Hiring Classified Staff

A search for classified staff requires the following steps:

Review and update/create position description for the position
Identification of Subject Matter Experts who will review applicants
HR determines the appropriate class code and salary according to state guidelines and salary analysis
Completion and approval of a Request to Fill
Posting the position on CU Careers
Human Resources reviews all applicants in CU Careers for minimum requirements.
Human Resources provides a list of all the applicants that meet the minimum requirements to the subject matter experts
The subject matter experts indicate ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘maybe’ to interviewing the applicants and return the list to Human Resources
Human Resources ranks the applicants based on the ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘maybe’ determination from the subject matter experts
Human Resources compiles a list of the 6 highest ranking applicants and refers them to the appointing authority
Reference checks for the final candidate only
All of the referrals sent to the appointing authority must be interviewed
Selection of a final candidate
Submit name of final candidate to HR for completion of salary analysis
Background checks for final candidate only
Notification and disposition of all other candidates
Formal letter of offer after background check is completed with no concerns found

The time to hire has many variables including pre-search approvals, posting time, current job market, number of applicants, and availability and response time of those involved in the selection process. It will take a minimum of 4-6 weeks from the posting of a position to the referral. Be sure to plan ahead.

State statutes require an open and fair competitive examination process to measure specific job-related knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other competencies of qualified applicants. Examinations may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: written, performance, oral, panel assessment device, physical, training evaluations, experience evaluations, or performance evaluation ratings. If multiple components are used in an examination process, applicants may be required to pass one component before proceeding to the next component.

To help ensure the selection of a qualified and competent workforce, applicants for employment in the State of Colorado personnel system are chosen based on merit. Statutes mandate that only those applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for a posted position are eligible for employment. Minimum qualifications are the minimum class entry requirements that an applicant must have to be considered for a position: knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and competencies. Current employees must meet minimum qualifications for a promotion.

Position Description

For classified staff positions, the first step is to ensure that the position description for the position has been created or updated if it is an existing position. A position description template is provided by the state of Colorado and should be used to ensure that all required elements are included in the description. Human Resources can assist in job description review.

Job Classifications & Minimum Quals

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

Classified staff positions require an open, competitive search with applicant review conducted by Human Resources and a panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). It is the responsibility of the appointing authority to identify at least three subject matter experts to participate in the screening of qualified applicants. Human Resources will provide a list of qualified applicants to the SMEs for review and evaluation.

SMEs should be people that have a vast amount of knowledge of the position and what is required of the person in the position.

The subject matter experts indicate ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘maybe’ to interviewing the applicants and return the list of applicants to Human Resources.

Request to Fill

Once the position description has been finalized, the appointing authority should work with a department administrator to complete the Request to Fill form.

The Request to Fill is the document that will be routed to leadership for approval in filling a vacancy or filling a new position. This document should contain all pertinent information about the position. The department org chart as well as the full position description should be pasted into the Request to Fill before the form is sent to Human Resources for review.

Process & Approvals

In their review of the draft Request to Fill, Human Resources will:

Complete the initial salary a compensation analysis based on the class code and internal equity of similarly situated employees
Review the position description and work with the department to determine the appropriate class code, minimum qualifications, and salary according to state guidelines and internal equity of similarly situated employees
Contact the department with questions or concerns about position description or Request to Fill form
Route the final version of the Request to Fill for signature approvals using Adobe Sign

Request to Fill Approvals

Before a position can be posted, approvals must be obtained. During this approval process, the Budget Office will ensure that the position can be adequately funded.

Approvals must be obtained by the following:

Human Resources consultant
Supervisor or Appointing Authority
Budget Office
Position Review Committee

Staff Request to Fill

Download Staff Request to Fill under the Search and Hire Process in the Document Library

Please be prepared to provide HR with:

Position information
Salary information
Position Summary
Minimum & Preferred Qualifications

Request to Fill forms will be routed through Adobe sign for signatures.

Next Steps

Once the Request to Fill has been signed by all required approvers, Human Resources will create a requisition in CU Careers and provide a requisition number to the department administrator so that the department can format the posting according to standardized posting requirements for state classified positions. Departments are required to include standardized legal language and are encouraged to provide an introduction about the department to make the posting attractive to and provide insight for external candidates.

All postings must include a closing date. The closing date is the date that the posting is no longer displayed on CU Careers. Departments should work with Human Resources to determine an appropriate closing date.

The committee might also choose to use HireVue for the first round of interviews. Training and information about HireVue will also be given by the HR department during the charge meeting.

All postings must include a salary range or one salary amount.

When the posting is active, Human Resources will email the link to the active posting to the department administrator who should share the link if desired with other stakeholders so that the position can be advertised externally.

Applicant Review

For classified postings, Human Resources will review all applicants. Those applicants who meet minimum requirements will be sent to SMEs for review and evaluation using a standardized form. SMEs will return completed evaluation forms to Human Resources. Human Resources will rank all candidates based on evaluation from SMEs and will provide a list of the 6 highest ranking candidates to the appointing authority.

The appointing authority must interview all 6 referrals. At least two people must participate in these interviews. The appointing authority should determine the finalist for the position based on their evaluation of all application materials, reference checks and interviews. Reference checks using SkillSurvey must be completed on the final candidate only.

Extending an Offer

When a final candidate has been identified and references have been completed, HR must be notified as to what salary rate the department is interested in offering the candidate. HR will complete a review the requested salary based on an analysis of education, related experience, and other factors of the candidate and internal employees in similarly situated jobs. HR will notify the department if the salary they requested is appropriate and if not, will reach out to the department to discuss. Once HR has notified the department of an acceptable salary to offer, the offer should be extended verbally.

When a finalist has been identified, the offer should be extended verbally. If the candidate accepts the verbal offer, the department should initiate a background check by requesting that the candidate complete a Background Check Release form and sending the form to Human Resources via hrhelp@uccs.edu.

After a verbal offer is accepted, the department should begin to draft a formal letter of offer using templates provided by Human Resources. The letter of offer must be reviewed by Human Resources prior to routing for signatures. The background check must also be completed with no concerns found before the letter of offer is routed for signatures.

The department should direct the candidate to provide any required to Human Resources. Original unexpired I-9 employment authorization documents must be provided in person after the letter of offer is signed and no later than three days of the employee’s start date. If a degree is required for the position, encourage the finalist to request official transcripts as soon as possible as these requests can often take some time and the new employee cannot be entered into HCM prior to receipt of transcripts. Ask the candidate to submit their official transcripts directly to hrtransc@uccs.edu. Classified employees are also required to complete form SSA-1945 when they visit HR.

The new employee should be encouraged to attend New Hire Orientation and can register for orientation as soon as they have signed their letter of offer. Orientation is offered once per month.

Forms & Templates

Go to Document Library