III.
STATEMENT OF EQUAL
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION:
A. DHS is an equal opportunity employer
providing equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status,
or political affiliation. This policy and practice relate to all phases of
employment including but not limited to recruitment, selection, placement,
promotion, demotion, transfer, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or
other forms of compensation, training, use of all facilities, and participation
in all DHS sponsored employee activities and programs.
B. The Personnel System Hiring Procedures
reflect a system that promotes equal opportunities for all DHS employees. It
shall be the responsibility of each manager and hiring supervisor to be
familiar with these procedures and exercise their responsibilities by applying
these principles in good faith.
C.
Where the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) determines that there is
underutilization, OEO must determine the cause of the underutilization, that
is, whether the underutilization is the result of discrimination. If OEO or a
court makes a finding of discrimination, OEO must establish a plan, subject to
approval by the DHS Director, narrowly tailored to remedy the discrimination.
The plan may include Affirmative Action Hiring.
IV.
GLOSSARY OF
TERMS:
1. Affirmative
Action Hire - selection of a protected class member in accordance with a plan
to remedy identified discrimination. The selected applicant must have a
Knowledge, Ability, and Skill score within fifteen points of the highest
qualified applicant for the position.
2. Career Opportunities Bulletin (COB) - a
listing of vacant positions within the Department prepared weekly by
OHR/Recruiting including the position's grade, position's location, minimum
qualifications (which must be fully met), contact person, closing date for
filing an application, and important instructions to applicants.
The Career Opportunities Bulletin is available to all DHS
Divisions/Offices and other recruiting sources via the Internet and is also
posted in many offices where applicants have access.
3. Classifications - the system of grouping
job functions established by the Office of Personnel Management.
|
Example:
|
Position Title
|
Class Code
|
|
Secretary 1
|
K155
|
|
Secretary II
|
K153
|
The "K" represents the job family that combines clerical job
functions.
4. Closing Date
- the last day that an application for a vacant position may be submitted.
Applications can be submitted to the DHS County Offices, Employment Security
Department (ESD), the Institutional Personnel Office (IPO) or the
OHR/Recruiting Office and via the Internet.
5. Continuously Advertised Position Listing -
a listing of classifications for which DHS and ESD offices will accept
applications regardless of a known vacancy. These positions usually have high
turnover rates or shortage of qualified applicants.
6. Department - The Department of Human
Services including all Divisions and Offices.
7. Director/Designee - an individual within a
division who has been designated to sign personnel actions for the respective
Director.
8. DHS - Department of
Human Services
9. Emergency Hire -
hires necessary to provide for maintenance of essential services in an
emergency situation.
10. Equal
Employment Opportunity - assurance that all applicants and employees are given
an equal opportunity in treatment during recruitment, selection, placement, and
other related actions. (See DHS Equal Opportunity Statement).
11. ESD - the Employment Security Department.
ESD provides job services without charge to the public.
12. Freeze Exempt Positions - a list of
position classifications that have received approval to be filled without being
submitted to the Governor's Hiring Freeze Committee. These positions are
usually related to the direct care of clients.
13. Functional Job Description - a narrative
description of the tasks to be performed in each job. All items must show a
supporting relationship in the Office of Personnel Management State Job
Specification.
14. Governor's
Hiring Freeze Committee - an external authority outside DHS from which approval
must be obtained before a vacant non-freeze exempt position can be
filled.
15. Hire Packet - a group
of forms that are required to process a hire decision.
16. IPO - the Institutional Personnel Offices
located throughout the Department.
17. Knowledge, Abilities and Skills (KAS) -
Knowledge, abilities and skills determined by OPM to be necessary at job entry
level in order to satisfactorily perform the functions of the job. KASs are
used during the selection process to develop applicant rankings.
18. Minimum Qualifications (MQs) - minimum
qualifications (education, experience, etc.) required to be considered
employable in a certain position as established by the OPM job
specifications.
19. Minimum
Qualification Screening - a process used by OHR/Recruiting and IPOs to evaluate
applicant qualifications for a position.
20. Non-DHS Employees - individuals who are
not employed by DHS including temporary extra help positions.
21. Non-Freeze Exempt Positions - positions
which require the approval of the Governor's Hiring Freeze Committee prior to
filling a vacant position.
22. OHR
- Office of Human Resources
23. OPM
- the Office of Personnel Management. This office is part of the Department of
Finance and Administration and is responsible for maintaining classification
and compensation for all classified State employees through procedural
guidelines to State agencies.
24.
Position - the position number of a classification. The position number is
always an eight-character number that includes the agency code.
|
Example:
|
Position Number
|
Classification
|
|
710A-0001
|
DHS Director
|
25. Position
Disposition Form - the form on which a list of qualified applicants is sent to
the hiring supervisor.
26.
Protected Class - A group of persons of a particular race, color, religion,
sex, age, national origin, citizenship status, or disability, whom the law
protects from discrimination based on that group membership.
27. QRC - the Qualifications Review Committee
of the OPM. This committee meets to determine if individuals meet minimum
qualifications where there is a question regarding the individual's
qualifications for a specific position. Requests for QRC determinations may
originate from the IPO through OHR/ Recruiting.
28. RIF - a reduction in work force or
layoff. Employees who have been identified for RIF are notified of vacancies
within the Department in compliance with DHS Policy 1023, Reduction-ln-Force
(RIF).
29.SKILLS Bank - a
computerized system containing applicant and vacancy information.
30. Under-utilized/under-utilization -
determined for a protected class by ascertaining the ratio of protected class
members in an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEOC) job category to the total
number of incumbents.
Underutilization exists if that ratio is less than the ratio of
qualified protected class member applicants for such positions to the total
number of qualified applicants.
31. Veterans Preference - points awarded to
veterans in accordance with Act 414 of 1947, Act 527 of 1981, and Act 40 of
1995.
V.
PROCEDURES:
A.
Emergency Hires/Appointments
Emergency hires refer to appointments that are necessary to provide for
maintenance of essential services in an emergency situation. Requests for
emergency appointments must be made in writing to the Division Director and
approved by the Department Director/designee and the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM). Approved emergency hire requests will be sent to the IPO or
OHR, Attn: Personnel Processing Section, for correct inclusion in the personnel
file. The employee may remain in the position currently occupied during the
emergency hire and may apply when the position is advertised under standard
procedures. The length of the emergency hire will not exceed six months. (See
DHS Policy 1046, Emergency Hires.)
B. Vacancy Submission Procedures
1.
a.
When a vacancy occurs, the hiring official completes, secures
appropriate approvals and submits a Job Vacancy Request, Form DHS-1138; Hiring
Freeze Request, Form DHS-1132, unless the position is freeze exempt; and a
current Functional Job Description, Form DHS-1158, to: "The Office of Human
Resources, Attn: Recruiting Section."
b. Supervisors should submit these documents
upon receipt of a resignation notice (notice can be written or verbal notice of
resignation).
(1) OHR Deadline - The above
referenced forms and documents must be received by OHR/Recruiting no later than
4:30 p.m. Tuesdays to be eligible for advertisement in the Career Opportunities
Bulletin to be published the next week.
(2) Disapproved Freeze Requests will be
returned to the Division. New forms must be resubmitted with justification if
the position is to be filled. The hiring official must notify applicants
already contacted of any delay.
(3)
The approved original Hiring Freeze Request, Form DHS-1132, must be included in
the hire packet. No offer of employment can be made until the Form DHS-1132 has
been approved by OPM. An approved Freeze request is valid for the duration of
the fiscal year in which it is obtained.
Note 1: Directors are responsible for keeping OHR advised
of persons designated to sign Personnel Actions for them. Designations must be
in writing.
2. If the Job Vacancy Request, Form DHS-1138,
indicates a vacancy for a Continuously Advertised Position, an interview list
will be prepared from the current pool of applicants and forwarded to the
hiring official. Generally a copy of the application for each applicant will be
included with the list unless the Division Director has requested otherwise. If
the current pool contains five or fewer eligible applicants, the hiring
official will be contacted and may either accept the list for interview or
request that the position be advertised. If the current applicant pool contains
an adequate number of qualified applicants or if, upon inquiry, the hiring
official agrees to accept a list with fewer than five applicants, the list for
a Continuously Advertised Position vacancy will be available to the hiring
official no later than five working days from receipt of the Job Vacancy
Request.
3. All other vacancy
requests will be advertised in the Career Opportunities Bulletin (COB) for at
least the minimum advertisement period. The hiring official will be provided
with an unranked interview list no later than two weeks after the closing
date.
4. If an individual selected
for a position resigns within sixty calendar days, the hiring official may
select the second highest qualified person without submitting a new Job Vacancy
Request, Form DHS-1138. A new freeze submission/approval by OPM is
required.
Note 2: All vacancies are subject to review for court
ordered and DHS Reduction in Force Placement. OHR/Recruiting will notify the
appropriate hiring official if the vacant position is affected
C. Advertisement of Positions
1. Career Opportunities Bulletins (COB) will
be distributed weekly to:
a. County offices
within DHS
b. Employment Security
Department (ESD) local offices
c.
appropriate secondary school, commercial schools, Vo-Tech schools, colleges,
universities, and minority organizations
d. organizations serving the needs of
individuals with disabilities
e.
other media as appropriate at several websites on the
Internet.
2. All
managerial and professional positions must be advertised for a minimum of ten
working days. All other positions will be advertised for a minimum of five
working days.
3. Statewide
newspaper and newspapers serving the locale of the vacancy may be
used.
4. Professional journals and
other national publications may be utilized.
5. Agencies that serve the special interests
of minorities, women, and individuals with disabilities may be
notified.
6. All classified
advertisements and media used must be approved by OHR/ Recruiting in writing.
Advertising supplemental to the OHR/Recruiting advertising must be submitted to
the OHR Recruiting Section and a DHS Requisition, Form DHS-1914, must accompany
the request. OHR/ Recruiting will review the advertisement to ensure compliance
with minimum qualification statements, special requirements, etc. After
reviewing and approving the supplemental advertisement, OHR will return the
documents to the hiring official for processing through the purchasing system
and placing the ad with the newspaper. The advertisement dates will be
determined by OHR/Recruiting to coincide with the COB advertisements. Starting
and closing advertising dates must be included in the advertisement if the
position is not Continuously Advertised. Payment for special advertising is the
responsibility of the requesting division or office.
7. All classified advertisement will contain
the phrase "An Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO/AA/RA)" at the end of each
advertisement.
D.
Continuously Advertised Positions
1.
Continuously Advertised Positions (CAP) will be posted in the Continuously
Advertised Positions sections of the Career Opportunities Bulletin, and will be
advertised as described in Section
V.B.2.
Applications for Continuously Advertised Positions will be accepted at any
time. When a vacancy occurs in a Continuously Advertised position, the hiring
official must complete and submit documentation to OHR/Recruiting as described
in Section
V.B. la. in
order to determine applicant pool status.
2. If a pool of at least six qualified
applicants currently exists, the Continuously Advertised Position vacancy may
not be advertised. Exceptions will require written justifications and approval
by the Division Director.
E. Advertised Positions
Applications are taken for all advertised positions for specific job
titles and/or class codes when a position vacancy occurs. Applications must be
submitted by the closing date of the specific advertisement period. (See DHS
Policy 1069, Career Opportunities Bulletin).
F. Applicants' Responsibility
Applicants may obtain and forward completed job applications, "State of
Arkansas Employment Application" to either ESD, OHR/Recruiting, IPO or the DHS
County Office. Non-DHS employees may obtain a "State of Arkansas Employment
Application" from any ESD local office, OHR/Recruiting, or DHS County Office
and via the Internet. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the
completed application is received at OHR/Recruiting, ESD, IPO or the County
Office before the closing date of the advertisement. Qualification
review/evaluation will be based on the information submitted in the application
package.
1. Applications that are
incomplete or incorrectly completed may not be processed within the standard
time frame.
2. Resumes submitted
without applications will be processed as much as possible, however a state
application must be submitted in order to complete the application
process.
G. Application
Time Frames
1. Applications for Continuously
Advertised Positions are active for sixty days. If applicants desire
reactivation of their applications, they must sign and return the letters they
received from OHR. Upon receipt of these signed letters, OHR will reactivate
referenced applications for an additional sixty days.
2. Applications are valid for only one job
title (class code) and/or position number. Complete application packages
(copies with original signatures are accepted) must be submitted for each job
class/position number.
H.
SKILLS Bank
Applicant information will be entered into the DHS SKILLS Bank.
Referrals for interviews will be made by OHR/Recruiting or IPO from the DHS
SKILLS Bank. An AASIS component is scheduled to be implemented in 2002. This
will replace the Skills Bank.
I. Pre-Screening
*HR/Recruiting and/or the IPO will evaluate information submitted by
the applicant for Minimum Qualifications (MQs). The applicant will be notified
if the application is incomplete or if he/she does not meet MQs. If
OHR/Recruiting or the IPO cannot determine, based on the submitted information
whether the applicant meets MQs, the application will be forwarded to the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Review Committee (QRC) for
qualification determination. Requests for QRC determination may also originate
from the IPO through OHR/Recruiting. In all cases, OHR/Recruiting will submit
the QRC request to the OPM and will notify and copy the originating IPO.
OHR/Recruiting and/or IPO will notify the applicant of determination.
J. Inadequate List
When there are five or fewer applicants on a list, the hiring official
may request a list with additional applicants. If there are more than five
applicants on the list but less than five choose to be interviewed, additional
names may be requested. The original listing should be retained by the
hiring official for inclusion and consideration in the hire
packet.
K. Applicant
Listing
The hiring official will be furnished the Position Disposition Form,
Form DHS-1159, containing all qualified applicants. Copies of applications will
accompany the list, unless a Division Director has requested otherwise.
1.Position Disposition List
a. Continuously Advertised Positions
(1) If the hiring official has interviewed
all applicants he or she was able to contact or all applicants in a specific
Employment Applicant group, (refer to Section
V.K.1. c.(1)
Employment Applicant grouping Guidelines), and is unable to make a hiring
decision, he or she may request additional names. The hiring official must
submit a new job vacancy request requesting additional names to OHR/Recruiting
or the IPO. If additional names are not available from the applicant pool,
OHR/Recruiting will advertise or re-advertise the Continuously Advertised
Position vacancy.
(2) If the hiring
official requests and obtains additional applicant names prior to making a
final decision, he or she may retain the original list of applicants for
consideration along with the additional names. The original list,
documentation, and forms should be retained by the hiring official and, when a
decision is made, sent to OHR/Personnel Processing or the IPO for inclusion in
the hire packet (see Section S for complete information).
b. Positions Not Continuously Advertised
If the position is not a Continuously Advertised Position, a new Job
Vacancy Request, Form DHS-1138, must be submitted to OHR/Recruiting for
re-advertisement.
c.
Employment Applications Grouping/Ranking Guidelines
These guidelines apply to both Continuously Advertised and Specially
Advertised positions. If more than ten applicants are received, the hiring
official has three options for compiling the interview list:
(1)
Option 1:
Interview all applicants. The content and scoring of interview questions must
conform to the guidelines of the KAS Rating Scale, Form DHS-1154, and
associated interviewing procedures.
(2)
Option 2:
(a) Sorting the applications into three
categories or groups, e.g., A) Well Qualified, B) Fully Qualified, and C)
Minimally Qualified, by comparing the education/training and work experience
data on each application with job related benchmarks written for the position.
The benchmarks are objective statements describing the education/training, work
experience, and knowledge, abilities and skill level of each group based on the
job class specification, functional job description, PPES, and the hiring
official's knowledge of the position. The three groups are defined as follows:
Group A) Well Qualified: This benchmark contains the
minimum qualifications, as stated in the state job class specification,
p/t/sjob-related preferences, such as additional relevant education, training
or experience, the particular type of social service experience (e.g., child
welfare, vocational rehabilitation, long term care, etc.), specific PC software
skills, recency of related work experience, professional certifications, etc.
Applicants assigned to this group are judged to possess all the background
elements necessary to successfully perform the job at entry, based on the
information contained in their application. Basically, this category represents
the "preferred applicant" as defined by the hiring official.
Group B) Fully Qualified: This benchmark is similar to
Group A, except that some preferred background element in the Group A benchmark
is waived, e.g., advance degree, specialized training, etc. This category
represents the "normally acceptable applicant" who could successfully perform
the target job with minimal in-service training and guidance.
Group C) Minimally Qualified: Applicants assigned to this
group lack several important background elements considered necessary for full
job performance at entry, according to the information in their job
applications. This category represents the "barely acceptable" applicant who
would likely require considerable training, guidance and time to reach full
performance level on this job. The benchmark for this group should not be more
stringent than the minimum qualifications on the state job class
specification.
(b)
Benchmarks are to be written in advance of application evaluation for the
particular hiring cycle, and should not be adjusted to the qualifications of a
particular applicant. The position benchmarks and the applicant grouping must
show job-relatedness and will become part of the hire packet personnel record.
Benchmarks may be changed when the job requirements change and changes are
documented in advance of the next hiring cycle with an updated Functional Job
Description and PPES standards.
(c)
At a minimum, all applicants in Group A must be contacted in a given hiring
cycle. If there are no Group A applicants or a selection cannot be made from
Group A, all applicants in Group B must be interviewed. If there are no
applicants in either Group A or B, all applicants in Group C may be
interviewed, or additional applications (or re-advertisement) may be requested
at this point. If one applicant in a particular Group is interviewed, then all
applicants in that Group must be interviewed. The minimum number of applicants
that must be contacted (when available) is five.
(d) Following is an example of a set of
category benchmarks written for the job of Automobile Equipment Repair Foreman:
Example Only: Applicant Grouping Guide
______________Benchmark Characteristics of Applicants in
Each Group______________
|
Date
|
Job Title
|
Position No.
|
Class Code
|
Hiring Official
|
|
6-1-94
|
Automotive Equipment Repair Foreman
|
710X-1010
|
S065
|
Joe Smith
|
*PM Minimum Qualifications: The formal equivalent of a high school
diploma; plus three years experience in automotive systems and equipment
repair, one of which must have been in a supervisory capacity.
|
Group A
|
Six months of motorized vehicle repair schooling, plus five
years' experience in equipment repair on all types of automotive systems (e.g.,
engines, transmissions, brakes, etc.). Experience must include cars, trucks,
and heavy equipment, both gasoline and diesel fueled. At least one of the five
years of equipment repair experience must have been in a supervisory capacity,
and must include taking inventory and ordering parts and supplies, writing
service orders, etc., (indicating the ability to complete paperwork). All of
the equipment repair must have been within the last ten years.
|
|
Group B
|
No automotive schooling, but experience as in Group A, except
only four years' equipment repair, and no diesel or heavy equipment
experience.
|
|
Group C
|
Same as Group B (i.e., no schooling or diesel/heavy equipment
experience), except only three year's equipment repair experience limited to
one manufacturer of automobiles
|
(3)
Option 3: Developing a Supplemental Application
Information Questionnaire.
(a) Many job
applications do not contain enough information to adequately group applications
as described above. In cases where additional specific background information
is needed, the hiring official may develop a questionnaire that, similar to an
interview, asks applicants for information applicable to the job for which they
applied (e.g., knowledge of the Arkansas Medicaid System, Title IV-E grants,
state contract procedures, ICF/MR regulations, etc.). However, the
questionnaire items must be linked to the Knowledges, Abilities, and Skills
contained in the OPM Job Class Specifications, tailored to the target job. For
example, if the required KASs list "Knowledge of state/federal laws,
regulations, and guidelines," the applicant may be questioned about the laws,
regulations, and guidelines applicable to Medicaid, grants administration,
etc.
(b) The Supplemental
Application Information Questionnaire is mailed to all qualified applicants to
be returned within a reasonable time frame, usually one week. The returned
questionnaires are combined with the original applications and then sorted into
three categories according to the grouping method described in Option 2. The
Supplemental Application Information Questionnaire is a way to obtain
additional information needed to accurately group the applications. As with all
personnel selection procedures, the selection criteria must be job-related and
linked to the pertinent KASs required by the state and other job elements as
documented by the hiring official in the PPES and Functional Job Description.
2.
If additional names are not available from the applicant pool, the hiring
official must submit a new Form DHS-1138 to OHR/Recruiting to re-advertise the
vacant position.
L. Time
Frames for Position Disposition
The Position Disposition List, Form DHS-1159, a list of qualified
applicants is authorized for forty-five calendar days from the date it is sent
from OHR/Recruiting. If the forty-five days have elapsed, the hiring official
may request an extension with the approval of the next higher level of
management. The extension request must be made to OHR/Recruiting and must
include the reason no selection was made within the forty-five calendar day
limit. The approval must be included in the Hire Packet.
M. Applicant Contact
Three attempts must be made to contact all applicants furnished to the
hiring official by OHR/Recruiting or IPO. Contacts must be attempted at various
times over a minimum of a two-day period. The hiring official will use the
Applicant Referral Form, Form DHS-1160, to document three efforts to notify by
telephone. Applicants with no telephone will be sent a letter (DHS Notification
Letter) inviting them for an interview. The applicant has three working days in
which to respond to the Notification Letter. Hiring officials may send DHS
Notification Letters to all applicants rather than attempting telephone
contact. All telephone calls and notification letters must include the
statement: "If you have a disabling condition and wish an accommodation for the
interview, please let me know." If the hiring official has questions about
accommodations for applicants with disabling conditions, he or she may call the
division ADA coordinator.
N.
KAS Statement
1. Interviews must be conducted
using the same written questions for all applicants with responses to each
question indicated in writing by the interviewer. These questions and written
answers will become part of the hire packet. The Job Applicant Assessment
Worksheet, Form DHS-1154, will be used to record Knowledge (K), Abilities (A),
and Skills (S); KASs must be used in the order submitted on the Functional Job
Description. KASs can also be found on OPM Job Specifications.
2. The KASs on the functional job description
should be determined using the OPM job classification specifications as a
foundation and adding new KASs that are applicable to the job and deleting
those that are not applicable to the job. The order of the KASs may be mixed
according to the weights of the position-specific tasks to which they relate,
i.e., questions relating to Abilities and Skills may be asked before questions
relating to Knowledge. The KAS on the current, updated functional job
description should be used as the foundation in developing questions for the
interview during the hiring process.
O. Panel Interviews
1. If panel interviews are used, KAS scores
must be determined by each committee member and then averaged for the final
scores. All notes from committee members must be included in the hire packet.
The same members must serve for all interviews for that position and they
should have knowledge of the job duties. If a committee member is unable to
participate in an interview, that interview must be rescheduled for a time when
all members can attend. No substitutions may be made during the interview
process.
2. Options for panel
interviews are:
a. Panel actually selects the
candidate to be hired. In this case, the hiring official is a member of a
panel.
b. Panel interviews
candidates and refers the top scoring candidates to the hiring official for
further interview and selection.
3. Second interview - the hiring official
conducts the interview of the top-scoring candidates with a different set of
questions.
P. Interview
Scores
Interview scores are good for ninety calendar days from the date of the
interview and can be used for consideration of the applicant for another
position if the following criteria are met:
1. The score is used for an identical
position title and classification code.
2. The interview questions and KAS statements
are the same.
3. The same people
are conducting the interviews.
Q. References
Hiring supervisors wishing to check references must use the Reference
Authorization and Reference Check, Form DHS-1162, and must have it signed by
the applicant before phoning or writing for a reference check. Hiring officials
shall be aware of federal and state guidelines for mandatory references on
direct-care personnel. A negative reference report shall trigger further
inquiry and may not be used solely to reject an applicant.
R. Job Offer
1. The applicant with the highest KAS rating
may be offered the position. An exception to the offer will include
documentation that would preclude such an offer.
2. The acceptance of a position cancels all
the applicant's active applications. A new application may not be submitted to
receive further consideration for another job change until six months after
accepting position or six months in the position after completing a formal
training program, if required by the position. Within his or her division, a
division director may make an exception to the six-month probationary period,
on an individual basis. For changes involving more than one division, the DHS
Director will make the final decision if there is a conflict between the
potential losing and gaining division directors.
3. If the applicant declines the position,
the applicants with the next highest KAS ratings may in turn be offered the
position until the list is exhausted. If a selection cannot be made from this
list, an additional list may be requested. (See Section K). For
under-utilization determination, OEO may be called. No job offer may be made
until freeze approval has been obtained.
Note: An affirmative action hire may be made if OEO
determines there is under-utilization.
S. Hire Packet
After selection has been made, non-institution hiring officials will
confer with OHR-Personnel Processing for their division regarding salary
calculations, prior state service and hire date. The hiring supervisor will
assemble the hire packet in the following order as indicated in items 1, 2, and
3 below, submit the hire packet to the Director or designee for final approval
and then forward the hire packet to OHR-Personnel Processing for processing.
The hiring official should retain the original applicant listing,
documentation, and forms until it is sent to IPO or OHR/Personnel Processing
for inclusion in the hire packet when a hiring decision is made. The hiring
official will prepare and mail Selectee confirmation and non-selection letters
to the other applicants. (Note: Letters sent to applicants must be
held until final approval is received in the event that the Director or
designee rejects the top applicant).
1. Selectee's information first:
a. DHS-1161, Request for Personnel Action
b. Disclosure Forms
c. DHS-1162, County Attachment (If
applicable)
d. DHS-1132, Hiring
Freeze Request (approved original)
e. DHS-1158, Functional Job Description
f. DHS-1159, Position Listing
g. DHS-1154, Job Applicant
Assessment Worksheet (KAS Rating Scale)
h. DHS Employment/Promotion Confirmation
Letter
i. DHS-1160, Applicant
Referral
j. Interview questions and
notes
k. Application, resume, and
supporting documents
I. DHS-1162,
Reference Authorization and Reference Check (if applicable)
Information Questionnaire (if applicable)
m. Copy of Benchmarks (if
applicable)
n. Applicant grouping
(if applicable)
o. Copy of
Selection Criteria and KASs addressed in Supplemental
p. Statement of Selective Service
status
q. Drug Screen
confirmation
2. Those
interviewed but not selected (highest KAS Ranking to lowest)
a. DHS-1154, Job Applicant Assessment
Worksheet (KAS Rating Scale)
b.
DHS-1160, Applicant Referral
c.
Non-Selection Letter
d.Interview
questions and notes
e. Resume and
supporting documents
f. DHS-1162,
Reference Authorization and Reference Check (if applicable)
3. Those referred but not interviewed
a. DHS-1160 Applicant
Referral
b. Resume, and supporting
documents
T. Additional
Forms on Selectee
In addition to forms listed in Section S., the IPO and hiring officials
will assure completion and forward to OHR-Personnel Processing the following
forms on the selectee:
1. State and
Federal Tax forms
2. Copy of Social
Security Card
3. Application for
membership in Arkansas State Retirement System (if new or rehire)
4. Vehicle Safety Forms, Forms DHS-1170,
1171, 1172, if applicable
5.
Employee miscellaneous deductions (e.g., Credit Union, United Way,
Savings Bonds)
6.
Form 1-9
7. Other applicable
documents
U. IPO Facility
Supervisor's Methods
Institution hiring supervisors at facilities with an IPO will consult
with and give information and documents to their IPO. The IPO secures the
Institution Director's approval, assembles the Hire Packet in the order in
Section S. and forwards the selectee's information to OHR/Personnel Processing.
The IPO will retain the remainder of the hire packet plus a copy of the
selectee's information in the Institution files. The IPO notifies selectee and
mails appropriate letters.
V. OHR/Personnel Processing Hire Packet
Deadline
All documentation must be received in OHR/Personnel Processing no later
than noon of the first Monday of the pay period to assure the timely entry of
the new employee's information into the payroll database.
W. Disclosure Forms
1. All hiring disclosure forms for the
applicant selected should be sent by facsimile to the Personnel Processing Unit
at 682-6553 (fax). The Personnel Processing Unit will assist hiring supervisors
in getting approval for the disclosure forms. The Unit will review the forms
for completeness and send them to OPM for approval. Upon approval, OPM will
return the forms to the Personnel Processing Unit, which will then notify the
hiring supervisor or division contact to submit the hire packet for the
particular approved disclosure form. For the sake of speed, an e-mail address
for the Point of Contact should be provided with the original disclosure
statement.
2. Checklist for
Completing the Disclosure Form
The following checklist should be used by the applicant prior to having
the forms sent by facsimile to the Personnel Processing Unit:
a. Disclosure applies only if the applicant
or an immediate family member (the applicant, spouse, or mother, father,
sister, brother, or child of the applicant or spouse) is a current or former
(within two years)
Member of the Arkansas General Assembly
Constitutional Officer
State Employee
b.
If Section a. does not apply, the applicant checks "None of the above applies"
and the Form F-3 becomes part of the individual's file and no further
disclosure action is required.
c.
If information that is no more than two years old is disclosed on Form
F-3, the agency completes Form F-4, Employment of Family
Members.
d. The agency must
fill out Form F-4 completely, including agency name, position, salary, and
signature.
e. If a facsimile copy
has been sent for approval, the sender should retain the original. Mailing the
original and sending a facsimile copy may be confusing.
f. Teachers are not required to file the
disclosure form unless a state-funded school employs them. Public school
teachers are regarded as employees of a school district and not of the
state.
3. With the
exception of DDS Human Development Centers and the Benton Service Center,
hiring supervisors themselves are not to send disclosure forms to OPM nor call
OPM for clarification. Inquiries are to be directed to the Personnel Processing
Unit alone.
X. Substance
Abuse Testing
It is the policy of DHS that all employees are prohibited from using or
possessing controlled substances or alcohol while on duty or working with the
presence of alcohol or illegal drugs in the employee's body, or abusing legal
drugs. Drug and alcohol testing are used to maintain a drug free work force,
and all persons selected for new employment or a change of employment with the
Department must submit to a drug screening as a precondition of employment.
Documentation of having taken and passed the drug screen must be included in
the Hire Packet (see Section
V.S. lq.
above).
