In compliance with federal regulations regarding employment practices, the College utilizes standard procedures and maintains comprehensive records pertaining to the recruitment, selection and promotion of staff.

The College is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and therefore adheres to the requirements to maintain records on all searches, mainly for defense of any discrimination claim. 

Within a department, reorganizing positions and/or position responsibilities may be reassigned without employing a search. Inter-departmental moves typically require a search.

In situations where insufficient time allows for regular hiring procedures, a temporary or interim replacement may be hired in consultation with the Human Resources Director and area Vice President to fill the position while recruitment for a regular replacement takes place. For more explanation of these and other classifications, see policy 5310 “Employment Structure.”

Only applications received for positions open for recruitment shall be processed.

I. Responsibilities

1. Search Chair
   Provide leadership to the committee; recommend search committee membership to the Vice Presidents and College President; request proposed search committee members to serve on the search committee; coordinate with Human Resources to enter required information into the applicant tracking system; maintain confidentiality; review resumes; coordinate and participate in phone and on-campus interviews; facilitate committee meetings; bring forward sound hiring recommendations made by the committee and provide HR with supporting documentation; check references as appropriate and/or delegate this responsibility to search committee members; prior to candidate travel expenses being incurred, determine status of in-house applicants; facilitate the decision with the search committee regarding the acceptance of late applications and/or facilitate the decision to request a revised posting date; provide reason for non-selection into the applicant tracking system; complete offer paperwork; call interviewed candidates regarding selection or non-selection; and ensure that any copies of resumes are either shredded or returned to the Human Resources Office. Search chairs are responsible for providing HR with candidate interview results documentation and other search-related information, such as candidate interview questions, interview schedules, feedback forms, etc.
   
   
2. Search Committee
   Maintain confidentiality; review resumes; participate in phone and on-campus interviews; make hiring recommendations; determine status of in-house applicants; decide if late applications shall be accepted and/or request a revised posting date; determine if initial interviews shall be face-to-face or other electronic means.
   
   
3. Human Resources Office
   Attends to the mechanics of the searches which includes working with the appropriate supervisor to revise position descriptions; enters the approved job description into the applicant tracking system; provides search committees with information regarding legal compliance and appropriate search practices; maintains recruiting budget; recommends starting salary; advertises vacancies; acknowledges applications; answers questions; acts as a resource for the search chair and committee; coordinates travel arrangements with finalists; provides search materials to the committee; makes all logistical arrangements for on-campus interviews (rooms, food, etc.); sends email to inform campus community of on-campus interview activities; manages and oversees the activities of the applicant tracking system; and works with the search chairs to ensure necessary search documentation is provided for the search file.
   
   
4. Area Vice President
   Ensure that the Search Chair is informed of their responsibilities and refer them to the Human Resources Director for training on these duties if needed. Approve or reject the Search Committee’s recommendation for hire.
   
   
5. College President
   Final approval for all staff hires.

II. Search Committee Eligibility

1. Regular staff who have completed their provisional period are eligible to participate on Search Committees. Regular staff are typically originally hired through the search process. Interim staff who were originally hired through a formal search process, and who are in an interim role, are also eligible with their supervisor’s approval.
   
   
2. Staff vacating the position that is being searched for are not eligible to participate on that Search Committee.
   
   
3. A committee member must remove him/herself from the committee if a relative or a personal friend applies for the position. For the purpose of the search committee membership, a relative is defined as spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, first cousin, corresponding in-law, “step” relation, or any member of the staff member’s household. Personal friends are typically considered those individuals with whom a staff member regularly interacts on a social basis outside of work and in non-work related activities. A committee member may also recuse him/herself if other potential conflicts of interest exist which could appear to compromise the integrity of the search process. In these cases, the Human Resources Director and Search Committee Chair shall make a determination in consultation with the appropriate Vice President and/or College President.

III. Search Committee Chair
The College President, area Vice President or designee shall appoint a Chair. The search chair shall not be a direct report to the position being searched unless approved by the College President.

IV. Committee Composition
The Search Chair shall consult with the area Vice President on the appropriate composition of the search committee with attention to diversity. Up to one direct report for the position being searched is permitted. The search chair must provide their recommendations to the Human Resources Director for search committee members prior to the start of the search. The Vice Presidents shall review and recommend committee composition and the College President shall make the final determination as to who sits on the committee. Faculty shall be on all searches to fill professional and administrative staff positions. Other parties may participate in an informal role with the approval of the area Vice President and the Human Resources Director.

V. Procedure
These four steps must be completed and authorized prior to the internal search.

1. To begin the search process, the supervisor must contact the Human Resources Director. Together, they shall propose any necessary updates to the job description. If major changes are requested, a new Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) shall need to be completed. Job descriptions and PDQs are approved by the supervisor, area Vice President, Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance, Human Resources Director and the College President according to policy 5300 “Position Descriptions” and policy 5200 "Compensation."
   
   
2. The search committee chair is appointed.
   
   
3. After the job description is approved, the search chair reviews the information for the completion of the online job requisition in collaboration with the Human Resources Director.
   
   
4. Once the job requisition is completed, the posting is forwarded for approval by the area Vice President, the Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance and the College President.

For Classified Staff vacancies, application materials always include the following:

• Cover letter
• Online application (which includes job history and three professional references)

For Professional and Administrative vacancies, application materials always include the following:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Online application (which includes three professional references)
• Transcripts (unofficial are accepted for screening purposes)
• Some searches require additional material to be submitted which are stated in the posting

If application materials are provided to the search committee which are not submitted through the online system, this information shall be forwarded to the Human Resources Office for retention in the search file.

VI. Internal Search
All staff positions approved for posting shall open internally prior to opening externally. Internal applicants are given preferential consideration. Preferential consideration is the opportunity for an internal candidate to apply and be considered for the open position prior to an external search. The internal search shall be open for five business days. An internal email from HR shall announce the internal vacancy on the day of the posting. The vacancy shall also be posted on the Human Resources bulletin board. Only staff who are regular employees and have worked in their current position for at least one year are qualified to apply as an internal applicant. If the application material is received after the deadline, the staff member shall be considered an external applicant.

The Search Committee shall be notified by Human Resources if there are any internal applications. If there are, the Search Committee is required to review the internal application(s) and make one of the following decisions:

• Interview and possibly hire the applicant prior to an external search
• Not interview the applicant(s)
• Retain the applicant(s) for inclusion among the applications received through the external search process. If this step is executed, the internal applicant(s) shall cease to have preferential treatment.

The Search Chair must notify any in-house applicants verbally as to the status of their application. No advertising shall start until a decision has been made regarding any internal applicant(s).

VII. External Search
After the Search Committee decides what to do with internal applications or if there were not any, the position shall open for search externally and shall typically remain open for:

• Classified vacancies shall be open for two weeks
• Professional vacancies shall be open for three weeks
• Administrative vacancies shall be open for four weeks

Advertising shall typically be through the following mediums:

1. Classified Staff positions:
   1. Powell Tribune, Cody Enterprise (two times in each) 
   2. College website 
   3. If additional advertising is requested, the request shall be made to the Human Resources Director for approval.
      
      
2. Administrative and Professional positions: 
   1. Powell Tribune, Cody Enterprise (two times in each)
   2. Website for the Chronicle of Higher Education
   3. College website
   4. If additional advertising is requested, the request shall be made to the Human Resources Director.

VIII. Application Materials and Review
Search committee members can review the applications anytime online. The search chair shall have a supervisor account which gives them the ability to change statuses of the applicants. The other committee members shall be given a guest account which shall give them access to the applications at any time during the search. At the conclusion of the search, the Search Chair is responsible for collecting and returning all copies of application materials to the Human Resources Office for shredding. If any correspondence is directly received by a Search Committee Member from an applicant, this information shall be shared with the Search Committee and given to Human Resources as well for retention in the search file.

The responsibility falls with the Search Committee to ensure that all applicants being considered meet the required qualifications as listed on the Vacancy Announcement. Please note that the minimum qualifications cannot be waived. If none of the applicants meet the minimum qualifications, it may be necessary to close the search, lower the requirements and start the search process again.

The Search Chair must give reasons for non-selection in the applicant tracking system at the end of the search. There is a drop-down menu of options. The Search Chair selects the most applicable reason for each candidate.  

IX. Late Applications and Revised Closing Dates
An application is considered late if it is not received in the Human Resources Office (or by email) by 11:59 pm the day the search closes. The Search Committee shall decide if late applications shall be accepted after reviewing all the on-time applicants. Reviewing may include interviewing the applicants. The Search Chair shall consult with the Human Resources Director as to the advisability of a revised closing date or to designate the position as “open until filled”.

The committee shall not review any late applications until the decision has been made to establish a revised closing date, or to designate the position open until filled. If it is decided to accept late applications, all late applicants must be considered until the revised closing date, or in the event the position is designated as open until filled, until the day an offer is made and accepted.

X. Candidate Selection
Applicants (semi-finalists) shall be selected for interviews for each search. When the Search Chair knows who shall NOT be considered for an interview, he/she must change the status in the applicant tracking system. This status change generates an automated email to these applicants.

When selected, semi-finalists shall be contacted by the Search Chair or designee to inform them of their semi-finalist status and:

• Tell them about the College
• Inform them of the salary
• Ask if they are still interested
• Inform them of the remaining steps of the selection process (phone or video interview, campus interview, reference checks, etc.) and a time line for the search process
• Let them know that we shall be contacting their references and/or current and/or former employers, and obtain supervisory reference contact information if needed.

XI. Phone or Video Interviews
Generally, if any of the semi-finalists are from out of town, telephone or video interviews shall be conducted to help narrow the selection pool prior to bringing finalists to campus for face-to-face interviews. In any search, if one person is telephone or video interviewed they must all be telephone or video interviewed.

The same interview questions should be asked of all candidates. Questions are to be based on major tasks and responsibilities from the Vacancy Announcement.

XII. Reference Checks
Reference checks can be made before or after on-campus interviews except when candidate travel is involved. When candidate travel expenses are involved, references as appropriate shall be checked prior to inviting the candidate to campus. The Search Chair or designee shall inform the finalist before references checks are made to references which are not listed. It is encouraged that former supervisors are contacted as references. If the finalist does not want a current employer to be contacted, the request shall be honored if the reason provided is acceptable to the committee. The same set of questions shall be asked of each person. The Human Resources Office provides reference check forms to ensure comprehensive reference information is obtained and properly documented.

XIII. On-Campus Interviews
All candidates who are interviewed for the same position shall have the same items in their schedules. An exception to this is campus tours. Tours are not necessary for those candidates who are already familiar with the campus.

XIV. Reimbursement for Interview Expenses
Aside from any advertisement on the College website, only positions that are advertised nationally and/or regionally (outside of the Big Horn Basin) shall be eligible for reimbursement. If a position is offered and accepted or not offered, the candidate is eligible for 100% reimbursement. If the position is offered and not accepted, the candidate is eligible for 50% reimbursement.

XV. Classified Vacancies
The Search Chair shall contact the finalists to schedule an interview with the Search Committee. For Classified positions the interview day shall typically include:

1. 1. Meeting with the Search Chair
   2. Interview with the Search Committee
   3. Meeting with Human Resources to explain benefits
   4. Campus tour (if candidate is not familiar with campus)

XVI. Administrative and Professional Vacancies
When the top candidates are selected as finalists, the Search Chair or designee shall contact them to schedule an interview with the Search Committee. No more than three finalists shall be invited to campus. Any exceptions must be approved by either the Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance or the Human Resources Director. If the candidate needs to fly, all efforts shall be made to be fiscally responsible when purchasing airline tickets. When candidate travel expenses are involved, references shall be checked prior to inviting the candidate to campus (see Section XII. above). The Search Chair must notify Human Resources as soon as possible of the intent to bring finalists on campus for an interview. The Search Chair shall work with the Human Resources Office to develop the agenda for the day and direct the applicants to work with the Human Resources Office for all travel arrangements. 

1. For Administrative positions the interview day shall typically include:
   1. Meeting with the Search Chair
   2. Interview with the Search Committee
   3. Meeting with the College President
   4. Meeting with relevant committees
   5. Meeting with Human Resources to explain benefits
   6. Campus tour (if candidate is not familiar with campus)
   7. Presentation
   8. Applicable meals
   9. Meeting with the PAC members
   10. Meeting with applicable work group(s)
       
       
2. For Professional positions the interview day shall typically include:
   1. Meeting with the Search Chair
   2. Interview with the Search Committee
   3. Meeting with relevant committees
   4. Meeting with Human Resources to explain benefits
   5. Campus tour (not necessary for local candidates)
   6. Presentation (if position is expected to do any public speaking)
   7. Applicable meals
   8. Meeting with area Vice President
   9. Meeting with applicable work group(s)

XVII. Recruiting Budget
The budget is administered by the Human Resources Director. The Search Chair shall confer with the Human Resources Director regarding recruiting budget guidelines. All efforts shall be made to ensure the effective expenditure of the budget.

XVIII. Job Offer/Hiring Authority
Before making a job offer, the Personnel Action Form (PAF) must be completed and appropriate approvals obtained by the Search Chair or other Hiring Authority. Final approval for hiring all staff positions is given by the College President. Human Resources or the Vice President for Administrative Services and Finance shall advise the Search Chair or other Hiring Authority when the PAF approvals have been finalized and indicate that the Search Chair or other Hiring Authority may make a verbal offer.

After the offer is accepted, submit all Search Chair and Search Committee documentation to Human Resources. Search Chairs are responsible for providing search information such as:

• Materials used in the search, such as interview questions, feedback forms, interview schedules, candidate notes, etc.
• Candidate interview results
• Copies of application materials
• Reference information
• Selection information

The Payroll Specialist shall follow up with a confirmation letter and employment agreement, contract, or letter.

After the verbal offer is accepted by the candidate, the Search Chair is responsible for telephoning all candidates who were interviewed but not selected. The Search Chair shall confer with the Human Resources Director regarding appropriate responses to applicant inquiries as to why they were not selected for the position. The Search Chair then goes into the applicant tracking system and changes the applicants’ statuses. This status change action shall prompt an automated email communication. Once the candidates who were not selected have been notified, the Search Chair shall notify the Human Resources Office so that a timely new hire communication may be released to the campus community.

Revised & Adopted 04/14/2009
Revised & Adopted 03/11/2013
Revised & Adopted 08/11/2014
Revised & Adopted 11/09/2015
Revised & Adopted 04/09/2018
Revised & Adopted 10/07/2019