Hiring Guide

This guide provides best practices for ensuring fairness and effective selection during all stages of the hiring process.

It is a reference to a consistent process that should be used by Hiring Managers and Search Committee Chairs. This guide applies to Classified, Administrative & Professional (A&P), and Non-Tenure Track Faculty positions. For Temporary positions, please refer to Hiring Temporary Employees.

Any exceptions to this guide must be approved by the Director of Employment Services.

Preparing to Post a Position

1. For new positions, determine if a current UT Dallas job code exists from which you may build your new position. If a job code does not exist and it is an entirely new position, you will need to work with an Employment and Compensation Specialist in the Office of Human Resources to create a Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ). In completing the PDQ, you will need to determine the following:
   • Minimum Qualifications: determine the minimum education, experience, skills, knowledge and/or abilities that would be necessary to fulfill the requirements of the position and your department. Refrain from using qualifiers such as “excellent” or “good”.
   • Preferred Qualifications: determine the preferred education, experience, skills, knowledge and/or abilities that a top candidate should possess.
   • Job Duties: express job duties as what should be done, not how it should be done, so as not to exclude people with disabilities.
2. For all positions (new, replacement, reclassification, promotions), complete an Electronic Position Update Request (e-PUR) or a Position Review and Request (PRR) form, obtaining all approval signatures. For promotions, please complete a Staff Promotion questionnaire and submit along with the PRR and updated resume.
   • In addition, please provide an organizational chart, job description for all new, reclassification and promotion requests.
   • Forward the completed e-PUR/PRR to [email protected] for review.
   • Your Employment and Compensation Specialist will review and approve the HR portion of the e-PUR/PRR, and forward it to the Budget Office, copying the hiring department’s point of contact.
   • The Budget Office will approve funding information and send the e-PUR/PRR to the hiring department’s point of contact.
   • The hiring department will then proceed with posting the position in PeopleAdmin 7 (PA7).

Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action

Contact the UT Dallas Institutional Compliance, Equity, and Title IX Initiatives office for questions or more information about Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action initiatives and Staff Affirmative Action Recruitment Goals.

Posting a Position

UT Dallas uses an applicant tracking system, PeopleAdmin 7 (PA7), to prepare and post positions, gather applications, track recruiting, and track hiring actions.

Note: If you will be using PA7 in your position, and have not been trained in its usage or need additional help, contact an Employment Specialist in the Office of Human Resources for instruction.

After gaining approvals for the position (through the PRR/e-PUR approval process) you are now ready to initiate posting the position via PA7.

1. Log in to PA7.
2. Select Create New Staff Posting.
3. Select what you would like to use to create a posting.
   1. Create from Job Title: Copies general information such as job code, job title, salary grade, salary range, etc. from the job title. Use this option for new positions or if the job title template has been updated. More specific information such as position number, FTE, essential functions, and the job summary will need to be added.
   2. Create from Posting: Copies from an existing or previous posting. Use this option if the previous posting’s minimum qualifications are still accurate.

   

4. Select the job title to be posted. Use Search to filter by job title or job code.
5. Select the title of the job title to be posted.
6. Review the details. If the details describe the position you intend to post, select Create Posting from this Job Title. (You may edit the posting later in the process, if desired, to reflect specifics for your area.)
7. Complete all fields on the new posting page and select the Create New Posting button.
8. The Edit: Position Details page will open beginning with the Positions Details tab.
9. Review job information.
10. Update Position Information. Select Next to advance to the next tab.
11. Update Posting Details. Select Next to advance to the next tab.
12. Continue building the posting by completing the fields on each tab as necessary. *Note: Veteran employment preference should always be selected as an optional document under applicant documents.
13. Forward the completed posting through the workflow according to the required approvals for your department.

Applications will be available for review on the first day of the posting period.

Note: Veterans’ Preference in Employment Position: You may designate a new or replacement position as a veterans’ position and only accept applications for that position from individuals who are entitled to a veterans’ employment preference. In certain instances, these positions do not have to be announced or advertised. For more information, please refer to Employment Preferences.

Supplemental Questions

Consider the use of supplemental questions in your job posting. Supplemental questions may be used to screen or gather additional information about applicants in order to make a better decision about whom to interview. Supplemental questions must be job related.

1. A supplemental question may be created using the minimum qualifications to help eliminate candidates who don’t meet them.
2. Supplemental questions can be scored or ranked to be used during the applicant screening process.
3. If you decide that the completion of supplemental questions is required for consideration, please advise your Employment and Compensation Specialist to mark the supplemental questions as required in the posting.
4. Feel free to reach out to your Employment and Compensation Specialist if you need assistance with supplemental questions.

Outreach/Advertising

Knowing where to find candidates with a particular skill, certification, or experience; and developing a comprehensive outreach and advertising strategy will increase the probability of a broad and diverse applicant pool. Your Employment and Compensation Specialist can assist you with options for advertising your position.

All external postings must include one of the following EEO/AA statements:

The University of Texas at Dallas is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer (M/F/D/V).

Or, if space is limited:

UTD is an EEO/AA Employer.

As a service to all job postings, HR will automatically advertise your position with —

• Texas Workforce Commission
• HigherEdJobs
• Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Texas
• Jewish Family Service , Greater Dallas

Screening Applications

Screening candidates helps ensure that the best-qualified applicants get to the interview stage.

1. Applications are available for review at jobs.utdallas.edu/hr. The Hiring Manager/Search Coordinator has access to manage the applicant pool. A guest username and password found in your posting can be provided to others who might need to review applicants. The Hiring Manager can log in and view the guest user credentials located on the top right hand side of the page.
2. During the Recruitment Planning phase, an ES will help the HM determine the criteria that will be used to screen applicants. These criteria will help you prioritize the applicants for interviewing:
   • Does not meet minimum qualifications — No interview
   • Meets minimum qualifications — May interview
   • Meets minimum and preferred qualifications — Interview
3. Other screening criteria may include:
   • Completeness of application (Employment history, education)
   • Submission of additional documentation (e.g.: cover letter, resume/cv, statements of intent, work samples, reference letters)
   • Responses/scores to supplemental questions if applicable
   • Veterans preference
   • Brief phone interviews
4. Methods that may be used to screen applicants include, but are not be limited to:
   • Brief phone interviews
   • Pre-interview reference checks
   • Supplemental questions
   • Work/writing samples
5. Using supplemental questions, applications may be scored and ranked. During the Recruitment Planning phase, you should determine how supplemental questions will be used to screen, and the minimum score necessary for consideration of a candidate.
6. Brief phone interviews are a good way to determine if an applicant’s job interests meet the requirements of your position. During the call, the Hiring Manager may provide a brief preview of the job and confirm the job basics (e.g.: salary range, full-time or part-time, working hours, location, etc…) If the job basics do not match an applicant’s personal job interests, that applicant may remove himself/herself from consideration.
7. For applicants selected for an interview, change that applicant’s status to “Interview.” All other applications should be dispositioned (have their status changed) according to the reason why each one was not selected. An applicant’s status should only be changed to “Not Selected-Not Interviewed” if you are certain you have no interest in interviewing him/her.

Interviewing/Selection Process

Every applicant invited to interview should meet the minimum qualifications of your position. Applicants meeting the minimum and preferred qualifications represent the best qualified candidates. An applicant should be able to articulate his/her experience and qualifications as thoroughly and as positively as possible. Each applicant should have the same interviewing experience, and as a best practice, the Hiring Manager should ensure that interview questions are well thought-out and job related.  If the Hiring Manager needs assistance in preparing for an interview, an Employment and Compensation Specialist can assist.

1. Prepare for the interview in advance.
   • If a Search Committee is used, its members should be selected prior to the interview.
   • If a Search Committee is not used, as a best practice, at least one person other than the Hiring Manager should interview the applicant.
2. Prepare a core set of interview questions.
   • Questions should focus on determining how well the applicant will meet the responsibilities of your position.
   • Questions can be included to address specific information on an applicant’s resume or application.
   • Interview notes for all persons interviewed should be uploaded to the Hiring Proposal in People Admin 7 when a finalist is selected.
3. Schedule the interview.
   • Be sure to provide information regarding the interview location, parking, who will be involved in the interview, and what process will be followed.
   • Provide the interviewee with contact information for someone that may be able to assist him/her with questions in case of a change or an emergency.
   • If an interviewee requests a disability accommodation, please check with your Employee Relations contact for information and assistance. For additional information see Institutional Equity Disability Resources.
4. When interviewing individuals qualified for a veterans’ employment preference, follow the guidelines in the link referenced below:
   • Veterans Employment Preferences
5. For consistency, ask the same core questions of each interviewee. It is ok to ask appropriate non-discriminatory follow-up questions to an interviewee’s responses.
6. Change the applicant status to “Interview” in People Admin 7 for all applicant’s that are being interviewed.
7. After the interview, if you determine that a candidate will not be hired —

Change his/her status to “Interviewed – Not Selected ” in People Admin 7 to send an auto-generated email message informing him/her of this result. This message will not be sent until the position is marked as filled by your Employment and Compensation Specialist.

— or —

Change his/her status to “Not Selected (No Email)” in People Admin 7 if you plan to inform the applicant through a personal email message, phone call, etc.

As a best practice, any applicant that is interviewed but not selected should be personally contacted, thanked and encouraged to apply for other opportunities.

Types of interview questions:

• Behavior Based — An interview technique that focuses on a candidate's past experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities by asking the candidate to provide specific examples of when he or she has demonstrated certain behaviors or skills as a means of predicting future behavior and performance.
• Situational — An interview technique that gives the interviewee a scenario to help assess how a candidate would perform by asking the candidate to provide examples of how he/she would respond given the situation described.
• Competency Based — An interview technique that focuses on core competencies that align with your position and the organization that would help interviewers better evaluate a candidates’ skills. 

Types of questions to avoid:

• Yes/No questions will leave the interviewer with limited information to work with when it comes to determining a candidate’s skills.
• Questions that are not job related.

Helpful Hints To Conduct A Successful Interview:

• Determine an interview facilitator (typically Hiring Manager) who will oversee the interview process.
• Discuss the order in which the panel will ask questions.
• Begin by explaining the interview process which should include panel introductions, position description, etc.
• After the interview, provide next steps in the process to the interviewee.
• Always have someone walk the interviewee out.

The Selection Process

It is important to use all the tools used during the hiring process as you begin to select your finalist. This should include:

• Interview — Be sure to take notes and discuss these with your interview panel.
• Reference Check — Evaluate consistency in responses received. Are the references all saying the same thing about the candidate?
• Writing Samples/Portfolio of Work (if applicable) — Evaluate against key skills needed for the position.

Things to avoid during the selection process:

• Don’t rely heavily on one tool used during your hiring process.
• Avoid biases such as stereotyping or hiring someone that is just like you.

Reference Checks

As a best practice, references should always be checked before a final decision is made. Reference checks are applicable whether the position is being filled internally or externally. They are a critical part of the selection process. Reference checks can give you information about an applicant’s current and past performance. You may check references at any time during the hiring process.

Download Sample Reference Questions 

1. As a courtesy, inform the applicant before checking his/her references.
2. Reference questions should be determined prior to contacting an applicant’s references. Questions should be related to the job, should be able to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and should be non-discriminatory.
3. Use the same reference questions with all reference checks.

Job Offer

After a finalist has been identified, please follow the process outlined below to initiate the hiring process.  Offers will be extended by your Employment and Compensation Specialist once this process has been completed.

1. Submit a Hiring Proposal through your approval work flow in People Admin 7.
   • Job Offer Requests may be subject to an equity review by the Employment and Compensation Specialist.
   • The Hiring Manager may inform the candidate that he/she is under final consideration, but should refrain from discussing matters of compensation, start date or implying an offer at this point.
2. A criminal background check will be initiated by your Employment and Compensation Specialist and you will be notified when the background request has been submitted to your finalist.
3. Once the criminal background check is cleared, your Employment and Compensation Specialist will extend an offer to your finalist.
4. After the offer has been accepted and the hiring proposal has been approved, your Employment and Compensation Specialist will send confirmation of the accepted offer.
5. Your Employment and Compensation Specialist will schedule your new hire for New Employee Orientation and begin the onboarding process.
6. The Search Coordinator should change the status of the remaining active applicants in People Admin 7 according to the reasons why each one was not selected.
7. The Search Coordinator should inform the Employment and Compensation Specialist when all applicant statuses have been changed so the posting status can be changed to “Filled.”
8. Any notes created as part of the recruiting or hiring process (interview notes, interview questions, etc.) should be forwarded to HR.

Hiring Temporary Employees

A temporary employee is defined as an individual hired to:

1. perform emergency, non-recurring, short-term work.
2. fill-in for an employee on an approved leave for the duration of the approved leave.
3. supplement budgeted headcount for a specific project, staffing shortages, or workload peaks.

Hiring Foreign Nationals

HR will work with departments and assist them in the hiring process of foreign nationals. If a sponsorship is required, please allow sufficient time to complete the employment authorization process and establish a realistic hire date. Under no circumstances should a hiring department make any guarantee of employment prior to completing the entire employment authorization process.

Listed below are the nonimmigrant visa categories supported by UT Dallas.

H-1B

Employer-Specific Specialty Occupations

J-1

Exchange Visitor

E-3

Australian Professional

TN

NAFTA Canadian or Mexican Professional

B1/B2

Business Visitor

Frequently Asked Questions