Recruit & Hire Employees

When is a search exception appropriate?

Neither a formal search nor a search waiver is required in the following circumstances:

• Student employment classifications
• Post-doctoral appointments that are no longer than five years
• Short-term appointments that are six months or less
• Appointments of 50% obligation or less, regardless of duration
• Internal promotion or transfer of filled positions
   

Search Exception Process  

To fill an existing position or create a new position, the hiring manager must:

• Develop a Job Description for the position  
• Ask the candidate to complete an Employment Application and, if applicable, a Disclosure of Criminal History
• Issue the candidate an Offer Letter

Once a candidate has accepted the offer, the supervisor should prepare an Appointment Form and send it to the prospective employee. The prospective employee should complete the Employee Information section and sign it.  

Completed documents should be sent to [email protected].

Additionally, all new employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional new hire forms.

When is a formal search required?

A competitive recruitment process, referred to as a formal search, is the standard procedure for filling all vacant positions — unless the nature of the appointment meets a prescribed search exception or qualifies for search waiver.
 

Formal Search Process

If a formal search is required, please visit the Search Process page for instructions. 

When is a search waiver appropriate?  

A search waiver may be considered only under specific, well-justified conditions, including but not limited to:

• Emergency or Interim Appointments: When an urgent need arises to fill a position temporarily and/or to ensure continuity of operations. Generally, positions filled in this manner shall also commence a formal search without undue delay.
• Grant-funded or Named Positions: When a specific individual is named in a grant or external funding agreement as a condition of the award.
• Reorganization or Reclassification: When internal restructuring results in a reassignment of duties that justifies a direct appointment.
• Unique Qualifications or Credentials: A situation where an individual possesses rare or specialized expertise that is critical to a program, initiative or institutional priority, and a competitive search is unlikely to yield comparable candidates.
• Strategic Appointment for New Initiatives: A direct hire made to support the launch or expansion of a new academic or administrative initiative requiring specific expertise or leadership.
   

Search Waiver Process

If a search waiver is appropriate, please follow these instructions:

Step 1: Request a search waiver

To fill an existing position or create a new position, the hiring manager must request authorization by submitting a Search Waiver Request.

The form will request the following:  

• The hiring unit's division, department name and Research Foundation Account Number
• The position, including the Budget Title and an upload of the Job Description
• The selected applicant, including their resume or CV
• The rationale for bypassing a search
• The rationale for choosing the selected applicant
• Term of waiver request

Step 2: Obtain approval to make an offer

Search waiver requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and approval is not guaranteed. Approval is only granted when the request meets the established criteria and demonstrates a compelling institutional interest.

An offer of employment may not be extended until after RFHR approval is received. The hiring manager will be notified via email when a decision has been made.

Once the offer is made and accepted, the supervisor is responsible for initiating the following forms:  

• Appointment Form
• Employment Application
• Disclosure of Criminal History, if applicable

New employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional required forms.

Job descriptions are required for all positions. The percentage of time attributed to each essential function must be completed.    

Please use the Job Description Template to create job descriptions. For additional guidance, please visit the Classification & Compensation page.

All employees must complete an Employment Application:  

• Employees working in New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Westchester or Suffolk County must complete a Location-specific Employment Application.
• All other employees must complete a General Employment Application.  

By completing and signing the application, the applicant gives you permission to check references and obtain information from previous employers. 

Completed documents should be sent to [email protected].

If you have any concerns after reviewing employees’ applications, please email [email protected].

Applicants for employment in Buffalo, Rochester, Westchester, Suffolk County and New York City are required to complete a Disclosure of Criminal History only after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.

Completed documents should be sent to [email protected].

All public and private employers in New York State are prohibited from using an employee or applicant’s salary history in hiring decisions to determine what compensation to offer. Learn more about the state-wide salary history ban.  

Additionally, Albany County bars employers from asking about an applicant’s salary history, or seeking it from a current or former employer, before an offer of employment is made. The county ban prohibits:    

• Screening of job applicants based on their current wages and benefits or other compensation or salary history
• Requiring an applicant's prior wages satisfy minimum or maximum criteria  
• Requesting an applicant's prior wages or salary history or requiring an applicant to provide that information as a condition of being interviewed or considered for employment  

New York State employers with four or more employees must include a salary or salary range in their job postings for all jobs to be performed, at least in part, in the state of New York.  

The job posting must advertise the salary or salary range the employer believes, in good faith, to be true at the time of posting and should give the prospective applicant a legitimate idea of the expected pay.  

Visit the New York State Department of Labor’s Pay Transparency webpage for more information.  

You must check an applicant’s references and credentials before they are hired. Review the Reference Check Guide.

When a professional license or certificate is required for a position, the applicant must provide the original document, including the license number and expiration date. You must verify the document’s authenticity before the applicant is allowed to perform services as an employee. 

All communication with applicants (including verbal and written offers of employment) must be consistent with funding and sponsor rules, Research Foundation (RF) policy and procedure, and other legal requirements.    

When offers of employment are made, applicants must be notified of the following:  

• RF employment is subject to the availability of funds and program needs.
• There is no expressed or implied guarantee of employment retention.
• An offer of RF employment is contingent on the applicant providing documentation that establishes proof of identity and their eligibility to work in the United States.  

All offer letters must be prepared on RF letterhead, forwarded to Research Foundation Human Resources and retained in the employee's personnel file. Please use the Offer Letter Template.

The new hire’s supervisor should initiate an Employee Appointment Form.  

Note: If the employee has been off the RF payroll for less than four months and they are being reactivated into the same job with the same job description, please complete a Change Form instead.  

Once the supervisor has completed their portions of the form, please give the form to the new employee for completion. New hires should also complete the required forms listed on the On-boarding page.

Completed documents should be sent to [email protected].