UNM is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities in all areas of occupation without regard to age, ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, gender, serious medical condition, national origin, race, religion, sexual identity, sexual orientation, spousal affiliation, or veteran status, according to state, and federal laws.
Prior to beginning the recruitment process within your department, conduct a review of the position needs, current staffing structure, budget/funding, qualifications, and requirements, etc. It is also recommended that you review UAP 3210: Recruitment and Hiring to familiarize yourself with University Administrative Policy for staff recruitment.
After evaluating your position needs, it will be important to identify the appropriate position classification description based on the duties to be performed. Some classifications require HR Compensation approval prior to posting. If you are not certain on what classification to use or have questions, HR Compensation can provide guidance. Visit Classifications Requiring HR Compensation Approval Prior to Use for more information and to request assistance with the submission process.
Once you’ve evaluated the position needs and properly classified the position, the following topics will help guide you through the remainder of the recruitment process. The linked resources in the Recruitment Process Guide can also be found in the Employment Knowledgebase.
Review UAP 3210: Recruitment and Hiring, section 4. Tier I and Tier II Recruitment and Hiring. This section identifies recruitment and advertising requirements.
Review UAP 3200: Employee Classification, which outlines the various types of classification. As a helpful tool, an employee classification table has been provided below.
Information you will need to collect for your recruitment process includes:
A Search Committee ensures that the search process is fair and equitable to all applicants and promotes the recruitment and selection of the best qualified applicant. Search committees should be comprised of at least three (3) members and include at least one female and one under-represented minority, which cannot be the same person (see UAP 3210: Recruitment and Hiring).
Search Committee processes should be standardized, and search committee members should remain consistent throughout the process and serve with an understanding that recruitment, screening applications, interviewing applicants, and conducting reference checks is confidential. Applicant information should not be released by departments. Public records requests should be referred to the UNM Custodian of Public Records.
Resources/Tools:
Requisitions to post vacant positions are submitted through UNMJobs at https://unmjobs.unm.edu/ and clicking on the turquoise log in box at the top of the page. Or you can log in to my.unm.edu and click on UNMJobs on the right-hand side underneath UNM Business Applications/Transaction and Real-time Query Systems. UNMJobs navigation steps, information, and required documents can be found at Creating a Staff Requisition – Staff. Before beginning your requisition, we recommend you review the navigation steps and gather the information needed to complete the action.
The posting period is from the date the position is initially posted to your “For Best Consideration Date.” The posting period should allow enough time for your target audience to consider the position and apply if interested. As a standard, this period should include at least one weekend, and may not be less than five (5) business days. However, certain job classifications may require a longer posting period as specified in UAP 3210.
Positions that are underutilized must be posted for at least ten (10) calendar days in a good faith effort to recruit a diverse applicant pool. For more information on underutilization, refer to the Affirmative Action information by the Office of Equal Opportunity.
Please refer to Creating a Staff Requisition – Staff, see “Duration of Posting” in the Details Section. For positions that are more difficult to recruit, it is recommended that the posting period be long enough to allow sufficient time to place multiple external media source advertisements.
Resources/Tools:
Serving as the state’s premier institution of higher learning and provider of health care, UNM is dedicated to the peoples and places of New Mexico. Advertising beyond the UNMJobs posting site is strongly encouraged and should target New Mexico residents as well as other audiences with a goal of obtaining a diverse and qualified applicant pool.
Most postings with online media sources will be for 30 days, so consider this when establishing your posting period. There is no specific advertising requirement; however, your goal should be to make a good faith effort in obtaining a qualified applicant pool by placing advertisements in media sources that target applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities for your position.
Our Recruitment and Staffing team are happy to help place your advertisements. You can request these services by completing the UNM HR Recruitment and Staffing Services Request Form and selecting “Advertising Services” from the Services options. Note, in utilizing Advertising Services, a 25% service fee is applied to the requested site(s) standard costs along with any additional applicable posting fees. There are a number of advertising options which UNM provides to departments at no cost or low cost, and these are available UNM HR Recruitment and Staffing Services Request Form. However, there may be other external advertising options you may wish to consider at the department level. Advertising options include, but are not limited to:
Please note the following deadlines for printed advertisement requests:
Applicants are required to apply online for University vacancies unless an external consulting firm is utilized. The search committee must evaluate and screen applicants to identify those that meet the posted minimum and preferred qualifications. Review and screening of the applicants can begin while the posting is open, however, interviews, references checks, or any other contact with the applicant must not occur before the posting close date or the For Best Consideration date. All applicants who applied before this date should be considered.
A chart or matrix may be devised listing all applicants and listing job related criteria needed to successfully perform the position, such as experience, education, key skills, knowledge, abilities, and other job-related preferences, etc. The criteria are developed from the posting announcement and job description. This approach helps the committee organize and display the pertinent information in identifying applicants for interview.
Under the Veteran Hiring Preference program, qualified veterans who elect to participate in the program will be granted a minimum of an initial interview for all regular staff positions, excluding contract staff classifications, for which they have applied. For instructions, see Veteran Hiring Preference Program.
Resources/Tools:
Advanced preparation of interview questions provides a uniform basis for evaluating applicants. Prepare open-ended questions that will help evaluate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for a new employee to be successful on the job. Inappropriate questions that relate to an applicant’s personal life or protected class status cannot be asked. The interview questions must remain consistent throughout the process.
Search Committees may conduct interviews after the For Best Consideration date of the posting. Telephone interviews and/or face-to-face interviews provide viable information about the applicant’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. As a standard practice, it is recommended that interviews be conducted in a consistent setting. The interview will also provide valuable information to the applicant about the department, university/branch campus, and the local area. In structured interviews, the same questions are asked of each applicant. Responses to each question should be documented for further evaluation of the applicants. Generally, a minimum of three (3) qualified applicants are interviewed.
The members of the Search Committee will conduct interviews. The interview gives you an opportunity to further evaluate the applicant’s job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. The interview also provides the ability to gather additional information about critical points or inconsistencies on a candidate’s application material.
Search Committee members must:
Resources/Tools:
The Search Committee or Hiring Official should only conduct reference checks on finalists for the position. Reference checks are required to be completed for the final candidate. Conducting reference checks is an essential step to validate the information the Search Committee received from the application material and during the interview process.
Prior to contacting references, it is a recommended practice to notify the finalists of your intent to conduct reference checks. Many companies will only confirm employment dates and positions held. In this case, ensure you document your attempts in the Staff Justification of Hire memo. Additionally, references will often feel more comfortable confirming information provided rather than being asked a general question about job performance. If you are unable to obtain sufficient references, the next step would be to contact the applicant and let your candidate know that without references, you cannot pursue their candidacy further.
For external finalists, at least three professional references should be contacted. For current UNM employees, two professional references should be contacted. HR defines professional references to be of a supervisory nature or a colleague who worked closely with the finalist and can speak to the finalists’ work experience and performance (see UAP 3210: Recruitment and Hiring).
For internal applicants or previous UNM employees, you are encouraged to review the applicant’s HR personnel file. To schedule an appointment to review a personnel file, email the HR Service Center at hrfiles@unm.edu. Be sure to include the applicant’s name and Banner ID number.
For current or previous UNMH employees, you are encouraged to review the applicant’s UNMH HR personnel file. To schedule an appointment to review a personnel file, email staffrecruiting@unm.edu with the name and Banner ID and HR Recruitment and Staffing Services will coordinate with the appropriate contact at UNMH.
Resources/Tools:
Now that you have completed the screening processes for your candidates, it is time to determine the successful candidate. When qualifications, abilities, and past performance of candidates are substantially equal, the hiring official must consider the following criteria:
Salary decisions for new hires, rehires or promotional opportunities are part of UNM’s larger workforce planning strategy. An appropriate starting salary can attract the candidate best suited for the unit's needs while balancing salary relationships with existing employees.
Salary placement parameters are determined by using the Salary Placement and Equity Tool (SPET) as defined in the Salary Determination and Internal Equity for Staff Employees guidelines (See UAP 3500: Wage and Salary Administration).
Hiring Officials will attach the completed SPET Grid in the documents tab found in the applicant profile page in UNMJobs. Hiring Official will need to attach EPAN(s) to the Requisition documents tab in UNMJobs if the new hire or promotion creates inequities within the department.
For bargaining unit employees please refer to the appropriate collective bargaining agreement.
Resources/Tools:
Call your applicant and make a tentative verbal offer, contingent on appropriate approvals, which will be followed by a formal offer letter issued by HR, if accepted. It is recommended that you allow your selected applicant time to consider your tentative offer (generally a day or two). Once your applicant has accepted the tentative offer, you will outline all the final details and terms of hire. This will include determining a start date and identifying a few pre-hire steps, such as determining if the candidate is subject to a post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check.
Please review the Procedure section in Creating Hiring Request – Staff and the Before You Arrive section of the New Employee Experience website.
The start date must be a future date allowing time for processing, and the standard is a Monday start. Typically start dates will be Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and holidays. If the first day of the month is a weekend, then the start date will be the first business day of the month. Exceptions would be based on documentation that the employee will be performing work. This does not apply to internal regular benefits eligible applicants.
The Hiring Official must provide written justification for the selection to include an evaluation of the qualifications of each finalist interviewed relative to the job requirements. Before extending a formal offer, the hiring official must obtain approval from HR.
Resources/Tools:
Collect the completed information required for the Recommend for Hire action in UNMJobs. UNMJobs required documents and navigation steps can be found at Creating Hiring Request – Staff. Human Resources will conduct a standard review, including verification of qualifications. Refer to the Managing your Applicant Pool for instructions to deselect the remaining applicants. Ensure that you have the appropriate approvals for your hiring action, see Designated Approving Authorities – Staff Transactions.
All regular, term and contract staff positions must successfully complete a comprehensive background check upon hire. Background checks for Temporary and On-Call positions will be determined by the hiring officials in conjunction with the criteria outlined in UAP 3280: Background Checks, Section 2, Safety and Security Positions.
Resources/Tools:
Positions that have “Successful candidate must submit to post-offer, pre-employment physical examination and medical history check” listed in the Conditions of Employment section of the Position Classification Description, departments will be required to follow the below steps once the formal offer letter is issued to the candidate by HR:
If you have questions on the above process, contact an HR Analyst for assistance. You can find the HR Analyst assigned to the UNMJobs hire request on the Staff Hires Status links located in the Staff Resources tab in UNMJobs under the Staff Employment Resources.
Resources/Tools:
Human Resources offers institution-level new employee orientation and general guidance through the process; however, this is not a substitute for department-focused onboarding for new staff. To assist you with successfully onboarding your new employee, visit New Employee Experience, ensure they attend the New Employee Orientation Information Session on the date indicated on their offer letter, and utilize the Department Orientation Checklist.
After your Recommend for Hire has been approved, the department will need to dispense the remaining applicants within UNMJobs, which will notify them that the position has been filled. The dispensation or non-selection code is used to record and summarize recruitment activities for the Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Program reporting requirements. Refer to the Managing your Applicant Pool for instructions to dispense the remaining applicants.
It is the department’s responsibility to contact the finalists interviewed but not selected in person. It is important to notify them as soon as possible once you filled your position.
All application documents generated externally from the UNMJobs process must be scanned and attached as supplemental documents to the Recommend for Hire action. Departments should be aware that these documents may be released to the public under the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (NMIPRA). Examples of the application documents include but are not limited to: interview notes, applicant assessments, reference checks of finalists and online disposition of each applicant. For more information regarding records retention visit https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/6000/6020.html.
If you have questions on any of the above steps, contact an HR Analyst for assistance.
You can find the HR Analyst assigned to the UNMJobs requisition or hire request on the Staff Requisition or Staff Hires Status links located in the Staff Resources tab in UNMJobs.
| Edwina Merhege | HR Analyst | emerhege@unm.edu | 505.277.6069 |
| Nancy Heimbigner | HR Analyst | nancyh@unm.edu | 505.277.6402 |
| Tyra Crespin | HR Analyst | tcrespin@unm.edu | 505.277.2894 |
