- Home
- Finance & Administration
- Human Resources
- Supervisor Tools
- Staff Hiring Guide
- Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment
Develop an Advertisement and Recruitment Plan
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.
Evaluate Candidates
Ensure a Fair and Thorough Review of Candidates
-
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)
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Interviewing Candidates
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Select the Candidate
Once you’ve solicited feedback from interviewers and ranked your candidates, you still have some work to do before making an offer.
Contact References
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.
Offer Position
Inform the applicant that the offer of employment is contingent upon a satisfactory review of the background check results.
Background Check
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. To accomplish this, you have 2 options:
- This will open the email in your email client.
- The following email must be sent to the candidate (cc: compandrecruitment@elon.edu) with the position title in the subject line.
Congratulations on your offer of employment or affiliation with Elon University!
As a part of the hiring process, all offers are contingent, in part, upon successful completion of a background check. Please follow the instructions below as soon as possible to avoid any unnecessary delays in the hiring process. Please Note: You will not be able to begin employment with Elon University until all checks are complete.
What you need to do:
1) Log in to: https://www.castlebranch.com
2) In the “Place Order” bar, enter the following package code specific to Elon University: EH93During order placement, you will be asked for personal information needed for security or compliance purposes. Supplying accurate and comprehensive information is important to the speed in which your order is completed. After placing your order, you will receive a confirmation email that will contain the password needed to access your results and respond to any missing information required to process your order. For any additional questions, please contact the Castlebranch Customer Experience team, available Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.and Sunday 10:30 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.at 1-888-723-4263 or customerservice@castlebranch.com.
Complete the Hiring Form
Once the background results have been reviewed and your candidate has been cleared for hiring, complete the hiring proposal in AppTrack.
Note: AppTrack automatically generates letters to applicants that are not selected for hire. If you would like to reach out to specific candidates on an individual level (recommended for those you interviewed or otherwise had personal interactions), please contact the Office of Human Resources to ensure an automated letter will not be submitted to those applicants.
Offer Letters
Offer letters will be sent electronically to all staff. In addition to this offer letter, salaried staff members will receive a letter of agreement via U.S. mail from the Office of the President.
Close the Search
Once you have filled the position, any files related to the search should be packaged and forwarded to the Office of Human Resources, ATTN: Recruitment Coordinator. If you have questions about what should be submitted, consult the Recruitment Coordinator at 336-278-5560.