Staff Hiring Process

This page outlines Kennesaw State University's staff hiring process and provides answers to commonly asked questions about the hiring process. Please note this does not include any division-specific hiring information. For assistance, please email jobs@kennesaw.edu or call 470-578-6030 and your call will be routed appropriately.

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  Open Position

  Determine education, experience, and skills required to perform needed work. Select job description and secure funding and approvals. Submit position information into One USG application tracking system (ATS).

  • Add checklist for Intake meeting and Posting a job.

     

  • Add link to Initiating a Search video 

     

  • Add link to job aid

Core steps: 

• Determine the position number, job description and budget available for the prospective hire
• Schedule an intake meeting with your Recruiter to plan your approach for the search. Involve your Business Partner if position modifications are required. Recommend posting sites that might yield qualified candidates
• Enter the opening into the applicant tracking system, One USG. Select the Recruiting Self Service tile then Recruiting Activities. Select Create Job opening and enter the Position Number, hiring team, and other information. Save and submit the form
• A Recruiting Coordinator will review the submission and initiate the required approvals. You will be notified when the job is approved, and the job is posted. Links to the postings will be sent to you

Note: Before starting Phase 1 you must ensure that the position number and attributes of the position are correct.  Any changes should be inititated in OneUSG Manager Self Service (MSS). If you have questions regarding MSS transactions please contact your HR Business Partner. 

Need Careers RSS Training? Click here to view the recorded training session.

• Phase 1: Add/Change Position
  1. Prior to backfilling an existing position or creating a new position, Managers should work with all necessary stakeholders (e.g. HRBP, Business Manager, team members, leadership, Position Management, Compensation) to conduct an analysis of the department structure, funding source, and the need for - and responsibilities of - the position in question.
     
     
  2. If the position requires updates to the job description/structure/salary the department should work with Compensation to make revisions.
     
     
  3. In order to update a position to reflect new data, Managers should select the Manage Positions Tile from Manager Self Service in OneUSG Connect.

  

     4. Select Add/Change Position. (Add/Change position in OneUSG replaces legacy 
         position request forms, add/change forms, and job evaluation forms)

     5. Transactions will advance through the approval chain.
  
     6.Managers can view the status of Add/Change Position transactions at any time 
        in View Request History.

  

     7. After an Add/Change request is approved, a Position Number will be generated.
     8. New positions that require no change can be cloned from an existing position to 
         generate a new, unique Position Number.

• Phase 2: Creating a Job Opening

  1. Managers should select the Create Job Opening Tile in Manager Self Service

  

  2. Managers can create a Job Opening by searching and selecting, or keying in, a Position Number; when you select a Position Number, the remaining fields will populate automatically based on the data tied to the position.

  

  3. Managers should complete the pages for Job Details, Questionaire, Job Posting, Required Attachments, and Hiring Team; many fields will be automatically populated with data tied to the Position Number. You can Save as a Draft at any time.

  NOTE: Enter the Hiring Team information first.  This action will ensure that if the draft is lost, it may be easily located. 

  4. Selecting Save and Submit will put the Job Opening into the approval chain; when a position achieves final approval it will be automatically posted to the Kennesaw State University Careers website and visible to applicants.

  5. Managers and Initiators can view the status of a Job Opening transaction any time under the Approvals tab.

  

• Phase 3: Manage Applicants

  1. To Manage Applicants, a manager should navigate to the Open Jobs Tile in Manager Self Service (MSS)

  

  2. On the Open Jobs landing page, select a job to begin managing applicants.
  
  3. Managers can access an applicant’s resume or full application packet by selecting either icon.

  

  4. Managers can disposition candidates and advance candidates to the Interview tab and schedule interviews, as well as advance candidates to the Offer tab, while search committee members can only view applicants and materials.
  
  5. Once a manager and/or search committee determines their preferred candidate, please communicate with your Talent Acquisition Specialists.

• Phase 4: Prepare and Extend and Offer

  1. To prepare a Job Offer, a manager should, from the Interview tab or Hold tab, select Other Actions>Recruiting Actions>Prepare Job Offer; this will move the candidate to the Offer tab.​

  

  2. Managers should include annual salary/hourly rate and other compensation components (e.g. relocation compensation), if applicable, as well as the offer date, offer expiration date and start date; take care to ensure that all data is entered correctly and complies with USG and Kennesaw State University policy.

  3. Select Submit for Approval to send the job offer into the approval chain.

  4. Managers can view the status of a job offer any time in the Approvals tab.

  

  5. When a job offer reaches the final approval stage, Talent Acquisition will generate an official offer letter and send to candidate. 
  
  7. Candidates can accept or deny their offer verbally or in writing to Talent Acquisition, or candidates can accept/deny an offer through the Careers portal; accepting an offer in Careers automatically updates the applicant’s disposition to Prepare for Hire. Verbal or written acceptance/denial requires Talent Acquisition to manually update the candidate’s disposition to Prepare for Hire.

• Phase 5: Prepare for Hire - Background Screening and On-Boarding

  1. Talent Acquisition Coordinators will verify Employee IDs (for internal promotions/demotions and rehires), initiate Background Screenings, then generate Onboarding Packets electronically within OneUSG Connect and Careers.
  
  2. Once a new hire has successfully passed the Background Screening and completed the Onboarding Packet, their disposition will update to Ready for Hire.
  
  3. Talent Acquisition hands off Ready to Hires to the HR Generalists.
  
  4. HR Generalists coordinates meeting to check I-9 documents and confirm that Onboarding Packet is completed.

  5. The candidate is now ready to begin work on their start date.

• Phase 6: Additional Department Responsibilities

  1. Following a successful hire, it is the manager’s responsibility to disposition all remaining applicants.

  2. Managers and/or Department HR professionals should ensure that new employees report to Human Resources to complete the in-person I-9 verification within 3 business days of their start date.

  3. If a new hire does not report for their first day of work, the manager should attempt to contact the employee. If the new employee is a no call/no show after 3 days, please notify your HR Generalist promptly.​

• Intake Meetings

  How do I decide the right interview questions to ask? Is there a standard?
  Developing effective interview questions is the key to a successful employment interview. Interview questions should be based on the requirements, skills, and competencies necessary to perform the job. Work with your Talent Acquisition Specialist during the recruiting intake to identify key competencies for the position. Using the key competencies, your Talent Acquisition Specialist can assist with developing behavioral questions. Behavioral interviewing questions are designed to gain insight into an applicant's qualities and characteristics, as evidenced by past behaviors.

  What approvals are needed to complete a hire?
  When the hiring manager initiates and submits the job opening, the approval chain will automatically commence. For a standard refill, the approvers are TAM Coordinator, Business Manager, Budget, and Recruiter. For a new position, the approval chain is TAM Coordinator, Class and Comp, One up from hiring manager, Business Manager, Budget, and Recruiter.

  How do managers ensure an intake happens?
  Once you have determined that you have an opening, discuss your departmental needs with your HRBP and contact your Talent Acquisition Specialist to set up an intake meeting.

• Recruiting

  Are there multiple ways to advertise a position?
  Yes. During your recruitment intake meeting, you should review job advertising options with your Talent Acquisition Specialist. A job may be posted on the KSU Career site, Higher Ed Jobs, LinkedIn, and Diversity Education depending on availability. Other specialty and major job boards are available to post positions depending on the hiring department funding.

  Does the hiring manager have the ability to make decisions on what methods are used?
  Yes, your Talent Acquisition Specialists will work with you to guide you through the external job posting process. 

  How can we best source candidates to get robust and diverse pools?
  Meet with your Talent Acquisition Specialist to discuss a diverse sourcing strategy. Your Talent Specialist will identify diverse recruiting sources such as diversity job board, networking groups, and professional organizations to advertise your job opening. 

• Create the Requisition

  Are there any training for Careers?
  Yes, please click here to review the recorded Careers training session. You may also download this checklist for creating a job opening  or view this job aid with visuals. Contact your Talent Acquisition Specialist if you require further assistance. 

  What filters/criteria, beyond those provided, are used when setting up the posting?
  The Talent Acquisition Specialist will review the job description, basic requirements, and pre-screening questions to determine if an applicant meets the basic qualifications for a position. No additional criteria are used beyond what’s provided when setting up the job posting.

  Can salary ranges be added to the job description?
  No, not at this time.

  How long does the requisition stay open?
  Internal job postings for staff positions are posted for a minimum of three (3) business days. External job postings are posted for a minimum of five (5) business days.

• Review Resumes

  How does the system decide what prescreening responses are accepted from the candidates' application?
  The Talent Acquisition Specialist reviews the applicant's resume, application and responses to the pre-screening questions to determine if a candidate meets the basic qualifications for a position.

  How do Talent Acquisition Specialists determine which resumes to send to hiring managers?
  The Talent Acquisition Specialist moves applicants forward in the process if they meet the basic qualifications outlined in the job description. Hiring Managers may only request to see applicants who meet preferred qualifications. The resume review process should be discussed during the recruitment consultation with the Talent Acquisition Specialist.

  What additional tools can a hiring manager use when screening applicants? 
  The Hiring Manager should use preferred qualifications and review applicant's pre-screening responses.

• The Offer

  What are the steps to get an offer letter to a qualified candidate and is there anything we can do to speed up the process?

  Once you have selected your final candidate, you will need to submit a job offer request through  OneUSG Careers - RSS. After review of a submitted job offer request, you will recieve an email of the proposed salary offer range. Once the proposed range is reviewed and confirmed by you, the hiring manager, the Talent Acquisition Specialist will extend the offer of employment and inform you of the candidate's decision. Upon acceptance of the offer, the candidate will receive their offer letter within 1 business day.

• Background Screening

  What background checks are required?
  All positions require a Standard Criminal Background Screening which consists of Federal Criminal Record Search, State Criminal Record Search, Sexual Predator Search, National SS# Trace/Verification, and Criminal County Search. Additional background screenings are available based on the job responsibilities.

  What are the types of screenings checks?
  Standard New Hire Background Check, National Criminal Record Search, Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) Search, Credit Report, Education Verification, Professional Licensure/Certification Verification, Drug/Alcohol Test

  What is the turnaround time on credit checks and the overall background check process?
  The overall background screening process will vary based on types of screenings and information provided by the candidate. Most background screening results are received within 3-5 business days.

  Can the hiring manager have access to background check information detail? 
  No, all background check information is confidential and not shared.

  Are internal candidates subject to background checks as well?
  Yes, a background check must be performed on any existing employee being transferred, reassigned, reclassified, or promoted to a new position, unless the employee has had a background investigation within the past year.

  What causes a delay in a background screening?
  There are many reasons why there are delays in the background screening process, such as untimely receipt of the candidate background documents, international education verification, discrepancies in the information the candidate provided and the results and manual searches.

• Hire & Onboard

  Can an employee start the job earlier than the start date listed in Careers? 

  In the event that the candidate clears their background check sooner than anticipated, the HR generalist can facilitate a conversation between the manager and candidate to coordinate a new start date.