- Are the forms available on the Human Resources Web page?
There is a difference currently between the hiring of classified employees and faculty. On the HR Web page, a department will find the hiring forms for classified employees only. Contact the Office of Equity and Diversity Services or your dean's or director's office for the forms for faculty.
- Are there different forms for classified and faculty staff members?
YES. Refer to the answer above for a more complete response to this question.
- Can the department advertise for a position without the approval of Equity or/ HR?
NO. The hiring process is centralized to ensure the integrity of the hiring process; to ensure that there are adequate financial resources to cover the position; and to ensure that the university can honor the entire hiring agreement made between the parties. The hiring agreement is a contract between the university/Commonwealth of Virginia and the future employee. The central administration must ensure that this contract is fair to all parties and within the parameters set forth by the Commonwealth.
- How soon can we get the approval after we send a request through to the OEDS?
The OEDS staff attempts to get all paperwork, either for classified or faculty positions, approved within 48 hours. The vast majority of recruitment or hiring approvals are given within the same day. However, if there are problems with the proposed paperwork, then the resolution of these problems may take a bit longer, but it is the goal of the OEDS staff to expedite the paperwork on recruitment or hiring as quickly as possible.
- Is there anyway we can wait for the approval on EEO Form 3? Can we wait for the approval on EEO Form 4 because we are really in a hurry to make the offer?
NO. The approval process requires retrieving the file from the OEDS database and a review of the previous documentation in order to make the approval on the current forms. This takes some time, but it is the goal of the OEDS staff to make this process as expeditious as possible. Having you wait for the approval suggests that we can drop whatever we are doing at that particular moment and review the files. This is not always possible. Therefore, we ask your patience and promise to get the paperwork back to you as soon as possible.
- Can we make the offer to the candidate before the paperwork is signed and/or approved? Is it ok to call the candidate to make sure he or she wants the position before we formally send out the letter to the candidate?
A hiring unit CANNOT make an offer to a candidate BEFORE the paperwork is processed. Remember, it is not just the OEDS that must sign off on the paperwork, but also the "executive officer"(namely the Provost or Vice President responsible for your unit) that must affix their approval to the process and the hiring.
It is possible to call the candidate BEFORE the approvals to ascertain if the candidate is still interested in the position. This MUST BE DONE CAUTIOUSLY. No promises can be made to the candidate. It is recommended that the following questions be posed to the candidate to whom the unit is interested in extending an offer:
"You are one of our top candidates for the position of___________. If we are able to get all the appropriate approvals, would you still be interested in the position?"
- Can we use the same faculty OEDS form to re-advertise if we don't find a suitable list of applicants or do we need to get another set of forms?
Unfortunately, it depends. The best advice we can give is to contact the OEDS and discuss the situation with a member of the staff. There are instances when a new set of forms and a new "EEO position control number" are not necessary. But discuss the situation first. This conversation could save a lot of time and effort later.
- How many forms are there?
In the Faculty process, each set of hiring forms consists of five (5) separate and distinct forms. Each form must be filled out and submitted separately through the system in order to get a candidate hired and to meet our obligations as an equal opportunity employer. The central administration is as anxious as you are to hire a qualified and diverse faculty and staff in order to get on with the business for which we exist, but we cannot do this without ensuring the integrity of the process and the legitimacy of the hire. Help the Office of Equity and Diversity Services to help you; contact the OEDS with any questions that you might have before the questions turn into problems.
