Recruiting and Hiring

The university is committed to attracting, securing and retaining a diverse and inclusive pool of the most highly qualified individuals available for all university positions, in accordance with the principles of affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. Consistent with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, and the university’s obligations as a federal contractor, all recruitment and hiring activity must operate in accordance with the Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Non-Discrimination and Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault policies. Workday is the university’s system of record for staff recruitment and hiring processes.

Schools/divisions, and all personnel participating in any recruitment and hiring processes, must comply with this policy as well as all workforce planning guidance provided on the Manager Gateway; recruiters and HR professionals are responsible for adhering to all guidelines on the HR Professional Intranet, including Staff Position Management Guidelines and legal requirements, and ensuring that all managers and interviewers comply as well. Adherence to this policy and all referenced guidelines provides a consistent approach to the recruiting, selection and eventual hiring of qualified applicants. Failure to adhere to this policy is grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Job posting and advertising

To comply with all hiring-related requirements, a posting period of five business days is required for all university positions. See the Manager Gateway; recruiters and HR professionals, see the HR Professional Intranet for detailed information.

In addition to official job postings in Workday and on the university’s career site, schools/divisions may choose to buy recruiting advertisements in other external media (e.g., external job sites, journals, etc.), but they may not recruit or advertise for a staff position until that position has been officially posted as per the posting guidelines linked in the previous paragraph. In addition, any external posting must be consistent with the posting on Workday.

Candidate selection process

Within schools/divisions, any faculty or staff authorized to participate in any aspect of staff candidate selection (including review of applications, review of resumes, interviewing, or hiring decisions) must apply consistent standards of comparison throughout the entire selection process to ensure selection of the best qualified candidate. Consistent standards of comparison must be used when evaluating applications and resumes, when conducting and assessing interviews, and when making any decisions regarding individual candidates.

Accommodations during the candidate selection process

At the request of a candidate with a disability, accommodations may be required during recruitment and hiring processes, including but not limited to:

• completing or accessing application materials;
• accessing the interview process, including physical location; or
• completing any required pre-employment assessments.

Hiring managers may direct any questions or concerns regarding the provision of an accommodation during recruitment and hiring processes to the Disability Accommodations Coordinator. (See Resources section below for contact information.)

Reference checks

The university requires departments to conduct reference checks on all final staff candidates during the candidate selection process. Departments are strongly encouraged to use the reference-checking vendor with whom USC has contracted; they must use either that vendor, or a Workday reference questionnaire approved by Talent Acquisition, to complete the reference checking process. Information regarding USC’s reference-checking vendor services and approved reference questions are available on the Manager Gateway. Documentation confirming reference checks have been conducted must be recorded in Workday.

Background screening

Background screening, which the university requires for all staff (and faculty) employees, may not be conducted until after a conditional offer has been extended to a final candidate, the candidate accepts the offer, and the candidate consents to the background screening. See the Manager Gateway. Recruiters and HR Partners should also refer to the HR Professional Intranet.

Resources

USC Human Resources
(213) 821-8100
uschr@usc.edu

ADA/504 Coordinator
Christine Street
(213) 821-4658
ability@usc.edu

Disability Accommodation Coordinator
Contact USC Human Resources
(213) 821-8100
uschr@usc.edu

Talent Acquisition
Contact USC Human Resources
(213) 821-8100
uschr@usc.edu

Responsible office

Human Resources Administration
uschr@usc.edu
(213) 821-8100

Issued by

David W. Wright, Interim Senior Vice President, Administration
University of Southern California