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People Leaders

Hiring & Transitions

Hiring and Transitions are some of the most essential, and delicate, processes in the workplace. This page and its accompanying sub-pages provide resources to assist people leaders.

Hiring Process

A step-by-step guide to filling vacant positions.

Preparation

  • Unit Needs: Assess the current needs and goals of the unit and revise the position description if appropriate.
  • Organizational Needs: Determine the needs of the organization and work team and review any changes in the nature of the unit’s work or the workflow.
  • Position Responsibilities: Design the position’s responsibilities and tasks to meet organizational needs and develop the position description.
  • University Title, Pay Band, and Compensation: Consult with your local HR representative to ensure that the position's University title and band level are appropriate. See Classifying Positions, Salaries and Titles for more information on job classification and pay determinations.
  • Authorization: Follow your local unit guidelines to obtain required hiring authorization.

Recruiting

Search Plan

Determine scope of the search and parties to be involved in the selection process. The decision to conduct a local, regional or national search should take into consideration:

  • the nature of the position;
  • the unit's affirmative action goals;
  • labor market conditions; and
  • the funds allotted for recruitment.

For each position vacancy, the hiring department, diversity and affirmative action representative and local HR representative must work closely to ensure that an appropriate search is conducted. Management of the recruitment process will directly affect:

  • the quality and diversity of the candidate pool;
  • the effectiveness of the interviews;
  • how quickly the position is filled;
  • the ability to hire the best qualified person for the job.

Diversity Recruiting Resources

Executive Search Firms

Recruiting for top talent in a competitive job market is a daunting task for employers. There are times when it may be necessary to engage the expertise of an executive search firm to help identify highly-skilled and critical talent that isn’t readily available through traditional recruitment channels. This guide for engaging with executive search firms provides important information regarding requirements and the steps you need to take to get started. Additionally you will find a list of firms (updated at least once per quarter) that have been used at Cornell in the last 24 months and their areas of focus, FAQ’s, and questions to help you evaluate potential firms.

Advertise

In order to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and to present Cornell University in a consistent and professional manner, all recruitment advertising should conform to the guidelines presented below. 

Unlawful Inquiries

The New York State Human Rights Law prohibits pre-employment and certain other inquiries as to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status or arrest records unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception. Examples of unlawful inquiries can be found on the Advertising & Recruiting page.

Hiring

Working with Temporary Agencies

Application Screening

Guide for Race/Ethnicity Reporting (pdf)

Conducting Interviews

References and Background Investigations

Offering the Position

Be sure to obtain prior approval of your offer according to your department or unit guidelines (e.g. director, administrative manager, human resource representative, etc.). You will also need to determine a salary offer prior to offering the position.

Relocation Program

A partnership with Coldwell Banker has been established to provide relocation and real estate assistance to new faculty and staff as requested by the hiring unit.

Other Appointments

  • Interns and Visiting Students - Cornell offers several options to individuals who wish to learn or conduct research at Cornell for a limited period of time (typically three to 12 months, but as many as 24 months for non-degree graduate students accepted through the Graduate School and affiliated with a graduate field) without intending to obtain a Cornell degree. The Provost's International Research Internship Program publishes "Guidelines for Cornell Faculty and Staff Engaging with Interns and Visiting Students" to provide guidelines and general information so that faculty and staff members can provide accurate advice on the options available, ensure consistency in appointments, and limit risk exposure for the University.

Onboarding

HR Services and Transitions Center

The goal of onboarding is to effectively and efficiently welcome new hires by providing a single destination where they will complete all required actions and receive valuable resources, allowing them to assimilate to the campus and community and to focus on their new role more quickly.

An effective onboarding experience will positively reinforce the individual’s decision to accept a position at Cornell, resulting in increased productivity and better long term potential.

Customers Served

  • All Ithaca-based employees, excluding temps
  • New employees working in other locations outside of Ithaca to be determined

Net ID activation

  • Paid appointments with a primary home email address, will be sent their NetID and activation code in an email.
    • If they don’t have an email address the NetID and activation code will be given to them by their department (printed letter) or sent via U.S. Mail.
  • Non-paid appointments with a primary home email address and text message capable phone number will receive an email asking them to verify their text message capable phone number; an activation code is then sent to their phone to activate their NetID.
    • If they don’t have a text capable phone, their NetID will be given to them by their department (printed letter) or sent via U.S. Mail.

Manager's Role in Onboarding New Hires

Once the offer has been accepted, supervisors should start orienting the staff or faculty member to Cornell. This phase should be designed to reassure the new hire that he or she made the correct decision in coming to Cornell, and should begin to generate that new hire's excitement in coming here.

The Welcoming and Orienting Employees Supervisors Guide (pdf) has been created to help you in preparing for all new hires once they are here. These tools are designed to guide you in assisting them to become acclimated to their position, understand your management style and expectations, and have the tools they need to make a successful transition to Cornell.

Related Forms: New Hire Checklists (pdf), Probationary Review Form: Staff (pdf), Probationary Review Form: Bargaining Unit (pdf)

Engagement & Integration Program

Designed for new executives, targeted faculty hires, and their partners, to help facilitate a smooth transition into Cornell professionally as well as on campus and in the Ithaca community.

Hiring & Onboarding Resources

Info Sheets & Web Pages

For Faculty

For Staff

General

  • Visiting Campus (website): Cornell’s guide to visiting campus & Ithaca, complete with maps, events, and tour/information session schedules.
  • Liveinithaca.org(website): A hub of resources for new arrivals to the Ithaca area, including information about area housing, schools, community, and more.
  • Places to Visit on Campus (pdf): flyer with descriptions and links to some of the most popular sights and features at Cornell, such as Minn’s Garden, the Johnson Museum of Art, and Fuertes Observatory.
  • This is Cornell (pdf): a brief overview of Cornell University history and structure.
  • Your Rights & Responsibilities: a guide to university policies, such as the campus code of conduct, drug-free workplace, computer policies, and more.

  • Places to Visit In and Around Ithaca (pdf): flyer with information and links to Ithaca area attractions, including local arts and theatre, parks and trails, shopping, and more.

Video Transcript

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[Music]

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welcome to the managers take five today

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we're going to be talking about some of

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the current hiring challenges we're

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facing and some of the ways to meet

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those challenges

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feedback from hiring managers supported

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by data shows that we are seeing a

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decline in our applicant pools moreover

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we're also seeing candidates dropping

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out of the process sooner than ever a

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recent review of feedback provided by

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employees responding to our new hire

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acclimation survey reveals the two

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biggest challenges faced by our

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candidates today are the length of time

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from the application

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higher in the process and the lack of

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communication that they receive along

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the way

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some things that you'll want to keep in

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mind as you begin the search process

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joining me today is kelly cooper the

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senior director for finance and

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administration from facilities and

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campus services today we're going to

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talk about some of the current hiring

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challenges and some of the ways that

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she's meeting those challenges

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[Music]

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kelly you've conducted a number of

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searches recently would you mind sharing

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some of the challenges that you've

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encountered we have seen smaller

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candidate pools

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we have seen

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candidates dropping out of the pool

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we've also had candidates ask for more

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remote work

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and asking for higher salaries can you

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talk about what you're doing in

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facilities and campus services to combat

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some of those challenges when we start

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the process our internal process

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we have been looking at each of the

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different positions to determine

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whether or not the positions can be

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remote some positions we can do hybrid

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and then there are other positions that

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we know

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have to be on campus and making sure

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that you know if those options are

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available to put them in the

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advertisement and hopefully get more

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candidates to apply what are some of the

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things that you're doing to address the

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candidate drop-off rates that you're

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seeing yeah it's pretty competitive out

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there right now

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time is is not on our side

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so we have been looking at our internal

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process we've been trying to streamline

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as much of the process as we can we've

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been looking at our days to hire and how

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to reduce that we want to make sure that

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when we start a recruitment that the

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hiring manager and the search committee

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understand the time commitment block off

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periods of time to review candidates to

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screen candidates to interview

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candidates and also help folks

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understand that they can do things in

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parallel so that they're not waiting

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until you know the postings actually

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actually come down as you think about

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the small candidate pools that we're

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encountering what are some ways that

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you're engaging prospects to try to

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increase your candidate numbers you know

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making sure that we cast a wide net as

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much as possible

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doing the outreach

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adding to our linkedin

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pages and also talking to internal

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candidates that there could be internal

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candidates who maybe aren't looking

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maybe are too busy to look but i think

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engaging internal employees

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seeing who's ready for that next step or

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that next opportunity

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not only does it you know help the

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hiring organization but it also makes

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that employee feel

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you know very valued and

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helps them understand what an asset they

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are to cornell and certainly is going to

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keep them engaged

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as we think about them for new

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opportunities would certainly help with

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retention as well these are folks that

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are already here they like cornell

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they're vested in cornell they know the

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system so it's it's a win-win that's a

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great point kelly we should be

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considering internal candidates what we

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know from the data is that internal

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candidates tend to stay longer than

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externals when closing the deal with

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candidates what are some of the benefits

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and rewards that you highlight in the

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conversation

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yeah we help them understand the total

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compensation package so not only their

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salary but the benefits package that we

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have because cornell really does have

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some very great benefits the health

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insurance

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is an excellent package our retirement

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plan is very generous education

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assistance the daycare assistance the

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wellness programs that we have the time

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off we have 13 holidays when you put

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that all together and

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talk to a candidate about that

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you know that that is

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that makes a difference kelly thanks so

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much for spending time today and sharing

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your experience in this current hiring

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market i hope these tips help folks out

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and we can get some

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additional candidates in here and to

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join our team and we can welcome them

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into cornell

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thanks for tuning in today here are some

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additional resources for hiring managers

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to assist in the recruiting process

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you