50.02 - Hiring Procedures for UI Classified Staff
Owner:
- Position: Director of Human Resources
- Email: hr@uidaho.edu
Last updated: August 15, 2025
A. General. Responsibility for administering the UI classified personnel system has been delegated by the Regents to the UI President. See FSH 3080 B. Procedures for all Board-appointed UI positions reflect the University’s commitment to equal opportunity See FSH 3060 Equal Employment Opportunity and FSH 3065 Equal Employment Opportunity in Recruitment and Hiring.
A-1. Objectives of Equal Opportunity Hiring Procedures. Equal Employment Opportunity is a set of focused procedures and efforts the UI conducts to ensure that equal opportunities are provided for all employees and applicants. See FSH 3065 Equal Employment Opportunity in Recruitment and Hiring.
A-2. Obligations to Provide Reasonable Accommodations. See FSH 3060 C. The University extends reasonable accommodation to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to apply for positions for which they can perform the essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation. The University will offer to provide reasonable accommodation in employment or in application for employment for individuals with disabilities who request accommodation, while avoiding making pre-employment inquiries about the presence of disability. Because the University cannot inquire about the existence of a disability which would affect the ability of an applicant to apply for a UI position, it is the applicant's responsibility to request reasonable accommodation of disability in the application process, and to specify the reasonable accommodation requested.
B. Process. The University is committed to an open competitive recruitment and hiring process, which is open to all applicants and is publicly advertised for a designated period. Exceptions to the process are reviewed and approved by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance (EOC Office). Human Resources (HR) assists departmental administrators in filling vacant positions by assisting with preparation of the University of Idaho job description.
C. Procedures. The steps for hiring classified employees are listed below.
C-1. Obtain Permission to Fill Position. The Hiring Authority responsible for filling the position obtains approval from appropriate authorities through the electronic recruitment system or process established by the Provost/EVP or VP.
C-2. Review Hiring Procedures. See chart below and refer to FSH 3065.
| For Classified Positions | To refill, change, market rate review, new temporary and permanently budgeted positions |
|---|---|
| Responsibility | Action for Classified Positions |
| Approval to begin process to create new or refill a position at entry to market level-based on salary policy Establish Market rate for position | Hiring Authority final approval; if position is vacant for more than 11 months, position control number is deleted at state level. Confirm position control number with HR. HR via electronic recruitment system based on current classification and compensation system. Changes in salary obligation funded at college/unit level |
| Approval to fill position above salary policy level | Hiring Authority then salary policy-required levels of approval. Funded at college/unit level for any change in salary obligation. |
C-3. Develop or Revise Job Description. The Hiring Authority or designee, with assistance from the unit/college equal opportunity coordinator, will create or revise the job description.
a. Jobs falling within an HR established job family will use template job description; units may customize designated section for position-specific duties and preferred qualifications.
b. If the job description is new or is being revised, the administrator indicates specific job responsibilities and required and preferred qualifications. HR will confirm proper job classifications and work with the supervisor to identify essential tasks for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) before the position is advertised. HR will review unit requested required qualifications and advise on edits based on the classification of the position and the essential functions. If the position requires a criminal history background check or drug testing, it must be stated in the job description and on the vacancy announcement.
C-4. Prepare Vacancy Announcement. The vacancy announcement is auto generated by the electronic recruitment system. The Hiring Authority or designee may add limited information to the vacancy announcement before posting.
a. The vacancy announcement must be consistent with the job description. Additional information about the area, college or department may be included to market the position.
b. "Required" qualifications are the minimum or basic qualifications that an applicant must possess to be considered for a position. Required qualifications should be non-comparative, objective and relevant to the performance of the job. Once defined, they are inflexible. An applicant who does not have all required qualifications cannot be interviewed or hired.
c. "Preferred/Additional preferred” qualifications are desired qualifications beyond the required qualifications that demonstrate additional experience, education, or credentials.
d. The vacancy announcement must include the University’s current equal opportunity statement.
C-5. Appoint a Search Committee Chair and Members of the Search Committee. The Search Committee Chair is appointed by a Hiring Authority and has primary responsibility to ensure the recruitment and hiring process complies with Equal Employment Opportunity requirements and non-discrimination laws. A Hiring Authority also appoints the Search Committee. The Search Committee’s primary role is to help recruit a talented pool of applicants and recommend, by using the UI hiring process, the best candidate, or candidates to the Hiring Authority.
a. At least three members should be appointed to the committee. Most committees have five to seven members.
b. Committee membership may include staff or faculty from within the department or from other departments who will interact with the individual selected to fill the position. It is often appropriate to include students or stakeholders from outside the University.
C-6. Advertise the Position. The University has adopted a centralized placement of job advertisements. The list of centralized advertising venues is maintained and updated annually by the EOC Office. Departments are encouraged to actively recruit and place additional paid or unpaid advertisements. The Hiring Authority is responsible for payment of costs associated with advertisements beyond the centrally funded job posting venues.
The announcement must say “the University of Idaho is an equal employment opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.” If a background check, education verification or post offer medical screen is required for the position, it must be stated in the announcement. The advertisement is a condensed version of the announcement and at a minimum must include the job title, first consideration or closing date, contact information and the tagline “EOE.”
C-7. Review of Applications. Applicants apply for positions through the electronic recruitment system. Applications submitted through the electronic recruitment system will be available for Search Committee members to view. Initial applicant screening by the Search Committee is based on the required qualifications and submitted application materials. An applicant must meet all required qualifications to be considered for interview or hire. Intermediate screening by the Search Committee for preferred qualifications is used to make distinctions among minimally qualified applicants and identify the most qualified applicants to consider for interview.
C-8. Requests to Interview. The Hiring Authority or their designee submits a request to interview via the electronic recruitment system. Documentation within the electronic recruitment system summarizes the status of applicants and provides job-related reasons supporting the interview requests. The EOC Office reviews and approves all interview requests.
C-9. Request to Hire. Following interviews, the Hiring Authority or their designee submits a request to hire via the electronic recruitment system. Documentation within the electronic recruitment system summarizes the status of candidates interviewed and provides job-related reasons supporting the request to hire. The list of acceptable candidates can form a roster from which other comparable vacancies could be refilled within six months without conducting a new search.
C-10. Check References. Hiring Authorities or their designees(s) are responsible for checking references and documenting references checks before making a job offer. Reference checking may be done by the search committee chair, by members of the search committee, or by the Hiring Authority. Reference checks may be done before or after interviews -- the important thing is that references are checked. It is highly recommended that prior supervisors be contacted for reference checking. See the HR Website for more information.
C-11. Contingent Offer of Employment. Contingent offers of employment may be extended by the Hiring Authority only after approval by the EOC Office and HR. The offer of employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check and other pre-employment requirements for the position. See APM 50.16. The person may not begin the new position until satisfactory results have been received.
C-12. Notify the Selected Candidate. In extending an offer of employment, the Hiring Authority will typically telephone the preferred candidate listed and offer the position at a salary within the listed range. Upon receiving acceptance from the candidate, the Hiring Authority or their designee will send the selected candidate a letter welcoming the candidate to the University. The letter includes particulars such as the title, initial hourly wage, and start date and informs the newly hired employee regarding employment processing procedures including benefits. See APM 55.31. An approved offer letter template is available on the HR Website. A copy of the signed letter must be sent to HR for the personnel file.
C-13. Notify other Applicants. The electronic recruitment system can send automated notices to applicants who will not move forward in the hiring, but the Hiring Authority or their designee is encouraged to communicate with all interviewed applicants. Sample letters are available from HR.
C-14. Initiate Electronic Personnel Action Forms. The Hiring Authority must notify the departmental personnel responsible for coordinating the information necessary to appoint the successful candidate in Banner. Departments are responsible for ensuring that Electronic Personnel Action Forms (EPAFs) are promptly initiated and approved.
C-15. Certify Employment Eligibility. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires employees to certify employment eligibility within 3 days of hire date. Please contact HR, 208-885-3638, to plan for employment certification and for benefit orientation information. See APM 50.04. Designate a departmental employee to welcome and orient the new employee to the department.
C-16. Hiring Records Retention. Please retain all documentation associated with the hiring process for at least two years.