Recruitment Frequently Asked Questions

• For limited situations (unique skills or business need), we can post internally to the campus, or in rare circumstances, just the School of Education. This process can be used when it is necessary for the University to consider only current university employees (and eligible former employees). Internal recruitment focuses recruitment and selection efforts on current UW- Madison staff to provide employees with development and/or advancement opportunities. Internal recruitment encourages and supports employees to explore career mobility options and reach their full potential at UW-Madison. 
• To request an internal recruitment, please contact your department’s HR Manager. The following must be provided: 

1. 1. A PVL/Job Description and/or PVL number 
   2. Answers to the following questions: 
      1. Is there a unique skill set needed for the position that would only be found on campus (or in your division)? 
      2. Why would an internal applicant provide a significant advantage or be critical to success in this new position? 
      3. Is there a diverse, qualified pool to apply for this position? Please elaborate. What efforts will be taken to ensure a diverse applicant pool? 

• Underutilized positions will require additional approvals from the Office of Affirmative Action Planning and Programming (OAAPP). Divisional HR will contact OAAPP with the job information to gain these approvals. 

Job postings must meet the minimum required posting period as designated by the Office of Human Resources. The following are the required minimum posting periods for recruitments: 

• Faculty and other instructional positions (Teaching Faculty, Clinical Professor, etc.) can be posted open until filled with an assured consideration date in compliance with the Minimum Posting Periods. Academic Staff and Limited positions can be posted open until filled with permission from Divisional HR, but we will only post Academic Staff or Limited Appointee positions open until filled if they are higher level positions (Director, Senior Staff, Limited Appointee), difficult to fill positions, and/or highly specialized positions.  
• A difficult-to-fill position may be a position that we have posted and failed the search for in the past or one that frequently experiences turnover.  
• A highly specialized position is one in which the job duties, education, experience, and skills make it so there will be a narrow candidate pool for the position.  
• To request an Academic Staff or Limited position be open until filled, please reach out to your department’s HR Manager with a justification for why it would fit one of the above criteria. 
• The assured consideration date on any open-until-filled position must comply with the minimum posting periods. 

Some positions can be posted with multiple titles. You can find more information regarding the guidelines for this process here. Please reach out to your department’s HR Manager with any questions.  

It is difficult to identify a standard timeline for recruitment, as each one is different. If you would like an estimate for a specific recruitment, please contact your department’s HR manager to discuss that specific position.  

Yes, if you would like to extend a posting, please email your department’s HR Manager with the following information:  

• Posting title and PVL number 
• How long you would like to extend the posting for/the new assured consideration date 
• The reasoning behind the extension, as well as what actions the Department/Division/Search Committee will take given the extra time  

• • i.e., if there is a lack of qualified applicants, what other sourcing efforts will be made? How are you notifying the current applicant pool of the extension? 

• Whether the current applicant pool has been fully considered and, if applicable, dispositioned (removed from consideration and communicated with). 

• • i.e., If the current pool does not meet minimum qualifications, have they been removed from consideration for that reason in TREMS? 

• Once a position is filled, or if the position is cancelled, e-mail your department’s HR Manager contact requesting a position be closed from the Jobs website. Please include the title and PVL number in your request.  
• You should also update all applicants in TREMS to the appropriate status; if a position is cancelled, please communicate that with them.  

Yes, if you need to add positions to a PVL after it is posted, email your department’s HR Manager with the PVL number and the number of positions you’d like to add to the posting.  

Applicants must upload their materials into the applicant portal. We need an application via UW Jobs/TREMS to consider them for open recruitment. Occasionally, applicants will send updated materials after applying (updated reference list, for example), and we can use those updated documents for the recruitment.  

Yes, candidates should all be asked a standard set of questions. However, search committees can ask clarifying/follow–up questions to candidates based on information they provide during the interview.  

• TREMS will act as a repository for a great deal of recruitment information. If any of the below are captured outside of TREMS, copies of the documentation should be kept for the recruitment file.  
• The following are captured in TREMS: 

• • Copies of the position description/announcement on employment website 

• • List of applicants 
  • Candidate materials (resume, cover letter, etc.) 
  • List of interviewees 
  • Copy of offer letter 
  • Documentation of declined offers  

• The following needs to be collected and retained for the recruitment filled:  

• • Any advertisements, press releases, and other publicity materials/outreach activities 
  • Hiring Committee/Screening Information 
  • Interview documentation 

• • • A description of the interview process 
    • Interview questions used in each round 

• • Reference check materials – the list of questions asked (responses do not need to be submitted) 
  • Sample correspondence or templates of emails/letters (if not sent through TREMS) 
  • Hiring Justification  

• We cannot ask for a written document or request that applicants specifically discuss EDI in cover letters or resumes.  
• You can ask EDI questions during the interview. Some examples can be found here: diversity-equity-and-inclusion-interview-questions.pdf (wisc.edu) 

Yes, you can interview applicants as they come in. However, all applicants who apply before the end of the assured consideration period must be evaluated using the same metrics as the rest of the applicants and interviewed if they meet the metrics of the other applicants you interviewed. 

• There is no set guidance for the size of a search/hiring/interview committee, as it can depend on the type of recruitment.  
• At least two employees should be part of the applicants’ screening and initial interviews if not performed by the Divisional HR team.  
• Due to the time commitment and logistics, it is recommended that most search/hiring/interview committees be comprised of approximately 3-5 employees

You should check references after the final candidates have been interviewed. You should always notify the finalists before checking references. If there is one top candidate out of the finalists, you can just check their references. However, if there are multiple candidates who are being considered for the position, you can check more than one finalist.  

• The final choice for the position should be with the supervisor/hiring manager.  
• The supervisor should consider the recommendations and feedback from all stakeholders and interview participants when making a final decision.  

If you feel that a hiring committee member is using bias in their decision making, you should reach out to your department’s HR manager to discuss and address the issue.  

Funding type is not a determining factor when choosing types of appointments. Please contact your department’s HR Manager to determine the most appropriate appointment type for a particular position. 

• You do not need to post the minimum salary on a posting as the TTC Title/Salary Grade Minimum.  
• Your HR Manager can be contacted for compensation assistance regarding recruitment questions at any time.  
• We recommend you consult with Divisional HR when determining what salary to list and when making an offer to a candidate.

• All instructional staff must have a terminal degree, or a degree at least one level higher than the degree for which the course is taught. I.e., a master’s degree or greater is required of instructional staff to teach a course that counts toward the bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. or terminal degree or greater is required for a course that counts towards a master’s degree or higher-level degree.  
• In some cases, instructional staff who do not possess the academic credentials described above can be appointed to teach courses if they hold at least a bachelor’s degree and are determined by the hiring authority to be otherwise qualified, e.g., significant contributions in the field, substantial experience. Permission to employ instructors in this category is the purview of the academic unit and is subject to approval of the school or college in which the course(s) is taught. 
• To request an exception to the degree requirement for instructional staff, please contact your department’s HR Manager with a copy of the candidate’s resume along with a justification for why the candidate is highly qualified. 
• More information can be found on UW’s Policy UW-1010 – Minimum Qualifications for Instructional Staff. 

• The university has a set of parameters to consider when determining an offer amount in the Salary Administration Guideline (page 11).  
• You can also seek guidance from the School of Education’s Recruiter to determine an offer range for a position. 

A hiring bonus can be used with certain recruitments. Please refer to the School of Education hiring bonus program for more information.  

A referral bonus can be used with certain recruitments. Please refer to the School of Educaton Referral Bonus Program for more information. 

• Yes, employees can be hired short term, both University Staff and Academic staff. You should reach out to your HR Manager to ensure that the candidate you have in mind is eligible for a waiver and/or short-term hire. 

• Limited Term Employee: give the campus the ability to hire short-term employees to carry out sporadic work 

• • LTE Appointments will only be utilized for the following two types of functions: 

• • • Irregular Functions- Functions are needed during “peak” demand, have a defined beginning and end point, are utilized for internships, provide employment for individuals in special needs programs or cover for vacancies during recruitment/employee absence. 
    • Seasonal Functions – Functions are time limited (e.g., growing season) and are recurring. 

• • Wages for LTE Appointments will be at or Above the Living Wage 

• Waivers: a recruitment can be bypassed for specific reasons to hire someone on a waiver, generally in a terminal position  

• Visas and international hires are processed through IFSS, who can be contacted at ifss@wisc.edu. 
• When recruiting for an H1-B: 

• • The job must meet the federal definition of a specialty occupation.  
  • A bachelor’s degree is the minimum required education for all H-1B positions.  

• More Information can be found at here or contact your HR Manager with additional questions. 

• An employee can start as soon as feasible for the department to complete onboarding functions for a new hire, including but not limited to: 

• • Criminal Background Check 
  • I-9 

• • Parking 
  • Relocation  
  • Processing offer and hire in HR systems 

• If you put a start date in JEMS PVL, but the person can start earlier, email your HR Manager to request the start date be changed in PVL to process the hire 

• UW Madison offers a robust benefits package to eligible employees: 

• • Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance (including Health Savings Account or Flexible Spending Accounts) 
  • Life Insurance 
  • Wisconsin Retirement System and other supplemental retirement options 
  • Generous paid leave, including Vacation, Sick, Personal Holiday, Legal Holiday, and more.  
  • Professional Development opportunities, including university provided courses, conferences, and career counseling 
  • Other perks, including discounted health membership rates, access to the UW libraries, discounted bus pass, etc.  

• Other options to consider for flexibility for candidates include options for remote and hybrid work schedule work, if appropriate for their position