Administrative and Support Staff Standard and Intensive Recruitment

STANDARD RECRUITMENT

In general, all administrative and support level positions are announced on the Human Resources Job Opportunities Website for at least five calendar days. During the five-day posting period, no offer of employment may be extended, although applicants may be screened and evaluated.

Columbia’s policy is to encourage opportunities for internal mobility within the institution, consistent with its commitment to equal opportunity and affirmative action goals. Supervisors are encouraged to consider all qualified internal candidates who qualify for the position.

The Job Opportunity Website is updated weekly and can be accessed by both employees and the general public. The job announcements are also linked to other large recruitment websites, providing a broader range of exposure and advertisement for Columbia positions.

If a position is not filled within six months of being posted, it will be identified for special review and possible removal from the website, following discussion with the department. Recruitment status and strategy will be reviewed with the hiring department at that time.

Resumes submitted are maintained centrally in electronic format and distributed to hiring managers via e-mail. This process has made it easier to share resumes for similar jobs. HR Service Managers can search the database of resumes for applicants with specific skills and experience and will share information on viable candidates from other searches. The hiring manager may also use the applicant pool from a previous search conducted within 90 days. The positions must have similar recruitment requirements, the same title and grade, and similar job duties and skill requirements. Each position must be posted for the minimum five day posting period.

OFFICER POSITIONS GRADE 14 AND ABOVE

Intensive Recruitment

Intensive recruitment is conducted for those positions identified by the Affirmative Action Plan as being underutilized by women and/or minorities, and for officer vacancies at grades 14 and above. The posting period for these positions will be defined by the search plan developed and outreach conducted. Generally, a minimum of 14 calendar-days for local searches and 21 calendar days for national searches is anticipated to give applicants an opportunity to respond to announcements placed in publications. This should be reviewed with EOAA upon submission of the search plan.

Recruitment and Search Plans

Included in this document is a list of Outreach Sources which may be used to enhance recruitment efforts. Hiring managers may select from among this list or may choose other resources, such as trades publications which specifically meet applicant pool goals. In general, this list will serve as a guide for managers in thinking about the combination of placements which both meet their outreach goals and budget. In an effort to better manage the review process at the end, hiring managers are asked to submit a search plan for review and approval before the search begins. A search plan is meant to reflect the outreach effort that will be conducted in order to achieve diversity in each department and to comply with university affirmative action goals. The search plan includes the following information:

  • Position title and grade

  • PRQ #, Department

  • Hiring Manager

  • Publications & Websites along with respective advertising date (Hiring manager should indicate diversity composition of department to support outreach selection –see Search Plan Review Form in Appendix)

  • Contact person, including phone number and e-mail address

  • Description of position (job description or job announcement may be submitted)

Candidate Clearance/Applicant Pool Report

Once a search is completed and a candidate is identified, the recruitment documentation should be sent to EOAA for review and clearance. The recruitment documentation consists of the Applicant Pool Report (original and one copy), copies of ads placed, complete set of resumes received for the position, and a copy of the approved search plan and/or approved waiver request. Documentation submitted will be responded to within a 72-hour period.

For packages that are incomplete or where selectee does not clearly meet minimum qualifications, approval will be withheld.

Guidelines for Granting Waivers from Searches or Requests for Internal Postings for Administrative Officers and Staff

It is the policy of Columbia University to ensure that all qualified job applicants and employees receive equal opportunity for recruitment, selection, and advancement in employment. To this end, the standard practice of the University for any job opening is to conduct a search for the most qualified candidate.

Waivers from searches and requests for internal postings constitute disfavored exceptions to this practice and may be considered only in those cases where the candidate meets the qualifications specified in the job description and, in addition, one of the following criteria:

  1. The department has identified an outstanding candidate whose appointment would advance the University’s commitment to diversity;
     
  2. The action is a promotion within a department which recognizes superior service and achievement (If the candidate is not a person who would advance the University’s commitment to diversity, the request for the waiver should include a description of the department’s current efforts to promote the University’s diversity mission.);
     
  3. A current university employee is identified for a lateral transfer to a position with comparable responsibilities at the same grade level and salary;
     
  4. An employee whose position has been eliminated through reorganization is qualified to fill another position within the department. (If more than one employee has lost his or her position during a departmental reorganization, all of those who meet the qualifications of the new position must be permitted to apply for it.)
     
  5. The person to be hired is part of an established research team;
     
  6. The selection is required under union contract, or other governing university policy; or
     
  7. The appointment is a temporary one of less than one year.

In addition, there may be exceptional or unforeseen circumstances not meeting the criteria listed above but of comparable substance and importance which justify dispensing with a full search.

Requests for waivers from the intensive recruitment process or for internal postings for grades 14 and above should be made in writing and forwarded along with supporting documentation (i.e., justification for request, resume, applicant pool information,) to EOAA.

NOTE

Internal posting procedures require that the position be posted within the department for five business days