Recruitment and Selection
1. Regular-Salaried Staff
2. Moving Allowance Policy
3. Hourly and Student - Short Term Staffing
4. Additional Employment
5. Effort Reporting
6. Employment of Relatives
To ensure that sufficient funds are available and that all legal and governmental mandates are met, SDSU Research Foundation has developed hiring procedures, which require the prior approval of human resources, and SR administrator before any staff is appointed. These employment procedures are presented here according to the categories of regular-salaried staff, hourly staff and student employees.
1. Regular-Salaried Staff
This category normally covers staff employed by SDSU Research Foundation who work a regular schedule of half-time (50 percent) or more for an expected period of one year or more. Regular staff are paid a salary and eligible for full benefits. The procedure for hiring regular staff is initiated by completing an on-line Personnel Requisition form via the human resources’ Online Recruitment System (ORS). You can access ORS from a link on the Employment Information for Hiring Managers page. For assistance with ORS, you may contact human resources at (619) 594-4139.
The human resources department can provide guidance to writing a job description and assistance in preparing other materials such as screening criteria and interview questions. For new positions, all inquiries regarding classification and salary should be directed to human resources.
The human resources department composes and places all employment advertisements to ensure compliance with government regulations.
Applications received by human resources for open positions are carefully screened for eligibility by using a screening grid based on minimum qualifications. Qualified individuals meeting screening criteria are then scheduled to be interviewed.
Interview questions are submitted to human resources for review and reformatting prior to the interview. A selection committee is appointed, composed of three or more individuals who interview the qualified candidates and agree upon the final selection. Although each interview is unique because a different candidate is involved, it is important that the same questions be asked of each candidate so that each person interviewed has an equal opportunity to offer relevant information. This also establishes a base for comparison of the candidates.
After each candidate has been interviewed, the interviewer records her/his observations on an applicant interview question rating form which is supplied by human resources. Each criteria used for rating applicants must reflect what is relevant to successful performance of the job. Rating forms should have written comments that clearly state the job-related reasons why each unsuccessful candidate was not selected, as well as why the chosen candidate is most suitable. Rating forms may be subject to review at a later time, and for that reason the form is important and it should be completed with care and professionalism.
The PI, supervisor or department head may conduct second interviews after the selection committee has selected their top candidate(s). At the conclusion of all interviews when an applicant is selected for the job, all screening grids, application forms, completed applicant interview question rating forms, and the committee's and/or supervisor's recommendations for hire are forwarded to human resources. No applicant should be given any information about the interview evaluations or told who is being recommended for hire. All applicant inquiries must be referred to human resources. Human resources reviews the selection committee and/or supervisor's recommendation to ensure compliance with appropriate procedures and has responsibility for all SDSU Research Foundation hires. Human resources completes all reference verifications on all regular-salaried employees.
Human resources notifies the PI when the approval process has been completed. SDSU Research Foundation’s human resources director, or designees within the human resources department, are the only people with the legal authority to appoint any regular-salaried employees. Offers of employment for regular-salaried employees cannot be made until a Personnel Assignment Status Sheet (PASS) is signed and approved by the PI/supervisor, account administrator and/or dean.
2. Moving Allowance Policy
Reimbursement may be allowed for a part of the travel and moving expenses of professional and technically trained persons who change their place of residence to accept employment with SDSU Research Foundation or San Diego State University (hereafter referred to as the employer) under the following conditions:
- The expenditure is necessary in order to recruit a qualified person needed by the employer; and
- The appointee will occupy a position which is eligible to receive such an allowance; and
- Funds are available from the project or department for this purpose.
For a complete copy of the Moving Allowance Policy, contact the human resources department at (619) 594-4139.
3. Hourly and Student - Short Term Staffing
Periodic short-term staffing needs can be met by hiring employees who are paid at an hourly rate (with the exception of university faculty and some university staff who are normally paid on the basis of their university salary rates). Hourly employees working a regular schedule of half time or more do not normally exceed one-year appointments. However, there are circumstances where they may be appointed to hourly jobs for several successive years.
The PI will initiate the Temporary Employee Appointment Form “TEAF” for short-term project employees being appointed on SDSU Research Foundation payroll. To allow time to resolve any unanticipated problems, the TEAF should be submitted to the appropriate SR administrator who processes the TEAF and forwards to human resources for classification. This is submitted well before, (but in no case less than three days before), the employee begins working.
A Temporary Employee Appointment Form (TEAF) can be found at HR forms
TEAF’s and special pay forms submitted to human resources for processing with a start date of more than 90-days old require a memo attached justifying the delay in processing. Once received by human resources a signature from the director or associate director is required for approval.
Federal regulations require SDSU Research Foundation to use E-Verify system to verify all newly re-hired employees are eligible to work in the United States.
Prospective employee should report to SDSU Research Foundation's human resources department to complete the necessary new hire forms on or before her/his first day of work to determine eligibility to work in the US and complete the E-Verify process. Examples of acceptable identification for the completion of new hire forms can be found at New Employee Information.
PIs must also observe the two deadline dates each month for submitting new appointment forms or changes to existing appointments to her/his SR administrator. Any paperwork received after the deadline date may not be processed until the next pay cycle. Please review Payroll Deadlines.
Student Exemptions: Under federal law, full-time students employed by a university or a university auxiliary are exempt from paying social security taxes. To qualify for this exemption, a student employee must be:
- regularly enrolled in and currently attending classes at SDSU (including summer term if a summer exemption is sought)
- during the academic year, carrying a minimum of 12 units for undergraduates, and eight units for graduate students (six units for graduate students enrolled in thesis);
- working an average of 20 hours or less per week total, in all campus assignments combined;
- paid at a student classification wage rate.
Students who meet all these criteria should be classified for payroll purposes as students. Student employees are appointed by using the Temporary Employee Appointment Form in the same manner as described in the preceding section for hourly employees.
4. Additional Employment
- Additional Employment: The hiring of CSU staff or faculty by SDSU Research Foundation is restricted and controlled by SDSU Research Foundation's Additional Employment policy and the regulations of the CSU. Additional Employment is a method by which a university or SDSU Research Foundation employee (usually a faculty member) may receive direct payment of salary for services related to a project. The guidelines are complex and subject to further restriction by the funding source. Please contact human resources for assistance in this area.
- Reimbursed Time: Reimbursed time is the mechanism whereby SDSU Research Foundation reimburses the university for a portion of an employee’s regular position, up to full time, for work that is outside the employee’s regular work assignment and compensated from a different source (usually sponsored research). The grant purchases a certain percent of a faculty member’s time to work on a sponsored project, and her/his instructional assignment is reduced accordingly.
The faculty member’s university department initiates the reimbursed time appointment on a Grant and Contract Workload form. This form is forwarded to the SR administrator for review and approval after all university required approvals are obtained. The SR administrator evaluates the current appointment and reviews and approves the funding commitment. This process is performed for fall and spring semesters during the academic year - Faculty Salary Increases: SR administrators, in conjunction with human resources, will process adjustments to SDSU Research Foundation additional employment appointments to capture all faculty salary increases at the start of the fall semester, at winter break and the beginning of summer. SR administrators will compare current additional employment salary bases against current SDSU salary bases and adjust faculty salaries to match the current SDSU salary base.
5. Effort Reporting
See Effort Reporting section for details of the effort reporting policies and procedures
6. Employment of Relatives
Employees’ relatives will not be eligible for employment with SDSU Research Foundation where potential problems of supervision, safety, security, morale or potential conflicts of interest exist. SDSU Research Foundation will not hire relatives of present employees if the individual(s) concerned work in a direct supervisory relationship. For purposes of this policy, “relatives” include a spouse, domestic partner, child, parents, siblings, in-laws, parents, step parents, step siblings, step children or any person involved in a legally binding guardianship or romantic relationship with the employee, and/or residing in the home of the employee.
If two employees become subject to the restrictions of this policy after they are hired, one or both of the employee must seek a transfer or reassignment to eliminate the actual or potential conflict of interest as specified in this policy.
SDSU Research Foundation reserves the right to determine if other relationships not specifically covered by this policy represent actual or potential conflicts of interest as well. Where SDSU Research Foundation determines that the relationship between two employees presents an actual or potential conflict of interest, SDSU Research Foundation may take appropriate action which includes, but is not limited to transfers, reassignments, changing shifts, or if necessary, possible termination of employment.
Any project, department or agency that would like to employ relatives must provide written justification for seeking an exception to this policy, which must include at least the following:
- What efforts have been made to recruit employees who were not related;
- How each related person's background is unique to the positions that are to be filled;
- Any cost savings that may result from employing the individuals involved;
- What safeguards will be put in place to eliminate any potential problems of supervision, safety, security, morale, or potential conflicts of interest.
Providing such a written justification does not necessarily mean that relatives will be employed by SDSU Research Foundation in the positions requested by the project, department or agency. If an exception is approved, an Employment of Relatives Exception Request memo must be completed and attached to the appointment form before the relative begins work.