Step 5: Recruitment

To do and think about if you need to recruit people to staff your project: 

Regulations 

Read “Appointments procedure” and “Procedures of recruitment and promotion of teaching staff”. These documents give you information about employment, applicable positions, and the recruitment process at Karlstad University. 

Initiate

  • Contact and involve the Head of Department in the discussion concerning the needs that you have identified, your time schedule and the employment profile.

  • Start in time. A recruitment process takes time.

Competence-Based Recruitment

Karlstad University employs competence-based recruitment, which includes working in a structured manner and focusing on the required skills and qualifications relevant to the specific position in question. This is described in the templates used throughout the recruitment process.

Employment profile and advertisement

  • An employment profile is needed for each recruitment. Contact the HR specialist to obtain the current advertisement template for the recruitment to be carried out. 
     
  • If you prepare an employment profile, send a draft to the head of department and the HR Specialist for feedback.
     
  • Almost all recruitments have to be advertised.
     
  • The employment profile must have an approval by the Head of Department and the Dean before HR Specialist publishes the advertisement.

Assessment

The following steps in the recruitment process depend on type of employment and position:

  • For some employments, external experts are required.
     
  • When we are assessing applications, consider only objective grounds such as merits and skills. The assessment has to be based on the qualification requirements, the assessment criteria, personal characteristics and other information stated in the recruitment profile and in the university’s appointment regulations.

Interview and references

  • The most qualified applicants should be invited to an interview (sometimes trial lecture as well). Keep the Head of Department and the Director of Studies or the Head of Subject involved. Do not conduct interviews alone. 
     
  • The HR specialist keeps all applicants informed during the recruitment process.
     
  • References should be contacted to confirm the applicants’ qualifications.
     
  • Karlstad University has templates for interview guides and references.

Employment decision and contract 

  • After the interviews and confirmation from references, the applicant who proves to be the most qualified and who best complies with the recruitment profile should be offered the position.
  • The department propose whom the university should offer an employment.
  • The Dean or the Vice-Chancellor makes the decision. Some recruitments need to be processed by the Employment and Promotion Committee before a decision is made.
  • The HR specialist writes the official employment decision and the employment contract.
  • The HR specialist notifies all applicants about the decision.
  • The applicants can appeal the decision for three weeks.

Work and residence permits 

New employees from countries outside of the EU must apply for work and/or residence permits at The Swedish Migration Agency. The employment cannot start until the permit has been approved by the Migration Agency. The HR Specialist contacts the new employee as soon as we have the decision of employment ready, to start the application process.