Hiring Process

An effective hiring process involves the hiring authority, the screening committee, the Human Resources Manager (HRM), and the System Office/HR working together as a team.

Commencing the Hiring Process
Before a hiring process can begin, the position must be approved in the relevant operating budget. Hiring of an unbudgeted position requires the approval of the LEO and the Chancellor and is dependent upon the availability of funds.

When a full-time vacancy occurs or an approved new position is ready to be filled, the hiring department initiates a Personnel Requisition for Recruitment and Advertising form and attaches the position description. It is essential that the hiring authority confirm that the minimum requirements on the position description are accurate, as this criteria will define the minimum credentials for an applicant to be qualified for the position. The hiring authority should update the position description, highlighting the most essential functions of the job (normally 5-10 duties) and route the requisition to the LEO for local permission to fill the position.

When the hiring authority has received local approval from the LEO, the requisition is sent to the HRM for review, and then forwarded to System Office/HR. The Director of Compensation and Compliance (Dir. C/C) is responsible to review the new or revised position, and assign the classification level prior to posting or advertising. The classification of a position should not be assigned or changed by the location.

Candidate Searches
After the Dir. C/C has completed a review of the full-time position and has reviewed recommendations with the hiring authority, the personnel requisition and position description are sent to the System Office Employment Services to commence the candidate search. Once a vacancy has been posted internally or advertised externally, minimum requirements may not be raised or lowered without re-posting and/or re-advertising the position.

As a general rule, all full-time positions will be posted internally on the district website and advertised externally, unless permission is given for an exception.

District Website Postings
Lone Star College System website postings will be conducted for all vacant full-time positions, unless the VC/HR&GC approves an exception. District’s website posting requires that the System Office/HR prepare a vacancy announcement to be posted on the Lone Star College System employment pages for a minimum of ten working days.

Internal (Intranet) Postings
Vacancies not posted on the Lone Star College System website may be posted internally (intranet) only, with no external advertising, with approval by the VC/HR&GC. Internal posting only refers to the location of the posting on our intranet (password protected site), but this does not prohibited the application of external candidates who obtain access to our intranet.

Internal posting may be approved when:

• There is an extreme urgency to fill the position, and
• There are candidates within the district having the unique qualifications required.

External Advertising
System Office/HR is responsible for the external advertisement of all full-time vacancies in the district. The advertisement is prepared under the direction of the Manager of Employment in conjunction with the hiring authority, utilizing the following guidelines:

• Support staff positions will be advertised in the appropriate local community media;
• Professional, administrative, and faculty positions will be advertised in appropriate publications including the Chronicle of Higher Education, other specific professional journals, The Houston Chronicle and/or in internet websites;
• The advertisements must state the specific job-related requirements to ensure a qualified applicant pool;
• The position may include a pre-employment medical exam (for most facilities or food service positions); and
• The position is subject to a criminal background check.

Vacancies Not Covered by Search Process
There will be times when a position will not be posted or advertised. This will normally be an infrequent situation, but exceptions will be granted by the VC/HR&GC when there is an overriding reason for not posting the position, such as:

• When the unique qualifications of the position can only be met from within the existing workforce;
• When there is a surplus of qualified employees in a field internally;
• When there are career ladder promotions and rotation of personnel for specific developmental and training purposes;
• When significant restructuring and organizational changes occur which do not create additional positions; or
• When an internal transfer or promotion occurs if:

1. The employee meets minimum qualifications of the vacant position;
2. The employee is employed at the same department or location as where the vacancy occurs; and
3. The resultant vacancy is posted or advertised.

Interim Positions
An interim position is defined as an assignment that usually occurs due to a vacancy in a critical position where there is an overriding need to have coverage in the position as soon as possible. The interim position is for a defined period of time, usually until the full-time position can be filled via the posting and/or advertising process. Once the full-time position has been filled, the person in the interim position normally returns to his/her original, regular position. In some situations, employees in interim assignment may become candidates for the full-time position if they notify the hiring authorities of their interest at the time of the initial interim assignment.

Interim positions will be filled by the departments, unless internal website posting or external advertising is warranted.

Applications
Applicants are normally required to apply for the job postings using our online application process (http://www.lonestar.edu/templates/index.cfm?theme=vis&top=jobs&id=14200), which is known as the Electronic Employment Process (EEP). There may be some positions requiring continuous recruitment, such as adjunct faculty, and some IT positions. In most situations, these positions will have perpetual postings on the district web site.

The EEP will screen applications that meet the posted minimum educational requirements. The hiring authority and/or search committee will then review application materials for the other listed qualifications. A search may be reopened, extended, or re-advertised at the request of the hiring authority. A search is typically reopened if an insufficient number of applications are received, or if upon review, the applicant pool is found to be insufficiently diverse.

Any application that is sent directly to the hiring authority may not be considered until the applicant has applied online, or otherwise been included in the official applicant pool by the System Office Employment Services.

Review of Applications and Interview
The hiring authority is responsible to evaluate applicants and select candidates to be interviewed. No interviewing or employment decision relative to the selection process may be made concerning any applicant prior to the specified review or closing date (in every case not before the end of the 10 day internal online posting period), except in the case of continuous recruitment processes.

Screening/hiring committees are often utilized for administrative, faculty and professional positions. The hiring authority, in consultation with his or her supervisor, will determine whether or not to use a screening committee.

Application materials will be available to the hiring authority via the Job Applicant Review (JAR). The JAR access form must be submitted prior to the review or closing date of the posting. The hiring authority must ensure that the Chairperson JAR worksheet is updated, and that the final Chairperson JAR Report is completed. Training on the JAR procedures may be obtained by contacting the campus Human Resources Manager or the System Office Employment Services.

Reference Checking
Reference checking is an essential part of the hiring process. Prior to making a job offer, the hiring manager is responsible to call contact references to confirm the employee’s job history and performance. By signing the District’s online employment application, each applicant for a position at the District authorizes the district to seek work-related information on the employee. A hiring manager is not restricted to the references provided by the employee; it is strongly recommended that a hiring offer not be finalized until the hiring manager has received a favorable review from the candidate’s most recent supervisor. A reference check form is completed and submitted with the applicant log materials.

Offer of Employment
The offer of employment consists of three steps: 1) a verbal “conditional” offer to the candidate; 2) the completion of a criminal background check by System Office/HR; and 3) a written offer letter.

“Conditional Offer”
The hiring authority is not authorized to tender an offer of employment without prior review and approval of the proposed salary to be offered by the Dir. C/C. (See Chapter 7, Compensation, Sections--New Hires and Part-Time Employees/Student Workers.)

Criminal Background Check
Once the offer has been made and accepted verbally, a criminal background check must be conducted before a final offer can be made. Either at the time of the interview or after the verbal offer has been accepted, the candidate is to complete a form authorizing the District to complete a criminal background check. The hiring authority and the HRM will be notified by email of the results of the background check.

All criminal background data received by the District shall be used only to evaluate the individual for employment, shall be privileged and confidential, and shall not be released or otherwise disclosed to any other person or agency except under court order. If a candidate is rejected for employment, the hiring manager will only be told that the candidate did not pass the background check. Any unauthorized release of conviction data is potentially a criminal matter subject to the same penalties as exist for disclosure of confidential information in the Texas Open Records Act.

Written Offer
The hiring authority will send a written offer letter to the candidate to confirm the terms of employment. Usually the offer letter will follow the criminal background check; however, if sent earlier, it must state that the offer is contingent on the satisfactory completion of the background check. Any offer that contains any salary or terms that are in conflict with the schedules or policies adopted by the Board of Trustees cannot be honored and must be withdrawn and revised.

Final Applicant Log to HR
At the conclusion of the selection process, the hiring authority must complete forward the JAR report and interview paperwork (notes, questions, etc.) for all candidates the HRM for review and approval. The HRM will send the final log to the System Office/HR office.

Colleague Applicant Tracking
The hiring authority must ensure that the appropriate department staff is trained in the Colleague Applicant Tracking (CAT) procedures and that the CAT input is completed in a timely manner at the conclusion of the hiring process.

Academic Credentials
The Southern Association of Colleges and Universities (“SACS”), which accredits Lone Star College System, requires the System Office/HR office to have on file official transcripts from the administrative staff and each instructional employee teaching credit classes.

At the point of hire, the Dean or other hiring authority is to advise the faculty member or administrator of the responsibility to provide appropriate original transcripts to document his or her credentials.

Deans are responsible to collect transcripts from each instructional employee he or she supervises, to verify that the instructional employee has academic credentials appropriate for the instructional assignments, and to forward those credentials to the System Office/HR office. In the event that an instructional employee is approved to teach a credit course for which he or she does not have the requisite 18 graduate hours (or more), the Dean must prepare and submit an “exception letter” explaining the exceptional experience or other reason why the requirements are met in the assignment. The Dean must also provide documentation of the work experience necessary to support the exception.

Administrative new hires are required to provide to the hiring authority official transcripts of the highest degree earned. The hiring authority is responsible to ensure receipt of the transcripts and to confirm the credentials satisfy the minimum requirements on the job posting and parallel information provided in the resume.

Falsification, misrepresentation or failure to provide credentials may result in termination of the employee.

Pre-Employment Medical Examinations
System Office/HR will maintain a list of District job classifications that require a medical examination after an offer of employment has been made to a job applicant and prior to the beginning of employment duties. The positions that normally require pre-employment medical examinations include maintenance, custodial, grounds, and food service. Food service employees also require compliance with health requirements established by local health authorities, which in most cases includes the addition of a tuberculosis (TB) test.

The result of the medical examination shall be used only to determine the applicant’s ability to perform the essential functions of the position.

Documentation for New Hire
On the first day of work, the new employee shall complete the paperwork necessary to properly document his or her employment.

An employee who is required to provide a transcript and has not done so prior to the first day of employment may not commence his or her employment without completing a Request for Transcript Form.

Summary Of Hiring Responsibilities

The LEO:

• Request the System Office/HR department to review any proposed change that may affect the title, classification, or contractual status of a position;
• Approve position requisition;
• Review the criminal background check with VC/HR&GC; and
• Authorize hiring after approval from System Office/HR of salary offer and contractual status.

The Hiring Authority:

• Initiate position requisition with LEO;
• Monitor selection process;
• Approve departmental profile, uniform interview questions;
• Establish screening committee, if needed;
• Submit the Job Applicant Review (JAR) form to System Office/HR in timely manner;
• Ensure that only qualified applicants are interviewed;
• Obtain job related performance references of top candidate;
• Make a final decision of recommendation for employment;
• Obtain approval of Dir. C/C and LEO of proposed salary offer;
• Make the conditional offer to the successful candidate;
• Collect and forward paperwork on background checks to HRM;
• Provide a written offer of employment to the selected candidate;
• “Regret” the unsuccessful candidates who were interviewed; (System Office/HR will notify all other candidates.)
• Submit Applicant Log materials to HRM;
• Ensure the Colleague Applicant Tracking (CAT) is completed in a timely manner;
• Complete a Personnel Action Request (PAR) for the new hire and attach all application materials (resume, cover letter, application, certification, etc.) for the new employee, and
• For faculty hiring, the Dean is responsible to ensure that original transcripts documenting the credentials of the newly hired faculty member are reviewed and submitted promptly to System Office/HR.

The Members of the Screening Committee:

• Narrow applicant pool through fair and equitable procedures;
• Develop a list of uniform job-related questions to facilitate the interview and evaluation of candidates;
• Submit recommendations to the hiring authority;
• Maintain the confidentiality of the committee process; and
• Document interview procedures by completing interview notes, etc.

The Human Resource Manager:

• Forward the Requisition for Recruitment and Advertising form to the System Office/HR office;
• Provide training for hiring committee on interviewing techniques, JAR and Colleague Applicant Tracking training;
• Assist the hiring committee or the hiring authority with the process;
• Respond to questions about salary, hiring criteria and the employment processes;
• Submit criminal background check information;
• Ensure that a criminal background check is done prior to finalizing the employment offer;
• Transmit Applicant Log to System Office/HR; and
• Complete paperwork for new hire.

The Dir. C/C:

• Prior to posting or advertising, review position description and title, assign a classification level, determine whether the position is contractual or non-contractual, and exempt or nonexempt;
• Review with Hiring Manager, prior to offering the proposed salary offer;
• Confirm receipt of transcripts and other credentials to Dean or hiring authority;
• Review PAR when submitted to ensure it complies with approved offer, classification and other elements of position;
• Prepare a Board Agenda item for new or promoted contractual employees; and
• Create a new employee file for the employee.

System Office Employment Services:

• Post internal notices and coordinate external advertisements;
• Provide training for hiring committee on interviewing techniques;
• Collect, review and maintain applicant logs from the hiring authority to document the process;
• Send regret letters to candidates who were not interviewed; and
• Review entire search process for each vacancy.