Final Selection
Once the Committee has selected the top candidate, the Hiring Proposal must be created in PeopleAdmin. First, the Search Committee Chair must update the status of the successful candidate in the "Applicants" tab to "Recommended". Only then will the "Create Hiring Proposal" button be available at the top right of the screen of that candidate's application. The Hiring Proposal can be completed by the Hiring Initiator (Department Administrator), the Search Committee Chair, or the HR Partner (Faculty Administrator).
Before filling out all of the information in the Hiring Proposal, additional information must be sought from referees. This may be done by telephone or video conference. Conducting a reference check is essentially the same as conducting an interview - ask planned questions and take careful and detailed notes.
Once the fields in the Hiring Proposal have been filled and the Search Committee Recommendation has been uploaded, the Hiring Proposal must receive approval from the Head/Chair/Director, and then the draft Offer Letter will be uploaded by the HR Partner (the draft Offer Letter is uploaded at the Department level in the Faculty of Medicine).
The Hiring Proposal will then be sent to the Head/Chair/Director, Dean, Academic Staff Relations, and the Provost and Vice-President Academic for approvals (and the Vice-President Research & Innovation for CRC positions). Once all of the required approvals have been received, the Hiring Proposal will be marked as "HR Partner to Extend Offer", and then the Dean can extend an informal offer of appointment, conditional on the approval of the Board.
In communicating with the top candidate, Deans should note that they cannot make an offer of appointment as that function falls exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Board. The Dean may make the conditional offer by phone, e-mail, or video conference, and this should be immediately followed by a letter confirming the terms of the conditional offer.
When the successful candidate accepts the position, the HR Partner must update the status of that applicant to "Offer Accepted" in PeopleAdmin. If the first-choice candidate declines, the status of that applicant should be updated to "Offer Declined", and please do the following:
- If the Search Committee recommendation and the Hiring Proposal included a second-ranked candidate to whom an offer would be made should the top candidate decline, please ensure that the references for that candidate have been checked (i.e. that the Search Committee chair or other search committee member has spoken with the referees).
- Once references have been checked, notify academic.staff.relations@dal.ca that the first-choice candidate has declined (please indicate the posting number (F###P) and the hiring proposal number (F###HP)), send the draft offer letter for the second candidate (this may be the same as the letter for the first candidate, just with the name/address updated), and confirmation that the reference checks have been completed.
- ASR will create a new hiring proposal for the next candidate, and you will receive a notification when this has been approved. (Note that this does not need to go through all of the original approvals, as this candidate was approved for potential appointment in the original hiring proposal.)
- If the Search Committee recommendation did not recommend any other candidate for appointment should the top candidate decline, please consult with your HR Advisor regarding the next steps.
Subsequent to receiving acceptance from the successful candidate, the other interviewed candidates should be contacted by phone or in writing thanking them for their interest and informing them that the position has been filled.
Important Note - Record Keeping:
It is important to keep accurate and detailed records of the entire selection process, including copies of job descriptions and advertisements. The written record will not only assist in evaluating the candidates but will serve as procedural documentation which will clarify and ease the work of future committees. It will also offer the department protection against charges of unfair hiring practices. Also, include documentation of outreach recruitment procedures and the success of the Committee in attracting designated group members. Questions about implications or applicability of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP) should be directed to the University Counsel.
Once a candidate has confirmed in writing that they would be prepared to accept the appointment outlined in the conditional offer letter, the following documents must be forwarded to Academic.Staff.Relations@dal.ca (please include Hiring Package in the subject line of the e-mail):
- candidate's CV;
- for DFA Members, a Y-value form completed and signed by the candidate and the Y-value calculation;
- conditional offer letter to the candidate and candidate's written reply;
- Dean's letter of recommendation to the President;
- completed Faculty Payroll and Information Form (FPIP) signed by the Dean (please include the posting number in the "Special Instructions" box in the FPIP).
Once the appointment is approved by the Board of Governors, the formal offer will be made to the candidate by a Letter of Appointment from the President and a contract letter from Academic Staff Relations.