HR, the Vice President, the hiring manager, and Finance will work together to determine the appropriate wage rate to offer, based on the applicant’s qualifications and relevant experience. This determination is done after conducting a review of similar positions in the department/division and other employees in the same pay grade across the college. Consideration is given to the candidate’s relevant work experience, internal equity, and the salary budget for the position.
To ensure that individuals who join St. Olaf are highly qualified and have a strong potential to be productive and successful, it is the policy of the college to check the employment references of all future hires. Reference checks can shed invaluable light on past—and likely future—behavior; therefore, it is important to do a complete and thorough check.
The hiring manager must always secure permission from the candidate before contacting their references. Candidates are required to provide the names, titles, and contact information for a minimum of 3 professional references, with at least 2 of them having supervised the candidate’s work. The more supervisor references obtained the better.
Utilize the Reference Check Form when talking with a candidate’s references.
Due diligence will be necessary in following up on any questionable areas references may indicate.
If you receive a less than satisfactory reference on a potential new hire, probe the reference for more information. Contact HR to discuss.
If the reference is unwilling to provide information, even as an off-the-record personal reference, this is a red flag. At times, the reference check can be as much about what wasn’t said as what was said.
Once the offer is approved and compensation is determined, HR gives the hiring manager the go ahead to extend a verbal offer. An offer may be extended while reference checks are still in progress. The hiring manager extends the verbal offer of employment and informs the candidate that the offer is contingent upon satisfactory results from background and reference checks, (and position specific, potentially a pre-employment physical or credit check).
Background screening
ALL positions require a background screening. HR will order the screening, and candidates will receive an email directly from OrangeTree, St. Olaf’s background check vendor. The length of time the check takes to complete varies as it is dependent upon where the candidate has lived during the past 7 years. Some states/counties are slow to report results, and international countries take up to 4 weeks to finalize.
A motor vehicle report (MVR) is required for those who may potentially operate college vehicles or drive for their job.
In addition to the regular background check, finger printing and/or a Kari Koskinen check is required for anyone with a master key.
Once screening is complete, HR will inform the hiring manager.
Start date
Determine the start date. Candidate should NOT give notice until after all contingencies have been completed.
Offer letter
HR will send an offer letter via email to the prospective new hire, which will confirm salary information, start date, benefits orientation and new hire paperwork schedule, and, if appropriate, relocation reimbursement information. The hiring manager will receive an electronic copy.
The candidate will need to accept the position by replying–all to the official offer letter email in a timely fashion.
Notify candidates not selected
After the candidate has officially accepted the offer letter email and the background, references, and other contingencies have been successfully completed, the hiring manager needs to promptly notify the candidates who were not selected for the position.
Offer NO FEEDBACK to any candidate, including internal candidates. If asked by an applicant for feedback on their application or interview, please state the following:
Thank you for the time you invested in your application. Unfortunately, we are constrained by College policy from offering specific feedback on applications. We appreciate your interest in employment opportunities with St. Olaf College.
The hiring manager contacts all interviewed candidates who were not selected, to notify them that the position was filled and to thank them for their interest in St. Olaf. For strong candidates, current employees, and alum who have interviewed, it may be best to call them versus sending an email that another candidate was selected. See Applicant Communication Templates document for email templates.
Move candidates through the workflow in PageUp. The hiring manager releases all candidates not interviewed via PageUp, and they will receive an auto generated email that the position was filled.
Candidates (grade G and higher, head coaches, and executives) may potentially be able to have a portion of their moving expenses reimbursed. For information on relocation reimbursement, please review St. Olaf College Moving Expense Reimbursement Policy. This policy is subject to change.