Total Talent Management

Staff hiring process overview

Lasted updated August 16, 2024

This page describes the process for recruiting, selecting, and hiring prospective employees for classified non-union, contract covered, and professional staff positions (this hiring map provides a visual overview of the process). Visit UTemp Staffing to learn about hiring processes and services for limited term hourly positions.

Complete required trainings

Hiring managers are required to complete the Implicit bias and Record keeping supports a fair hiring process trainings to gain or maintain access to UW’s applicant tracking system for staff (UWHIRES).

More information and links to access both trainings are posted on the Trainings for hiring managers webpage.

Return to top

Step 1: Create position

For new positions, the first step is to create your position in Workday. Follow the instructions for Creating a New Position or Create Position – Medical Centers. You may create a new position and a requisition simultaneously by selecting create a requisition and indicating it is for a new position. Contact hrhelp@uw.edu if you need assistance, or in the medical centers you may contact your recruiting partner.

The Compensation office assigns the job classification for classified non-union and contract covered staff positions. See also: Classified Job Profiles and Class Specifications.
UW professional staff positions are exempt from the state civil service system. For a position to be placed in the UW Professional Staff Program it must meet one or more of the legislatively authorized exemption criteria. Professional staff positions must fall within the job classes as noted in this list of Professional Staff Payroll Titles.
When creating any professional staff position complete Professional Staff Position Description (PSPD) (MS Word) and electronically attach it to the position in Workday.
When creating a position for a professional staff temporary position (PSTP) electronically attach the completed Professional Staff Temporary Position (PSTP) - Supplemental Questionnaire (PDF) in workday.

Return to top

Step 2: Create requisition

Once you have created the position in Workday or if you are replacing a current position, the next step is to create your requisition in Workday. Follow these instructions and contact hrhelp@uw.edu if you need assistance: Job Requisition – Existing Position – Staff Campus or Job Requisition – Existing Position – Medical Centers.

Your recruiting partner will work with you to create the job posting and ensure it meets pay transparency requirements. We encourage you to use this guide to boost the appeal of your job posting.

Requisition approval

Your requisition will be reviewed and approved by your unit approvers in Workday. When fully approved, your recruiting partner will review and approve the requisition in Workday and send it to UWHIRES.

Return to top

Step 3: Begin recruitment

Once your requisition has been approved in Workday, it is sent to UWHIRES where it will appear on your UWHIRES hiring manager workbench. Your recruiting partner will work with you on finalizing the job posting.

Once the posting is finalized, your recruiting partner will publish the posting online.

Open positions posted to UWHIRES are considered competitive recruitments when:

  • Classified, contract covered, and professional staff positions are posted in UWHIRES for internal and external applicants for a minimum period of 7 calendar days unless a collective bargaining agreement requires a different duration;
  • A specific applicant pool (candidate bank) is created by reviewing applicant profiles and placing them in the pool; or
  • Positions are posted as a limited pool recruitment under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement where the notice of job opening may be announced to all eligible applicants within a department or hiring unit without opening it to other applicants.

A classified, contract covered, or professional staff position may be filled on a noncompetitive basis in the following scenarios:

Return to top

Step 4: Plan the recruitment process

Here are recommended best practices when opening a requisition:

  • Indicate a closing date to be transparent with applicants, to protect against bias toward early applicants and to design a timeline that is efficient and applicant friendly.
  • Use cover letters intentionally, not as a default. Keep in mind that cover letters can be written by others or AI, are increasingly rare in other sectors and can eliminate applicants who don’t understand their application is incomplete without one.
  • Plan for advertising and recruitment. While UW jobs are reposted on a number of sites, including Direct Employers and LinkedIn, identify colleagues who can promote the opportunity through social media and professional associations.

Before you begin review of applications, consider competencies you are looking for and prepare rubrics and evaluation documents. Provide the interview and interview team with rubrics, interview questions and evaluation criteria.

Here are recommended best practices to follow:

Transparency: Clearly communicate the selection criteria, process and timeline to all participants in the process.

Equitable hiring:

  • Ensure interview team members have taken required training. Provide additional training and resources, as needed, to raise awareness and give members tools to better conduct more fair and objective evaluations.
  • Interview teams should be composed of individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and expertise. Diverse representation on interview teams helps mitigate bias and ensures a more comprehensive evaluation of candidates.
  • Hold interview team members accountable for upholding diversity, equity and inclusion principles throughout the hiring process; for example, avoid “fit” language and remain focused on skills and competencies to do the job.

Consistency and standardization:

  • Use a rubric or evaluation template that is competency-based and highlights elements of strong responses for all parts of the process: cover letter, resume and interviews.
  • All interview team members should be present for all interviews.
  • Interview structures should be identical for each candidate, and introductory comments by the chair or hiring manager should be similar.

Decision-making:

  • Encourage inclusive decision making where you promote open dialogue and invite dissenting opinions.
  • The interview team should strive for consensus in its recommendation; however, in cases where consensus may not be reached, the final decision rests with the hiring manager.

Confidentiality: All discussions and decisions reached by the interview team must remain confidential. Applicants have shared their information in confidence; information relating to the candidates or the process should not be shared with anyone outside the committee.

Return to top

Step 5: Review resumes

Your recruiting partner will review resumes against all requirements, review qualified applicants for eligibility, and then place candidates on your hiring manager workbench in UWHIRES. The resumes are then available for you to review. Depending on employment program and/or veterans’ status of the candidate, your recruiting partner will refer applications at various times. Consult with your recruiting partner to discuss a timeline of candidate resume referrals.

  • If a job has a closing date, resumes will generally be available after the posted closing date.
  • For positions that are open until filled, resumes may be available as soon as they are submitted and reviewed.

To view the candidates’ resumes:

  1. Open the hiring manager workbench and locate the requisition under the “Requisitions” tab.
  2. Click on the Job Profile.
  3. Scroll down to the “Candidates” tab in the requisition. Click on the candidate’s name to display their profile and resume.
  4. As you review each candidate indicate the activity disposition codes(s) that apply to the applicant’s most recent status change to track and document their status in the hiring process.
    1. In the Requisition view, scroll down to the “Candidates” tab.
    2. Select the appropriate disposition for each candidate from the “Activity Type” drop down menu.

Return to top

Step 6: Interview candidates and select a final candidate

Interview candidates who appear the most qualified, using tips and guidance posted on UWHR’s Interviewing page. Disposition candidates during your review and evaluation to track and document their status in the hiring process.

Prior to making an offer, where there are two or more equally qualified candidates and a candidate is a veteran eligible for veterans’ preference, the veterans’ preference will act as a tie-breaker.

Reference checks

Reference checks are required prior to extending an offer to a final candidate for all campus positions and professional staff positions in the medical centers, whether the candidate is internal or external. When the final candidate for a position is a current or former UW employee, departments must obtain a reference from the candidate’s current (or most recent) UW manager and, additionally, contact UWHR to request a review of the candidate’s official personnel record. For more information, review the reference check hiring webpage.

Document that you have conducted a reference check on the candidate in UWHIRES.

Return to top

Step 7: Steps prior to the offer

You will need to establish a proposed salary offer and obtain offer approval for the salary from your recruiting partner. The initial salary offered to the final candidate must be within the range disclosed in the job posting.

Propose salary offer for campus staff position

Once you have selected a qualified candidate, establish a proposed salary and obtain approval for the salary offer from both your recruiting partner and your department approvers. For classified staff, your recruiting partner will verify that the desired amount is within the hiring range and ensure that current classified staff are being offered the required salary step.

Then complete the “Request Approval for Offer” activity in UWHIRES. This will notify your recruiting partner of your request for salary review, followed by the other approvers on the list.

Propose salary offer for medical center staff position

Work with your recruiting partner to establish a proposed salary.

Sexual misconduct declaration – external candidates

Prior to the official offer of employment, your employment specialist will send the final external candidate the sexual misconduct declaration form.

Return to top

Step 8: Make the offer

Once the salary has been approved by both your recruiting partner and your department approvers, you may extend a conditional offer to the final candidate, contingent upon completion and review of the sexual misconduct declaration and criminal background check (if required).

Contact your recruiting partner if salary negotiation is needed.

Return to top

Step 9: Post-offer

After an offer is accepted, alert your recruiting partner that the offer has been accepted and provide the start date.

Campus departments

Campus departments select the “Department Hire (Pre-hire)” activity in UWHIRES to alert their recruiting partner. Successful completion of a criminal conviction background check may still be required (see below).

Your recruiting partner will initiate the criminal conviction history check, if needed, and complete the required action in UWHIRES. See the Criminal Background Check webpage for details. You can find instructions on the Workday hire process in the Hire Staff Campus user guide.

Prepare and send a hire confirmation letter to your new employee. Download hire confirmation templates from the “Developing and extending the offer” page.

Medical centers departments

Medical Centers Human Resources will perform the following post-hire activities for you:

  • Send new hire confirmation letter.
  • Complete the UWHIRES and Workday entry process.
  • Complete background checks.
  • Verify education
  • Medical Centers’ orientation registration (includes Husky Card and photo identification name badge for new employee).
  • Clinical orientation (scheduling as job applicable).
  • Collect completed payroll paperwork.

Return to top

Step 10: Document the hiring process

Save all recruitment materials according to the records retention schedule.

Activity Dispositioning

Accurate dispositioning, the action of indicating where in the process an individual is considered, rejected, and by whom is a requirement of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). As a federal contractor, the University must comply with OFCCP regulations by accurately documenting and recording the search process. This process is done electronically within UWHIRES so candidates can check their statuses themselves. Review the activity disposition codes webpage and follow these steps to update candidates not selected with their final disposition:

  1. Log into UWHIRES.
  2. In the Requisition view, scroll down to the “Candidates” tab.
  3. To update individual candidates:
    • Click on the “Add Activity” link next to the candidate’s name that you want to update. This will open the “Add Activity” screen.
    • Select the appropriate final disposition code from the “Activity Type” drop-down menu for the stage in which the candidate fell out of consideration. By adding this information, candidates can view their status for your position in their UW applicant profile. Candidates will only see “Not Selected,” regardless of what disposition code you choose.
  4. To update all candidates:
    • Select all candidates you wish to change status on by clicking the box to the left of their name.
    • At the top of the “Candidates” tab, select the appropriate disposition code from the drop-down menu for the stage in which the candidates fell out of consideration.
  5. Click “Go”.

Note: On your hiring manager workbench, if you have filled requisitions on which candidates have not yet been dispositioned, you will see a tab indicating such. From this tab, you are able to go into a requisition and move candidates into their final disposition status.

Return to top