EMPLOYMENT & CAREERS
Time-to-Fill a Position
DHRM has received inquiries regarding how the time it takes to fill a position is counted in the RMS. The time is counted from the “job open date” until the position is manually “designated as filled” by agency human resources staff. The days continue to be counted for positions in “closed” status. The “Designate Position as Filled” feature in the RMS closes out the job posting and ends the time it takes to fill a position.
The time-to-fill dates cannot be changed in the RMS, so agencies are encouraged to designate a position as filled as soon as possible after a job offer is made and accepted. Time-to-Fill reports are sent to HR Directors on a quarterly basis.
Identifying Applicants with Preferential Hiring Forms
On June 11, 2007 two columns were added to the View/Edit Posting screen to identify applicants with a preferential hiring status. This new functionality identifies applicants in layoff status with active Yellow and Blue Cards prior to the screening process.
Applications received prior to June 11th must still be reviewed by human resources staff to determine if applicants have a preferential hiring status. For those applications, the preferential hiring questions have been moved from the top of the application form to the section before the supplemental questions
Specific Questions Added to Each Job Posting
Since June 11, 2007, four specific, required questions have been automatically generated by the RMS each time an applicant applies for a job posting. The responses to these questions are displayed on the application in the Supplemental Questions section. These questions are required for a more timely identification in the recruitment process of applicants in layoff status and to collect data on media sources.
Required Questions:
- Do you have an Interagency Placement Screening Form (Yellow Form) as issued under Policy 1.30 Layoff? (Commonwealth of Virginia Employees Only)
- Do you have a Preferential Hiring Form (Blue Form) as issued under Policy 1.30 Layoff? (Commonwealth of Virginia Employees Only)
- How did you hear about this opportunity?
Newspaper (name)
VEC
Agency Bulletin Board
Radio/TV (name)
State Recruitment Management System (RMS)
Other (please specify) - Please specify the media source (newspaper, radio/TV or Other) from question #3. If no response, type “N/A.”
Please contact Pat Waller at patricia.waller@dhrm.virginia.gov if you have any questions or comments about the RMS.
When checking references on applicants, discussions with the applicant’s current and past supervisors will usually provide relevant and useful assessments of the applicant’s demonstrated job performance. Agencies may want to confirm with the applicant that the supervisor(s) listed on their application or résumé is the same individual that actually hired them and completed their performance evaluations. Some applicants may interpret or misrepresent receiving instructions from a team leader or co-worker as supervision. While conducting employment/salary verification, it may be wise to confirm with the reference’s human resource office that the supervisor listed on the application is or was, in fact, the applicant’s supervisor.