Main navigation | Section navigation | Content

Search Process « Hiring Procedures « Faculty & Staff « College of Liberal Arts & Sciences « University of Illinois

Faculty & Staff

Overview of the Search Process

This document briefly summarizes the search procedures for units within LAS. It is designed as a supplement to the Campus Administrative Manual and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA) Search Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Appointments.

Please read both documents carefully before beginning a search.

Hiring Request Forms (HRFs)

Please consult the When do I need to fill out a Hiring Request Form? page for important information on HRFs.


After you have determined if an HRF is needed for your position, please consult the instructions for Starting a Workflow to establish the correct workflow in HireTouch.

For all HRFs, the following questions need to be answered:

  1. Describe the critical nature of this position/hire to the mission and success of the unit and the
    institution; where applicable, include specific strategic goals that are addressed.
  2. Could the work associated with this position be reallocated to be accomplished in another
    way, for example, through assignment of duties to others in the unit, reduced FTE or a partial
    year appointment? Could an alternate title be considered or the role reconfigured so that the
    work can be accomplished by someone with less experience or through training an individual
    whose position can be left vacated?
  3. Document any negative consequences that would occur if the proposed position action were
    delayed or remained unfilled.
  4. Describe the funds you have available to ensure you can make this hire without incurring
    deficits.

After filling out all required sections, forward the Hiring Request Form electronically to the following:

  1. Department: Unit Executive Officer
  2. School (if applicable) or choose College, LAS Hiring
  3. College, LAS Hiring
  4. Hiring Request, AHR
  5. Hiring Request, AHR
  6. Provost, Hiring Request (for titles that require Provost review. All other requests should choose Hiring Request, AHR)

Request for Academic Professional Positions

For all new and replacement academic professional positions, approval must be obtained from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Academic Human Resources and the Provost. Please complete the Hiring Request Form via Hire Touch. This form is required for all potential hires: Visiting or Regular, >0 % time, and regardless of source of funds.

To begin request: Create Academic Professional Search workflow in HireTouch.

For Academic Professional positions: To ensure that the correct title is being requested please send the current PAPE or submit a new PAPE (via HireTouch) to Amy Elli with the Hiring Request Form.

Final approval of the HRF will arrive to the unit via email to the search contact.

Request for Faculty Positions

All potential tenure or tenure track faculty hiring activity requires the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Academic Human Resources and the Provost via the Hiring Request Form. Full approval of the Hiring Request Form is required before any search paperwork can be submitted to EOA for review and approval. The College Office will contact units to request submission of hiring requests.

Request for Other Academic Positions


All potential Other Academic positions include, but are not limited to the following: Lecturers, Instructors, teaching associates, research associates. Approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences via the Hiring Request Form is required. This form is required for all types of hires: Visiting/Adjunct or Regular, >0 % time and regardless of source of funds.

Visiting/Adjunct Professorial ranks are also considered Other Academic positions and require approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences via the Hiring Request Form.

LAS approval is required for all Other Academic positions before submission of search or search waiver paperwork.

To begin request: Create one of the following workflows in HireTouch:

  • Faculty and Other Academic Search OR
  • Faculty and Other Academic Search Waiver

Establishing an Academic Professional Title

The PAPE form (Principal Administrative Position Exemption) outlines all the duties and qualifications for the position and is required for ALL new and significantly revised existing Academic Professional positions- regardless of %time or Vtg/Regular status. Title approval for Academic Professional positions must be received before submitting any search or Appointment Change documents. The PAPE must be submitted along with the Hiring Request Form to ensure that the correct title is being requested.

If the unit has a current PAPE that is less than 3 years old and the duties and qualifications have not changed, then upload the PAPE into HireTouch in the Forms tab "Upload existing approved PAPE within 3 years."

For an existing position, if the duties and/or qualifications have changed, then establish a new PAPE. For all new positions, create a new PAPE.

The ad you will use for your search is based on what is contained in the PAPE- you cannot add duties or qualifications after the PAPE is approved (a new PAPE would need to be done). It may be easier to have the committee write the ad, then write the PAPE.

All titles containing "Director" require a second level of approval. Please fill out Provost Communication #3, Request to Add a New Administrative Position attachment and submit with the Hiring Request Form to Amy Elli. Additional information is contained in Appendix B: Additional Information on Titles Containing Director.

PAPEs are submitted through HireTouch. Appendix C: PAPE Questions lists all the information that will be requested in the HireTouch form and may be easier for the unit to use when developing the position requirements.

Detailed information on filling out a PAPE is located in LAS Appendix E- Starting a Workflow in Hiretouch.

Title approval for positions may take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.

Additional information on titles:

Please review Appendix A for additional information on campus guidelines regarding when a PAPE is needed.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has the following additional guidelines concerning titles:

  1. To be appointed as an Instructor, candidates must have a Master's degree.
  2. To be appointed as a Lecturer, candidates must have a PhD or an MFA; the only exception is for incoming Assistant Professors hired through a search that have not received their PhD by time of appointment. Please contact Amy Elli for questions concerning these titles.

Conducting a Search

When needing to fill a position, a search should be conducted
Please consult Chapter 1 of the EOA Search Guidelines and Procedures for information on what EOA paperwork is required for your type of position.
If your unit wishes to pursue an Appointment Change Form, please consult Appendix F: Appointment Change Form Instructions.

Form Search Committee

First, appoint a diverse search committee. The search committee should reflect a variety of perspectives and sensitivity to Affirmative Action issues. When possible, include women and representatives of designated classes on all search committees. If a diverse search committee cannot be achieved within the unit, consider the following: look outside the unit for individuals the new hire would work with, appoint a post-doc or graduate student. If there are barriers to meeting this goal, please consult with the Unit Affirmative Action Officer. Create a Note in the Activity Tab of HireTouch detailing the outcome of the conversation. Search Committee members cannot be official references for any candidates

Identify Advertising Sources

Outline a specific plan for recruitment that will result in a diverse pool of qualified candidates including women and representatives of designated classes. Please review Section 3.4.C of the EOA Search Guidelines and Procedures for specific information on mandatory recruitment sources. Suggestions for additional ad sources include listeserves in your academic discipline, DiversityLink, Insight Into Diversity, Diverse Issues in Higher Ed, Academic Keys, and special recruitment sources specific to your discipline.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access suggests the following strategties related to ad sources to increase applicant pools:

  1. Utilize special advertising resources that will reach and attract top underrepresented candidates
  2. Verify the use of special recruitment sources
  3. Utilize colleague networks to identify top potential candidates
  4. Spread the word about the position: share information with incumbents at other institutions; contact women's colleges and historically Black and Hispanic colleges and universities for alumni information; and recruit at professional conferences that target underrepresented professionals
  5. Send the announcement to professional diversity organizations

 

Below are some additional advertising sources and helpful hints:

CareerBuilder- the University has an agreement with CareerBuilder to provide a one-month job posting for $200, which is a discount of over $200 per posting. Additional information can be found here.

Shaker Advertising- The University signed a new contract with Shaker Recruitment Advertising, an advertising agency that specializes in employment advertising and negotiating lower advertising rates with all different types of print and online media. This contract is intended to help units save time and money on employment advertising, while attracting the best talent for open academic professional or faculty positions. Shaker can provide considerable savings in personnel time by handling all of the recruitment advertising details from writing or designing the ad based on the job description, to finding the most appropriate media sources, and placing the advertisement on your behalf. By taking advantage of Shaker's ad writing service and negotiated media rates, job advertisements can often be placed for the same or less cost than you would pay by posting job advertisements without the assistance of an agency.
For general information on the services provided by Shaker, please visit the University Human Resources web site at:
https://hr.uillinois.edu/PolicyCompliance/Toolkit/GuidanceRes/ShakerInfo.cfm

News Gazette: If you are using the News Gazette please be aware of the following: the News Gazette has recently added a feature to their on line employment classifieds that allows applicants to apply through their site. You will need to cancel this feature with a phone call so that your advertisement has a note that reads "This employer is not accepting applications through this site. See ad for further information."

Acjob Listserve: AHR will now compile a listing of all jobs that post to HireTouch and send them to the listserv in a daily listing in an automated fashion. Units will no longer need to submit their announcements to the listserv.  The listserv will remain active and subscribers will continue to receive information on the academic vacancies on our campus. 
As a reminder, to subscribe to the ACJOB listserv, email listserv@po.uiuc.edu, leave the subject line blank, type SUB ACJOB-L in the body of the message, and click send.

Scope and Length for Advertising Positions

Faculty, Other Academic, Academic Professional and all other positions must be minimally advertised according to the following:

  • National Searches:
  • Regional Searches:
    • for entry and mid-level Academic Professional positions.
      Minimum suggested search time: 3 weeks.

      Required Ad Sources:

      jobs.illinois.edu, HigherEdJobs.com plus the affirmative action email, Abilitylinks.org.

      Suggested Ad Sources: regional recruitment sources- example: Newspapers in the Midwest, additional diversity recruitment sources as needed.

  • Local Searches:
    • For entry and mid-level Academic Professional positions and Other Academic positions. Minimum suggested search time: 2 weeks.

      Required Ad Sources: jobs.illinois.edu

      Suggested Ad Sources: News Gazette

  • Internal to Campus Searches:

    • For Academic Professional positions. Minimum
      suggested search time: 1 week.

      Required Ad Sources: jobs.illinois.edu, email to those in unit.

Please review Section 3.4.C and Appendix A of the EOA Search Guidelines and Procedures for specific information on mandatory recruitment sources.

Prepare Position Announcement

All position announcements need to include 11 elements:

1. Location of position, which includes both:

  1. Name of the department or unit, and
  2. "University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"

2. Rank and/or title:

  1. For all academic professional positions, ensure that an up-to-date PAPE has been established.
  2. For faculty positions, state if the rank is "open" or negotiable.
  3. Is this a security sensitive position? See CAM section IX.C.44

3. A brief statement of duties.

For Academic Professional positions: the statement of duties must be consistent with the duties described in the PAPE.

4. Basic qualifications:

The Internet Applicant Rule addresses the criteria by which submissions of interest for an available position are evaluated. The "basic qualifications" listed in a position announcement must focus on the core elements for job performance and should not use criteria that could potentially result in bias against underrepresented candidates during the candidate review procedure. To avoid the potential for bias, the qualifications must be:

  • Non-comparative features of a job seeker (e.g. three years of experience is acceptable;
    “being one of the top five” among the candidates in years of experience is not acceptable);
  • Objective (e.g., a Bachelor's degree in accounting is acceptable, but not “a technical degree from a good school”); and
  • Relevant to performance of the particular position

    a) The qualifications listed should be consistent with those described in the PAPE for Academic Professional positions. For faculty and faculty administrator positions, it should indicate the tenure status.

    b) Minimum degree requirements should be stated. All Academic Professionals must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.
    1. To ensure a diverse applicant pool, the minimum requirements should be broad rather than specific. For example, require a “B.S. degree” rather than a specific “B.S. in Physics.” To allow flexibility, the following statement may be used: “Individuals working toward a Bachelor’s degree may be considered, but the degree must be obtained by the starting date.”
    c) Review the required number of years of experience (1-2 years vs. 3-5 years vs. 5-7 years). To allow maximum flexibility in evaluating applicants, the type of experience and skills should be defined, rather than a requirement for a particular number of years of experience.

    d) Preferred/desired qualifications may also be listed.

    e) Searches may be designated as “Internal” (to campus or to unit) and limited to those with current Illinois affiliation -- that is, individuals who are currently employed on the Champaign-Urbana campus. Internal Searches are exempt from external advertising requirements. Candidates external to the University should not be reviewed or otherwise receive consideration unless the scope of the search is revised and external advertising sources, including special recruitment sources, are utilized.

    f) Searches may also be restricted to individuals participating in the Campus Relocation Program or other similar programs administered by Academic Human Resources. Participation in the appropriate program would be a minimum requirement for the position.

5. Salary statement:

  1. The salary range was approved on the Hiring Request Form. The unit cannot negotiate or hire outside that range without receiving approval from LAS and AHR and/or Provost Office.
  2. To allow flexibility, the announcement may state that the salary is negotiable, commensurate with experience or competitive.

6. Appointment status:

  1. Appointment status was approved on the Hiring Request Form.
  2. Is the position regular (non-visiting) or visiting?
  3. What is the percent time of the appointment?
  4. If the possibility of changes in the appointment status is anticipated and is requested in the Hiring Request Form, the following qualifiers will generate the broadest applicant pool, and thus, provide flexibility in making these changes:
    • i. For visiting positions, use "Position may become regular at a later date."
    • ii. For part-time positions, use "Percent time may increase at a later date."

7. Proposed starting date:

  1. The start date was approved on the Hiring Request Form.
  2. The appointment may not begin before the stated starting date.
  3. To allow flexibility, the announcement may state that the starting date is "as soon as possible after the closing date," or "negotiable after the closing date."

8. Application materials:

  1. What materials should applicants send?
  2. Applicants will upload documents via HireTouch. Below are just 3 examples to aid you in writing the ad:

Example 1- Reference Letters required for full consideration:

To apply, create your candidate profile through http://jobs.illinois.edu and upload your application materials: letter of application, CV, up to 3 representative publications, statement of teaching and research interests, and teaching evaluations if available, and contact information for three professional references. Referees will be contacted electronically upon the submission of the application. To ensure full consideration, all required application materials must be submitted by DATE, 2011; letters of reference must be received no later than 1 week later DATE, 2011. Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made before 1 week later DATE, 2011.

Example 2 - Reference Letters requested from all applicants but not to ensure full consideration:

Please create your candidate profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload initial application materials through this system. To ensure full consideration, submit letter, curriculum vitae, a 1-3 page description of dissertation or current research project, and writing sample and contact information for three professional references by DATE, 2011. Referees will be contacted electronically upon the submission of the application.

Example 3 - References will not be contacted for all applicants:

Please create your candidate profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload initial application materials through this system. To ensure full consideration, submit letter, curriculum vitae, a 1-3 page description of dissertation or current research project, and writing sample and contact information for three professional references by DATE, 2011.

9. Closing date for receipt of applications:

  1. Examples of closing date statements:
    • i. "In order to ensure full consideration, applications must be received by [date]."
    • ii. "Full consideration will be given to applications received by [date]."
  2. If a need to interview before the closing date is anticipated, the announcement must state: "Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date."

10. Unit contact information:

  1. Name, email and phone number of search contact are mandatory.

11. Statement of campus Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:

Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity.
(www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).

Short ads

In order to alleviate high print advertising costs, units may use shortened announcements that refer applicants to a Website for more information. The unit must be able to ensure that the announcement will generate a sufficient pool of qualified diverse applicants. Both the "short ad" and the complete announcement must be reviewed by LAS and OEOA.

Required elements for the short ad:
  1. rank and/or title
  2. closing date
  3. statement of campus Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
  4. link to full position announcement

Acceptable uses of the required statement for short print ads where text is paid for include:

  • The U of I is an AA-EOE
  • The University is an AA-EOE
  • Illinois is an AA-EOE

Submit the short ad in the HireTouch Search Form.

Complete Search Form

If you have already established a workflow in HireTouch for this position, find and click on your job in HireTouch, go to the Forms tab and select START on the Search form line.
If you did not need to complete an HRF or establish a PAPE, please consult the instructions for Starting a Workflow to begin your Search Form.

Send Search Form For Review

The Search Form is reviewed electronically by the Unit Affirmative Action Officer, College of LAS (College, LAS Hiring), and Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA, OEOA). Advertising cannot take place until the unit receives approval from OEOA.

Advertise Position Only After EOA Approval

EOA will send an email to the Search Contact indicating approval of the search. You are now approved to begin advertising. Advertising should be carried out as indicated on the Search Form. Please forward the email from OEOA approving your search to Amy Elli (amyelli@illinois.edu).

Please remember the following: Each ad source listed on the Search form must be used. Keep a copy of all ads AS THEY APPEARED IN THE AD SOURCE, with publication date(s) noted. These must be uploaded into HireTouch via the Activity tab when submitting the Finalist Compliance Form. The date(s) or date range of each ad source must be detailed in the search narrative. For listserves, the dates submitted can be used in the search narrative.

Once the position is approved and advertised, no candidate's application, however outstanding, may be considered unless it meets the required criteria listed in the position announcement. The position announcement that is sent to LAS and approved by OEOA is the exact announcement that should appear in all ads. Wording may not be changed without approval from LAS and OEOA.

Conducting the Search

After OEOA approval of the search is received, the Search Committee Chair and Unit Affirmative Action Officer (UAAO) should review the EOA and LAS Hiring Procedures.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access website has resume evaluative techniques that the search committee can review:

The Search Chair and Unit AAO should review these materials.

Search Committee meets with College EEOC Vice-Chair

The Vice-Chair of the LAS Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, Amy Elli, will meet with each search committee at the beginning of the search process. This process confirms the College's and your department's commitment to the affirmative action/ equal opportunity process.  The Unit Affirmative Action Officer should be at this meeting as well. The following items need to be discussed by the search committee:

  • Questions concerning the campus policies and guidelines on hiring
  • Discussion of Diversity and Affirmative Action Plan for underrepresentation
  • Role of AAO and EEOO
  • Committee Charge
  • Search Timeline
  • Selection Criteria
  • References
  • Documenting the Search Process

Consult the Search Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Appointments Chapter 4.1 located on the OEOA website for more information on criteria and procedures for Search Committees.

Develop Criteria for Screening Procedures Before Evaluating Candidates

Evaluation procedures and screening instruments should ensure equal employment opportunity and fair employment practices in all aspects of the selection process. The screening criteria are based on the qualifications and duties stated in your ad. Rating/evaluation criteria sheets are highly recommended.

BEFORE ANY APPLICATIONS ARE LOOKED AT BY ANY SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBER- the criteria used to review applications for each step of the search process must be established.

Please review Chapter 4.1.F in the EOA Search Guidelines and Procedures for important information on establishing selection criteria.

 

Procedures for References
How will references be obtained for candidates? At what stage of the search process will references be obtained? The manner in which these references are gathered should be consistent and conducted systematically for all candidates in the same group.

How will references be contacted? By phone or email?

How will unlisted references be handled?

Members of the search committee may not write letters of recommendation for applicants.

Three letters of reference are required for all new hires. Please refer to the Campus Administrative Manual for information on references for current and recent U of I employees: http://www.cam.illinois.edu/ix/ix-c/ix-c-17.htm. Reference checks are always strongly encouraged no matter what the employee's current status.

Screening Applicants

After screening procedures are designed for each step of the search process, the search committee may evaluate candidates in accordance with pre-established criteria.

An applicant is an individual who has submitted the required documents for consideration pursuant to campus policy by uploading the information into Hire Touch in accordance with the procedures in the position announcement. Candidates who do not submit their documentation in accordance with all of the requirements listed in the position announcement or with another procedure approved by OEOA should not be reviewed and should be marked as “not reviewed” for their applicant status. In conformance with requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act, OEOA should be contacted for candidates requesting accommodation in the submission of their candidate materials.

Status Codes for applicants
After the committee has made their initial review of applicants, the User Status Code should be updated. This is done in the Applicants tab in HireTouch. Page 9 of the Academic Professional Search Instructions provides instructions on updating the User Status Code. This will allow the search committee to sort applicants by their status within the search and find those that have made it to the next levels of review easier.

The Search Chair should designate one person to update the status codes. Updating the status codes will update what all Search Committee members and staff contacts will see in HireTouch- it is not a separate rating system for each committee member.

Applicants do not see this information.

 

Interviewing Procedures and Finalist Compliance Form
All interviewers should review the Guidelines for Pre-Employment Inquires. All finalists must be asked the same set of questions. Some questions will need to be added based on the vita of a specific finalist, but the basic list must be the same. You will include this list in Part II of the LAS Narrative. All interviews should, barring unique circumstances, be conducted under reasonably similar circumstance, and all finalists should be given similar opportunities for meeting the same set of colleagues.

A finalist for the position is a qualified applicant who has successfully proceeded through all levels of the search process. He or she is included in the list of top candidates who will be interviewed. The decision to include an individual as a finalist should be based upon judgment of their comparative professional merit relative to the requirements specified in the job description. Only under unusual circumstances should the finalist list be restricted to one finalist.

Once the search committee has determined the list of finalists, the Finalist Compliance Form needs to be filled out. The form will document the search process to the point of selecting the finalists including the role of the AAO in the search process. Fill out Part I of the LAS Narrative - all questions requested in the Finalist Compliance Form are included in the LAS Narrative Form. The search contact can then fill out the Finalist Compliance Form by cutting and pasting the specific information provided by Search Chair via Part I of the LAS Narrative into the form and route for review. Attach Part I of the LAS Narrative via the Activity tab.

The Finalist Compliance Form must be completed and reviewed by the Unit AAO, College and EOA before the Summary Form is uploaded into Hiretouch.

Interviews may take place as the Finalist Compliance Form is completed and reviewed. Interviews must be held after the application closing date unless the approved Position Announcement contained the following statement: "Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date."

Summary Form and Conclusion of Search Process
At the conclusion of the interview process and search committee discussions, the following items will need to be completed:

1. Update the User Status Codes for all applicants. Find and click on your job in HireTouch, go to the Applicants tab. Finish assigning codes for all candidates. For the proposed hire, please assign the code: Finalist/Campus Visit Interview.

2. Complete the Summary Form: Fill out Part II of the LAS Narrative- all questions requested in the Summary Form are included in the LAS Narrative. The search contact can then fill out the Summary Form by cutting and pasting the specific information provided by Search Chair via the LAS Narrative into the form and route for review. Attach Part II of the LAS Narrative via the Activity tab.

The justification section of the summary form must include the following:

  • State the criteria used to review the finalists. Interview criteria may be similar to the screening criteria.
  • List the basic set of interview questions asked of each finalist.

  • *Include a brief discussion on each finalist (including proposed hire)- why they would or would not be acceptable for the position (each finalist should be discussed in a separate paragraph with the first mention of their name in bold). The description of each finalist must make reference to the criteria the committee established for review of interviews.

  • Include the following for each: the date of their interview, Race/ethnicity (if known via visual estimation), Gender (if known via visual estimation), Highest Degree, and Specialty/Field.

  • The discussion must clearly state why the proposed hire was chosen over all other finalists.

  • Rank the list of finalists and explain provisions for extending offers to other candidates should the top candidate decline the offer. Please note- if the first proposed appointee declines, a 2nd summary form will need to be filled out and routed for review before any offer is made.

3. Upload a letter from Head of Unit/School to Dean containing the following:

  • Salary information (where you will start and the max amount to be offered).
  • Justification for the hire
  • Any other important information the College would need to know in their review of the proposed hire
  • For Faculty hires: title and tenure code

Approvals must be entered as follows:

Department- your Unit's Executive Officer
Department/School (if applicable) or choose College, LAS Hiring
EEO Officer- College, LAS Hiring
OEOA: OEOA, OEOA

Search Contact
OEOA: OEOA, OEOA

The College EEOC will examine the search and selection procedures. The College review of the Summary Packet will take approximately 1-2 days.

This review takes place prior to a job offer being made.

Completing Affirmative Action Hiring Packet for multiple hires

If more than one individual is being hired from the same search, email EOA (oeoajobs@illinois.edu) and request that additional Summary Form(s) be added. Fill out the new form for your second hire and include all information as outlined above.

Completing additional Affirmative Action Hiring Packet(s) if top candidate refuses offer

If your top candidate has refused your job offer, a complete Affirmative Action Hiring Packet must be completed for your next choice before you make any offer to that candidate. Go to the Forms tab for your search, click Recertify on the Summary line and fill out the summary form for your second hire and include all information as outlined above. You should add an addendum to the Narrative indicating when the proposed hire turned down your offer and requesting approval for hire #2. Update the User Status Code to indicate that your top finalist declined your offer. Include any other information that the College would need to properly evaluate your request.

Changes to a Search Already in Progress

Notify LAS (Amy Elli) in writing if there are any changes to a search in progress or for permission to extend or close the search.

Extension of a search after closing date has passed

For extensions, explain why the extension is necessary and what your plans are to recruit a sufficient pool of applicants. An extension should only be requested after your application closing date. When you extend a search, neither the search committee nor the qualifications should change without approval from LAS and OEOA.

Please attach a position announcement to this request. The new announcement should match the initial position announcement (except for the date). "Extended Search" should be included in the heading or body of the announcement. Minor changes to the text may be permitted; however, "revised and extended search" should be included in the heading or body of the announcement. Applicants should be notified that the search has been extended and that no hiring decision has been made.

Closing a search without a hire

When closing a search without an appointment, complete the as much of the LAS Narrative as possible and send to Amy Elli via email. Please indicate whether you plan to seek approval from LAS to search again for this position at a later date.

Multiple offers from the same search

Approval for multiple hires from the same search should be requested when completing the Hiring Request Form. If an additional candidate(s) are identified during the selection process, a written request outlining the need for the additional hire(s) and an explanation of why the candidate(s) were chosen should be emailed to Amy Elli as soon as possible after identifying additional candidates. This process should only be used in extraordinary cases. The Affirmative Action Hiring Packet cannot be processed until approval for additional hire(s) is received from LAS, Provost Office and OEOA.

Changes in the search committee

Notify OEOA and LAS of any changes in the search committee. If individuals are added to the search committee, provide the information requested on the Search Form. Any changes to the search committee should not alter the approved composition of the committee. Please consult with Amy Elli before making any changes to the search committee.

Changes in recruitment sources

Notify OEOA and LAS of any changes in the list of recruitment sources. It is important to ensure that special recruitment efforts are not negatively affected by changes in recruitment sources.

Making an offer to the candidate

Make an offer of appointment only after receiving approval from LAS.

Examples of offer letters can be found in Provost Communication #2 and Appendix I: Offer Letter Examples.

When offering a visiting position, the following information must be contained in the letter:

"Please be advised that visiting academic professionals are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Visiting Academic Professionals/AAP-IEA-NEA union. For more information regarding the contract, please go to http://www.ahr.uiuc.edu/PDF%20Forms/vap.pdf. For more information regarding the bargaining unit, please see the Association's website, http://www.ieanea.org."

Offer letters for faculty positions must be issued by the Dean of LAS except for SOCS, LCL, ESE, MCB and SIB.

Since the turn-around time for approval of hiring packets in LAS is very quick, approval for informal intensions to offer will not be approved.

Notify all candidates when the position is filled or closed without an appointment

Employing units must notify applicants about the status of their candidacy within a reasonable time limit. HireTouch has a bulk email function. Consult the HireTouch Resources section for additional information.

Acceptance of Offer

Once the offer is made and negotiations are complete, the offer letter must be signed by the appointee. The candidate may submit an email accepting the offer, prior to returning the signed offer letter. After the appointee accepts the offer, send the remaining finalists a denial letter as soon as possible.

Closing the Search

After the signed offer letter is returned to the unit, the search contact uploads the letter into HireTouch via the Activity tab. The letter you upload must contain the offer and the individual's signed acceptance of the offer. The Search Coordinator then approves the Summary Form, which forwards the form to OEOA. OEOA will review the Summary Form and send an email acknowledgement approval to the Search Coordinator.

Initiate Appointment

Upon the candidate's acceptance, the appointment is processed by forwarding the appropriate documentation to LAS (Stephanie Haas) via the FrontEnd. Paperwork for AHR includes the OEOA email acknowledgement, I-9, CV/Resume, Offer-Acceptance, Hiring Request Form. Contact Stephanie Haas for specific information on the FrontEnd.

Maintain pre-employment files

EOA will archive your search about 1 month after receiving the accepted offer letter. If your unit wishes to save information from your search, please download forms, vita, letters of reference, etc. from HireTouch as soon as possible after your finalist has accepted the job. The department does not need to keep files (either paper or electronic) on all applicants- HireTouch will keep the files. It is advisable for departments to keep files (electronic) on finalists if they wish. A personnel file on your hire must be kept and include all search paperwork (search form, ad, fully approved summary form, narrative, vita, reference letters, PAPE, etc.).

If a question or allegation is raised regarding the efficacy or fairness of a search, such records should be maintained for an additional two years after the issue has been resolved.

Important websites

  1. Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
  2. Campus Administrative Manual
  3. Academic Human Resources