Policy: 5.1 Guidelines for Recruiting, Screening, and Hiring of Personnel; Recommendations of Current or Former Employees and/or Verification of Employment

Policy: 5.1 Guidelines for Recruiting, Screening, and Hiring of Personnel; Recommendations of Current or Former Employees and/or Verification of Employment

Adoption Date: February 23, 2026 Revised

A. General

1. The college affords equal opportunity to every individual.  It does not discriminate against any applicant or employee because of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, veteran status or any other protected status.
2. The college intends to comply with all applicable state and federal laws pertaining to employer‑employee relations.
3. When requesting a replacement for a new or vacant position, all supervisory personnel may consider individuals currently under their supervision who may be qualified for advancement.
4. Employees of less than eighteen years of age are only hired when the employing supervisor is willing to accept total responsibility for compliance with federal child labor laws.  These laws are available from the Chief Human Resources Officer or the federal government.  The employing supervisor will be required to sign a statement accepting total responsibility for said compliance.

B. Procedure

1. Recruitment

a.  When it becomes known that a position will become available, the supervisor, after obtaining approval from the President, submits a Personnel Requisition form available on the internet to the Chief Human Resources Officer.  The requisition contains the date the position will be open, special preparation required, and comments regarding preferred qualifications.

b.  The Human Resources Office prepares a position notice and posts it for five days prior to advertising externally unless the supervisor requests it to be posted externally at the same time. After this five-day period, the position will be placed on the Internet (www.howardcollege.edu), other external sources, and may be advertised in appropriate places as determined by the hiring supervisor.

c.  The position will be posted for a minimum of five calendar days before being filled. The administration may omit the five-day posting procedure when there are extenuating circumstances.

d.  All positions are open until filled. Positions not filled within 60 days will be reevaluated and may be reposted.  Applicants not qualified will be notified.

e.  Applicants’ original files are kept in the Human Resources office.

f.   No employment commitment can be considered binding prior to appropriate processing of the applicant by the Chief Human Resources Officer.

g.  Applications will be kept on file for one year.

2. Interviewing/Selection

a. The Human Resources office obtains and collates the following information on applicants:

1)  Application form and resume,

2)  Transcripts of college courses, and

3)  Completed reference checks. 

b. Interview Selection Procedures:

1)  The Human Resources department will refer applicants to the hiring supervisor.

2)  The department head and/or the hiring supervisor will review applications and credentials and select the applicants to be considered for interviews. 

3)  Requirements for faculty positions in courses designed for transfer are a master’s degree with 18 graduate hours in the teaching field.  Instructors in courses not designed for transfer must meet education/certification requirements and/or document appropriate work experience. Qualifications are minimum requirements.  In addition, applicants for faculty positions will be further screened by comparison with academic training and experience of other applicants. Only those applicants who are selected as best suited for the needs of the specific position may receive a personal interview for the position.

4)  Non-faculty employees are selected for interviewing on the basis of academic training and/or work experience. In addition, an applicant is selected who is best suited for the needs of the specific position.

5)  The department head/or hiring supervisor will review the individuals selected for possible interview and may pre-screen these applicants by:

(a)  placing calls or making contact with individuals on the applicant’s reference lists, former employer list, and/or

(b)  contacting persons that could be familiar with the applicant that are not on the applicant’s reference or employer lists. 

6)  Reference checks are required on all full-time employees.  Reference checks will be made and recorded using the prescribed form and format provided by the Human Resource Department.  Reference checks will be made by the Cabinet member or designee.

7)  A minimum of three prior employer references will be contacted during the screening/reference check process. 

8)  Personal references may also be obtained and may be substituted for employer references if three employer references are not available. Personal references should include individuals who can verify the applicant’s character (i.e., pastor, business associate, co-worker, teacher, school counselor, etc.). The President will pre-screen applicants for Cabinet level positions.  Reference forms must be filed in the Human Resources Office. 

c.  A prospective candidate for a position is usually invited to the site for a personal interview with the appropriate supervisor, administrator, and/or the President.

d.  Once a candidate has been selected for employment and references have been completed the hiring supervisor requests a salary figure from the Chief Human Resources Officer.  New employees are allowed to bring in a maximum of 20 years’ experience (see Broadbanding in appendix).  Faculty positions:  Faculty Credential forms must be submitted for approval prior to requesting a salary figure. After receiving a salary figure, an inquiry is made by the supervisor to determine if the prospect is indeed interested in coming to work at the college pending successful completion of any required tests based on provisional letter guidelines for exempt employees and a 60-day probationary period for non-exempt employees. If the prospect replies in the affirmative, the Cabinet member or designees will then check references at the last place of employment if the employer has not been previously contacted. 

e.  All applicants may be subject to a criminal background check prior to employment with the district.   The applicant’s signed release will be obtained.  If more information is needed to process the criminal background check, the Human Resource department will contact the applicant.  If the position being filled requires a criminal background check, this will be done before the official offer of employment is extended to the applicant.  Background check information will be kept confidential in the Human Resource office.

f.  All Bus drivers (CDL required) and Level 3 security applicants will be subject to a pre-employment drug test.

g.  Sex Offender Registration:  See policy 1.4.

h.  The College will require that specific positions pass a post-offer, pre-employment physical or psychological assessment by a licensed physical therapist or physician of the college’s choice. Physical and/or psychological assessments will be for evaluating the employee’s ability to perform the essential functions of the position as documented in the official job description. This physical and/or psychological assessment is intended to confirm that the prospective employee possesses the ability to perform the essential physical and/or psychological functions of the position. The College will periodically review physical and/or psychological assessment criteria with supervisors and the examining medical provider to ensure testing remains reasonable, job-related, and consistent with current job duties. Prospective employees who do not pass this physical assessment test may have the offer of employment retracted by the college. Prospective employees who do not pass the psychological assessment will have the offer of employment retracted by the College. This physical and/or psychological assessment test will be provided at the college’s expense. There may be situations where the employee may be re-tested after employment. Employees who successfully pass the pre-employment physical and/or psychological assessment are required to maintain the established physical and/or psychological standards to remain employed in that position. Accordingly, for positions requiring a physical assessment, the College will require a recurring physical evaluation every three (3) years of continuous employment to confirm the employee’s ongoing ability to perform the essential physical functions of the position, at the expense of the college. In addition, a physical re-evaluation may be required upon a change in position, or following an injury-related absence or surgery, when the condition relates to the essential physical functions of the job. If circumstances arise that cause a supervisor to question an employee’s physical and/or psychological ability to safely perform the essential duties of the position, the supervisor may recommend a physical and/or psychological assessment re-evaluation to the appropriate administrator. All such requests will be reviewed and approved by the Chief Human Resources Officer. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), after being employed, if an employee does not pass the assessment to meet the physical requirements of the position, the College will engage in the interactive process with the employee through the Chief Human Resources Officer/ADA Coordinator to determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be made that would allow the employee to perform the essential functions of the position without causing undue hardship to the College. If an employee does not meet the required physical standards and no reasonable accommodation can be made through the ADA interactive process without undue hardship to the College, the College may consider reassignment to a vacant position for which the employee is qualified or may proceed with termination, at the College’s discretion. In the case of not passing a psychological assessment re-evaluation, the college will assess if another position is available, but termination may be warranted at the college’s discretion.  An employee’s refusal to submit to a required physical/psychological assessment or re-evaluation may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination. This policy will be applied uniformly to all positions designated by Human Resources as requiring a physical and/or psychological assessment, based on documented job-related physical and/or psychological demands. All positions require a background check.  Some positions require additional security clearances based on state and federal laws.  Individuals who have been offered a position and do not pass the background check and/or security clearance can have the offer retracted.  After employment, positions requiring security clearances will be reassessed every five years or sooner if warranted. If an individual does not pass a subsequent reassessment, it can be grounds for termination.    

i.  Human Resources will notify the hiring department if the applicant is eligible for hire. No formal offer of employment may be extended until “eligibility for hire” notification is given by the Human Resources department.                       

3.  Commitment to Employ

Note: No employee may begin working at Howard College until all required documentation is on file and all procedural requirements have been met.  Any questions regarding this section must be cleared with the Chief Human Resources Officer in advance.

a.  The Human Resources department will complete a file after the justification for the selection of the individual employed has been submitted from the hiring supervisor on the Recommendation for Employment form. If transcripts are not official, the employee must request that official transcripts be sent to the Human Resource Office.  If transcripts are not received within 90 days after the employment start date, the employee may be placed on unpaid leave until transcripts are received. 

b.   Business Office records are checked for any outstanding charges the new employee may have as a former employee or student.  If outstanding charges are found, the employee will be notified that deductions will occur from their monthly check until all outstanding charges are recovered.

c.   The Human Resources office may issue provisional letters of employment to exempt employees after all required paperwork has been completed and presented to Human Resources. Letters of employment for non-exempt employees may be issued only after the 60-day probationary period evaluation has been received and all required paperwork has been completed in Human Resources.

d.   The President informs the Board of Trustees of the selection of exempt individuals to approved positions in the budget. If the position has not been previously approved in the budget, the President will submit the position to the Board of Trustees for approval prior to the selection of an employee. Cabinet members must be approved by the board before final hiring.

4.  Travel Reimbursement

a.  Candidates who are offered and accept employment with the college may receive reimbursement for travel to the interview.

b.  Candidates who are offered employment, but decline will not receive reimbursement for travel to the interview.

c.  Candidates who are invited for an interview but are not offered a position will not be reimbursed for travel to the interview.

d.  Phone and video interviews may be used as appropriate.

e.  In instances where a candidate is invited for a second interview, approved costs may be paid by the college. Prior arrangements must be made with the President if reimbursement is to be considered.

C.  Recommendations of Former or Current Personnel and/or Verification of Employment

If an employee is contacted by an outside individual seeking a reference for a current or former employee, the employee should inform the individual that it is the policy of the college that all official recommendations of current or former employees and/or verification of employment will be made only by the college’s Human Resource department. College personnel that choose to make personal recommendations of former or current employees personally assume all risks and liability associated with these recommendations.