Selection Processes

The Hiring Official is the individual responsible for making the hiring decision and for the integrity of the hiring process. They will determine if the recruitment must be conducted under the Florida Sunshine Law. For more details on recruitments conducted under the Florida Sunshine Law, please visit the Sunshine Recruitment page.

A search committee must be utilized for the hiring process of any position at the Director level or higher and in the hiring process of any ranked Faculty position, other than Visiting, Adjuncts, Instructors, Lecturers, and Post-Doctoral Associates. A search committee may, but is not required to, be utilized in the hiring process of any position below the Director level or of any ranked Faculty position, other than Visiting, Adjuncts, Instructors, Lecturers, and Post-Doctoral Associates.

The applicant selected for a position vacancy (the finalist) should be the applicant who best meets the position requirements, selection criteria, and needs of the department.

After a Finalist has been Selected

Hiring Officials, or designees, should complete reference checks for all positions (except student positions) prior to making an offer of employment. Human Resources has a Staff Reference Check Template and a Faculty Reference Check Template available for departmental use. A minimum of two completed reference checks are required with one reference check being provided by a current or previous supervisor.

Obtain approval from the candidate before checking their references. Employment eligibility shall be determined through:

• Verification of work history
• Official transcripts from an accredited college or university, if applicable
• Reference checks, and
• Criminal background screenings

A completed background screening is required prior to an official start date. Human Resources will notify the contact person/Hiring Official when the background screening is completed. A background screening will not be approved until a minimum of two completed reference checks, including one completed reference check from a current or previous supervisor, have been submitted to Human Resources.

Additionally, a Staff Applicant Eligibility Certification Form must be completed for all University Work Force staff recruitments. Additional information on this form, the requirements, and the process can be found below. Official sealed transcripts must be sent to Human Resources, if required for the position, with the exception of Faculty.

At the conclusion of the search process, all search documents (interview questions, matrices, spreadsheets, search committee minutes, reference check forms, etc.) must be electronically sent to jobs@uwf.edu or attached to the document section of the job posting in PageUp. This includes Sunshine Recruitments, closed searches that utilized an Advisory Groups, and those searches that only utilized the Hiring Official to make the hiring decision.

Procedure: Staff Applicant Eligibility Certification

The Staff Applicant Eligibility Certification is a vital part of the University of West Florida's hiring process. Below is a structured procedure for hiring departments/managers, which should be referred to when completing the form.

Purpose: To verify that a selected candidate meets the required years of experience and qualifications before an official offer is finalized.

Preparation

• Identify the Finalist: Once a top candidate is selected, download the Staff Applicant Eligibility Certification form.
• Qualifications: Copy the Minimum Qualifications directly from the original job posting and paste them into the designated box on Page 1. These details can also be found in the University Classification Specification Guide.

Verification Process

• Employment History: You must make direct contact for each previous employer listed by the candidate to ensure they meet the minimum requirements of the position. The hiring manager must verify the candidate meets the minimum qualifications for the position, which may include the full-time equivalent of relevant work experience and list the verified information. Only the details that were verified to meet the minimum qualifications are required to be listed.
• Required Data Points: During the verification call/email, you must confirm:
• Employer Name and Location.
• Exact Position Title and Employment Dates.
• A brief description of duties to ensure they align with the current role's needs.
• Note the Name and Title of the person contacted and the Date the verification occurred.

Documentation & Submission

• Education: Do not verify degrees yourself. Human Resources will manage official transcripts and educational credentials.
• Certification: The hiring authority must sign and date the "Certification" section on Page 2, confirming that all stated work history is accurate.
• Filing: Submit the completed form to HR as part of the pre-employment process. The form can be emailed to jobs@uwf.edu or attached to the “Application Documents” section of the offer card in PageUp. This document will become a permanent part of the new hire’s personnel file.

Making a Tentative Offer of Employment

All tentative employment offers should be made through PageUp for positions posted in the system, which routes the finalist through the pre-employment process. This process includes, but is not limited to, a Background Screening, Statement on Controlled Substance Conviction, and new hire paperwork completion. No finalist should begin working prior to completing all pre-employment requirements and the notification from Human Resources to the Hiring Department that their finalist is cleared to begin working.

Instructions for creating tentative offer letters, and offer letter templates, are provided on the PageUp Dashboard, which is accessed via the app in MyUWF. As with the requisition, the tentative offer letter will route through the selected departmental approval process in PageUp and will come to Human Resources at the end of the process for review. Human Resources will review the tentative offer letter and contact the department if additional information or corrections are needed. Once the tentative offer letter is approved, it will be sent to the finalist and the Supervisor/Department Admin/Initiator will receive an email from PageUp advising of the completion. Once the finalist has accepted their tentative offer of employment, the pre-employment process will begin and a Background Screening will be initiated by Human Resources. At this point, the onboarding process begins for the new hire.

Faculty Associates and Courtesy Appointments

Faculty Associates and courtesy appointments must have a completed background screening on file in Human Resources prior to the commencement of any activities for the university, on the university’s behalf, or at any university location. Faculty Associates or courtesy appointments that are instructional require a minimum of two completed reference checks, including one completed reference check, from a current or previous supervisor, on file in Human Resources prior to the commencement of any activities for the university, on the university’s behalf, or at any university location.

For assistance, please email HR or call 850.474.2694.