Purpose:
The Employment and Search Committee Procedure is intended to assist in the search and hiring processes for Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC). It will also help to ensure that the College’s interests are served by hiring and retaining the most qualified candidates and to protect the integrity of the search process for both the candidates and the institution.
Scope:
Diversity and inclusion are vital to the present and future of the higher education workforce. DSCC believes a diverse workforce is a critical component of inclusive higher education communities. We believe a diverse workforce deserves an inclusive academic workplace. To that end, DSCC works to ensure we are a site of belonging, where all faculty and staff can thrive.
Dyersburg State Community College, an AA/EEO employer, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age (as applicable), status as a covered veteran, genetic information, and any other category protected by federal or state civil rights law.
Policy:
I.
Recruitment Process
Careful recruitment planning and execution
can assist in hiring candidates
who are qualified and well matched for the positions. Therefore, it is worth the effort to perform
each search carefully.
When a vacancy occurs, the hiring authority and Human Resources
work in conjunction to review/revise the position description as
applicable, post the vacant position, and advertise the position. The hiring authority is defined
as the immediate supervisor of the vacant position. At DSCC, the hiring authority is typically a Coordinator, Director, Dean, or Vice
President.
It is the responsibility of the hiring authority
to provide the following:
1. Resignation/Retirement Letter
2. Changes to position description
3. Position
Requisition which includes naming the search committee chair and
members. Providing justification for
filling the vacancy is part of the position requisition form. (See Search Committee Process for more information)
Human Resources will then complete
the following for the requisition/posting:
1.
Route position
requisition for approvals
2.
Initiate requisition/posting in TBR Connector (Cornerstone)
3. Post on DSCC website
4. Advertise in diverse locations
In order to comply with TBR Policies 5:01:00:00
and 5:01:02:00, and TBR Guideline P-010, the
requisition/posting must be posted for the following
length of time:
·
14 calendar
days for Clerical/Support, Adjunct Faculty and Temporary Part-Time
Positions
·
30 calendar
days for Administrative/Professional, Faculty and Executive
Positions
Human Resources will advertise on a variety of sites
and in a variety of publications to generate a diverse pool of applicants. The hiring authority
is encouraged to provide additional advertising avenues specific
to the position. Every effort will be
made to consider academic calendar when hiring faculty to ensure the broadest possible
applicant pool.
The Affirmative Action Officer will review the composition of the pool to certify
a diverse pool of applicants and will monitor
the overall Affirmative Action policy for the College.
New Position: When a new position
has been requested
and approved in the budget,
the hiring authority
and Human Resources
will work together
to create the position
description, post the new position, and advertise the position.
Temporary
position vacancies: Temporary staff, faculty and adjunct are not subject to the
search committee process, vacancies
must be posted within the online application system and Department/Division
Heads are responsible for ensuring
that all appointments are based on job related factors assessed through a competitive, fair, and open process. An employee who has worked as temporary
staff for the maximum time of one
(1) calendar year must be completely separated and off the payroll for fourteen
(14) calendar days before becoming
eligible for re-employment in a temporary position pursuant to Tennessee Board of Regents Policy
5:01:01:00 and P-010. Temporary faculty and adjunct employees are employed subject to Tennessee
Board of Regents
Policy 5:02:07:00.
II.
Search Committee Process
Dyersburg State Community College has adopted a practice that requires the formation of search
committees to screen,
interview, and recommend
qualified applicants to fill open positions within
the College.
The search committee acts in an advisory capacity
to the hiring authority. The hiring authority receives input from
the search committee and recommends
the final selection to the Vice
President, who recommends to the President for
final approval.
Search committees must be composed of at least five or more members
for Administrative/Professional, Faculty, and Executive positions.
It is recommended
that search committees for
Clerical/Support positions are composed
of three or more members.
Choosing
Search Committee Members
The
search committee should be
composed of individuals who have a vested interest in and/or direct knowledge of the position
and who represent the diverse population the College employs and serves. Collectively, persons with a wide variety of experiences,
backgrounds, circumstances and departments offer the committee a broader base of
knowledge and a holistic perspective that is critical
in appointing an inclusive body of faculty
and staff.
· A member of Human
Resources will serve on each search committee.
· A minimum
of one employee from a different department/academic division is required.
· Together, committee
members should reflect
the diversity of the College’s employees and students. A diverse search committee
may include persons from
differing races, ethnic or national origins,
sexes, etc. and should encompass a range of persons that is representative of the College’s population as a whole.
Committee members must remain professional and objective, maintain confidentiality, and exhibit ethical
conduct.
Committee members may not serve on search committees that create a potential conflict of interest. For example, if a committee member has a relative that
applies for the position, the committee member will need to request to be
replaced on the committee. Or, if a
committee member’s current supervisor is an applicant for the position, the
committee member may request to be replaced on the committee.
Potential search committee members will be
submitted on the position requisition which requires the approval of the Human
Resources Director and the President.
Once the search committee members are approved,
the Human Resources Director will charge the committee with the guidelines and
search procedures.
Role of the Search Committee Chair (may be the hiring authority or someone delegated by the hiring
authority)
·
Assist hiring authority
with selection of search committee
members. Serve as liaison between
the search committee and hiring
authority, if different.
·
Facilitate all communications and meetings of the search committee and ensure the hiring process
moves forward in a timely and efficient
manner.
·
Consult with hiring authority and search
committee members to compile interview questions and applicants for interview
submit to Human Resources for review and approval.
·
Guarantee no action is taken by the search committee until the position has been posted for
the required number of days.
o
14 days calendar
for Clerical/Support, Adjunct
Faculty and Temporary
Part-Time Positions
o
30 calendar days for Administrative/Professional, Faculty
and Executive Positions
·
Oversee scheduling
of interviews once candidates are selected by search committee. Human Resources will assist
with scheduling interviews as their availability allows.
·
Guide the search committee in the evaluation of applicants in order to assist the hiring authority with a final selection. Human Resources will provide a rubric to aid in the evaluation of applicant.
·
Confirm the final selection with the hiring authority and make certain
the following items are
completed and submitted
to the Office of Human Resources.
a.
Background check release form
b.
Disposition spreadsheet (required for all except pool postings)
c.
Interview notes from all search committee
members
d.
Summary
of strengths and weaknesses of each candidate interviewed.
Role of the Search Committee Members
(including the Search Chair)
·
Remain professional and objective, maintain
confidentiality, and exhibit
ethical conduct.
·
Review and evaluate application material for each candidate
in terms of required and preferred qualifications listed in the job posting.
·
Select the candidates to interview once the position has been posted
the required number of days.
·
Participate in interviews and complete interview
notes for each candidate interviewed.
·
Provide feedback in the
evaluation of applicants in order to assist the hiring authority with a final
selection.
Role of social media in the Search Process
·
To ensure every search
is fair, consistent, and non-discriminatory,
the College strongly discourages all members
of the search committee, including
the search chair,
from using social media to screen, evaluate, or qualify/disqualify candidates
at any stage in the search to avoid intentionally or unintentionally obtaining information
about candidates that would be otherwise illegal to ask during an actual interview for employment.
·
Search committee members
will not discuss
during the search committee meetings
any information they may
discover on social media outlets or through internet searches of candidates to
qualify or disqualify someone from a position, regardless of whether
they discover information accidentally or purposefully.
·
Reference checks
will be conducted
on all successful candidates prior to offering
a position. The job offer will be made contingent on the
criminal background check results.
Request for Exception
to the Search Committee Process
The established search practices of DSCC
are designed to meet
all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding equal employment opportunity. They are also designed to assist in ensuring a fair and
equitable process that will strengthen
the College’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Deviations from these practices are, therefore, considered to be an exception.
There are special
circumstances which allow for
an appointment rather than
conducting an external search. With appropriate justification, exceptions to these practices may be made for
the following reasons:
1.
Interim Appointments -Position
is a limited interim appointment up to twelve (12) months. The College’s
established search process
should happen concurrently with the interim appointment. The interim appointee
may apply for the regular
appointment.
2.
Existing
Diverse Pool – A search was conducted for the same job
title and qualifications within
the last ninety (90) days. The search,
therefore, generated a sufficient pool of applicants.
3.
Direct Line of Promotion -The position
is in the direct line of promotion and is the expected
next level for an internal
candidate who is uniquely qualified.
The promotion must leave a position vacant
which will then be subject
to an external search.
III.
Application Process
The College has established hiring processes to ensure the College employs qualified candidates and maintains employment practices
that neither intentionally nor inadvertently discriminate on the basis
of unlawful consideration.
All applicants, both external and internal,
are required to apply through
the online applicant system and attach
any required documents in order to be considered for positions at DSCC.
The applicant
is required to certify that all information contained in the application is correct. Falsification of the application constitutes grounds for refusing to hire or for discharge if
the applicant is hired. Falsification of academic credentials is a Class A misdemeanor.
An Affirmative Action
survey is included within the online application. Completion of this portion of
the application is voluntary. This information is used
for statistical reporting and does not circulate through the screening process with the applicant’s materials.
The search committee
is given access to
the online pool of applicants. It is the search committee’s responsibility to review
the applicant pool and screen for minimum
and preferred qualifications. The Affirmative Action Officer will review the
composition of the pool to certify a diverse
pool of applicants and monitors
the overall Affirmative Action policy for the College.
IV.
Interview Process
The purpose of an
interview is to gather information
about the applicant, present a
description of the position, ensure
a fair selection process, establish adequate
records for justification purposes,
and determine whether
a candidate would succeed in the position.
DSCC adheres to a structured interview plan in which the same standard
set of interview questions shall be asked of each applicant. Interview questions must be submitted to
Human Resources for approval
prior to the interviews.
After review
of minimum and preferred qualifications, the search committee selects the applicants to interview. There is no specific number of applicants that must be interviewed as the number of candidates to be interviewed depends on the size of the qualified applicant pool. However,
fair consideration to all qualified applicants must be given to guarantee an unbiased and nondiscriminatory search process.
Certain positions, typically executive level appointments,
require TBR approval of selected applicants before the interviews may begin.
The search committee chair or designee
will schedule interviews. In some cases, the search committee may want to
conduct telephone or video
conferencing interviews prior to conducting in-person interviews. This can be especially helpful
if there are a number of qualified
individuals in the applicant pool.
All interview
notes and documentation must be submitted
to the Office of Human Resources once a candidate has been hired.
The interview
should be concluded
by explaining the next steps in
the process, which may include background checks,
professional reference checks,
a possible second interview, and a timeframe for the interview
and selection process.
The search committee should provide feedback to the hiring authority
to assist with a final selection. The hiring authority and
appropriate Vice President will meet with the President prior to final
selection.
V.
Selection Process
Candidates must be selected based on the qualifications listed
in the requisition/posting.
Once the hiring authority has made a final
selection, the following items must be submitted to the Office of Human Resources:
1. Background check release form
2. Disposition spreadsheet (required for all except pool postings)
3. Interview notes from all search committee members
It is the responsibility of the search
chair to submit
the disposition spreadsheet to the Human Resources Office in a timely manner. This will allow them
to disposition the applicants which generates
an automated e-mail notifying them the position
has been filled.
Human Resources will complete the following:
1.
Submit background check
2.
Obtain three professional reference checks
3.
Update status in the applicant tracking software (Cornerstone)
4.
Obtain approvals for full-time positions
5.
Prepare work experience certification for full-time positions
Certain positions, typically executive level appointments, require TBR approval of final
selection before the official offer can be made.
Once the above items are complete, Human Resources will make the official offer to the candidate of choice. Once the official
offer has been accepted, Human
Resources will notify the
search committee, hiring manager, Vice President and President that the offer
was accepted and the tentative start date for the new employee. Human Resources will also prepare a Personnel Action Form (PAF) for all permanent positions, obtain
signatures from the department head applicable Vice President, and President. The hiring manager prepares all contracts for
temporary employees. The hiring
authority will submit the following to the Office
of Human Resources:
1.
Signed work experience certification form for full-time
positions
2.
Faculty Credentials for faculty and adjunct faculty
3.
Certification of Proficiency in Spoken English
for faculty and adjunct faculty
Once paperwork has been
processed, the Office
of Human Resources
will contact the new employee
regarding new hire paperwork. For full-time positions, orientation is typically scheduled for the
first week of employment. New hire
orientation acquaints the employee
with the College’s policies, procedures, and benefits.
Official transcripts must be
submitted directly to the Office of Human Resources from the institution(s) within 30 calendar days of hire.
Transcripts identified as "student copy" or "issued to
student" are not considered official.
Failure to provide
proof of educational requirements within 30 calendar days of hire may be considered sufficient cause for dismissal.
Human Resources will
close the position posting in the applicant tracking system and will notify
each applicant the position has been filled.
VI.
Conclusion
The search and hiring process is crucial to the success of Dyersburg State Community
College. Participation and commitment to the process
will ensure the College is hiring and retaining the most qualified
candidates.
Compliance:
The Director of Human Resources is responsible for ensuring all search committees comply with this procedure.
TBR Policy Reference: 5:01:00:00; 5:01:02:00; P-010
Definitions:
N/A
Revision History:
Procedure written by Human Resource Director January 2022 to replace Hiring Process Policy.
Procedure reviewed by Cabinet March 2022.
Procedure approved by Administrative Council April 28, 2022.