there are one or more internal candidates (i.e., current employees) for a position vacancy and at least one of the internal candidates is an affirmative action
candidate, the process outlined above under section "A" is applicable. If there is not an internal affirmative action candidate, the hiring supervisor should consider one or more external candidates for the position so as to hold open the possibility of an affirmative action candidate being selected to fill the position vacancy. Of course, the hiring supervisor may always elect to interview external candidates (regardless of the qualification levels of internal candidates).

V. Personal Interview

Hiring supervisors are expected to ask each candidate a set of common open ended questions related directly to the position being filled. Notes and/or records of all interviews, including questions asked, are to be forwarded by the hiring supervisor to the Business Office once a hiring decision has been made.

The hiring supervisor has the discretion to be assisted by a committee or by a group of interviewers. The supervisor is encouraged to consult with the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations about the advisability of wide consultation in the hiring process.

VI. Appointments

In selecting the candidate best suited to fill a position vacancy, the hiring supervisor should keep in mind Earlham's commitment to affirmative action/equal opportunity employment, to the promotion of current employees, as well as desired job-related qualifications.

Once the hiring supervisor has selected the candidate that he/she wishes to hire, a "Staff Hiring Request/Report" form must be completed and submitted to the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations for approval. If unusual circumstances arise in reference to a hiring supervisor's selection, the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will consult with the Affirmative Action Officer before giving approval. Only after receiving approval, may the hiring supervisor contact the successful candidate and offer him/her the position. If the candidate accepts the offer, the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will issue the necessary payroll forms. The Business Offices informs the unsuccessful applicants that the position has been filled.

VII. Records and Documentation

Accurate and complete records should be kept throughout the hiring process and forwarded by the hiring supervisor to the Business Office once a hiring decision has been made. Even though some of the steps may be informal, accurate documentation of what was done is essential to demonstrate the fairness and good faith of the recruiting and hiring efforts. Records on file should include the following:

1. Position Description

2. Position Posting

3. Staff Hiring Request/Report form

4. Copies of letters sent and notes of phone calls made

5. Interview notes and recommendations of others regarding the candidates' qualifications

6. Copies of the employment applications of candidates interviewed.

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This page last updated: May 2, 2005