West Virginia State University is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Keeping that diversity objective in focus with each search gives us an opportunity to attract, hire, and retain the talented faculty and staff we want and need to continue our legacy of academic and service excellence. This objective will also benefit WVSU as we strive to inspire, innovate, and transform our campus, our state, and the world.
One focus of this commitment is the recruitment and hiring process. One of the most important decisions that a manager makes is the selection decision. A “good hire” can maintain and enhance an institution’s reputation, improve morale, and increase productivity.
Attracting, hiring, and retaining talented and diverse faculty and staff members are top priorities for colleges and universities nationwide; therefore, educating and reinforcing the education about the process is important. With that objective in mind, we have developed the following Online Search Committee Training resources which provide information, advice, and techniques to enable committees to run effectively and efficiently. This information is also designed to increase knowledge and competency of compliant and consistent administration of selection practices within the University community.
Recruitment Resources
Human Resources has compiled our Search & Hiring Guidelines which should be used to guide and assist hiring authorities and search committees in carrying out their search and hiring responsibilities and to ensure that search and hiring processes comply with university policies, and federal and state regulations.
Characteristics
A search committee should represent a variety of perspectives on the role, function, and customers of the position in question. A good committee might include individuals who will be peers of the new hire, people in his or her reporting chain, and other appropriate constituents. The committee should reflect diversity in aspects of gender, race, and discipline to inform discussions of different thoughts, experiences, and perspectives. A diverse committee will include representation from different organizational levels, where appropriate.
Important: Prior to receiving any applicant information, each committee member must sign the Confidentiality Agreement and the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Acknowledgement Form. Individuals opting not to sign the Confidentiality Agreement or the EEO Acknowledgement Form are released from serving on the search committee.
Requirements
The dean, department head, director, or other hiring official is responsible for selecting the committee members, designating the chairperson, and ensuring inclusion of diverse members. It is best practice for a committee to consist of an odd number of members.
Primarily, the search committee’s role is to evaluate applicant materials and their experience, recommending the best candidates for a vacant position. In order to do this effectively, each committee member must have a working knowledge of the position that must be filled and expertise to assess specific skills of the applicants.
Online Training Course
The online search committee training will be made available after Human Resources has been notified of the search committee members. The training provides instruction and guidance for our faculty and staff search committees as they go through the process of attracting, assessing, and identifying an excellent and diverse faculty and staff workforce. Note that committees may serve in different capacities depending upon the charge from the supervisors.
All supervisors and search committee members must complete the online training before beginning the search process for any new hire. We hope you will find this training a valuable tool when performing this important service for the University.
Download the course as a PDF:
Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines
To comply with anti-discrimination laws and to reduce legal liability, there are important legal guidelines for inquiries that are permissible, and those to be avoided, during the interview and recruitment phase. Any inquiry should be avoided that, although not specifically listed herein, is designed to elicit information as to any applicant’s race, color, national origin, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information. You should review this chart and use it as a guide throughout your process. Contact a Human Resource representative with any questions.
Interviewing Candidates
Interviews play a critical role in determining whether a candidate has the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies to be successful in a position. An interview must be a two-way exchange of information to be effective in an evaluation process. During an interview process, the candidate is also determining if they want to work for West Virginia State University. There are multiple approaches and structures to interviewing candidates to ascertain what a candidate brings to the table. Please refer to our information on Interviewing Candidates to assist you in a successful interview process.
Reference Check Questions
One of the most important decisions that a manager can make is the decision to hire an employee. In addition to evaluating your candidate pool, interviewing candidates, and initiating background checks, one critical step when hiring an employee is to check the references of your top candidates. Typically, past performance is a strong indicator of future performance and can reveal an individual’s professionalism, productivity, job skills, and interpersonal communication skills. (Additional Reference Check resources)
Non-Selection Letter Examples
A Non-Selection letter may be used to communicate with candidates that are not selected for a position. It is important that communication occurs with candidates (or applicants) as a professional courtesy. The timing of the communication is important; please seek guidance from a Human Resources professional.
Employment Law/Statute Overview
Human Resources has created a list and a brief summary of each law/regulation/statute that governs the basis of evaluation and selection decisions in a search and selection process. Important definitions are also included to provide a better understanding of terms. You should review and use this as a guide throughout your process. Contact Human Resources with any questions.