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Proper recruitment practices help the university prevent discrimination, and ensure the most qualified candidates are selected without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under state or federal law.
UC Santa Cruz is committed to utilizing intentional recruitment practices to attract qualified applicants with a broad range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences to fill positions across all levels of staff employment.
Open Recruitment
Open Recruitment is a type of competitive recruitment that seeks a broad pool of qualified applicants and utilizes a search committee to screen, interview and identify a candidate for hire. A search firm may also be used for this purpose.
Hiring Managers (HM) are strongly encouraged to fill positions using a competitive recruitment process. Use the Open Recruitment option to attract both external and internal applicants.
Pros
- Broader Talent Pool – Increases the chances of finding highly qualified candidates with fresh perspectives, from broad backgrounds, and specialized experience that may not exist internally
- Broad Access – Allows greatest opportunity for interested parties to compete, including qualified internal candidates
- Fairness and Transparency – Demonstrates a commitment to providing employment opportunity to all qualified applicants, which strengthens trust in the hiring process and aligns with institutional values and legal standards for fair hiring
- Encourages Innovation – External hires can bring innovative ideas, industry best practices, and alternative problem-solving approaches that help drive organizational improvement and growth
- Validates Internal Talent – If an internal candidate is ultimately selected, a competitive process confirms their qualifications relative to the broader pool, boosting their credibility and confidence in their new role
Cons
- Cost – Requires allocation of resources for outreach and advertising
- Time – The competitive process can take up to three months, or longer
Internal Recruitment (aka Campus Only Recruitment)
A type of competitive recruitment to fill positions where only internal applicants are eligible to apply. Only current UCSC employees (student, staff or academic) with an active appointment in the payroll system and individuals with preferential rehire or special selection rights are eligible for consideration
Pros
- Promotional Opportunity – Allows campus employees access to a promotional opportunity
- Competitive – Provides an opportunity to hire the most qualified internal applicant
- Transparency – May reduce the perception of inequity or unfairness that can result from reorganizations
Cons
- Smaller Talent Pool – Does not allow qualified external applicants to apply
- Time – If less than 2 internal applicants apply, the job may need to be converted to an open recruitment, which requires an additional 2-week IRD period
Non-Recruitment
A non-competitive process in which the Hiring Manager (HM) identifies the candidate for hire in lieu of the position being posted. This option may only be used to fill limited (temporary) appointments. HMs are strongly encouraged to fill positions through a competitive recruitment; however, Non-Recruitment may be used if the position:
- Will not exceed 800 hours, and
- Will not exceed 6 months in duration, and
- Has a definite end date, and
- The individual does not already have a bank of limited appointment hours that would equal or exceed 1,000 hours and cause the appointment to convert to career
Pros
- Time – Meets immediate business or operational needs
- Opportunity – May provide an opportunity to gain short term on-the-job training and UCSC experience. May provide an opportunity for a current staff employee to augment percent time
Cons
- Not Competitive – Does not provide for equal opportunity because pool is limited to a person known by the hiring unit
- Lacks transparency – Can result in perceptions of inequity or unfairness because there is no competitive process
- Short-term solution – i.e., if position was to become permanent, a competitive recruitment would be necessary
Temporary Staffing Agency
A non-competitive process in which the Hiring Manager (HM) identifies uses a vendor contracted with UC to identify a qualified worker to assign to the unit. This option may only be used to fill limited (temporary) business needs. HMs are strongly encouraged to fill positions through a competitive recruitment; however, the assignment of Temp Agency workers may be used in cases when the work:
- Will not exceed 6 months in duration, and
- Has a definite end date
Temp Agency assignment extensions require approval by the Staff Human Resources Director of Talent Acquisition.
Temp Agency workers performing cash handling duties are covered under UC Business and Finance Bulletin 49-Policy for Cash and Cash Equivalents Received and therefore required to complete a Live Scan criminal history background check in accordance with local procedures. The vendor will complete the background check in these cases.
Pros
- Time – Meets immediate business or operational needs
- Opportunity – May provide an opportunity to gain short term on-the-job training and UCSC experience.
Cons
- Cost – In addition to covering the salary for the worker, the service includes administrative costs which do not go directly to the employee
- Not Competitive – Does not provide for equal opportunity because pool is limited to those provided by the vendor
- Lacks transparency – Can result in perceptions of inequity because there is no competitive process
- Short-term solution – i.e., if the position was to become permanent, a competitive recruitment would be necessary.
Transfer
Intra-Divisional Transfer – Without Recruitment refers to the movement of an employee from one position to another, which is in a classification having the same salary range maximum, and occurs within the same unit or division.
Reasons for selecting transfer:
- Alternative to layoff
- Utilize an employee’s skills in a more appropriate position
- Employee has specific skills qualifying them for another position
Pros
- Time – Meets immediate business or operational needs
- Opportunity – May result in another opening to be filled through a competitive recruitment
Cons
- Transparency – Others may perceive inequity or unfairness in the selection of the individual for transfer, particularly if they feel that they would have been qualified for the position
- Not Competitive – Is not a competitive process that broadly provides employment opportunity
Reorganization
Reorganization can be used to reassign the duties of a vacant position within a department. May be appropriate in cases when a reorganization addresses a change in work or funding. Reorganization may result in the need for Classification Review for affected positions.
Pros
- Opportunity – May offer internal promotional opportunity to existing qualified staff
Cons
- Transparency – Others may perceive inequity or unfairness in the selection of the individual for a new position, particularly if they feel that they would have been qualified for the position
- Not Competitive – Is not a competitive process that broadly provides employment opportunity outside of the reorganizing department
Waiver of Recruitment
Waiver of Recruitment is a noncompetitive process in which the hiring manager identifies the candidate for hire in lieu of the position being posted and advertised.
It is university policy to recruit both within and outside its work force to obtain qualified applicants. In exceptional circumstances, a Waiver of Recruitment can be used to fill career and contract appointments. Waivers can also be used to fill limited (temporary) appointments which do not meet the criteria for non-recruitment (e.g., expected to exceed 1000 hours in 12 months). Exceptional circumstances must be based upon extraordinary business necessity and requires documentation that address the reasons why conducting a recruitment would cause the department undue hardship in meeting its goals, such as disruption of critical services or research activity. Placement of a candidate into a career position that helps to improve the underutilization of the particular job group can be considered as one of the reasons for the request. It is the university’s intent to grant waivers only in limited circumstances
- To waive the competitive recruitment process, at least one of the following criteria must be met:
- There are demonstrated recruitment difficulties, e.g. the recruitment failed to produce qualified applicants though it was advertised widely, and/or all qualified candidates declined the position
- The position is temporary and has a budgetary end date (contract/grant) and the incumbent is a graduate who needs to remain to complete a research project begun while in student status
- The candidate is highly qualified for the position based on expertise (e.g., research related) and possesses unique skills, knowledge, abilities or experience that would not be found in other candidates
- Health and safety reasons exist
Pros
- Time – Meets immediate business or operational needs
- Cost – Recruitment advertising is not required
Cons
- Lacks transparency – Can result in perceptions of inequity or unfairness in the selection of the individual selected, particularly if they feel that they would have been qualified for the position
- Not Competitive – Does not provide for broad opportunity because pool is limited to a person known by the hiring unit