Recruitment and Selection

It is the policy of Guilford College to provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants, so as to attract the best-qualified candidates who support the mission of the College and who respect and promote excellence through diversity. 

Purpose/Reason for Policy:  

Guilford College has established the following recruitment and selection practices that comply with all applicable employment laws in order to assure equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. Using these practices insures that  the College recruits, hires, trains and promotes individuals without regard to sex/gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable local, state or federal law, ordinance or regulation.

Scope/Covered Persons: All members of the Guilford College community who have a formal role in the recruitment and selection process.  Faculty should also refer to Section 2.2 of the Faculty Handbook for additional information.

Definitions:  

  • Hiring Manager: A supervisor who has a vacant position and manages the search to fill that vacancy.
  • Search Committee Member: Named community members who are appointed to serve in a formal role throughout the hiring process.
  • Applicant: An applicant is anyone who expresses an interest in a specific position by submitting an application, resume or vita.
  • Candidate: All applicants who are interviewed become candidates, in person, by phone, or other electronic means.
  • Finalist: The top candidates (typically 2-5) who are identified and asked to come to campus for extensive interviews are considered finalists.

The Policy:  

Approvals: The Director of Human Resources, the Budget Office and the President must review and approve all recruitment requests using the College’s on-line applicant tracking system. No applicant search, either internal or external, will begin until all approvals are obtained. Once all approvals are received, the position will be posted and a search may begin.

Internal Promotions: All vacant positions must be filled through a competitive search process. The only exception to this rule is that internal promotions of highly qualified staff candidates will be permitted without a search where it is clearly evident to the manager that a current employee of the department or division is obviously qualified to fill an open position in that department/division.  In such cases, the manager may either promote or transfer from within the department. The procedure requires approval of the appropriate President’s Cabinet member and the Director of Human Resources. Hiring managers are also encouraged to consider applicants from within the College who express interest in a posted position.

Interim Appointments:  An interim appointment from outside the College may be made without conducting a full search when there is a critical, immediate, and/or unforeseen need for an individual to perform specific College job responsibilities. Interim appointments may be made for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: 

  • A need for a job to be done while a proper search is being conducted;
  • An abrupt departure;
  • A need for time to decide what would be needed in a permanent person;
  • A need for someone with an outside perspective to advise on the position; 
  • A need for someone with particular skills to solve immediate problems.

Normally if the decision is made to fill the position on a continuing basis, a search will be initiated to fill the vacancy as outlined below.

Search Committees:  Generally, search committees will be appointed to fill all exempt positions. A good search committee or interview group might include individuals who will be peers of the new hire, other employees who are in the same reporting chain, or who fill similar roles at the College.  

Guilford College is committed to diversity in all its dimensions.  Because diverse committees enhance the ability to optimally assess all candidates and allow candidates to feel comfortable and welcome in the process, the College will endeavor to include individuals on the search committee with broad and diverse perspectives who have a stake in the success of the candidate.. Search committees will generally include at least one member from outside the hiring division to bring valuable perspectives to the selection process. 

Hiring managers are expected to consult with the search committee on all phases of recruitment including planning, resume review, interviewing, and orienting the new hire to the campus.  In certain unusual circumstances, hiring managers may (with the approval of the appropriate Cabinet Member, the Director of Human Resources and the President) elect not to appoint a search committee.  In this situation, hiring managers should consult with and involve in the interview process individuals with whom the individual hired will eventually work. 

Confidentiality: Members of a search committee must maintain a strict level of confidentiality to protect the privacy of the candidates and to preserve the integrity of the search process.  It is each committee member’s responsibility not to discuss any details of the search with non-committee members. Consistency in the screening of all applications is essential. Selection of candidates to be interviewed must be based on the requirements of the position and qualifications of applicants.

Advertising: Every advertisement must contain Guilford’s Notice of Non-Discrimination.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

Hiring Manager and Search Committee:

  • Review Best Practices for a Successful Search before beginning a search.
  • Develop an up-to-date job description and secure all necessary approvals before beginning to recruit. 
  • Prior to the start of the search, meet with the Director of Human Resources and a DEI staff member regarding the search.
  • Select a diverse and representative search committee for searches to fill exempt positions.  For non-exempt positions, be sure to include other key stakeholders in the interview process. 
  • Consider and select applicants for hire in accordance with laws prohibiting discrimination based upon sex/gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable local, state or federal law, ordinance or regulation.
  • Make sure candidates are made aware of the salary range for the position before inviting candidates to campus, in accordance with the College’s Compensation Plan.
  • Conduct reference checks on final candidates before offering the position.
  • Consult with Human Resources, and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) during the search as appropriate for assistance and advice.
  • Maintain records to indicate the number of applications received and the number and names of candidates interviewed (on the phone or in person). All notes and records related to the search should be sent by the hiring manager to HR where they will be retained for a minimum of three years. 

Human Resources:

  • Monitor and enforce this policy, and assist with compliance.
  • Train hiring managers and search committee members on recruitment best practices including legal considerations and (in conjunction with DEI) implicit bias. 
  • Provide consultation, guidance, and assistance to hiring departments with recruitment procedures, advertising, position classification, and compensation.
  • Manage the on-line posting process.
  • Approve salary offers and negotiate offers as requested.
  • Facilitate reasonable accommodation requests concerning the application and interview process.

Committee Members:

  • Committee members are responsible for thoroughly understanding the requirements of the position and committing themselves to the mission and goals of the department, division, and College.  Committee members must complete required search committee training before participating in a search.
  • In most cases, the search committee serves in an advisory role to the hiring manager or search chair.  It is important for the hiring manager to make the role of the committee  clear (e.g., the hiring manager has requested the top three candidates in ranked order; the top five candidates unranked but with comments about strengths and weaknesses, etc.). 
  • An essential role of the search committee is to develop a qualified applicant pool of high-quality and diverse applicants and to ensure that all hiring criteria are applied equitably throughout the process.  
  • Search Committee members are in the ideal position to participate in on-campus interviews and to later welcome the new employee to the campus. 

Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Office (DEI):

  • Monitor and assess Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) compliance.
  • Provide consultation and guidance to hiring departments.
  • Serve on search committees as needed to provide guidance.
  • Prepare reports and analyses of recruitment activities and hiring trends.

Compliance: 

Violations of this policy may be cause for corrective action in accordance with established procedures for staff and faculty.

Other related Policies, Regulations, Statutes and Documents: 

Procedures: 

Approval Authority:  The Guilford College President

Responsible Office: 
Office of Human Resources
Bauman Telecommunications Center
Suite 105B
hr@guilford.edu

Revision History: “Best Practices for a Successful Search” was originally posted on the HR Intranet in April, 2017. This policy was adapted from that document and approved as a policy by President’s Cabinet 3-4-2020.