The University of Texas System Administration is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws, unless such distinction is required by law. Reasonable disability accommodation may be requested by contacting the Office of Talent and Innovation (OTI).
Recruiting, hiring and onboarding practices help reduce turnover and ensure UT System Administration has the right talent in place to help meet its initiatives in a productive and effective way. The following information will guide you through these important processes to help you find, hire and retain the right employees for UT System Administration.
Talent Intake
The Office of Talent & Innovation wants to partner with you upfront to better understand your needs and help create a plan that will ensure you attract the right candidates in the desired timeframe. Prior to submitting your request to recruit for a position, it is highly encouraged for hiring managers to contact their respective HR Business Partner for a quick talent intake discussion. The talent intake is designed to help managers define and determine the type of position or candidate needed to meet the desired objectives. The HR Business Partner will also help you define what type of request you will need to pursue prior to posting.
Posting an Open Position
Prior to having a posting created, you will need to determine whether to request a new position, a recruit-to-fill or a reclassification.
- New Position - A new position is one that does not currently exist on the department roster or vacancy list. Typically, will need to develop a new job description to be reviewed and classified by OTI.
- Recruit to Fill - A recruit-to-fill (R/F) is an existing position that was previously created, budgeted and approved. The recruit-to-fill usually replaces an incumbent who vacates a position. Recruit-to-fills have no significant change to previously approved job description or classification.
- Reclassification - A reclassification occurs when there is significant change to an existing position. If you intend to change the job description significantly (purpose, essential functions, salary structure or overall classification), a reclassification must occur prior to posting the position. Reclassifications can occur with or without an incumbent occupying the position.
Once you have defined the type of request, you will need to work with your department HR Liaison to initiate the appropriate eForm. Please refer to the Recruiting, Hire, and Transfer Checklist for salaried positions. The checklist outlines the entire process and includes timelines and links to relevant job aids.
All UT System Administration job postings must be open for a minimum of five business days unless an exception has been granted by the Chancellor. Managers and selection committee members will review the applicant pool to determine when they are ready to close a posting. If you have a desired applicant pool, please request for your job posting to be closed by sending an email to hrsp@utsystem.edu. Postings in PeopleSoft are automatically closed once a candidate has been selected for hire.
Review application materials
- Please refer to the Recruiting/Hiring category in our Job Aid Library for complete instructions on how to manage your applicant pool.
- To start reviewing applications for your posting, log into PeopleSoft (only those with the appropriate security access may review submitted applications for their department).
Interview and Selection
UT System prohibits discrimination and is committed to treating employees and applicants consistently and fairly. The hiring department is responsible for ensuring a consistent, equitable and fair process. To promote an inclusive and consistent interview and selection process, hiring departments are encouraged to create a diverse committee to assist them in the selection of the right candidate. Make sure all individuals involved in the interview process understand their roles and responsibilities. Feel free to contact your HR Business Partner for additional information and services on interviewing and selection. OTI is also available to participate on the interview panel.
- Please review the Interview Guide.
- Reference checks:
- OTI utilizes a third-party reference check vendor, SkillSurvey.
- Once you have identified your top candidates to interview, contact your HR Business Partner with the candidates’ names.
- Department HR Liaison should use communication template provided by OTI to notify candidates they will be prompted to provide references, while they work to set up interviews.
- Your HR Business Partners will meet with you to review the findings from the reference checks.
- Additional Reference Check Resources:
Extending an Offer
The hiring department will need to create the offer letter and only those with signature authority should sign the offer letter. Prior to sending the offer letter to the applicant, please have your HR Business Partner review it. Please use the offer letter templates below:
- Full Time
- Hourly (less than 20 hours/week)
- Hourly Temporary (more than 20 hours/week AND less than 135 days)
- Unpaid Intern
- Student Associate
Prior to setting a start date, please know:
- there needs to be at least two weeks from when the eForm is approved by the Department Head and the start date; and
- start dates should align with the OTI Orientation Schedule.
For information regarding relocation options, please contact your HR Business Partner.
Executive Search Firms
Executive search firms are used to recruit for high-level, highly specialized or hard-to-fill positions. The University of Texas System has entered into contracts with reputable executive search firms approved under a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. These contracts cover all UT System institutions so there is no need to repeat the RFP process to engage with one of these vendors.
Onboarding
This is when we welcome the selected finalist to UT System Administration! Once a finalist has been identified, there are a few steps the finalist will need to complete prior to beginning work. Please submit the New Appointment eForm to initiate the hiring process. This eForm also triggers OTI to contact the selected candidate and finalize the hiring process. For instructions, please refer to the New Appointment eForm Job Aid.
Who do I contact for assistance with the recruiting, hiring and onboarding process?
Human Resources will work as partners in the recruiting, hiring and onboarding process, but the hiring department is responsible for ensuring a successful outcome.
The different roles within Human Resources play an important piece of the entire recruiting, hiring and onboarding process. Please contact your HR Business Partner if you are unsure of who will be able to assist you. Below is a brief description of important roles in the recruiting, hiring and onboarding process.
HR Business Partner (HRBP). This role takes a consultative role working in HR. HRBPs have multiple departments within the UT System assigned to them, provide resources and build relationships with focusing on the missions and objectives set forth by the organization. Your HR Business Partner can assist you in understanding talent needs before they impact the department, help you create your position description and work with the compensation team to appropriately classify your position. More often than not, your HR Business Partner should be your first point of contact prior to recruiting, hiring and onboarding.
HR Service Partner (HRSP). The HRSP handles a variety of HR items including job postings, hires, benefits and general HR inquiries. The HRSP partners with HRBPs and other Subject Matter Experts within OTI to escalate inquiries or requests.
Compensation Manager. Helps provide support in the form of compensation policy development and enforcement. Reviews the job duties for all positions. Creates classification framework and pay grades. Understands position leveling, equity issues amongst positions that are performing similar duties and has the ability to share market information that can impact your position structure and classification.
HR Liaisons. Approximately 40 employees who have been designated by their department head to perform HR functions within the department. As partners of OTI, HR Liaisons play an important role from creating a welcoming environment for new hires to maintaining workplace unity while supporting employees and management. OTI supports the HR Liaisons by providing foundational and functional training through our quarterly HR Liaison meetings and day-to-day OTI support.
Records Retention
Please send all documentation collected during the hiring process such as interview notes and selection matrices to OTI. OTI retains documentation according to state records retention schedules. It is not necessary to send resumes or other application materials unless notes were added during the interview process.
