MU Extension Human Resources
Employment
Recruit and Hire Procedures
Date Created: 10/12/2007
Updated: 06/20/2016
Summary
The following information will explain the process to create, post, and recruit for University of Missouri Extension
positions, including benefit-eligible staff positions, benefit-eligible academic/faculty positions, and non-benefit
eligible positions.
Definitions

Temporary vs. Regular
Temporary / Part-time / Non-Benefit Eligible: Temporary: “Temporary” positions are non- benefit
eligible positions that meet one of the following criteria:
1. non-exempt position that is less than 75% FTE
2. non-exempt position that is expected to work less than 1500 hours from Sept 1 – Aug 31
3. exempt position that is less than 75% FTE
4. exempt position that is less than a six month appointment
Regular / Benefit-Eligible: Benefit-eligible positions; positions which are expected to work at least 75
percent FTE with an indicated appointment duration of at least nine months.

Academic vs. Staff
Academic / Faculty: Teaching and research positions; positions with an identified Occupational
Classification Code (OCC) between 20 and 29; on contract (i.e. through 08/31).
Staff: Administrative, Service and Support positions (non-faculty positions) such as office, fiscal,
grant and administrative positions; program assistants/associates; continuing education coordinators;
information technology positions; executive/professional positions; and other non-faculty positions.

eRecruit – Online recruiting system used for both academic and staff positions. All applicants must go
through the online application process to be considered for a position.

New Position - A new position is one which has not been filled in the past and/or does not have a
Peoplesoft Position Number assigned.
Procedures
1) Assessment of needs
Determine the purpose and goals of the position, ensure a job description is up-to-date and
accurately reflects the functions of the position.
Identify funding source(s), location of position, reporting structure, etc.
2) Position Approval
a.
Stakeholder support - If applicable, work with key stakeholders internally and externally
to ensure support of the position.
See “Hiring and
Reclass Freeze
Approval
Process”
flowchart
b. Approval process - The University of Missouri hiring and reclassification freeze indicates
that positions funded with general operating funds require additional approval before positions
can be created, reclassified and/or posted. Please work with Extension HR to learn more about
how to obtain hiring freeze approval
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c.
Create or Reclassification - To determine if the vacancy you wish to fill is considered a
“new position”, check with your Extension Human Resources department. If the position is new,
follow one of the following procedures:
Temporary Positions: To obtain the position classification information (i.e. MU title, pay range,
minimum qualifications, Peoplesoft position number, etc), email the position description to Mary
Sheller.
Regular Positions: Complete a Position Classification Questionnaire (PCQ) to create a new position or
reclassify an existing position. The PCQ should be completed by the employee, supervisor and/or
director and send to Makele Ndessokia.
3) Post Vacancy
a. Contact Extension HR –Temporary positions may be posted through campus HR or
See “Hiring
Checklist”
See “NTT Rank
at Time of Hire”
document
locally without going through eRecruit. Regular positions must be posted through eRecruit. To
post a vacancy, email the following information to Mary Sheller:
Updated position description with preferred qualifications
Application materials requested (i.e. resume or CV, references, writing sample, etc.)
Hiring pay range
Search committee names
Internal or external search
NTT position consideration
b. Minimum posting period – Minimum posting periods vary depending on the
classification of the position. Mary Sheller will inform the hiring supervisor and search committee
members of the minimum posting period once the vacancy is posted.
Temporary Positions: There is no minimal posting period required for temporary positions.
Regular Staff Positions: A minimum of five (5) or ten (10) business day posting period is
required for all regular staff positions. Positions which are determined to be “underutilized”
(lacking women or minorities) must be posted for a minimum of ten (10) working days. All other
positions require a minimum of five (5) working days. Campus HR will determine which positions
are underutilized.
Regular Academic Positions: Positions which are posted as “Employees First” must be posted for
a minimum of ten (10) calendar days. All other positions require a minimum of thirty (30)
calendar days.
4) Recruit
Visit Extension
HR website
(employment)
for recruiting
tools.
The search committee is responsible for recruiting including identifying, developing and/or submitting
web postings and newspaper advertisements, as well as contacting professional associations and
making contacts with potential candidates.
Recruiting costs are covered by the hiring department or grant unless otherwise approved.
Extension HR will automatically recruit through the MU Extension website and the MU HRS websites
http://extension.missouri.edu/careers/positions_available.html (all postings)
http://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a job/staff/index.php (staff postings)
http://hrs.missouri.edu/find-a-job/academic/index.php (academic postings)
Additional recruiting through Extension HR is dependent upon the position.
If you would like assistance with developing and/or reviewing recruiting efforts, please contact your
Director.
5) Applications Screened
a. On-line Screening - Candidates who apply for positions posted through eRecruit must
apply on-line by completing the on-line application and selecting the appropriate job.
Regular Staff Positions: Candidates who apply for staff vacancies are asked “pre-screening
questions” when they apply. These questions are directly related to the university classification of
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the position. Only candidates who pass the screening questions will be available for the search
committee to review on-line.
Regular Academic Positions: Candidates who apply for academic vacancies have not been
prescreened prior to being available for the search committee to review on-line.
b. AMR screening - Search committee chair should coordinate and lead an Application
See “AMR”
process
suggestions
Material Review (AMR) after the minimum posting period. Candidates who pass the minimum
qualifications as stated on the job description may be considered for an interview. Additional
criteria may be evaluated based on the preferred qualifications.
All committee members that are university employees will have access to all applications through
eRecruit.
Regular Academic Positions: Academic qualifications must be reviewed to determine if candidates
being considered for an interview meet the expectations of a faculty member, including subjectmatter expertise and minimum degree level qualifications.
c. Update HR - Please contact Mary Sheller regarding the status of candidates after the AMR
has been conducted. Information regarding candidate selection will be needed to update eRecruit.
6) Interviews
a. Prepare for the interview - Several decisions need to be made and logistics
coordinated prior to candidate’s interview date. For example:
Will a presentation be needed?
Is a writing sample needed?
Prepare job-related interview questions in advance.
Logistics: room, schedule, meals, equipment, etc.
Process and # of interviews: preliminary and secondary interviews?
What stakeholders and internal groups should be involved?
Search committee chair or designee should call the candidates to invite them to the interview,
with a follow-up email detailing the logistics.
b. Conduct Reference Checks - At least 2-3 reference checks should be conducted for all
candidates invited to interview. A sample reference check form can be found at
http://extension.missouri.edu/hr/documents/Form_2_Reference_Check.doc . Maintain copies of
the reference checks to review with the search committee.
c. Conduct Interviews - Interview questions should be developed. Sample interview
Complete
“Candidate
Interview
Summary” HRD
form #3
questions can be found on the Extension HR website at
http://extension.missouri.edu/hr/employment.aspx. Then under Tools, forms and letters click
on Interview question selector (requires login with pawprint and password.)
Hiring supervisor is responsible for maintaining documentation regarding questions asked and
answers received.
Due to the criminal background check policy, it is advisable that candidates be informed of the
following: The University of Missouri processes national criminal background checks (CBC’s)
including guilty pleas, criminal convictions, and Sex Offender Registry’s.
Regular Academic Positions: NTT discussion should occur to determine recommendations for
hiring with non-tenured track rank.
d. Candidate communication - Candidates who are no longer being considered for the
position should be contacted as soon as possible, while keeping in mind those candidates who
may be called to interview if the position remains vacant.
Extension HR can send email communication through eRecruit notifying candidates of the status
of the position if appropriate/desired. Please contact Mary Sheller for assistance.
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7) Offer Approval
a. Department approval – Department approval may be needed prior to obtaining campus
or Extension administration approval. Contact your director for more guidelines.
Once departmental approval has been obtained, extension administration and campus approval is
required.
b. Extension and campus approval - To obtain approval to make an offer of
employment, email Mary Sheller the following information:
Name of candidate
Recommended rate of pay
Justification for offer
Any other terms of employment requested
Salary calculator (if applicable) for the following positions:
Educational Program Assistant or Associate (NPA & YPA)
Extension Educator and Extension Associate
Regional Specialists
Once Extension and MU Campus approvals have been received Extension HR will email the
supervisor an approved offer letter to provide to the candidate.
8) Offer Made and Accepted
a. Offer letter received - The hiring supervisor may proceed with giving the final written
offer.
b.
CBC conducted - As soon as the candidate has accepted the position, let HR know so they
can begin the CBC process. All offers are made contingent upon a successful criminal
background check and therefore cannot start employment until the CBC has been cleared.
Once the background check has been completed, Mary Sheller will send the hiring supervisor an
email confirmation.
For more information about the criminal background check policy, contact your Extension HR
department and/or visit http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/rules/hrm/hr500/hr504.
Don’t forget to
communicate to
candidates and the
search committee.
c.
Determine start date - Start Dates may vary depending on the situation. However, in no
circumstance may an employee begin before hire approval has been received, a criminal
background check has been completed, and the new employee paperwork has been processed.
UM new hire or transfer employee - If the employee is new to the University of Missouri then the
employee’s first day of employment may be contingent on payroll deadlines (see below),
orientation and training schedules. If the employee currently works for any University of Missouri
department (either part-time or full-time), then the first day must be the start of a pay period.
Communication,
orientation and training
is key to preparing the
new hire to be
successful!
d.
Form 54 – Process a form 54 (Personnel Action Form) and send to Diane Dews.
e.
New hire paperwork – The employee’s appointment will be entered into PeopleSoft. This
will generate an automated email sent to the employee’s email account. The employee
completes most forms electronically per the email instructions. On or before the state date the
employee presents documents for the I-9 certification to the hiring supervisor or other university
employee.
New hire forms can be found at:
http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/fa/management/records/forms/human/
Contact Diane Dews for training or questions regarding new hire paperwork.
f. Records management- Submit the following to Mary Sheller for records management and
USDA Civil Rights Compliance Review audits: Interview question and answers, reference checks,
copy of “no interest letters” sent, and recruiting efforts (copy of web postings, advertisements,
etc if applicable).
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