Human Resources is happy to announce revisions and improvements to the staff-hiring process. These enhancements are designed to help Metropolitan State University of Denver recruit and hire top talent in a very competitive labor market. The goal is to increase time efficiency and continue the University’s commitment to equitable and inclusive hiring practices.
These changes impact all professional staff hiring in all branches, colleges and schools.
Staff-search improvements:
Search committees – The search-committee model has evolved to be more flexible and to help hiring managers (HMs) move through the process more efficiently.
- Hiring for director-level and above positions – no changes to process.
- Hiring for positions below director level – HM will review résumés, identify candidates eligible for interviews and begin first-round interviews. HMs should confer with their senior HR partner to ensure that candidates meet the required qualifications. To ensure fair and equitable hiring practices, HMs are encouraged to select a diverse group to conduct second- and third-round interviews, if needed.
14-day consideration period – This verbiage will no longer be included in job postings. This change:
- Provides HMs flexibility to begin first-round interviews sooner.
- May help expand candidate pools by posting positions as open until filled.
Search trainings – Searches are a legal process, and trainings are necessary for educating the University’s hiring community on fair and equitable hiring practices.
- It is expected that all employees participating in searches take hiring training. Traditionally, only live trainings were available; however, recorded sessions will be available on-demand in the coming weeks.
- Human Resources will continue to offer a limited number of live search trainings monthly. These are a great opportunity to interact with senior HR partners and ask search-specific questions.
Oral job offers and reference-checking
- After the HM collaborates with Human Resources’ Total Rewards team and identifies the salary, an oral offer can be extended prior to beginning the reference-check process.
- HMs will check references and send documentation to their senior HR partner.
- The offer letter is updated to reflect that offers are contingent on successful completion of background and reference checks.
Electronic Personnel Action Form (ePAF) Super Users
- HR, with branch leadership, has identified ePAF Super Users to help HMs complete ePAFs correctly.
- Super Users by branch are:
- Kim Starr – Academic Affairs
- Chris Harder – Student Affairs
- Jennifer Dechant – Administrative, University Advancement, Legal, University Marketing and Communications, Strategy and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Elaine Becks – Athletics
See the senior HR partners and the areas they support. Please connect with them or with Diane Forgione, director of senior HR partners, if you have any questions. In addition, HR will be hiring two recruiters in the coming months to help the University attract top talent.