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> MSU Policy and Procedures > Affirmative Action Recruitment and Hiring Manual
250.00 Responsibilities of the Search Secretary
Secretaries are the busiest people connected with the search process. This
section discusses the duties of the search secretary with the intent of
helping the hiring authority and secretary develop effective search
procedures.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
251.00 Appointing the Secretary
252.00 Establishing Search Procedures
253.00 Determining Time Lines
254.00 Submitting Materials to HR/AA
255.00 Maintaining On-Going Contact with Applicants
255.10 Sample Letters
256.00 Completing the Search Process
251.00 Appointing the Secretary
Hiring authorities should appoint the secretary when they appoint
the committee. Persons who have never served as a search committee
secretary should meet with the Personnel Specialist in HR/AA for a
brief orientation.
252.00 Establishing Search Procedures
The secretary should establish procedures in regards to the
following:
- Answering questions about the search process. As a
rule, secretaries should respond to questions that can be answered
with information that has been made public. They should refer
interpretive questions to the committee chair.
- Processing applications. The secretary should date all
memos, minutes of committee meetings, and outgoing mailings. All
applications and correspondence received should also be date
stamped. In addition, many secretaries use tracking forms to check
when materials have been received. The committee chair and the
secretary should decide whether to notify applicants that their
files are incomplete.
- Making applications available to committee members. The
need for control over applications varies with the level of the
position, its sensitivity, and the likelihood of internal
applicants. Secretaries should establish procedures for committee
members to read applicant files, with these factors in mind. For
example, if the search is particularly sensitive, the secretary
may want to restrict access to applications. If the search
committee includes off-campus members, the secretary may duplicate
applications and give these to committee members for their review.
- Maintaining confidentiality. The names of applicants
are confidential. The names of interviewees are public
information.
253.00 Determining Time Lines
Each search has different deadlines and requirements. Secretaries
and committee chairs should develop a master schedule for the
completion of search related tasks. Secretaries should remind
committees of approaching deadlines.
254.00 Submitting Materials to HR/AA
The search secretary needs to send the following materials to
HR/AA:
- The RAF (Recruitment Authorization Form) and Position
Description.
The recruitment process begins when HR/AA
receives the position
description and signed RAF. Secretaries
should retain a copy of the RAF before sending it forward for
approval by appropriate administrators. (In most cases, the RAF
must be signed by a Vice President. Position funded from grants
and contracts must be signed by a staff member in G&C.) HR/AA
staff will notify the secretary when they receive the signed RAF.
(Section 220.00.)
- Text of the Vacancy Announcements.
Secretaries
should send the approved test of the vacancy announcement to Marj as a Word or WordPerfect
attachment. Marj will enter this information on the MSU home page.
- Names and Addresses of All Applicants.
Secretaries
should regularly send updated lists of applicants to HR/AA. HR/AA
staff particularly appreciate receiving the names and addresses on
pressure sensitive mailing labels.
- Screening Instruments.
Secretaries or committee
chairs should send a draft of the selection criteria and any
questions the committee will use in evaluating applicants for
approval by HR/AA. (Section 310.00.)
- Names of Legitimate Candidates.
Immediately after
the committee reviews applicants and determines who meets minimum
qualifications, the secretary should send the names of the
legitimate candidates directly to HR/AA. (Section 320.00.)
255.00 Maintaining On-Going Contact with Applicants
A search can take more than six months to complete. During that
time, applicants justifiably become anxious about the status of
their applications. Secretaries should send applicants regular
updates, usually monthly, on the progress of the search. To
paraphrase the golden rule, "update applicants as you would like to
be updated."
255.10 Sample Letters
- Letter Acknowledging the Receipt of an Application
- Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your application for the
position of Underwater Lacrosse coach. We have received many
applications and the committee will begin reviewing them on
October 15. We appreciate your interest in Montana State
University-Bozeman.
- Letter Informing Applicant His or Her Application Is No
Longer Being Considered
- Dear Candidate,
The search committee for the position
of Coach of Underwater Lacrosse has reviewed your application.
We regret to inform you that your application is no longer being
considered.We thank you for your interest in Montana State
University-Bozeman and wish you success in your future
endeavors.
- Letters Updating Applicants on the Progress of the
Search
- Dear Applicant,
This letter is to inform you
that the search committee for the position of Underwater
Lacrosse coach is still reviewing applications. Your application
is being actively considered. We thank you for your
patience. or
- Dear Applicant,
This letter is to inform you
that the search for Underwater Lacrosse coach is still active
and we are checking references of our finalists. We look forward
to conducting interviews in the near future and will be updating
you as the search progresses. We thank you for your continued
patience.
- Rejection Letter.
After a hire has been made,
secretaries should send rejection letters to applicants. These
letters should thank the applicant for applying but should not
give reasons why he or she was not hired:
- Dear Applicant,
We wish to inform you that we
have hired Dr. Mary Jones to fill the position of Director of
Urban Studies for which you applied. Thank you again for your
interest in Montana State University-Bozeman. We wish you the
best of luck in your future endeavors.
Since
there is no pleasant way to tell people they have not been hired,
rejection letters should be courteous and brief. The exception to
the brevity rule is the letter to the candidates who were
interviewed but not hired. In this case, the hiring authority
should write a more personal letter than the above or notify them
with a personal phone call.
256.00 Completing the Search Process
The search process is completed when:
- The hiring authority has made an offer to the candidate; the
candidate has accepted the offer, and the letter of hire/letter of
appointment has been signed by all parties. (Sections 420.00
and 430.00.)
- The Personnel
Transaction Form has been completed and signed. The Banner
system requires a great deal of information in order to enter a
new employee in the system and generate a paycheck. This
information should be provided on the PTF. Incomplete PTF's will
be returned for completion. To ensure that the search is closed
properly, the HR/AA search number for the position should be
written on the PTF. For employees hired on a letter of
appointment, the PTF should be sent to HR/AA with the signed Letter
of Appointment.
- HR/AA will sign the PTF and forward it to P&PS and will
also forward the Letter of Appointment to the President for his
approval. For employees hired on Board of Regents contracts, a
copy of the signed Letter of Hire should be sent to HR/AA with the
PTF. HR/AA will sign and forward the PTF and retain the Letter of
Hire in the search file.
- The secretary has assembled a complete file of the search and
arrange to store these for a minimum of three years. A complete
search file should include the following:
- Copies of the signed RAF, PTF, and the Letter of Hire or
Letter of Appointment.
- A copy of the curriculum vitae or resume of the applicant
hired for the position.
- Tear sheets or copies of advertisements from all newspapers
and journals in which the position was advertised. Be sure the
name of the newspaper or journal and the date of advertisement are
included.
- A copy of the vacancy announcement that was posted on the MSU
home page and any department or college home page.
- A copy of any printed vacancy announcements.
- A list of names and addresses of offices and agencies to whom
any printed vacancy announcement was sent.
- The position description.
- A copy of the screening instruments used to evaluate
applicants.
- A list of the applicants who met minimum qualifications.
- A copy of the screening matrix and/or any notes or minutes
that show why certain applicants were advanced for or eliminated
from further consideration.
- Evidence of the application of veteran's employment
preference, if applicable.
- Notes or minutes from committee meetings.
- Copies of all correspondence, including notice of veterans
preference.
- Copies of all bills, invoices, and financial statements or
reports pertaining to search expenses.
- The applications received from all applicants. (These may be
grouped into sub-categories.)
Table of Contents
Contact: Corky Bush, corkyb@montana.edu
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