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To ensure effective recruitment practices and to provide equal employment opportunity, the following recruitment guidelines must be observed in filling all Classified positions. The guidelines were developed to ensure compliance with the Commonwealth’s Department of Human Resource Management Policy (DHRM) 2.05 Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Policy 2.10 Hiring.

 

Policy

Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) will recruit, select, and hire on the basis of qualifications for a specific job without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, or persons with disabilities who are otherwise qualified.

To insure compliance with the institution’s equal opportunity program, specific procedures are included to incorporate input and review from the Human Resources Manager and/or the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity (AA/EEO) Officer throughout the process. The hiring of employees shall be in accordance with requirements of DHRM and the requirements of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). Position or role titles, rank or pay bands, and salaries must be assigned to a position and newly-hired employees in accordance with policies and guidelines set forth by DHRM and VCCS.

Procedures

The President or his/her designee must approve the filling of any vacancies or the hiring of new employees prior to initiation of recruitment activities and the extension of an employment offer. To initiate the hiring process, the employing unit must complete a Position Request Form.  

 

New Positions

  1. To establish a new position, the following must be completed:
  2. Personnel Request Form signed by the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the Budget Manager
  3. Employee Work Profile,
  4. Department Organizational Chart to show reporting structure, and
  5. Justification for establishing position and description of how position will be funded.

 

Filling Current Classified Vacancies

  1. To fill a current vacancy, the following must be completed:
  2. Personnel Request Form with the appropriate signatures, and a
  3. Reviewed or revised Employee Work Profile

The employing unit Supervisor and the Director or Dean for that unit shall develop the vacancy announcement. The announcement shall be approved by the Human Resources (HR) Manager prior to the advertising of the position, but within one week of receiving the proposed announcement. Sample vacancy announcements or copies of previous announcements are available upon request. The Supervisor and Director or Dean in consultation with the HR Manager shall develop a job posting of required and preferred qualifications to be considered by the search committee.

 

Employee Work Profile (EWP) and Performance Standards

The employing unit supervisor must develop a thorough position description/employee work profile by conducting an analysis to identify actual tasks performed, their frequency, and the importance of specific employee traits or skills needed. Supervisors should also consider if rearranging existing staff and/or work responsibilities and processes could better achieve organizational objectives.

The EWP and minimum qualification standards should reflect major job functions. The supervisor should utilize the EWP to develop core responsibilities for the position. If an EWP already exists for the position, the supervisor should review the existing description and make necessary modifications for changes that may have or will occur.

Vacancy listings, announcements, EWP, and core measures shall serve as the basis for developing the evaluation criteria. The employing unit Supervisor and the Director, Dean, or Vice President for that employing unit shall establish evaluation criteria detailing required performance standards and behavior factors that contribute to fully successful employment in the position. In turn, these criteria may be used in advertising as well as in the selection grid. Concerns about the grid shall be resolved by consensus of the HR Manager, Director, Dean, or employing unit Supervisor.

 

Filling Current Part-Time Vacancies

Job Description and Performance Standards

The employing unit supervisor must develop a thorough Job Description (JD) by conducting an analysis to identify actual tasks performed, their frequency, and the importance of specific employee traits or skills needed. Supervisors should also consider if rearranging existing staff and/or work responsibilities and processes could better achieve organizational objectives.

The JD and minimum qualification standards should reflect major job functions. The supervisor should utilize the JD to develop core responsibilities for the position. If a JD already exists for the position, the supervisor should review the existing description and make necessary modifications for changes that may have or will occur.

Vacancy listings, announcements, JD, and core measures shall serve as the basis for developing the evaluation criteria. The employing unit Supervisor and the Director, Dean, or Vice President for that employing unit shall establish evaluation criteria detailing required performance standards and behavior factors that contribute to fully successful employment in the position. In turn, these criteria may be used in advertising, as well as in the selection grid. Concerns about the grid shall be resolved by consensus of the HR Manager, Director, Dean, or employing unit Supervisor.

 

Part-time Emergency Employee Hire

The position involves work that is temporary in nature and will not exceed sixty (60) days in duration. During the emergency hire period, the College will proceed with filling the position if the position is expected to last more than sixty (60) days.

All part-time hourly positions will be listed for one or two weeks in the state Recruitment Management System (RMS), on the CVCC Human Resources (HR) web page, and in additional media as agreed upon by the Dean, Director, Department Head, and the HR Manager.

As a reminder, a CVCC Part-Time Employment Request Form must be completed for all part-time hourly positions. This ensures the Dean, Director, Department Head, or appropriate Vice President(s) and Human Resources have approved the request. The CVCC Part-Time Employment Request Form; must also include a detailed Job Description (JD) including the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position.

These procedures do not apply to Federal Work-Study Positions.

 

General Advertisements

  1. For classified and wage positions, work and role titles will routinely be used in advertising, in order to provide a more accurate and commonly understood title to potential applicants. Salaries will be advertised listing the minimum salary and will be determined by the level of work performed within a role, the work unit’s budget, and past recruitment history for similar roles.
  2. Advertising must include the phrase “An Equal Opportunity Employer or EOE.” In addition to openly advertising a vacancy, the HR Manager shall engage in recruitment aimed specifically at generating applications from qualified minorities, women, disabled individuals, and veterans, when deemed appropriate. If the applicant pool inadequately represents minorities and/or women, or if a qualified applicant cannot be found by the closing date, additional recruiting actions shall be determined jointly by the HR Manager, Supervisor of the employing unit, and Director or Dean of the employing unit.
  3. All job announcements shall also be posted on the College’s web site. All vacant, continuous recruitments may be conducted for those roles identified as being difficult to fill and retain on a College-wide basis.  
  4. Teaching faculty, administrative faculty, certain professional, classified staff, and the President’s position shall be recruited for nationally.
  5. The HR Manager may authorize exceptions to the posting of vacancy announcements if a recently completed search must be conducted again within sixty (60) days. For example, if an employee hired two months ago leaves our employment, the HR Manager and/or AA / EEO Officer may approve using the previous applicant pool without another posting of the position to refill the position. The request to utilize the same pool should be in writing from the supervisor of the vacant position to the HR Manager. Documentation regarding authorized exceptions must be retained in the HR Office recruitment file.
  6. Advertisements on the website should include the following:
    1. Minimum range of salary within the pay band (for staff positions);
    2. Rank or role and position / working title;
    3. Name of work unit and campus location;
    4. Minimum qualifications;
    5. Preferred qualifications;
    6. Core duties and measures;
    7. Application procedures (including any specialized interview and selection processes, such as panel interview, a practical skills assessment, etc.);
    8. Benefits Information; and the
    9. Closing date for recruitment.
  7. Vacancy announcements may NOT
    1. List specific requirements as minimum or required qualifications, unless they are required for accreditation purposes or supported by a class specification and job analysis (these requirements should otherwise be listed as preferred qualifications);
    2. Require a specific number of years experience;
    3. Require absolute educational qualification unless required by class specification; or
    4. Require unreasonable proficiency levels.

 

Committees

A search and screening committee shall be established by recommendation of a Department Head, Dean, Director, Vice President, President or his/her designee, via the Human Resources (HR) Manager.  Ordinarily, the Department Head shall serve as chairperson.  At least two (2) other people shall be selected for the committee.  Under no circumstances may an individual serve on the search and selection committee and also as a reference for any participating applicant.

The President or his/her designee may waive the requirement for establishment of a search and screening committee for certain adjunct faculty and wage staff positions.  In this instance, the Department Head may conduct the interview personally.

Multiple committees may be convened for certain positions as deemed appropriate by the President or the Chancellor of the VCCS.  Community representatives, employees of other State agencies, members of the Local College Board, and/or Foundation Board may also be included.

The HR Manager shall instruct the committee chair on all legal obligations of the College, the completion of all required forms, and policy and procedure interpretation related to recruitment and hiring.

In the event that the vacancy under recruitment is for Administrative and professional faculty, additional instructional information and committee charge may also be given by the Dean. The committee chair shall charge/instruct the remaining committee members and all members of other screening/interview committees. Each committee member shall be provided a copy of the matrix form, which in addition to listing the applicants, contains a statement regarding EEO / AA.

All committee members must sign the matrix form indicating their agreement to comply with CVCC's policy on EEO/AA.

 

Applicant Pool

The goal of Affirmative Action recruitment efforts is to achieve proportional representation of minorities and women in the applicant pool, in accordance with their availability in the local labor market. To monitor these efforts, each applicant is asked to return the Affirmative action section of the State Application Form. The Human Resources (HR) Office shall maintain EEO reporting data.  

Strategies must be devised to increase minority and/or female representation in future applicant pools if trends reflect that current efforts do not result in representative numbers of applicants. In this instance, the HR Manager and/or AA / EEO Officer may revise recruitment and advertising efforts to increase the applicant pool.

 

Screening

The Human Resources (HR) Manager shall be responsible for eliminating applicants that do not meet the minimum or required criteria from the viable pool. Applications omitting important elements shall be classified as NOT meeting the minimum or required criteria. In addition, all applications received after the advertised or published date and time shall be classified as NOT meeting the minimum or required criteria and will not be considered. Any required supplemental documents must be received by the HR Office prior to submission to the committee. The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Services and/or Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Community Education shall be responsible for evaluating transcripts for all adjunct faculty applicants.

Committees shall use the evaluation matrix developed by the Department Head, Director, or Dean. They shall perform all other screening necessary to select candidates for interview or for hire. All screening actions must be documented to support the action taken. In the event of audits or questioning by applicants for the position, the committee members and HR Manager must be available to respond to all inquires.

The HR Manager must approve the interview list proposed by the committee to ensure the candidates are representative of the service region population, that the committee has complied with all AA/EEO regulations, and that no biases were utilized in screening decisions. Large candidate pools may entail the use of additional staff members to assist the HR Manager. In the event of large applicant pools, a negotiated percentage will be determined.

The Affirmative Action review process must be completed within two (2) business days of the committee’s notice to the HR Manager and/or AA/EEO Officer that the screening process has identified a pool of candidates to interview. Concerns by the HR Manager and/or the AA Officer shall be expressed to the Committee Chairperson, Director, or Dean. The HR Manager and/or the AA Officer, Department Head and--or Director, Dean or Vice President (VP) should resolve differences. The President or his/her designee shall have final decision-making authority if differences cannot be resolved at this level.

 

Interviews and References

Candidates are selected for interviews by the committee and the Director, Dean, or Vice President. Committee members shall either develop a Strengths and Weaknesses Evaluation on all candidates or complete a screening grid developed by the hiring manager and approved by the HR Manager. In the cases of positions with college-wide responsibilities, additional persons or committees may be established to conduct additional interviews. The committee chair is responsible for ensuring the coordination of all interviews.

Generally, candidates will be expected to make their own accommodations. Lodging shall only be paid for candidates at the level of Vice President or President, unless approved otherwise by the President. The Committee Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that hotel accommodations are arranged, that lodging is charged to the College within travel guidelines, and that these expenditures are charged to the appropriate accounts.  

Structured interviews, mindful of Equal Employment Opportunity regulations and sensitive to Affirmative Action goals, are useful and appropriate tools for assessment candidates. Interviewers shall consistently and uniformly apply evaluation criteria to all interviewees. In addition, interviewers shall evaluate each candidate’s ability and potential, and be familiar with the actual job requirements. Demonstrations of ability are encouraged as long as all demonstrations are fair, equitable, non-discriminatory, and are requested of all candidates. Demonstrations may include presentations, portfolios of work, situational analyses, role-playing, or practical skills assessments. Interviewers shall work closely with the HR Manager to develop any practical skills assessments in order to ensure the validity and reliability of these tests relative to the essential functions of the job.

The Committee Chairperson must develop a set of interview questions to ask each applicant. Questions should seek information related to the applicant’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job. Questions that are not job-related or that violate EEO standards are not permissible. Specifically, questions regarding race, religion, creed, ethnic group, national origin or ancestry, political beliefs, or affiliations, marital or family status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, or age should be eliminated from the interview process. Additional guidelines can be obtained from the HR Manager and/or AA / EEO Officer. The interviewers(s) may ask additional questions in response to any statements or questions from the applicant or to clarify information indicated on the application. The interview question bank established and maintained by the HR Office is a resource for committees.  All questions asked shall be reviewed and approved by the HR Manager to ensure legality and appropriateness.

Telephone interviews are encouraged for large groups of people to be interviewed, or when one (1) or more interview candidates must travel a long distance. The College will NOT pay travel costs for interviews, except for a Vice President's and President’s position unless approved in writing by the President or his/her designee as an exception to policy.

All applicants who have been identified for an interview must be interviewed before a final selection decision and job offer are made. Committees or individuals are not required to reschedule an interview if an applicant is unable to make a previously scheduled interview.

The Committee Chairperson shall conduct reference checks. Reference checks shall preferably be made of the current and former supervisors of the applicant. Just as with the interview, the committee must ensure all questions regarding the reference are fair and equitable. Under the current Virginia Privacy Protection Act, the College is not required to allow applicants to examine reference checks or recommendation letters. Therefore, documentation of reference checks can be maintained in a confidential file.

 

Selection Standards and Procedures

The screening and evaluation work should result in identifying one (1) or more candidates with the best qualifications deemed to be the most likely to be successful employees for the vacancy. When the final applicant pool includes candidates who are equally qualified, gender and racial minorities, disabled individuals, and veterans may be given preference according to the group most underrepresented. The selection must note the preference given and be supported with written documentation clearly indicating how the recommended candidate is fully qualified for the position.

The committee shall recommend one (1) or more capable and qualified candidates to the Committee Chairperson.  Candidates shall not be ranked in order of preference; however, the committee is required to provide strengths and weaknesses for each acceptable candidate. The Committee Chairperson shall confirm the recommendation or work with the committee to reach a consensus. A recommendation is made in writing to the HR Manager.

Starting pay is determined by the HR Manager and approved by the VP for Finance & Administration. This is to assure that funding is available, used in a prudent manner, and that starting pay practices are consistently applied College-wide.

If the hiring process has been challenged as inappropriate, the Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for determining and implementing corrective procedures after consulting with the HR Manager and/or the AA/EEO Officer. If committee members, the Department Head, Director, or Dean believe that procedures have not been corrected after notifying the committee chair, the President shall issue a determination.

 

Offers

Upon confirmation of the selected applicant and salary or salary range, offers of employment can be extended by the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, Department Heads, or the HR Manager.  Negotiations shall involve the Vice Presidents and the HR Manager.  A file is not complete until all documents requested in the advertisement for the vacancy are on hand in the HR Office and include (but are not limited to) the application, letters of referral, and transcripts.

 

Nepotism

No College employee may function as judge or advocate in specific situations involving members of his or her immediate family such as the employee’s spouse, child, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law. Members of the faculty or staff should neither initiate nor participate in institutional decisions involving a direct benefit (such as initial appointment, retention, promotion, salary, or leave of absence) to members of their immediate families.  Employees shall not be placed in a position that can influence the supervision, direction, or operations affecting an immediate family member.

 

Record Keeping and Documentation

The Committee Chairperson must be prepared to justify to the HR Manager/AA/EEO Officer the non-selection of any applicant. The screening grid and all official committee documents, as well as the applicants’ submissions, must be returned to the HR Office within five (5) business days of the conclusion of the search. The following data must be maintained in HR for a period of at least three (3) years from the date the position is filled:

  1. Position description,
  2. Records related to recruitment efforts,
  3. Copies of advertisements,
  4. Employment applications,
  5. Screening and selection criteria applied,  
  6. Interview questions and notes on applicant responses,
  7. Rationale used to eliminate candidates from further consideration and to prefer candidates over other candidates, and
  8. Recommendation for New Hire form completed

 

Probationary Period

CVCC abides by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management’s Probationary Period policy.

 

Hours of Work for Classified Employees

CVCC abides by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management’s Hours of Work for Classified Employees policy.

 

Types of Employment

CVCC abides by the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management’s Types of Employment Policy. 

 

Policy #: CVCC0078
Last Reviewed/Revised: 09/16/2022
Responsible Dept.: Human Resources
Other Policy References: Virginia DHRM 2.05 and 2.10