Classified Hiring Procedures

• Search committees for ACE positions consists of three members. The ACE contract stipulates that at least one ACE member must serve on search committees for ACE positions. Once the position is posted, the Office of Human Resources will notify the ACE President that one member is needed to serve on the committee. In addition to the ACE member, the Hiring Manager will appoint one member to the committee. The final member of the committee will serve at the discretion of the AVP/Chief Human Resources Officer; the Hiring Manager may recommend a representative to be approved by the AVP/CHRO. The Hiring Authority has the ability to name one of the selected members of the committee as the Search Committee Chair.
• Information to Consider when Selecting Committee Members – It is important that the Hiring Manager contact all potential members of search committees before submitting their names to the Office of Human Resources. Serving on a search committee is a commitment and the Hiring Manager will need to ensure that the nominees have both the time and inclination to serve on a committee.

The Hiring Manager should select members of the search committee that:

• Understand and respect the principles of affirmative action and equal opportunity;
• Have the time necessary to commit to a thorough search process;
• Are diverse and represent a variety of perspectives;
• Have the ability to make astute comparisons of applicants;
• That are willing to complete the training required.

• Search Committee Chair Responsibilities: The chair of the search committee is responsible for ensuring that the search committee completes its work in a timely manner consistent with YSU policies and state and federal law. This responsibility includes overseeing the work of the search committee including the preparation of evaluation criteria, interview questions and coordinating committee meetings. The chair also serves as a liaison between the search committee, the hiring authority, HR and EOPD.  The search committee chair is also responsible for all appropriate search committee paperwork. The Search Committee Chair Checklist outlines the responsibilities of the search committee chair.  After the search chair is named and notified, they will arrange an initial meeting for the Search Committee. The hiring manager should attend the initial meeting of the search committee to give the chair and other members more detailed information about the position itself and the type of experience and qualifications the successful candidate should possess. The hiring manager should also discuss a timeline with the committee to submit their top candidates for interviews with the hiring manager, as well as how many finalists the hiring manager is expecting to interview. 
• The search committee reviews applicants based on established criteria.
• Once the EOPD has moved the requested applicants to the workflow state of interview, the chair and committee may schedule and conduct first round applicant interviews.  Search committees may use Skype or other interview methods for cost savings. The interview is one of the most critical stages in the evaluation process and is generally the first opportunity for the search committee to interact with an applicant and for an applicant to learn about YSU. Behavioral based interviewing is the preferred method for all YSU positions.

Effective search committees:

• Introduce committee members
• Are prepared
• Let the applicant do most of the talking
• Stay on track
• Leave time for the applicant to ask questions
• Are flexible
• Are professional
• Document the interview
• Avoid prohibited topics (age, race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, disability, military status, marital status, family status, medical or health issues).

Review candidates for classified positions that applied during the 10 business days required for classified postings.

• If the posting is a Promotion/Transfer opportunity and there are 4 or greater qualified internal classified candidates, HR will forward a minimum of 3 internal qualified candidates for the search committee to review and interview prior to requesting an external candidate list.
• If there are not at least 4 qualified internal candidates the list will be opened to include external candidates. 
• The list must however, include all qualified internal candidates for interview along with the external candidates.
• In an Open Competitive posting, if there are at least 4 qualified internal candidates, at a minimum, the top three internal candidates will be interviewed along with the external candidates. If the list is opened to external candidates, all qualified candidates in the applicant pool for classified positions must be reviewed.

Following interviews and before moving any candidates forward in the process the search committee:

1. Consistently applies all criteria to all interviewed applicants.  
2. Spends sufficient time evaluating the interviewed applicants.  
3. Clearly understands its basis for rejecting or selecting an applicant.

Instructions and Workflows:

• Search Committee Training & Search Procedures*
• Applicant Flow Chart*
• Moving Applicants from Under Review by Dept. / Committee (Search Chair)*
• Moving Applicants from Interview (Search Chair)*