Making an Offer

Making Recommendations to the Hiring Manager

Once interviews are completed, the search committee chair should meet with the hiring manager to make recommendations for hire. The chair should provide the hiring manager with the committee’s findings, based on the initial set of instructions.

The task of understanding how the committee’s final recommendations are to be brought forward to the hiring manager will vary. Typically, the search committee is asked to provide an unranked list of finalists with an in-depth assessment of strengths and areas for development. Occasionally, the search committee is instructed to rank candidates for the hiring manager, or even to make a hiring recommendation. It should be made very clear that the hiring manager is not bound by the committee’s ranking in making his or her selection. It should also be made clear that the hiring manager can reject any recommendations made by the committee if they are not satisfied with the final candidates. The committee may be instructed to start over if the applicant pool is not acceptable for any reason.

After receiving the search committee’s recommendations, the hiring manager has the right to conduct further investigation and evaluation of an applicant’s experience and/or qualifications, or reject the recommendations of the search committee and reopen the search.

Will the Committee or the Hiring Manager Check References and Verify Credentials?

This very important step should have been assigned by the hiring manager when they formally charged the search committee with their instructions/duties. Checking professional references and verifying all credentials, i.e., certifications, licenses, etc. are required before a recommendation to hire may be submitted to the University Human Resources. Effective February 2025, if a degree is required, UHR Recruitment will initiate degree verifications unless the hiring unit indicates they have already completed this step.  The hiring unit will provide an index for billing purposes when completing the Academic & Professional Faculty Offer Letter Request form. Offer letters for positions requiring a degree will include contingency language indicating the offer is contingent upon degree verification prior to the start date.

Initiating an offer letter request and making an offer of employment

The hiring unit submits the offer letter request form based on the appointment type, Classified & Temporary Staff Offer Letter Request Form  or Academic & Professional Faculty and Public Safety Professionals Offer Letter Request Form, the completed applicant disposition workbook (ADW), and salary requests (as appropriate) to [email protected].

Hiring proposal & offer letter initiated

Recruitment will review the ADW, initiate the hiring proposal, create the offer letter, review the layoff/recall list (classified staff appointments only) and attach all supporting documentation including salary approvals and move to Permission to Offer Employment.

Verbal Offers

Verbal offers are not permitted for classified positions until permission to offer employment has been granted by University Human Resources (UHR), although conversations establishing a tentative start date without the promise of employment are permissible.

Verbal offers are not permitted for academic and professional faculty and public safety professional positions when there is a veteran who met the minimum qualifications that were able to be assessed at the application stage, as determined by University Human Resources (UHR). No verbal offer can be made until UHR has granted permission to offer employment.

Verbal offers are permitted for academic and professional faculty and public safety professional positions when there were no veterans in the pool who met the minimum qualifications that were able to be assessed at the application stage, as determined by University Human Resources (UHR), making it clear that the offer is contingent upon UHR’s written approval. Salary, start date, and other conditions of employment can be negotiated at this point if they are consistent with the information approved for the position. If the conditions of employment are not consistent with the information approved on the posting, the hiring manager must contact UHR to discuss the recommended terms and conditions of employment before an offer of employment can be negotiated. The safe practice is for a hiring manager to make a verbal offer contingent upon review and approval of the offer by UHR.

Permission to offer employment granted

The designated search support person for the hiring unit will receive a system notification with detailed instructions on how to proceed.

The hiring unit, via the unit Search Support role, will review the digital offer letter, download and route for review internally, and once approved, send the letter to the candidate electronically and change the hiring proposal to “Offer Sent to Candidate”.  If changes are needed to the offer letter, the Search Support role, will return the hiring proposal to Recruitment.

Offer accepted, negotiated, or declined by recommended appointee

Candidate reviews and accepts the digital offer within the job portal or declines the offer or negotiates changes.  If accepted, email notification sent to the Search Support role and Recruitment.  

Hiring Unit indicates any offer letter changes negotiated with candidate.  Any changes beyond the start date must be returned to Recruitment for review/approval and then the hiring proposal is changed back to Permission to Offer Employment so unit may review and send to candidate.

Final review of hiring proposal before Onboarding process initiated

Recruitment completes a final review of the offer and hiring proposal details and changes to offer accepted which initiates the Onboarding process including sending the personal demographic form, criminal and/or motor vehicle history check, ONID creation, welcome email and other onboarding tasks.

Securing US Work Authorization for Non-Resident Applicants after Acceptance of the Written Offer:

The process of obtaining work authorization varies in terms of time and complexity, depending upon the type of visa status for which the individual applicant is qualified. Once a candidate has accepted an offer, the Office of International Services (OIS) is available to work with departments/Schools/Colleges to secure US work authorization. All offer letters should state that the offer is contingent upon the ability to secure US work authorization. This paragraph is included in all offer letter templates.