Following are the basic steps that must be followed when conducting a staff recruitment. The department's Human Resources Coordinator can assist faculty and staff supervisors with all steps of the recruitment process. For more detailed information on staff recruitments, see UCSD Blink - How to Hire Staff.

Staff Recruitment Process and Tips

1. Initiate the recruitment process.
   • Determine if there is a vacancy to be filled.
   • Talk to the CSE Human Resources Coordinator about funding for the position, the type of position (career, limited career, exception, student to staff, etc. ), job description, and related issues.
2. If no job description currently exists for the position, create a set of criteria for the position. (If a job description already exists for the position, go directly to step 3).
   • Perform a thorough job analysis by determining the duties, responsibilities, and specifications needed. Incorporate the required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
   • Develop selection criteria. Ensure that the process is nondiscriminatory.
   • Have the HR Coordinator submit the job description and any other supplement forms needed to classify the position.
   • You must wait until the position is calssified before commencing with the recruitment.
3. Have the HR Coordinator prepare the online Employment Requisition and Recruitment Plan.
4. Determine the recruitment timeline.
   • Discuss your recruitment plan with the HR Coordinator, who will transmit the information to the campus recruiter. Topics may include where to post the notice, content of the notice, interview format, and screening criteria.
   • Establish dates by which you will begin and finish accepting resumes and a date to begin interviewing.
5. Review the early referral candidates.
   • You must give special consideration to any early referral candidates (preferential layoff or special selection candidates).
   • Interview the early referral candidates; if one of these individuals meets minimum requirements, hire that person.
   • If these candidates do not meet your minimum requirements, they must be disqualified in writing in a letter to the HR recruiter.
6. Review the resumes.
   • From an e-mail sent by your HR recruiter, link to a Web page with a list of screened candidates. Retrieve resumes from this list.
   • Match the candidates' qualifications against your criteria. Review your criteria to ensure that they are specific, measurable, and job-related.
   • Carefully review each candidate's education, training, and experience, using the online screening grid.
7. Prepare for the interview.
   • Choose interviewers.
   • Review Questions to Ask During an Interview. Prepare key questions to explore past job performance, covering all essential functions. Prepare follow-up questions. Use a variety of approaches to elicit different kinds of information, tailoring questions to open up a topic for conversation or to confirm information.
   • Meet with other interviewers to review the questions and their order, and other logistics that will affect the interview process. Make sure you use the same interview format and setting for every candidate, and that interview appointments are of the same length.
8. Conduct the interview.
   • Choose an appropriate environment for the interview and ensure that you will not be interrupted. Think of the interview as a business conversation.
   • Welcome the candidate and provide him/her with an overview ("road map") for the interview.
   • Ask your questions and then sit back and listen (ideally, you should talk no more than 20% of the time).
   • Paraphrase to clarify and expand on the candidate's answers.
   • Comment on what the candidate says to show interest and to encourage discussion.
   • Conclude the interview by thanking the candidate and explaining the "next steps" to the candidate. Ask for permission to call references.
9. Check the references of your final candidates.
   • Review Questions to Ask During a Reference Check. Prepare questions.
   • Call references and ask specific questions about the candidate's background. For more detailed information, review How to Conduct Reference Checks.
   • If the position requires it, ask campus HR to conduct a background investigation.
10. Use the department's interview matrix to document your decision.
    • Gather all the data from the applications, resumes, interviews, and reference checks.
    • Evaluate final candidates against each other after you have rated them against the criteria to identify the best fit in terms of skills, worker characteristics, and organizational fit.
    • Review all your notes and write up your decision. Ensure that your decision is nondiscriminatory, complies with laws and policies, and is based on sound judgment.
    • Establish an appropriate salary for the candidate with the HR recruiter and the department's HR Coordinator.
    • Send the interview matrix and resume supplement forms to the HR recruiter for approval. Please note: An offer CANNOT be made until email approval is received from campus Human Resources.
11. Make the offer.
    • Call the candidate to make an offer.
    • Confirm the offer and acceptance in writing.
    • Inform all candidates in writing of the outcome of the interview process (can be done via email).
    • Let the department's HR Coordinator know when your offer has been accepted.
    • Coordinate with the department's HR Coordinator to ensure that the new hire receives and completes all appropriate paperwork (see Hire & Rehire Procedures).