Q. I have a staff vacancy (SPA), what do I do now?

A. When you have a staff vacancy, the first step is to contact the Office of Human Resources.

Before beginning the advertising process, it may be important to reconsider the position responsibilities. Have they changed? Do you need a new job description? Should the position be reclassified? If you think any of these situations may apply these should be discussed with the Office of Human Resources prior to advertising.

Q. Where will my vacancy be advertised?

A. Your vacancy announcement will automatically be listed with the Office of Human Resources, the WCU employment webpage, the Employment Security Commission, and the Office of State Personnel. At the discretion of the hiring department, advertisements may also be placed in newspapers, trade publications or other advertising mediums. The hiring department is responsible for the expense of these types of ads. The Office of Human Resources can provide guidance in writing these ads and can help ensure the best exposure for your vacancy. All advertisements, regardless of format must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Human Resources prior to publication.

Q. My position is Time Limited/Grant funded, is it treated any differently?

A. If your position is time limited, it must be advertised as such and the individual you select will be required to sign a time limited acceptance form indicating that they are aware of this fact.

Q. Do I have to advertise?

A. Only in specific instances may you request a waiver of posting. A waiver of posting may be requested only to avoid reduction-in-force (RIF), to affect a disciplinary transfer, to accommodate a temporary employee who has been functioning in the position for 12 months, or to achieve a mandatory reinstatement (See Office of State Personnel Manual, Section 2, page 1).

Q. How do I start the advertising process?

A. All SPA positions are now recruited and filled through the new Jobs@WCU online employment site. To begin the advertising process, you will need to log into the Jobs@WCU Employer site and request that your position be posted for recruitment. If you are a new user to the system you will be asked to contact Human Resources to create a new account and to receive information and training on how to use the new system. Once your account has been approved, you will have the ability to update position descriptions and position announcements directly through the online system and submit them for approval and posting. Upon approval of the advertising content by Human Resources, the vacancy announcement will be posted on the following business day.

Q. What is Human Resources role in this process?

A. It is the responsibility of the Office of Human Resources to receive and process all applications. Each position is reviewed by an Employment Specialist who screens and evaluates every application. Before an applicant can be considered for employment, they must first meet the minimum State education and experience requirements for the vacancy classification. The hiring department may also determine specific job-related qualifications in addition to the minimum state standards (ex. Experience with word processing, etc.). This would be noted in the "preferred training/education" field of the online form. The Employment Specialist, using the minimum State education and training requirements along with any requested preferences will screen the applications and determine a Most-Qualified Pool of applicants, a Qualified Pool, and all applicants that do not meet minimum qualifications (non-qualified) (See WCU Merit Based Recruitment Policy).

Q. Can I give applicants a test?

A. If you have a work sample that you would like your candidates to complete, this must be first approved by the Office of Human Resources. A work sample will be utilized only as an added tool to aid you in making the best selection. It will not be graded or used to eliminate a candidate. You must also give the work sample to everyone you interview.

Q. I am ready to interview, what do I do now?

A. When your applicant pool has been appropriately screened by the Employment Specialist you are ready to begin the evaluation of candidates and ultimately the interview process. You should start by contacting candidates in the Most Qualified Pool. You may only interview candidates that Human Resources has referred to you (Candidates who have been screened as not meeting minimum training and experience requirements should not be scheduled for interviews without prior approval from Human Resources).

Q. Should I have my interview pool approved by the Office of Human Resources?

A. Before you begin interviewing, it is a good idea to call your Employment Specialist and have your pool of potential interviewees approved. This will allow the Employment Specialist to ensure that all priority re-employment factors are considered.

There are certain people who have priority re-employment. They are:

• Employees who are scheduled for or already reduced-in-force (RIF)
• Employees separated from policy making or confidential exempt positions for reasons other than just cause
  
• Career State government employees who are eligible for promotion
  
• Veterans
  
• Disabled on-the-job (workers compensation)

For additional information regarding these priorities, refer to The Hiring Guide for Classified Staff or contact the Office of Human Resources (227-7218).

Q. Can I have relatives in the same department?

A. Relatives may be employed in the same department only if it can be certified that one relative will not have supervisory duties over another or that one family member will not have influence over another's employment (WCU Policy #57). All requests of this nature must be approved by the Office of Human Resources first.

Q. What questions can I ask during an interview?

A. You must only ask questions that are legal and non-discriminatory! Attached to this guide are questions you may legally ask to any applicant. For additional assistance, please contact the Office of Human Resources.

Q. Who conducts reference checks?

A. Satisfactory reference checks are a condition of employment for new employees. It is the responsibility of the hiring department to conduct these reference checks. A few guidelines: maintain confidentiality, obtain approval from the applicant before calling current employers, ask only legal questions and document the results (See Telephone Reference Guidelines). A minimum of two references are required on all new employees.

Q. I am ready to hire someone. What do I do now?

A. After completing the interview process, reference checks, and having made a decision about who the selected candidate will be, the next step is to ensure that all applicant statuses (including appropriate non-selection reasons) have been updated in the online system and the Hiring Proposal has been completed and submitted for approval. The Hiring Proposal is completed via the Jobs@WCU online employment system and submitted to Human Resources for final approval. Once Human Resources has approved the Hiring Proposal, a formal offer of employment may be extended to the selected candidate. Any hardcopy documentation pertaining to the recruitment process that has not been maintained in the online system should be submitted to Human Resources to ensure compliance with records retention guidelines.

Q. What is the Hiring Proposal?

A. The Hiring Proposal is completed once the hiring department is ready to recommend a candidate for hire and contains all vital information regarding the recommended applicant (Name, Social Security #, requested salary, position number, budget code, etc.). Both the supervisor of the position as well as the administrator of the department/division must approve this form. Failure to obtain appropriate approvals may result in a delay in approving the recommended candidate for employment.

Q. How do I determine how much I should pay my candidate?

A. Do not make an offer or salary commitment to a candidate until you receive approval from Human Resources.

The standard practice at Western is to hire qualified new employees at the minimum of the salary grade. Exceptions to this practice are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on several factors such as the candidate's education and experience, equity within the department, and the availability of budget. If the candidate is an internal candidate, the following guidelines apply:

Promotions - Individuals being promoted within the State of North Carolina system can be offered the minimum of the new salary grade or 5% whichever is greater. The employee may be eligible to receive a maximum of 5% per salary grade if they are being promoted in the same occupational series. Requests above the standard increase will be reviewed on an individual basis with consideration being based on the candidate's qualifications above the minimum, equity within the department, and budget availability.

Lateral Transfers - If an individual is transferring to a position having the same salary grade, their salary will remain unchanged.

Demotions/Reassignment - This is a transfer to a position of a lower salary grade. If the individual's previous salary falls within the new class salary range, it may remain unchanged or be reduced to any rate within the new range. A salary adjustment downward should be based on the employee's qualifications for the position, salaries within the work unit and length of service.

Q. Who extends the formal offer of employment?

A. Upon approval by the Office of Human Resources, the hiring supervisor may contact the selected candidate to extend an offer of employment. After the candidate has accepted the offer of employment, the Employment Specialist should be contacted and given the effective date of employment.

Q. What paperwork should I submit to Human Resources?

A. The Hiring Proposal must be completed in full, all applicant statuses must be updated, the candidate must be approved by Human Resources, at least two reference checks conducted and documented on the selected candidate and the list of advertising sources should be completed and submitted to Human Resources via the Jobs@WCU online employment system.

Q. Who notifies non-selected applicants?

A. The hiring department is required to notify all applicants interviewed but not selected to acknowledge the disposition of their applications (the online employment system can generate an email to all applicants at the conclusion of the search notifying them that the position has been filled). In addition, Human Resources can provide an electronic mailing list of all applicants should the department prefer to mail out notifications.

Q. My new employee has accepted and is ready to report to work. What do I do now?

A. The first thing that you should do is contact the Office of Human Resources and schedule a pre-employment appointment for the new employee. During this appointment the new employee will complete all necessary paperwork (I-9, W-4/NC-4, etc.), will receive the necessary benefits information and will be scheduled for New Employee Orientation. This appointment must occur within three days of employment and the employee should be instructed to have two proper forms of identification with them at the time of appointment.