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Office of Human Resources: Illinois State University

Document the Process

All paperwork generated during a search process, whether in electronic form or in hard copy, should be stored in a secure location and kept confidential throughout the search. Notes from such activities as reference checks and telephone interviews should be written legibly, signed or initialed, and dated.

Decide What to Keep and What to Discard

The following guidelines should be kept in mind when deciding what officially should be kept on file during and after an Administrative/Professional or faculty search:

State Records Act.

Following the rules of the State Records Act, search files are retained in the departmental office for five (5) years following date of appointment, then disposed of providing no litigation is pending or anticipated. Consult individual department and college guidelines for further detail.

Filing

Essential documentation generated during the search process must be kept on file in a secure location in the departmental or unit office. This includes the following:

  • Organize and Retain Committee Documents
  • Application materials received outside of the online process (portfolios, letters)
  • Recruitment Committee memos
  • Complete reference check form
  • Notes or completed forms from phone interviews and on or off campus interviews
  • E-mail and other electronic communications with the applicant
  • Destroy unofficial documents
  • Store Recruitment Committee files in secure area and retain for 5 years following date of appointment
Electronic communication

Any communication that is done electronically (e.g., e-mail or posting of position notices to listserves) should be printed out and filed with other documentation from the search process.

Committee files

All materials should be collected from Recruitment Committee members at the conclusion of the search.

Destroying unofficial documents

At the completion of the search process and after all committee files have been gathered, duplicate documents, incidental or personal notes, or any other documentation not required for retention, should be properly destroyed by shredding.

Follow Correct Documentation Procedures

To review, the Recruitment Committee chairperson (with clerical support) is responsible for ensuring that these steps have been followed during the recruitment process:

  • Informing HR and the Dean/Director/Administrator prior to telephone and personal interviews
  • Arranging schedules for the search committee and candidates relevant to on-campus and telephone interviews
  • When the official offer is made to the candidate, an offer letter confirming the appointment should be sent to the candidate for his or her signature. A copy of the offer letter must be sent to the Office of Human Resources (HR).

Finalize the Hire

After the signed offer letter is received, all official documents needed for faculty and Administrative/Professional appointments should be submitted to HR, unless otherwise noted, in order to complete the hiring process. The following documents should be submitted: