Staff Hiring & Recruiting

Before beginning recruitment, meet with your Executive Office HR contact to discuss your staffing needs. During this meeting, HR will guide you on selecting appropriate employment classifications and job codes.

Be prepared to discuss:

• Your overall staffing plan
• The type of position and duties involved
• Budget and resources available
• Any changes to current team structures or roles

Develop a draft position description

• Use the appropriate template:
  • Classified Staff Template (PDF) (Executive Office owned)
  • Professional Staff Template (PDF) (Central HR owned)
• Consider revising an existing position description for a similar role. (Contact Executive Office HR for sample descriptions if needed.)
• Describe the position’s key responsibilities, reporting structure, required qualifications, and other relevant details.

Confirm the planned salary range has been pre-approved by the following:

• Your VP-level unit approver (Use the HR Hiring Approval Flow Chart to identify required approvers)
• Kim Dinh, Senior Director for Finance, HR, and Administration

Consider all resource needs

• Salary and benefits
• Office space and equipment
• Software, supplies, and IT needs
• Training and professional development
• Travel expenses

Determine potential impacts

• Changes to existing positions’ duties
• Modifications to team structures or reporting lines

Once position development is complete:

1. Review the New Staff Hire Request Instructions for documentation guidelines.
2. Submit a Hiring New Staff Form with all required documents.
3. Await as request flows through the EOHR Approval Flow for routing and approval process.

Classified positions: Must post for a minimum of 7 days before referrals are made.
Referrals: Sent in batches of up to 50 applicants.

• For contract-classified positions: Priority is given to bargaining unit employees.
• For all positions: Veterans and current UW employees receive early consideration.
• Open until filled: Referrals occur weekly. Additional referrals are paused until prior referrals are dispositioned.

Tip: For roles expecting high applicant volume, consider setting a firm closing date instead of using “open until filled.”

Application materials are first reviewed by Executive Office HR. Depending on search committee preferences, materials may be shared via email.

Veterans

Qualified veterans must be strongly considered. If two candidates are equally qualified, the veteran candidate receives preference.

Fair Hiring Practices

• All screening must align with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines. For help on determining if the inquiry meets the guidelines, please reach out via the general consultation.
• Follow the best practice of maintaining equity, consistency, and confidentiality.

Diversity in Hiring
Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and part of our commitment to inclusive excellence. Hiring managers should review the Career and Internship Center Diversity in Hiring Toolkit and Central HR’s DEI-Related Trainings for Hiring Managers, especially the Implicit Bias Training, when preparing for recruitment. Use these resources to support fair and inclusive hiring. These resources offer:

• Checklists for inclusive hiring practices
• Tips for reducing bias in candidate evaluation
• Strategies for attracting a diverse applicant pool
• Tools for equitable decision-making

Document Retention
You must retain all screening and interview materials for 3 years (10 years for Director-level and above). This includes all interview notes, rubrics, and rankings, whether paper or digital.

Interview Guidelines
Use a consistent and informed process for every candidate to support fairness, transparency, and compliance.

Interview panels should:

• Ask the same set of questions
• Be familiar with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines
• Communicate expectations clearly, including:
  • Work schedule (including telework schedule)
  • Responsibilities
  • Physical requirements (if applicable)
• Share benefits eligibility (based on position):
  • Summary of Benefits for Classified Staff Greater than Half Time (PDF)
  • Summary of Benefits for Classified Staff less than 50 percent FTE (PDF)
  • Professional Staff Benefits Summary (PDF)
• Provide time for candidates to ask questions
• Be transparent about the recruitment timeline
• Not inquire about salary history (per WA Equal Pay & Opportunities Act)
• Review Total Talent Management’s information on how to accommodate candidates with disabilities.

After selecting individuals based on interviews to move forward with, the next step is to conduct reference checks.

• Conduct at least three professional reference checks. One must be a current or recent supervisor per Executive Office best practice.
• Use the UWHR General Reference Check Template (DOCX) to document conversations.
• Ask the same additional questions (if any) across all checks.
• Ensure compliance with Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines.

For Current/former UW employees
Executive Office HR will request a review of the candidate’s official personnel file from central HR. This step must be completed before an offer can be made.

EOHR will review the information, follow up with any questions, and manage the next steps in the final approval process. Send an email to eohr@uw.edu that includes:

• Full name of the selected candidate
• Copies of completed reference checks
• Proposed salary amount
• Justification for the proposed salary

This step is required before hire.
Once notified by EOHR, Total Talent Management (TTM) will send the Sexual Misconduct Declaration and other verification forms to the candidate via email. Please instruct the candidate to be on the lookout.

Wait for EOHR to confirm that final approvals are complete. Once you receive an email confirming, you may proceed:

• Extend the offer to the candidate.
• Let the candidate know the offer is conditional on passing a background check.

During this stage:

• Notify EOHR whether the offer was accepted or declined.
• If the candidate declines the offer, consult with EOHR before proceeding.
• Keep EOHR informed of any updates related to the offer process.

Once the offer is accepted and EOHR has been informed:

• EOHR will initiate the background check.
• When you are notified the check clears, you must confirm the start date with EOHR.

Important Background Check Notes:

• Must be completed before the start date.
• Processing time can range from a few days to several weeks, especially for international candidates.
• Finalists already employed at UW may not require a new background check; confirm with EOHR.

• EOHR will prepare and route a hiring confirmation letter to the department head for signature.
• Once signed, EOHR will send the letter to the candidate, beginning the onboarding process.

Once Onboarding Begins

• Notify final candidates who were not selected (best practice).
• Review the EOHR onboarding process.
• Submit all recruitment notes and documentation to EOHR for recordkeeping.