Staff Hiring Guide

Whether you are filling an existing position or creating a new one, it’s important to carefully consider the position description. Think about how the position will help fulfill organizational needs; if this is an existing position, this is a great time to pause and ensure that the position description still matches these needs. Think about the combination of skills, knowledge, and qualifications that the right candidate would possess. Solicit feedback from your team and those who may interact with the position.

When you have created or revised your position description, the next step is to submit (or revise) the description in PageUp. PageUp is the talent management system for staff positions, including maintaining position descriptions and recruitment activities. This system provides hiring managers with access to all applicant materials. Within PageUp, applicant information, documents, and search committee notes are stored digitally creating a streamlined applicant review process.

Access PageUp

At Elon, we are committed to hiring qualified and talented people to join our community. Hiring the right candidate takes a planned and strategic approach. Search committee chairs are encouraged to contact Elon’s Recruitment Coordinator (hr@elon.edu or 336-278-5560) to develop an advertisement and recruitment plan.

Expanding your candidate pool begins with intentional outreach. These curated resources support inclusive recruitment practices by connecting search committees with organizations, job boards, and networks that promote diversity across a wide range of industries and professions. Use these tools to strengthen your recruitment strategy and reach highly qualified candidates from underrepresented groups.

View Our Recruitment Resources

1. Create a search committee – Your search committee should be broadly representative of Elon; its members should be able to provide a variety of perspectives on the role and function of the position. Consider enlisting those who will be peers of the new hire, in the new hire’s reporting chain, and include other individuals that may interact with the position (e.g., clients, faculty, other departments)
2. Create a space for committee documents – IT offers several tools you may want to consider for organizing your committee documents (e.g., hiring rubrics, meeting notes, etc.). Review the Technology Hiring Guide for more information.
3. Discuss and develop criteria – Meet with your search committee to discuss and agree in advance on the criteria to be used in evaluating candidates. Be sure to review the job description and ensure that the committee members understand each component.
4. Narrow the applicant pool – Review the candidates and begin narrowing the pool based upon the criteria developed by the committee. Be vigilant of biases that may occur in the selection process; encourage your committee to use the predefined criteria and avoid assumptions and stereotypes based upon race, gender, age, etc.

1. Review Interview Guidelines – Elon’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Guidelines for Interviewing Applicants goes through a list of questions that are appropriate, and inappropriate, to ask candidates. Be sure you and your committee members review this document before conducting interviews.
2. Develop Interview Questions – Work with your committee to develop a set of interview questions that each candidate will be asked. This consistency is important to ensure that each candidate is giving an equal opportunity to answer each question that may guide your decision. Developing interview questions beforehand also ensures that you’ve covered the pertinent questions needed for your decision and that you are utilizing the interview time well.
3. Consider a Two-Phase Interview Approach – Many committees find that a virtual interview is a great, low-cost tool for narrowing the candidate pool before bringing candidates onto campus for face-to-face interviews. Consider using video conference technology that allows you to see facial expressions and gestures rather than just relying on a telephone call.  Elon has several video conferencing options available; review IT’s Hiring Technology Resource Guide for more information.
4. Develop the On-Campus Interview Schedule – Provide candidates with a detailed schedule that identifies each interviewer, including the interviewer’s name, position, and a brief explanation of why this person is interviewing them. Ensure that each interviewer understands the job position and the criteria developed by the committee. Keep the same format for each candidate and allow an equal amount of time for each candidate to answer questions. Consider offering a campus tour to familiarize the candidate with all that Elon has to offer.If you would like to record candidate presentations or have equipment needs associated with your search, consider contacting Media Services for a consultation.
5. Obtain Timely Feedback – Following the interview, solicit feedback quickly from interviewers to ensure that thoughts and impressions aren’t forgotten (or confused with other candidates). Consider utilizing a survey tool like Qualtrics to gather feedback.
6. Reconvene the Search Committee – Although you’ve already solicited feedback from all interviewers (many of whom were likely search committee members), it’s always helpful to get the search committee together one last time to discuss and compare all candidates. Consider ranking the candidates in case your first choice doesn’t work out.

Elon’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Guidelines for Interviewing Applicants goes through a list of questions that are appropriate, and inappropriate, to ask candidates. Be sure you and your committee members review this document before conducting interviews.

Work with your committee to develop a set of interview questions that each candidate will be asked. This consistency is important to ensure that each candidate is giving an equal opportunity to answer each question that may guide your decision. Developing interview questions beforehand also ensures that you’ve covered the pertinent questions needed for your decision and that you are utilizing the interview time well.

Many committees find that a virtual interview is a great, low-cost tool for narrowing the candidate pool before bringing candidates onto campus for face-to-face interviews. Consider using video conference technology that allows you to see facial expressions and gestures rather than just relying on a telephone call.  Elon has several video conferencing options available; review IT’s Hiring Technology Resource Guide for more information.

Provide candidates with a detailed schedule that identifies each interviewer, including the interviewer’s name, position, and a brief explanation of why this person is interviewing them. Ensure that each interviewer understands the job position and the criteria developed by the committee. Keep the same format for each candidate and allow an equal amount of time for each candidate to answer questions. Consider offering a campus tour to familiarize the candidate with all that Elon has to offer.If you would like to record candidate presentations or have equipment needs associated with your search, consider contacting Media Services for a consultation.

Following the interview, solicit feedback quickly from interviewers to ensure that thoughts and impressions aren’t forgotten (or confused with other candidates). Consider utilizing a survey tool like Qualtrics to gather feedback.

Although you’ve already solicited feedback from all interviewers (many of whom were likely search committee members), it’s always helpful to get the search committee together one last time to discuss and compare all candidates. Consider ranking the candidates in case your first choice doesn’t work out.

Reference checks are a critical part of the selection process. We’ve created a reference check form to guide you through questions to ask that could give you insight into the candidate’s current and past performance.

Inform the applicant that the offer of employment is contingent upon a satisfactory review of the background check results.

Once your final candidate has been selected move the candidate to the “Hiring Proposal (Launch Offer Card to Finalize)” status in PageUp. Once in this status, the hiring proposal is activated.

All Elon faculty and staff must undergo a background check before being employed. Be aware that background checks often take several days to complete and are conducted by an outside party.

Elon University has transitioned background check and motor vehicle record vendors from CastleBranch to HireRight.

Background Check Process & Instructions

An offer letter will be sent electronically to the selected candidate via the PageUp Applicant Portal. The candidate must review the letter to be able to check the box acknowledging they have read and agreed to the terms. Next, the candidate must either accept or decline the offer within the PageUp Applicant Portal.