Fayetteville Policies and Procedures  401.0 

Advertising of University Positions

In order to provide the strongest possible pool of qualified candidates, and consistent with principles of equal employment opportunity and the University’s Affirmative Action plan, as a general rule, academic departments and administrative units at the University of Arkansas must advertise vacancies and conduct a search for all appointed faculty or staff positions unless the appointment is for one year or less. The hiring department should adhere to the following requirements in advertising university positions.

Hiring Request Approval

Prior to beginning the process of advertising a vacant position, a Hiring Request Form must be approved. For guidance in completing and submitting the form, please see the Online Hiring Request Form Guidelines on the Provost’s website at http://provost.uark.edu.

Advertising Requirements for Classified and Non-Classified Staff Positions

Human Resources manages the recruitment process for staff positions. Classified and non-classified staff vacancies must be advertised on the University’s Career Site for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days before applicants may be recommended for on-campus interviews. When a staff vacancy is filled through promotion, demotion or transfer of a currently appointed employee who works in the same office or department, the position made vacant by the promotion, demotion or transfer should be advertised. If a position has been advertised and filled within 90 days, departments may ask Human Resources for authorization to use the same applicant pool to fill an identical position instead of re-advertising.

Advertisements for staff positions should generally not remain on the University’s Career Site for more than 90 days. If a hiring department has not identified a suitable candidate for the position within 90 days, in most circumstances the listing should be removed from the web, edited and relisted.

Human Resources maintains a checklist and instructions for the staff recruitment process on its website at http://hr.uark.edu/.

Advertising Requirements for Faculty Positions

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance manages the recruitment process for faculty positions. All tenured and tenure track faculty positions must be advertised for a minimum of thirty (30) calendar days before candidates may be recommended for on-campus interviews. Visiting and clinical faculty as well as instructors and lecturers generally must be advertised for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance maintains a Recruitment Manual with detailed instructions for advertising positions on its website at http://oeoc.uark.edu. It also provides, on the same site, a checklist for faculty recruitment as well as a list of recruitment resources.

Recruitment Plan and Advertising Requirements

A recruitment plan is required for all searches for appointed faculty and staff position openings. With the exception of certain position job listing services licensed for the campus as a whole, all advertising is the responsibility of the hiring department.

Campus policies on proactive and diverse recruiting(1) require that departments and campus units identify at least three (3) additional recruitment activities within their respective discipline or field that target diverse populations. Utilizing low/no cost activities such as email listservs, professional contacts and organizations is recommended.

In accordance with federal/state regulations and University policy, all electronic position announcements must contain one of the combined affirmative action/equal opportunity, "legal authority to work" and freedom of information act statements. All printed position announcements must contain (at a minimum) an abbreviated affirmative action/equal opportunity statement. The most updated versions of the statements can be found on the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance website: http://oeoc.uark.edu.

Background Check Advertising Requirements

All positions subject to a background check or substance abuse testing will require the appropriate notification language in the listing and in all advertising in accordance with the campus background checks policy(2). The suggested language is included in the next paragraph. [NOTE: Bracketed information may be included or omitted depending on the check(s) to be conducted for the position.]

This position is subject to a pre-employment [criminal] background, [sex offender registry] check, [drug screening], and [financial history] background check. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Human Resources is the point of contact for the Background Checks and Substance Abuse Testing Policy. The policy is located on the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration’s website: https://vcfa.uark.edu.

Advertising Recommendations for Extra-help Hourly Staff Positions

Hiring departments are encouraged to support equal opportunity and advertise extra-help hourly employment opportunities on the University’s Career Site by creating an automated listing through PeopleAdmin.

Special Circumstances

Any modification of the procedures outlined above, in the best interests of the University and consistent with the underlying purposes of this policy, requires the advance written approval of senior university officials, OEOC and, as appropriate, Human Resources.

(1) The Policy on Pro-active Diverse Recruiting (Academic Policy Series 1405.16G) and Diverse Recruiting (Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 204.1).
(2) Background Checks and Substance Abuse Testing Policy (Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 402.1).

Reformatted for Web, November 11, 2014
Revised October 24, 2014
Revised March 20, 2012
Revised June 2, 2011
August 23, 2006
June 17, 1991
January 18, 1979