Select Candidate and Make Offer
Responsible party: Search chair & committee, Hiring manager, Departmental leadership
- Create an agenda for the discussion that re-states the must-haves and the philosophy for candidate selection: no opinions, vibes, energy, fit; yes to facts, observations, and linking to job description. Review this sample Search Committee Meeting Agenda for ideas.
- Have interviewers rate candidates before beginning discussion to ensure independent perspectives
- Discuss strengths first. Assume people are qualified unless you have data (e.g., interview answers, resume content) showing that they are not.
- Continue to audit your decision-making. Ask how your assumptions might impact your rating and whether information supports your conclusions,
- Share candidate materials for all finalists with hiring manager.
- Ensure all steps up until "Close out the process" have been completed in the hiring checklist.
Reference checks must be completed before an Approval to Hire Form is submitted. These can be done by phone, or Talent Acquisition (TA) can send out a SkillSurvey, which is an automated reference checking tool, to facilitate the process. If completing the reference checks by phone, notes must be sent to SAHR and Talent Acquisition for record keeping. During this stage, avoid social media and Google searches as they may cause irrelevant factors to influence your opinion. Consult SAHR or TA if you have questions.
After carefully reviewing the feedback provided by references, complete the Approval to Hire Form and submit it to SAHR for review and approval. Salary offers should be fair and consistent, without consideration of past salaries or previous unfair employment experiences.
After SAHR and TA approve, either the hiring manager or TA extends the offer. Opt for TA if you are not fully comfortable negotiating salary.
TA will send the written offer letter along with the background check instructions to the candidate.
Notify SAHR and TA about whether you would like to contact unselected candidates about the hiring decision. Otherwise, all candidates will receive automated system-generated messages when the job is closed. If candidates request feedback, discuss with your SALT representative whether and how you might give objective, job-related feedback verbally to improve candidate experience. If you aren’t comfortable, decline to give feedback. Consult SAHR if you have questions.
Provide feedback about your experience and the process (link to survey found in hiring checklist).