Fair Hiring Guide

Recruitment Planning

Planning, Roles and Responsibilities for Hiring Managers and/or Search Committee Chairs

Preparing the Job Description

The job description serves as the foundation of a successful recruitment, and is essential for measuring performance once a person is hired. It will be the basis for creating the job posting, communicates important details about the job to job seekers, and determines the selection criteria to be used to screen applicants and justify candidate selection and deselection.

The Staff HR Compensation team can provide assistance with developing or updating job descriptions for the purpose of correctly classifying the position. In addition, after the job description has been classified, the Staff HR Talent Acquisition team can assist by reviewing the wording of qualifications and Special Conditions of Employment statements for ideal use on job postings and as selection criteria for applicant screening.

Use of inclusive language throughout the job description, from the department overview to the job summary and qualifications is key to attracting diverse applicants. Be aware of coded terms such as “young team” (age-coded: use “new team” instead). Also, some commonly used words can be traditionally associated with certain genders (e.g., gender-coded:  “competitive”, “collaborative”) while applicants of any gender can possess these qualities. Avoid jargon and acronyms common to higher education, UC, and UCSC. Use of jargon and acronyms sends the message that only insiders are welcome to apply. Describe job functions in plain language. This helps to attract applicants who do not have higher education experience but have relevant transferable skills, thus expanding employment opportunities to all members of the community. 

On the job postings, highlight the benefit package and additional benefits to attract applicants. Make sure you can genuinely deliver the additional benefits as listed. Some examples include: flexible work hours and locations, relocation stipends, and set-aside professional development funds.

It is a good idea to demonstrate the hiring unit’s commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the job posting on top of the boilerplate language. To substantiate the commitment, in the department overview and/or the job summary sections, include concrete examples of actions you have taken or plan to take to foster an inclusive workplace such as professional development opportunities, flexible work arrangements, parental leaves, wellness programs, affinity groups, and other employee resources open to all employees.

Writing Qualifications (Experience, Skills, Knowledge and Abilities)

All qualifications should be directly job related and are identified by an analysis of the functions and tasks of a position. When writing qualifications, it is critical to remember that they will be an essential tool in the screening and evaluation process. Plan ahead how they can be measured in later stages of recruitment.

The terms “skill” and “ability” may be used interchangeably - do not get bogged down in trying to decide whether something is a “skill” or an “ability”. Keep in mind that transferable skills and abilities are an important part of removing obstacles in your screening process and can be key in reaching a broad pool of qualified applicants. 

Use qualifiers (such as “excellent” or “proficient” etc.) to clarify the skill or experience level required to successfully perform the task or meet the responsibility. Note that the hiring manager is responsible for the interpretation and consistent application of qualifier statements when evaluating candidates.

Be strategic and intentional when identifying qualifications and drafting lists of required and preferred qualifications. The key is to identify the essential experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that are needed for the job rather than the job duties themselves. If a qualification is a “nice-to-have” on the first day of the job but can be developed or trained in a reasonable amount of time (for instance, during the probation period), consider including it in the preferred qualification list instead of the required qualification list. 

When it comes to using a degree as a qualification, the basic principle is that an educational requirement must have a significant relationship to successful job performance, or there is a legal necessity. Using “or equivalent combination of education and experience” or listing a degree as a preferred qualification generally makes the job description more inclusive, considering the lack of access to education proves to be a barrier for historically marginalized groups. 

Use concise language and avoid long lists. A long job posting makes potentially qualified applicants, especially those who are historically underrepresented, think they do not meet all the qualifications and therefore choose not to apply for the job.

If appropriate, you can also include qualifications related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. For example, if a position serves an increasingly diverse student population or leads a unit, the experience, knowledge, and skills related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility can be relevant to the job function. Qualifications should focus on the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary for the role.

In order to reasonably accommodate persons with disabilities, write about what is to be done, as opposed to how it is to be done, so as not to exclude a person with a disability who may be able to do the work differently. For example, use the verb “move” instead of “walk” or “lift”, “travel” instead of “drive,” and “communicate” instead of “talk.”

Special Conditions of Employment (SCOE) statements are used to define job requirements that must be met by the selected candidate, or must be true about them,  to be eligible for the job. Therefore physical requirements, special work schedules, required background checks, degree, license and credential requirements, environmental work conditions, etc., should be noted as Special Conditions of Employment on the job description. SCOE’s will appear on the job posting and will be discussed with selected candidates prior to employment.

Supplemental Questions

Supplemental questions are optional and help gather job-related information to assess candidates’ qualifications. These questions can be included in the job application form or sent via email after applications are routed for review.

If included in the application form, only questions related to a Special Condition of Employment (SCOE) may be set up as required. All other supplemental questions should be set as recommended, not required.

Supplemental questions may also be used later in the screening process, such as for candidates selected for interviews. In this case, the hiring manager or designee must ensure all responses are reviewed by the search committee for full consideration. Any supplemental questions sent via email, along with candidate responses, must be documented in the Recruitment Document Suite (RDS) under the “Unit Documents” folder.

For a list of applicant screening questions that are readily available to use in a job posting, please visit this link. You can copy/paste the questions into your Job Opening Request in ServiceNow when initiating your recruitment request.

Things to consider when using supplemental questions

• While an effective way of gathering additional information, supplemental questions that require a lot of time to answer may discourage some applicants from applying, especially those who learn of the job at the last minute and are in a hurry to submit their application materials. 
• When asking supplemental question(s) as part of the application process, choosing a longer initial review period (at least an additional week) will provide applicants with more time to complete their responses.
• Talent Acquisition does not take part in screening out applicants who do not answer the supplemental question(s), whether required or not. The hiring unit will determine how to evaluate applicants who don’t answer the supplemental question(s).

Assign Roles and Responsibilities

The hiring manager often acts as the committee chair but is not required to be. The HM role includes a variety of responsibilities, covered throughout this guide, and appointing a committee chair to get assistance with the search may be strategic. It is also possible to appoint someone as an assistant to handle administrative and scheduling tasks.

The HM and committee chair are authoritative roles and will share the responsibility for numerous tasks. The committee chair may even assist to make final hiring decisions. However, the HM retains the overall responsibility for a fair and inclusive recruitment process and final hiring decision.

Search committees are advisory to the HM. The HM, committee chair, or both, determines the role of the search committee and will ensure the search committee members clearly understand the recruitment plan, their role as a committee, and how to participate in a fair and inclusive search.

Hiring Manager (HM) only

• Decide whether or not to act as the search committee chair, and if not, designate a committee chair and plan the chair’s responsibilities (see below).

• HM and the chair, if one is assigned, must complete the mandatory Fair Hiring training every three years.

• Determine the overall recruitment plan. This may be done with assistance from the committee chair.

Hiring Manager (HM), Chair, or both

• Ensure the search is conducted according to local fair hiring practices.
• Ensure the required and preferred qualifications are given a weighting, or priority level. This should be documented on the recruitment records and communicated clearly to the committee or the committee chair prior to screening.
• Select search committee members; determine the charge and the role of the search committee and ensure members understand the expectations of them.
• Ensure fair hiring practices are understood and followed, and that search committee members maintain strict confidentiality.
• Ensure committee members know how to safely speak up about fair hiring concerns; HM and/or chair will act as a mediator between committee members if differing viewpoints require discussion or debate.
• Designate a committee member who will handle applicant inquiries.
• Document the recruitment process and ensure all recruitment records are submitted to Talent Acquisition per document instructions.
• Obtain advice/problem resolution assistance from the appropriate office when necessary, such as Staff HR Talent Acquisition.

Options to Consider for Utilizing your Search Committee

A search committee may provide support in a variety of areas, such as any of the following:

• Outreach efforts through networking
  • Send campus wide emails; post to their personal LinkedIn pages; email or social media posts to professional organizations they belong to, etc.
• Screen, evaluate, and correspond with applicants
• Collaborate to ensure that all applicants are consistently given full and fair consideration
  • Work to identify bias at any stage of the process and raise awareness of it
• Assist to develop interview questions
• Interview applicants and:
  • Analyze strengths and weaknesses of top candidates
  • Recommend an unranked or ranked list of top candidates
  • Or recommend a top choice
• Respond to applicant inquiries
• Conduct reference checks
• Assist with generating, completing, and gathering all recruitment records, such as interview questionnaires completed by the committee during interviews

Outreach/Advertising

A comprehensive outreach and advertising plan will increase the probability of attracting a qualified and diverse pool of applicants. Hiring managers may email staffads@ucsc.edu for information about options.

When considering advertising options, think about:

• Job group underutilization: if the job group is underutilizing women or minorities (i.e., the percentage of women, minorities, people with disabilities, or protected veterans in the job group on campus is significantly lower than that in the labor market), consider additional advertising targeted at those populations
• Appropriate recruiting area (i.e., local, regional, national)
• Reasonable initial review period (2 weeks is the minimum period, 3 to 4 weeks provides more time to attract a wider applicant pool)
• Free and paid advertising
• Networking opportunities (e.g., Your LinkedIn profile, professional organizations, affinity groups, colleagues at other higher ed institutions)

Ideally, advertising plans should be finalized, and a purchase order should be obtained, prior to the posting of a recruitment. See Recruitment Advertising Overview for more information. If you are interested in advertising, as soon as the job description has been approved we encourage you to contact us at staffads@ucsc.edu for information about developing an advertising plan. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Can I use a degree as a qualification?
   1. The basic principle is that an educational requirement must have a significant relationship to successful job performance, or there must be a legal necessity, since a degree requirement may disqualify members of a protected group at a substantially higher rate than non-protected group members (adverse impact).
   2. A degree qualification for professional and highly skilled knowledge jobs is generally more supportable than, for example, blue-collar jobs. Educational requirements are even more supportable if “or equivalent combination of education and experience” is used, or if identified as a preferred qualification.
   3. If a degree is used as a qualification, consider the barrier it may create to qualified applicants, and be prepared to support such a requirement if challenged by an outside agency.
2. When writing qualifications, can I specify that the people have recent experience?
   1. The recency of a person’s job experience may matter, but only in fields that have changed significantly. Keep in mind that an applicant may be able to keep him or herself current in their field in other ways.
3. What are special conditions of employment? 
   1. Special Conditions of Employment (SCOE) are statements used to define requirements that a selected candidate must meet, or which must be true about them, to be eligible for the job, and typically on an ongoing basis. For example, a valid licence to drive is required of employees who drive a vehicle as part of their job duties and is required throughout the time they are employed in that job.
   2. SCOEs should be called out in the Special Conditions of Employment (SCOE) section on the job description and on the job posting. They commonly include physical requirements, special work schedules, required pre-employment background & misconduct checks, degree, license and credential requirements, environmental work conditions, etc.
   3. Community buy-in via Campus Forums: Consider if it is important that community constituencies be allowed to participate in your recruitment by attending a campus forum. Hosting a campus forum can be useful in establishing support of your process and the candidate who is eventually selected.