HR 350 - Hiring

POLICY

The College of Western Idaho shall hire qualified individuals who are best suited to contribute to the overall success of the College. CWI makes every effort to ensure equal employment opportunity (EEO) for all individuals and abides by nondiscrimination provisions of applicable laws.

GUIDELINES

This policy applies to all CWI hiring managers and Human Resources (HR) staff involved in the recruitment and selection of all employees. It governs activities from the initial request to filling a position through final candidate selection and onboarding. The following are addressed in a separate policy: 

• Recruitment for part-time, temporary, or contract positions is excluded unless otherwise specified 
• Internal Hiring 
• Promotions, transfers, temporary reassignments, rehiring a former employee, and demotions.  

The President’s Office may select staff that report to the President or serve in that office by whatever employment process deemed reasonable and consistent with applicable laws.  

Pre-Posting Requirements

Prior to filling a vacancy, the hiring manager shall:  

• Confirm budget and position availability  
• Submit a Personnel Action Form “PAF” 
• Submit a recruitment request via email to recruiter@cwi.edu  

Once the hiring manager submits the recruitment request, the assigned Talent Acquisition Specialist shall: 

• Schedule an intake meeting with the hiring manager to discuss:  
  • The Job Description and Minimum Requirements 
  • The Ideal Candidate profile (i.e., Must-Haves and Nice-to-Haves) 
  • Compensation Expectations, Compression Precautions, Posting Range and Offer Amount 
    • Compression precautions will be discussed to ensure the posted amount will be posted at the minimum of the range up to the midpoint. 
    • If Human Resources considers a position is hard to fill, Human Resources will work with the hiring supervisor to determine other measures to find qualified candidates, such as reviewing the compensation level, hiring range, or other effective strategies.  
  • Marketing strategy and Job Board allocations  
  • Hiring timeline (interview dates, holidays, vacations, anticipated start date) 
  • Set Interview Perimeters (Zoom, in-person, number of participants)

Human Resources will communicate with the Budget Office to confirm budget and position availability. 

Posting a Position

Vacancies, except when otherwise noted in the College of Western Idaho’s policies, shall, at the department’s discretion, be open for internal applicants only or for internal and external applicants. Vacancies are posted electronically on the internal website, or on the internal and external website, whichever applies. All vacancies, whether posted internally or internally and externally, are posted a minimum of seven (7) consecutive and complete days. Departments may choose to post a position for a longer period; however, all vacancies shall have a closing date not to exceed 30 calendar days from opening. If the department is unable to fill the position within the maximum 30-day timeframe, the opening may be extended in increments up to 30 days. 

At a department’s discretion, a vacancy in the same position in the same department occurring within 180 calendar days of the last day of the most recent posting is not required to be reposted providing there are sufficient qualified applications on file from the recent posting. To fill the position using applicants from a recent posting, the Talent Acquisition Specialist will review the applications on file and proceed through the remaining steps of the hiring process. 

During the posting of the position, the assigned Talent Acquisition Specialist shall: 

• Initiate the recruitment process in PageUp  
• Ensure approvals are secured from hiring manager and the Budget Office 
• Ensure posting meets compliance and Equal Opportunity (EEO) Requirements  
• Communicate timely with the hiring manager  

Candidate Souring and Application Review

Upon the position being posted, the assigned Talent Acquisition Specialist shall: 

• Review applications for minimum qualifications and compliance   
• Ensure candidates are moved through applicant tracking system communication statuses promptly  
• Talent Acquisition Specialist moves qualified candidate’s Application Status to “Hiring Manager Review”  
• Hiring Manager will then review candidates and update Application Status to “Candidate Review Yes” or “Candidate Review No” 
• Talent Acquisition Specialist will coordinate/conduct initial phone or video screenings as applicable with the 3-5 top qualified candidates 

Interviews

Hiring managers are required to attend manager hiring training prior to interviewing and hiring new employees.  

The interview process involves selecting applicants to interview, selecting a panel, if desired, to conduct interviews, and preparing interview questions.  

Upon the advancement of qualified candidates from the Talent Acquisition Specialist to the hiring manager, the hiring manager shall:  

• Selection:  
  • Identify 3-5 candidates to advance to interviews   
• Panel: 
  • It is recommended, but not required, that a panel of 1-5 CWI employees be used for the interview process and that the same panel be used for all interviews for the vacancy. The panel should include a broad range of stakeholders for that particular position. 
• Interviews: 
  • Use a standardized interview process provided by the Talent Acquisition Specialist that ensures fairness and consistency 
  • Include the Talent Acquisition Specialist in the interviews if available.

Interview Questions and Considerations 

The hiring manager shall prepare interview questions for the interview. Talent Acquisition is available to advise on interview questions if needed. Questions relevant to the position should be asked, and the same questions should be used for each applicant. Follow-up questions are expected and necessary as the interview progresses.  

Interviewers should write down specific facts learned about each applicants’ qualifications. If supervisors choose to conduct follow up interview(s), the same process shall be used. 

Special considerations may arise before or during the interview process. Some of those considerations include: 

• Applicants with Disabilities 
  • CWI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. Accommodations might include a sign language interpreter, written rather than oral responses, large print or Braille material, or an accessible interview location. Interviews should be held in an office or conference room that is private and easily accessible to applicants with disabilities. 
• Prohibited Questions 
  • Human Resources pre-approves questions to be asked during interview sessions. Interviewers shall not ask questions about an applicant’s age, birthplace, height, weight, marital status, childcare arrangements, religion, sexual orientation, or financial status. Interviewers shall not ask questions about an applicant’s health, medical conditions, job injuries, or workers’ compensation claims. 
• Pre-Interview Tests 
  • A department may choose to administer a job-related test prior to the interview process to assist in screening applicants. The same test must be administered to all applicants who continue in the selection process. The test must be relevant to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. Tests must be reviewed and approved in advance by Human Resources. 
• Post-Interview Tests 
  • A department may choose to administer a job-related test to each applicant after the interview process. The same test must be given to all applicants who continue in the selection process. The test must be relevant to the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. Tests must be reviewed and approved in advance by Human Resources. 
• Veteran’s Preference 
  • Idaho law requires that qualified applicants who are war and disabled veterans be given preferential treatment, in accordance with the law, when being considered for initial employment. 

Candidate Selection

After interviewing the selected applicants, the hiring manager may obtain recommendations with the interview panel; ultimately the decision will be the hiring manager’s based on which candidate is best qualified for the position. The selection shall be based on the applicant’s job knowledge, job skills, experience, communication and interpersonal skills, accomplishments and achievements, pre- and post-interview test results, and assessment of other objective, non-discriminatory job-related factors. 

If no interviewed candidate is satisfactory, the supervisor can go back to the applicant pool or re-post the vacancy. 

Upon selecting the candidate, the hiring manager shall send all interview notes to the Talent Acquisition Specialist for filing. The hiring manager may conduct reference checks at the hiring manager’s discretion.  

Conditional Offer of Employment

Upon selecting the candidate, the Hiring manager shall: 

• Consult with the Talent Acquisition Specialist to determine starting offer details to include: 
  • Review the salary recommendation from the Compensation Program Manager while factoring internal equity and compression 
  • Start Date 
    • Internal candidates start on the 1^st or the 16^th of the month 
    • Talent Acquisition will contact internal candidate’s manager for an appropriate start date that works for both parties 

Upon approval from the hiring manager, the Talent Acquisition Specialist shall:  

• Initiate the conditional offer process in PageUp. Offers are conditioned on such things as successfully passing a criminal background check and accepting the offer in a timely manner.
• Extend the formal conditional offer, reviews benefits, and communicate next steps to the selected candidate. 
  • The hiring manager may participate in the “Conditional Offer” call to the candidate.  
• Document in PageUp one of the following offer statuses: 
  • Offer accepted 
  • Offer negotiated 
  • Offer declined
• If candidate counters, Talent Acquisition Specialist will contact the hiring manager with next steps 

Onboarding Preparation

Upon receiving an accepted offer, Human Resources shall: 

• Initiate pre-employment requirements (e.g., forms, background checks) 
• Ensure compliance with orientation and onboarding policies. 
• Communicate with IT and the hiring manager once the employee is “Cleared to Start.” 
  • The Hiring Manager may not permit a new employee to begin working until the supervisor has received clearance from Human Resources for the applicant to begin working. 

Upon receiving the “Clear to Start” from Human Resources, the hiring manager shall:  

• Contact the new employee and talk about first day expectations 
• Prepare department specific onboarding activities for the new employee (i.e., workspace, equipment, training schedule, etc.) 

Candidate Onboarding

Upon starting, the employee will attend New Employee Orientation. The hiring manager will facilitate department-level integration and role-specific training, and Human Resources will provide ongoing support.