Human Resources

Staff Hiring Process

During the hiring process, our goal is to attract high-quality individuals to Michigan Tech who will be successful and make significant positive contributions to the education of our students and to the University's reputation. For this reason, it is vital to recruit, identify, and select individuals with credentials that support the success and the quality of campus life for all students and all colleagues. Faculty and staff hiring plays a key role in ensuring a diverse and inclusive campus community for Michigan Tech both now and into the future. 

Staff Hiring Process Phases

The following hiring guidelines, provided by Human Resources and Equal Opportunity Compliance, outline four phases composed of 10 steps, as well as provide tools and resources to assist University personnel in recruiting and hiring exceptional staff members. 

Always feel free to contact either your Human Resources Employment Services Representative or Equal Opportunity Compliance, email eocompliance@mtu.edu if you have any questions. 

Phase 1: Preparation

  • Step 1: Position Authorization and Search Committee Review
  • Step 2: Writing the Job Description

Phase 2: Recruitment

  • Step 3: Advertising and Building a Diverse Pool
  • Step 4: Review Diversity of the Applicant Pool

Phase 3: Reviewing Applicant Pool and Interviews

  • Step 5: Review the Applicant Materials
  • Step 6: Narrow the Applicant Pool
  • Step 7: Interviews

Phase 4: Candidate Selection

  • Step 8: Candidate References
  • Step 9: Final Candidate Selection
  • Step 10: Offer Accepted and New Employment Paperwork

Michigan Tech is a Federal Contractor and an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

Michigan Tech is required to comply with equal employment laws that are monitored by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). These laws are in place to prohibit contractors from discriminating against applicants and employees. All departments and search committees must assist in the University's compliance efforts so that we can continue to participate in federal contracts.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) refers to the legally protected right of all people to be fairly evaluated on their ability and potential to perform a job throughout the entire hiring process.

Placement Goals and Hiring Benchmarks Are Not Quotas

  • The goal of Affirmative Actionis to ensure all individuals have equal access to employment by requiring contractors to identify placement goals for women, underutilized minorities, and individuals with disabilities, and hiring benchmarks for protected veterans.
  • The placement goals within the Affirmative Action Plan cannot influence the hiring process. The goals act to guide the University to actively remove barriers, provide opportunities, and conduct appropriate outreach and positive recruitment of qualified candidates from a diverse population during the recruitment phase.
  • The evaluation of all applicants must be based solely on the required and desired qualifications of the job, and never on the basis of a protected characteristic.
  • If there is no evidence of good faith efforts to meet these goals, the University could lose federal and state contracts. Good faith efforts include programs, policies, and procedures to correct deficiencies of underutilization and to proactively recruit, hire, train, and promote women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans.

The OFCCP enforces EO11246, the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act (VEVRAA) for Veterans, and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act for Individuals with Disabilities. Requirements of these laws include, but are not limited to; outreach, advertising, recordkeeping of employment decisions, and posting requirements.

Talent Acquisition and Bias

While these webpages review the recruitment and selection portion of staff searches, departments should continually prioritize talent acquisition. Talent acquisition is an ongoing vital effort that must be considered at all times as you are planning for the future and anticipating positions. Also, as you begin thinking about recruiting and hiring it is important to note that biases can enter the hiring processes in multiple ways. Biases are most likely to impact the assessments of applicants when:

  1. we are overwhelmed with information (large number of applicants in a pool)
  2. we are rushed to make decisions (trying to get interviews completed by a specific date)
  3. the criteria utilized for evaluations is poorly defined or unclear
  4. the search committee lacks a clear, consistent process to guide group decision-making

In recognition of this, completion of Michigan Tech’s Staff Hiring Process Training Program is required prior to serving on a staff search committee. This online training does an excellent job of introducing implicit bias and placing it in context for search committees. In addition, we highly recommend completion of LinkedIn Learning’s Unconscious Bias course by Stacey Gordon. Completion of some of the Implicit Association Tests can also help improve self-awareness of unconscious biases.

Additional Resources

Federal and State Laws and Regulations

Contacts

Employment Services Representative | 906-487-2280

Equal Opportunity Compliance | eocompliance@mtu.edu | 906-487-3310