Hiring of Certified/Non-Certified and ESP Staff SOP

As soon as you know you have a position to post (principal or hiring administrator) creates a timeline for hiring a candidate to fill the open position.

Example Timeline

As soon as position becomes open or if the opening is anticipated contact the Human Resource Department to post the position.

Designated posting form is sent to HR Clerk or HR Executive Administrative Assistant

• HR Executive Administrative Manager: Admin, BEA, BASS, Nurses, Salaried ESP
• HR Clerk: BEST, BESSA, and ESP Hourly Personnel

(If anticipated, and vacancy is confirmed, position can be posted as “as anticipated”)

Principal or hiring administrator selects the interview team.
  

• Interview team should be representative of the position you are hiring for.  
• (ex. If it is for a Sped position, the Sped AP and a Sped Teacher should be on the interview team)
• Additionally, when interviewing for special populations the building administration should confer with either the special education supervisors and/or Director of Bilingual Education. 
• If you are interviewing an internal candidate, please notify the candidate's current supervisor.  

Create a Candidate Profile: 

• What are we looking for in the perfect candidate?
• What technical skills must the candidate have?
• What qualities are we looking for in a candidate? 
• Knowing the culture of our organization, how will we know if the candidate is a good cultural fit?

• When putting together your candidate profile, cultural fit should be a priority.

Principal/Interview Team:

Based on the Candidate Profile create interview questions that will help you determine the perfect candidate.  

• In some cases it might be appropriate to include a performance task. 
• Additionally, when hiring for a special populations positions some of the questions should be geared towards that specific position/posting.
• For assistance with the development of interview questions feel free to contact the Chief Human Resource Officer (if needed)

Example Interview Questions - Hungry, Humble, Smart (Lencioni)

Example Situational Interview Questions

Principal/Interview Team Members:

• Review/Screen applicants for the position.
• Based on the applicant’s application, resume, and any other  information available, which candidates do we want to interview?
• Remember that you must interview all internal candidates if they are a BEA member.

**BUILDING LEVEL ADMINISTRATORS: If you are interviewing for certified candidates during the months of July and August, confirm with applicants that they are no longer under contract with their current district 30 calendar days prior to that district's first of student attendance or July 14. (See IL School Code Section 24-14). Applicant will need to provide an acknowledgement (ie, email, hardcopy letter) from former district that they accept the applicants resignation. Copy of the resignation letter must be sent to HR Department if the applicant is the Rec for Hire to verify that resignation is outside of the 30 calendar day window per School Code. 

If you have hires within the 30 calendar days prior or after July 14 to the candidates former district student attendance start date, please notify our HR Department for further guidance. 

Principal or Hiring Administrator, Interview Team, Building Clerical (to schedule interviews):

• Select and schedule applicants for interviews.
• When applicable you may want to schedule interviews as a team/across buildings if you have a like position posted.

• Debrief after each interview if possible (rather than waiting to debrief all candidates at the end).

• Try not  to rate candidates.

• Talk about each candidate and make a T-Chart with Pluses and Deltas

• Debriefing of candidates in this way should help to clarify which candidate is the best.

If not 100% sure after debriefing with the team, ask yourself “Which candidate do we think would be the best cultural fit?”

Contact at least 2 references (one that is a supervisor) before making final decision.  See Reference Checks SOP.

• When conducting more than two rounds, you should contact references before the final round.
• Consider calling references that are not listed in the candidate’s application packet.
• MUST HAVE! Get a reference check from candidate's former supervisor and/or evaluator if they have any prior teaching and/or work related experiences.
• If there is no supervisor and/or evaluator listed as a reference, this could be a red flag.

Contact HR and submit a Rec for Hire to the HR Department using this email HR@district100.com. 

CO and Building level admin team need to be on the same page with their given recommendation.

(HR will also schedule a “Review of salary and benefits” with Assistant Supt. for HR or designee - Contact candidate to inform them that they are being recommended for the position and HR will provide candidate a review of salary and benefits.  Wait for confirmation from HR that the candidate has accepted the position before contacting the other candidates.)

**If you are not 100% sure about a candidate but they are your best option...you have two options:

1. Don’t settle and repost/reinterview

2. Don’t recommend them for hire,  reach out to HR with any potential concerns about the candidate prior to another interview.  

3. Admin will have 24hrs to contact other candidates that they did not receive the position. After 24hrs an automated email is sent from the HR Dept to the candidates that the position is now closed.

We are all on the same team...if you have a great candidate who came in second place...talk to your principal peers and let them know you have a great candidate they should take a look at. Also remember that when interviewing internal candidates from another building within the District, to communicate with your peers.