Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 401.0
Advertising of University Positions
In order to provide the strongest possible pool of qualified candidates, and consistent with principles of equal employment opportunity and the University’s Affirmative Action plan, as a general rule, academic departments and administrative units at the University of Arkansas must advertise vacancies and conduct a search for all appointed faculty or staff positions unless the appointment is for one year or less. The hiring department should adhere to the following requirements in advertising university positions.
Hiring Request Approval
Prior to beginning the process of advertising a vacant position, a Hiring Request Form must be approved. For guidance in completing and submitting the form, please see the Online Hiring Request Form Guidelines on the Provost’s website at http://provost.uark.edu.
Advertising Requirements for Classified and Non-Classified Staff Positions
Human Resources manages the recruitment process for staff positions. Classified and
non-classified staff vacancies must be advertised on the University’s Career Site
for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days before applicants may be recommended
for on-campus interviews. When a staff vacancy is filled through promotion, demotion
or transfer of a currently appointed employee who works in the same office or department,
the position made vacant by the promotion, demotion or transfer should be advertised.
If a position has been advertised and filled within 90 days, departments may ask Human
Resources for authorization to use the same applicant pool to fill an identical position
instead of re-advertising.
Advertisements for staff positions should generally not remain on the University’s
Career Site for more than 90 days. If a hiring department has not identified a suitable
candidate for the position within 90 days, in most circumstances the listing should
be removed from the web, edited and relisted.
Human Resources maintains a checklist and instructions for the staff recruitment process
on its website at http://hr.uark.edu/.
Advertising Requirements for Faculty Positions
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance manages the recruitment process for
faculty positions. All tenured and tenure track faculty positions must be advertised
for a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days before candidates may be recommended for
on-campus interviews. Visiting and clinical faculty as well as instructors and lecturers
generally must be advertised for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days.
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance maintains a Recruitment Manual with
detailed instructions for advertising positions on its website at http://oeoc.uark.edu. It also provides, on the same site, a checklist for faculty recruitment as well
as a list of recruitment resources.
Advertising Requirements for Staff Internal Postings
The University of Arkansas supports equal employment and affirmative action in hiring decisions, and the Chancellor affirms this commitment in seeking to achieve diversity among employees. In order to further the effective practice of equal opportunity and affirmative action in recruiting and hiring initiatives, the University has adopted specific recruitment and hiring procedures.
As a general rule, staff positions must be advertised externally for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. However, in certain circumstances, managers or supervisors may wish to fill positions from within the University to encourage the upward mobility of staff employees to positions for which they are qualified. This process has been developed to provide hiring departments with that option while ensuring equal opportunity for qualified internal candidates. This policy does not affect or preclude the internal promotion variance process through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance (OEOC).
Internal postings represent exceptions to the standard (external) search process and will be carefully considered by OEOC within the following factors:
- Hiring unit’s past affirmative action efforts;
- OEOC review of underrepresentation of any protected group within the unit and similar positions within the unit.
Internal postings must follow the same basic procedures as external postings with the following exceptions:
- The department must indicate that a position will be advertised internally in the applicant tracking system. Approval or denial of an internal posting will be determined during the posting approval process in People Admin system.
- Internal postings are open to current University of Arkansas employees, appointed or hourly, whose employee status can be confirmed in the BASIS system.
- Internal Postings will be designated as such and listed on the University of Arkansas Careers site for a minimum of five (5) calendar days.
- Departments will be limited to six (6) internal postings within a fiscal year. In very limited circumstances, in the best interest of the University, the Chancellor, or his or her designee, may approve exceptions to this posting limit.
- The university position vacated when the internal posting is filled must be advertised under the standard advertisement policy(1)
If the internal posting does not result in identifying a successful candidate for the position, the hiring department must conduct an external search and post the position on the University of Arkansas Career Site for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. Departments should contact Human Resources for assistance in converting the internal posting to an external posting.
Recruitment Plan and Advertising Requirements
A recruitment plan is required for all searches for appointed faculty and staff position
openings. With the exception of certain position job listing services licensed for
the campus as a whole, all advertising is the responsibility of the hiring department.
Campus policies on proactive and diverse recruiting(2) require that departments and campus units identify at least three (3) additional
recruitment activities within their respective discipline or field that target diverse
populations. Utilizing low/no cost activities such as email listservs, professional
contacts and organizations is recommended.
In accordance with federal/state regulations and University policy, all electronic position
announcements must contain one of the combined affirmative action/equal opportunity,
"legal authority to work" and freedom of information act statements. All printed position
announcements must contain (at a minimum) an abbreviated affirmative action/equal
opportunity statement. The most updated versions of the statements can be found on
the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance website: http://oeoc.uark.edu.
Background Check Advertising Requirements
All positions subject to a background check or substance abuse testing will require the appropriate notification language in the listing and in all advertising in accordance with the campus background checks policy(3). The suggested language is included in the next paragraph. [NOTE: Bracketed information may be included or omitted depending on the check(s) to be conducted for the position.]
This position is subject to a pre-employment [criminal] background, [sex offender registry] check, [drug screening], and [financial history] background check. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.
Human Resources is the point of contact for the Background Checks and Substance Abuse Testing Policy. The policy is located on the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration’s website: https://vcfa.uark.edu.
Advertising Recommendations for Extra-help Hourly Staff Positions
Hiring departments are encouraged to support equal opportunity and advertise extra-help hourly employment opportunities on the University’s Career Site by creating an automated listing through PeopleAdmin.
Special Circumstances
Any modification of the procedures outlined above, in the best interests of the University and consistent with the underlying purposes of this policy, requires the advance written approval of senior university officials, OEOC and, as appropriate, Human Resources.
(1) Advertising of University Positions (Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 401.0)
(2) The Policy on Pro-active Diverse Recruiting and Diverse Recruiting (Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 204.1).
(3) Background Checks and Substance Abuse Testing Policy (Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 402.1).
Revised September 28, 2015
Reformatted for Web, November 11, 2014
Revised October 24, 2014
Revised March 20, 2012
Revised June 2, 2011
August 23, 2006
June 17, 1991
January 18, 1979