DoIT Internal Operations - Supporting a Recruitment
This document explains how Departmental Assistants (DAs) within the DoIT Internal Operations Team support the search and screen process. Click on each title to expand the section and learn more about our standard operating procedures.
Preparing for Search and Screen
The assigned Departmental Assistant will receive email notifications from DoIT HR regarding the recruitment. The emails will include:
- Position Title
- Job #
- Hiring Manager
- Departmental Assistant
- Recruitment Coordinator
- Search and Screen Members
And prompt you to schedule a Kick-off Meeting, along with a Review Meeting.
Schedule Kick-off Meeting (20 minutes)
- Ask the Hiring Manager and Search and Screen Members to grant you View Titles access to their Outlook calendar.
- Invite the Recruitment Coordinator, Hiring Manager, and Search and Screen Members to the meeting.
- Follow directions in the email and add the date of the Kick-off Meeting to Cherwell.
Schedule Mid-point and Review Meetings (20 minutes)
- Invite the Recruitment Coordinator, Hiring Manager, and Search and Screen Members to the meetings.
- Follow directions in the email and add the date of the Mid-point and Review Meeting to Cherwell.
Attend Kick-off Meeting (30 minutes)
- During the meeting, take note of:
- Number of interview rounds
- Planned timeline and schedule
- Interview length per person
- Interview format
- Ask questions of HR, the Hiring Manager, and the Search & Screen Members as needed.
- Add important dates and planning steps to your work calendar.
After Kick-off Meeting (1 hour)
- Schedule calendar holds and invite Search & Screen Members based on planned interview rounds.
- Prepare a candidate spreadsheet for interview planning, scheduling, and tracking.
- Save the spreadsheet in the shared HR/Position Box folder so you, the Hiring Manager, and the Search & Screen Members can access it as needed.
Attend Mid-point Meeting
After Mid-point Meeting (30 minutes)
- Check, add, and/or update calendar holds for planned interview rounds based on updates or information shared.
- Update candidate spreadsheet as needed.
Based on applications received, a scenario or case study screening step may be added before interviews. If so, complete these additional steps.
Scenario or Case Study (1 hour)
- Confirm dates associated with this part of the application process.
- Add important dates to your work calendar.
- Confirm where and to whom the scenario or case study should be submitted.
- Prepare email templates to be sent to candidates.
- Email 1: Notifies candidates they are invited to participate in scenario or case study screening step.
- Email 2: Provides candidates with the scenario or case study and due date for submitting response.
- Ask Hiring Manager to review templates and provide updates.
- Update email templates as needed.
- Save email templates in the shared HR/Position Box folder so you, the Hiring Manager, and the Search & Screen Members can access it as needed.
Attend Review Meeting
Preparing for Round One Interviews
After Review Meeting (1 hour)
- Receive email from DoIT HR with the list of candidates invited to participate in the next step of the application process.
- Update candidate spreadsheet as needed.
- Prepare email communication using provided template.
- Send email to candidates on provided list.
Helpful Tip
- Put all candidate email addresses in bcc line of Round 1 Offer Email, so you can send one message to all candidates at the same time.
- By using the bcc line, the candidates will not be able to see that the message was sent to others.
- And when they reply, they will only be able to respond to you.
Monitor Email Inbox (30 minutes - 1 hour)
- Monitor your email inbox for replies from candidates.
- Update candidate spreadsheet based on individual replies, coordination across the interview schedule, and preferred interview times.
Communicate Round One Interviews (30 minutes)
- Prepare round one email to include:
- Scheduled date and interview time
- Interview format
- Names of Search & Screen Members
- Link to Zoom meeting
- Send individual email to each candidate confirming their scheduled interview date and time.
Helpful Tips
- Forward and update the first email sent to each additional candidate.
- This will save you a considerable amount time and it will keep all messages sent and any replies received in the same email string.
- Be sure to update:
- Subject line – remove FW:
- Delete email signature and message information at the top of the forward.
- Delete and replace the interview date and time.
- Email DoIT HR (cc hiring manager) if a candidate does not respond or chooses not to schedule an interview. DoIT HR will update their record accordingly and communicate with the candidate letting them know they are no longer being considered for the position.
Update Round One Calendar Holds (30 minutes)
- Update calendar holds based on scheduled interviews.
- Remove HOLD from title.
- Add candidate number(s) being interviewed to title.
- Add Zoom link to hiring manager’s personal Zoom meeting room to event information.
- Copy and paste cells from planning spreadsheet that include candidate number(s) and interview time(s).
After Round One Interviews (15 minutes)
- Forward thank you emails received from candidates to the Hiring Manager. Do not respond to the candidate.
- You may be asked to schedule a candidate review meeting for Search & Screen Members.
- During this meeting they will decide which candidates move on to Round Two Interviews.
Preparing for Round Two Interviews
After Round One Interviews (30 minutes)
- You will receive information from the Search and Screen Members regarding next steps.
- If round two interviews are being planned, follow the same steps as round one:
- Schedule or update round two calendar holds as needed.
- Update candidate spreadsheet as needed.
- Prepare email communication.
- Send email to candidates on provided list.
- Monitor your email inbox for replies from candidates.
- Update candidate spreadsheet based on individual replies, coordination across the interview schedule, and preferred interview times.
- Prepare round two email to include:
- Scheduled date and interview time
- Interview format
- Names of Search & Screen Members
- Link to Zoom meeting
- Send individual email to each candidate confirming their scheduled interview date and time.
Helpful Tip
- Email DoIT HR (cc hiring manager) if a candidate does not respond or chooses not to schedule an interview. DoIT HR will update their record accordingly and communicate with the candidate letting them know they are no longer being considered for the position.
Update Round Two Calendar Holds (30 minutes)
- Update calendar holds based on scheduled interviews.
- Remove HOLD from title.
- Add candidate number(s) being interviewed to title.
- Add Zoom link to hiring manager’s personal Zoom meeting room to event information.
- Copy and paste cells from planning spreadsheet that include candidate number(s) and interview time(s).
After Round Two Interviews (15 minutes)
- Forward thank you emails received from candidates to the Hiring Manager. Do not respond to the candidate.
- You may be asked to schedule a final candidate review meeting for Search & Screen Members.
- During this meeting they will decide which candidate they plan to offer the position to.
- The Hiring Manager will communicate their decision to DoIT HR.
Director-level Search and Screens
Interview Length
- Director-level interviews include interview time with Search and Screen Members, as well as presentation time with a broader public audience.
- A unique Zoom meeting and link will be created for each finalist.
- And the presentation topic will likely be shared with each finalist a set amount of time in advance of their scheduled date and time.
Finalist Public Website
- Departmental Assistants (DAs) will work with DoIT Communications to prepare a finalist pubic website.
- This is done before the Finalist Interviews.
- DoIT Communications will create a survey which includes a list of standard interview questions.
- If the Search and Screen Chairperson has additional questions, they will be provided to the DA, so they can be provided to DoIT Communications.
- The Search and Screen Chairperson will also be added to the survey as a Collaborator, so they can access and share the results with the Search and Screen Members.
- Each finalist's presentation will be added to the public website.
- To do this, presentations will be sent by DoIT Communications to an outside vendor for review and preparation.
- In general, a five business day lead time is needed.
Information Required to Build Public Website
NOTE: DoIT Communications can begin building the Finalist Public Website when they have the first six items.
- A description of the relevant department or unit
- This may be available here: https://it.wisc.edu/about/division-of-information-technology/
- May be easier to get from the position description
- A PDF of or a link to the position description
- Such as a link to the relevant entry in the Standard Job Description Library
- The date each candidate's name can be made public
- With input from Search and Screen Chairperson and/or the hiring manager
- The name, title, and affiliation (school/division/department/unit or company name) of each candidate
- A DoIT HR redacted PDF of each finalist’s resume
- The time, date, and location of each finalist’s presentation
- If virtual or hybrid, provide the meeting link, ID, pass-code, etc.)
- A deadline date for leaving feedback.
- Ask the Search and Screen Chairperson or the hiring manager for input
- Deadlines will be noted as the end of the business on the listed date
- Example: The deadline for feedback is end-of-business on September 30.
- Link to survey and feedback form
- Presentation topic and presentation
- DAs will save presentations in a shared Box folder, so that DoIT Communications can access them
- DoIT Communications will add links to presentation recordings.
- Closed-captioning and transcription are required. However they can be posted as “captions pending” with or without uncorrected auto-captions
- The date DoIT Communications should remove the finalist’s information or make videos uploaded to Kaltura private
- Affected information includes names and other personal information, resumes and presentation recordings
- It is customary for information to be removed at the survey deadline
- Video recordings of finalist presentations are typically published internally
- Submit news & feedback for the DoIT Connection newsletter: https://doitnet.doit.wisc.edu/feedback-on-connection/