Recruitment and Selection
Date Established: October 19, 2020
Date Last Updated: October 19, 2020
Purpose
To establish an orderly procedure for the recruitment and appointment of City employees. It is the intent of this policy to ensure that the appointment of competent individuals to City positions is based on the merit principle; that is, solely on the basis of job-related qualifications. The City’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy and Plan are an integral part of this chapter. Chapter 400 of the Iowa Code and the Policies and Procedures of the Ames Civil Service Commission shall govern examinations and appointments to Civil Service positions.
Policy Statement
Vacancies
A vacancy refers to an unfilled regular position that is authorized in the City’s budget. It shall be the responsibility of the department having the vacant position to notify the Human Resources Department that a vacancy exists and to begin the authorization process to fill the position. A Personnel Requisition Request shall be completed and sent to the Human Resources Department. Iowa Code Chapter 400 specifies the time within which Civil Service vacancies must be filled.
Anticipated Vacancies
Because of the importance of filling vacancies as quickly as possible, departments are encouraged to informally notify the Human Resources Department when a vacancy is anticipated. This will facilitate planning and expediting the recruitment. Under certain circumstances it is appropriate to submit a Personnel Requisition Request even when the exact date of the anticipated vacancy is not yet known. The reason for the vacancy should be noted on the requisition form.
Promotional and Open Job Classes
1. Policy Statement
It is the general policy of the City of Ames to apply the principles of competitive merit employment in the selection of employees for City positions. The Human Resources Director may designate any position in the City service as promotional, i.e., limited to one or more categories of current City of Ames employees.
2. Civil Service Positions
Iowa Code Chapter 400 states that vacancies in Civil Service promotional grades shall be filled by lateral transfer, voluntary demotion, or promotion of qualified City employees. In accordance with the intent of Iowa Code Chapter 400, the Human Resources Director shall determine which Civil Service job classifications are promotional or open in accordance with the City’s Civil Service Commission Policies and Procedures. In making such a determination, the Human Resources Director shall consider, among other relevant factors, whether service in a lower level of the promotional track can reasonably be expected to result in the acquisition of the knowledge, skill, and ability necessary to meet the minimum qualifications of the higher level promotional job class(es). A Civil Service promotional track is one which provides a logical avenue of progression from one or more Civil Service job classes to another.
The list of classes designated as Civil Service promotional shall be reviewed periodically by the Human Resources Director. The Human Resources Director shall also have the authority to make a permanent or temporary change in the status of a position prior to posting the notice of examination, based on the aforementioned criteria.
3. City employees are encouraged to compete for open positions for which they may qualify. Civil Service employees, regardless of their current salary level, who have completed their probationary period are eligible to apply for Civil Service promotional recruitments. Current City employees shall notify their current supervisor when they submit an application for another City position. Current City employees shall be released from duty with pay to participate in selection examinations for City positions. Off-duty employees will not be compensated.
Non-Civil Service Positions
Regular positions exempt from Civil Service will be filled on the basis of merit. When a non-Civil Service vacancy occurs, the Human Resources Director will determine whether the needs of the City will best be served by open recruitment or promotion. Department heads will consult the Human Resources Department regarding recruitment and selection procedures, and affirmative action compliance. City employees are encouraged to compete for non-Civil Service positions for which they may qualify. Current City employees shall notify their current supervisor when they submit an application for another City position.
Reasonable Accommodations
The Human Resources Department will establish procedures through which candidates for vacancies may inform examiners of a disability or make requests for accommodations in the testing process. These procedures shall apply for both internal and external candidates for City jobs. A separate policy applies to any accommodation requested for current employees to conduct their work activities once employed.
Minimum Qualifications
The minimum qualifications are established by the Human Resources Director, usually after consultation with other management personnel or others having expertise in the field covered by the job. Minimum qualifications may be revised at any time, but will not be changed during an announced recruitment period (from posting until deadline).
The minimum qualifications will be stated on the recruitment announcement. Based on the nature of the position, the required qualifications, the anticipated size of the applicant pool, the City’s immediate hiring needs, the City’s experiences with prior recruitment efforts for the same or similar positions, and any other factors that the Human Resources Director considers relevant, the announcement may include a statement such as, “the Human Resources Director may require additional or preliminary review steps to narrow the pool of qualified applicants. In addition, preference may be given to applicants possessing qualifications above the minimum.” In such cases, the Human Resources Director may implement such additional or preliminary review steps to narrow the pool of qualified applicants, and the number of persons advancing through the various stages may be limited based on qualifications above the minimum, or possession of special qualifications. For purposes of this section, the Human Resources Director shall have the discretion to determine what constitutes a large number of expected applicants relative to a particular position.
An applicant must meet the minimum required qualifications in order to be considered. The Human Resources Director shall have the discretion to extend or phase application due dates for a particular position and to extend the time limit for an applicant to meet the qualification requirements. However, all qualifications must be met prior to the Commission’s certifying the eligibility list. Each application will be reviewed by a professional staff member of the Human Resources Department. In the case of technical qualifications, the operating department may be consulted. However, the Human Resources Department will make the final determination as to whether an applicant meets minimum qualifications. Notification of eligibility to take the examination will be sent to the applicant by the Human Resources Department.
Appointment
The appointing authority or designee shall consider the qualifications of those on the eligibility list, as well as applicants for demotion or transfer.
Consideration in appointments shall be given to promoting diversity and veteran employment. During the recruitment planning process, the Human Resources Department representative assigned to the recruitment will consult with the Affirmative Action Officer to review whether underutilization has been identified for that particular job class. The recruiter and hiring manager will plan the recruitment to improve utilization (e.g., recruitment strategy).
The department head shall obtain the approval of the City Manager prior to making an offer of appointment to a position deemed by the City Manager to be critical in terms of visibility and/or policy responsibility. All appointments shall be conditioned upon ability to perform essential functions of the position, subject to the City’s ADA policy.
Prior to making an offer of appointment to a current City employee for promotion, transfer, or demotion, the department head shall conduct a reference check with the employee’s current supervisor, and shall review the employee’s personnel file and recent performance appraisals.
A person accepting appointment shall report as directed on or before the appointment date. If the applicant indicates acceptance of the appointment and reports for duty on the appointment date, the applicant shall be deemed to be appointed. Should the applicant fail to report, it shall be assumed that the appointment is declined, unless the applicant presents acceptable reasons for the action to the department head within 24 hours.
Conditional Appointment
When the needs of the City are such that it is necessary to appoint an individual to a position prior to a scheduled meeting of the Civil Service Commission, the appointing authority may make a conditional appointment. In such cases the candidates considered shall be those who have successfully completed the examination and have been recommended for certification.
Temporary Appointment
Whenever there is a need for a short-term or seasonal employee, or in the absence of a preferred list or certified eligible list, or when necessary to prevent the stoppage of public business, the appointing power may make a temporary appointment of an applicant until the services of the casual short-term employee are no longer required or until a list of eligible candidates can be certified. All temporary employment shall be considered at-will. Except where provided by statute, temporary employees shall not be given, nor shall they be led to believe they will be given, preference for any regular employment.
In the case of Civil Service positions, a temporary appointment made in the absence of a preferred or certified eligible list shall be limited to 90 days for any one person in the same vacancy, but such limitation shall not apply to any person temporarily acting in a position regularly held by another.
Contact Information
Human Resources Department
hr@cityofames.org
515-239-5199