Pro Staff Hiring Toolkit

Resources for hiring professional staff at the UW

This toolkit was created in an effort to enhance the ability of departments to recruit, hire, and onboard new professional staff.

Below is a collection of general guidance, tips and tricks, best practices, timelines, and templates designed to help UW teams and hiring managers effectively hire for professional staff positions.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

In addition to the tools and information on this page, here are some general resources from around the University that may help in your hiring efforts:

Hiring Professional Staff (UW Human Resources)
Inclusive Hiring at UW (UW Human Resources)
- UW Staff Diversity Hiring Toolkit (UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity)
Working at UW Student Life
Addressing Unconscious Bias in the Workplace

Hiring process

The hiring process can take a few months from start to finish. Below is an overview of each step of the process.

Hiring process overview

UWHR: Professional staff hiring resources

Building a job description

Public-facing job descriptions can and should look much different than the Professional Staff Position Description form that the UW Compensation office requires. They should be shorter, include active language, and serve as more of an advertisement for the general scope of the position rather than an all-encompassing task list.

Job description template

Sample job description 1

Sample job description 2

Application/resume review process and tips

Having a sound and documented methodology for reviewing candidates is crucial. Below are some tips and guidance, as well as some sample scoring rubrics.

Application/resume review

Sample scoring rubrics

Communicating with candidates

Below are email templates for communicating with candidates at each step of the process. These are intended to offer guidance and sample language while leaving room for flexibility so that they can be adapted to fit the hiring managers’ style of communication.

Communications with candidates: Key considerations

Template 1:1 – Top group – initial screening to manage salary expectations
Template 1:2 – Offer extended for phone/Zoom/Skype screening interviews
Template 1:3 – Candidates not moving forward

Template 2:1 – Invitation for in person interviews
Template 2:2 – Follow up interview schedule details and expectations
Template 2:3 – Follow up in-person interview rejection