Recruitment Toolkit

Assessing the Applicant Pool

The Hiring Department Representative or Search Committee will review all application materials, including résumés, CV’s, cover letters and any additional required documents to assess whether applicants meet the posted minimum and preferred qualifications for the position:

    • Education
    • Experience
    • Vocational training
    • Military experience
    • Specific position skills

The Hiring Department Representative must review all submitted application materials to determine which applicants meet the minimum qualifications. All applicants must receive a disposition, which is a short pre-defined explanation/reason status combination within the hiring process. Accurate dispositions describe why an applicant was or was not selected for the role; they will be maintained by the Hiring Department Representative within GEMS. Please review Manage Applicants Guidelines for specific dispositions.

Unsolicited resumes submitted directly to an individual will not be accepted. When this occurs, the applicant should be directed to complete an on-line application through Careers@USF before the published closing date. Applicants who fail to submit a timely, on-line application through Careers@USF cannot be considered. This includes applicants who began the online process but failed to submit it, i.e., draft submissions cannot be considered.

Internal Applicants

Hiring Authorities considering recruiting existing Staff and Administration USF employees need to assess the eligibility of the internal applicant. To support the review of your internal applicant, it is recommended that employee personnel files be reviewed in collaboration with Employee Relations.

To be eligible, these applicants must meet the following guidelines*:

      • Employee must have been in their position for a minimum of six (6) months
      • Employee must meet the minimum job requirements of the posted position, including, as applicable, satisfying any regulatory, screening, or licensing requirements.

It is highly recommended that employee personnel files be reviewed by the hiring department in collaboration with Employee Relations:

      • Should an employee have a less than satisfactory performance review during the last evaluation period or
      • be on an active Staff Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) or other type of defined, performance-related action plan.

*Please note: Human Resources must review any requests for exceptions to the eligibility requirements. Contact the Director of Talent Acquisition in CHR, Branch Campus HR or USF Health HR for more information.

Internal candidates seeking a new position at USF are encouraged to speak with their supervisor when applying to a new role and should notify their current supervisor if they are attending a final interview for a new position. Current supervisors will be notified at the final interview stage by the new hiring manager and the HR representative for that department.

Vet preferenceVeterans’ Preference

USF is committed to providing preference to U.S. military Veterans and family members of Veterans in hiring, promotion, and retention for all qualified positions as required by Chapter 295, Florida Statute. This preference applies to Staff level positions only (Executive Service, Administration, Faculty, and Temporary roles are not included).

Each position that qualifies for Veterans' Preference will be identified in the posting detail.

Hiring Authorities are required to interview all eligible Veterans who meet the posted minimum qualifications of the position.
 

To ensure compliance with Veterans’ Preference as mandated by Chapter 295, Florida Statute, refer the Veterans’ Recruiting webpage.

Interview

Interviewing

  • Determine who will participate in the selection process and ensure each interviewer is available for ALL interviews.
  • Ensure the names of all interviewers have been added to the job opening in Careers@USF.
  • Schedule a time and location for the interview that will limit the number of distractions or interruptions.
  • The same amount of time should be scheduled for each applicant.

Prior to the interview, review all related documents [resume, application, work samples, official USF personnel file (if applicable), etc.] for each applicant. Develop behavior-based interview questions; the same interview questions should be asked of all applicants. During the interview, it is appropriate to ask the applicant additional questions based upon the information presented on his/her resume/cover letter.

Visit the following webpages for additional information about:

ALL recruitment information, including comments and notes about the applicant must be uploaded within GEMS' Activities and Attachments page. The data in GEMS is public record and is subject to the State of Florida’s Public Records Laws. 

testingTesting

Before administering a test of any kind, consult with the Director of Talent Acquisition or email hr-activerecruiting@usf.edu. Any test being considered must be valid and reliable, which must be approved, in advance, by CHR or Branch Campus HR. For these reasons, most “home-grown” tests are unacceptable. Alternatively, CHR or Branch Campus HR can assist you with identifying reputable testing. The hiring department is responsible for any fees associated with approved testing.

job aidJob Aid:  Managing Applications in GEMS |PDF Version | Video Version (17 minutes)

Job Aid:  Reviewing Applications in GEMS | PDF Version | Video Version (4 minutes)

Job Aid:  Disposition Codes in GEMS | PDF Version |