Recruitment Toolkit

The Careers@USF/GEMS online system is the official applicant tracking system the University uses for creation of job postings, recruitment and hiring. Careers@USF is an integral part of the hiring process and must be used for all University recruitment and hiring. To comply with federal requirements, all individuals considered for University employment must apply through Careers@USF, as the system creates a record of the reasons for selection or non- selection of applicants and documents the full search and selection process.

You can request access to the system based on the role you have in the recruiting and hiring process. For information on requesting access to Careers@USF, please click here.

Required Training:  Based on the role you have in the recruiting and hiring process, you will be required to complete specific training modules before you can gain access to Careers@USF. For a brief overview of the roles in Careers@USF and the training modules required for each role, please click here.

• Tampa Campus
  • CHR Recruiting
  • Classification and Compensation
  • RightStart
  • Background Check
• Branch Campuses
  • Sarasota-Manatee
  • St. Petersburg
• USF Health
  • Recruiting
  • Classification and Compensation
  • RightStart

• Ensure the current position description accurately reflects the current duties/responsibilities and aligns with other positions in the work unit. If you need to update the position description or create a new position, submit it through GEMS. If you have any questions, contact CHR Classification/Compensation, Branch Campuses HR located in St. Petersburg and Sarasota, or USF Health for assistance. If this is a temporary role, please contact CHR Classification & Compensation.
  
  
• If you are recruiting for an Assistant Vice President and above, Dean and above, or Head Coach position, contact the HR Recruiting Team.
  
  
• If an executive search firm will be used, contact the Office of General Counsel to ensure required elements are included in the contract.
  
  
• Ensure the identified background check level is accurate on the position description.
  
  
• If you are considering internal employees, review the Temporary to Regular Appointment Status Change and Internal Promotion procedures.
  
  
• If using a search committee, please review the search committee requirements.
  
  
• If the position qualifies for a category one (1) targeted recruitment, complete the corresponding request form and supporting documents and submit to Central Human Resources. If category two (2) targeted recruitment, no form is required but you will need to indicate reason.
  
  
• Determine your budgeted hiring salary range.
  
  
• If the established hiring salary range needs review, contact CHR Classification/Compensation,  Branch Campus HR or USF Health for assistance.
  
  
• Determine who should participate in the recruitment process.
  
  
• Ensure each potential participant has completed the required CHR Recruitment Training.
  
  
• Develop behavior-based interview questions and ensure no illegal/inappropriate questions have been included.
  
  
• Consider if any testing is appropriate for the selection process and consult with the HR Recruiting Team.

• Tampa Campus- Identify your Recruitment needs to determine what type of Active Recruiting services will be needed for Staff and Administrative Positions.
  • Premiere Active Recruiting Services
  • Basic Active Recruiting Services
• Branch Campuses HR located in St. Petersburg and Sarasota, or USF Health contact your Human Resources contact for assistance to begin recruiting.
• Determine the posting duration. All jobs must be posted for a minimum of seven days.
  
  
• Gather the required information to complete the job posting:
  • Department name/number
  • Position number
  • Job code
  • Recruiting location
  • Job posting title
    
    
• Please note: All temporary recruitments must align with existing University classifications.
  
  
• Submit the job opening to CHR, Branch Campus HR or USF Health for review and approval.
  
  
• If you are interested in posting the job on an external site, please contact the HR Recruiting Team.

• Ensure the Equal Opportunity Liaison reviews the applicant pool and confirm if a diverse applicant pool was achieved. If not, consider expanding the recruitment sources and/or extending the job posting.
  
  
• Qualify the Applicant Pool – review each applicant’s submission based upon the advertised minimum and preferred qualifications. Ensure each applicant is properly dispositioned by using the Manage Applicant Guide.
  
  
• If this recruitment is for a staff level position, review the Veterans’ Preference Procedure and ensure each eligible Veteran who meets the minimum, advertised qualifications is interviewed.
  
  
• If this recruitment is for a research position, review the Foriegn Influence Screening process.
  
  
• Determine which applicants you would like to interview.
  
  
• If a Search Committee is being used, ensure the meeting dates are posted on the USF calendar.

• Determine the applicant(s) you would like to pursue for hire.
  
  
• If the applicant is a current or former USF employee, contact hr-records@usf.edu (Tampa) or Branch Campus HR to schedule an appointment to review the applicant’s official personnel file.
  
  
• Complete the education verification to ensure the applicant meets the posted minimum education qualification.
  
  
• Complete as many employment verifications needed to confirm the applicant meets the posted minimum experience requirement.
  
  
• Obtain the required reference checks – one of which must be the applicant’s current or most recent supervisor.
  
  
• Upload the education verification, employment verification(s), and reference checks into the GEMS Activities and Attachment tab.
  
  
•  If the hiring presents a situation involving the nepotism policy, follow the Compliance eDisclose process.
  
  
• Determine the proposed hiring salary and ensure it is within the posted hiring salary range.
  
  
• Ensure ALL applicants have been properly dispositioned.
  
  
• Assemble ALL documents associated with the recruitment.
  
  
• Complete a Recruitment and Hiring Cover Sheet.
  
  
• Upload the remaining documents into the Activities and Attachments tab . (The recruitment will not be approved if ALL recruiting documents are not properly attached)
  
  
• Ensure the official education verification document (e.g. official transcript, written verification from the Registrar's office of the educational institution etc.) are sent to the CHR Data Center.
  
  
• Submit the proposed job offer to CHR, Branch Campus HR or USF Health for review and approval.

• Select appropriate offer letter from the CHR forms library (Tampa, St. Pete and USF Health Campuses) or USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Offer Letter Templates.
  
  
• Prepare job offer letter (Note: The letter must be signed by the appropriate official(s) with delegated authority).
  
  
• Send the job offer to the applicant using Careers@USF or via email.
  
  
• Prepare an ASF, if the applicant is a current or former USF employee (Note: The ASF must be signed by the appropriate official(s) with delegated authority).
  
  
• Once the job offer is accepted by the applicant, initiate the background check and the RightStart process. Contact rightstart@usf.edu (Tampa) or Branch Campus HR to initiate the RightStart Process. 

Ensure that all recruitment documents are uploaded into Careers@USF when you are preparing the job offer.

Recruitment records must be maintained for four (4) years from the date of the personnel decision/hiring decision. Hiring Departments fulfill their record-keeping responsibilities upon fully uploading the recruitment records into the Careers@USF system. However, if your department decides to dispose of the original documents after uploading them into Careers@USF, please do so in accordance with the University Records Retention Procedures.

USF's university-wide on-boarding process is designed to increase employee engagement and retention and accelerate new hire time-to-productivity. Please visit the Employee Onboarding page as well as the Central Human Resources Onboarding for Managers webpage, which provides guidelines for onboarding your new employee.