Overview

What is a pro tem pool?

• Pro Tem pools are recruitments designed to build a large pool of applicants for a variety of limited-duration opportunities that may not be currently known.  
• Pro tem pools can be used to fill instructional, clinical, or research positions in the classification of pro tempore or postdoctoral scholar.  

Why would I use a pool?

• Faculty pro tem pools enable multiple hires from a single recruitment, based on a general position announcement.  
• Pro tem pools allow departments to hire quickly for positions (e.g. to fill an instructional need due to higher enrollment or staff a lab when a new grant is funded).  
• Pro tem pools also allow applicants the opportunity to express their interest in and be considered for numerous opportunities with a single application. 

What are the limitations of a pool?

• Pro tem pools are established for a one-year period and will close at the end of that year. You can renew them by following the same process laid out here.  
• Separate pools are required for instructional, clinical, and research positions due to differing approval requirements, minimum requirements, and position duties.  

How do I Open a Pro Tem Pool?

1. As always, your first step is to ensure you have preliminary approval to search. Verify with your dean’s office, unit, or department head before proceeding. 
2. Submit a position description for approval via MyTrack (or restart approvals on an existing position description. 
   • Use the reason “Faculty pool – to launch open pool”.  
   • Include “open pool” in your position title.
   • This position description will likely be generic. It does not have to list the specific details of the positions that will be hired from the pool (e.g. courses taught, exact lab) but must include a description of the criteria used for selection and general area of emphasis.  
   • think about what candidates might like to know, in order to determine whether they are interested in applying to your pool.
   • If the pool will be used to hire faculty at multiple categories (e.g. instructors and lecturers) or ranks (instructor, senior instructor I), the minimum qualifications must be clearly outlined for each rank/category.  
   • In the rank drop down field, use the lowest rank you are including. 
     1. For instance if you are including research assistant B, senior research assistant B, research associate, senior research associate, and postdoctoral scholar, you will select research assistant B.  
   • Human Resources reviews the position description to confirm that it is eligible for pool recruitment, confirm that the minimum qualifications are included for all included ranks and align to the qualification in the faculty collective bargaining agreement, and ensure it aligns with recruitment best practices.  
3. Create a requisition from the approved pool position description. 
   • Create the job requisition and submit it for unit and Human Resources approval using MyTrack (see MyTrack User Guides). 
   • Because pools are designed to cast a broad net for a variety of potential positions, please do not ask candidates to submit a cover letter. 
   • The individual in the hiring manager field in the MyTrack requisition will receive notification when the requisition has moved through the approval process. 
   • Once your pool is posted, you can recruit applicants for your pool through advertising, sharing with relevant networks, and direct outreach.   

How do I Hire from a Pro Tem Pool? 

1. Determine your specific hiring need. For instance, are you in need of a pro tem instructor to teach MATH 101 and 201? A pro tem research assistant to serve as a lab manager? Make sure you have a pool open that meets this need (e.g. Pro tem Instructor pool for Math, or a pro tem research pool that includes the rank of research assistant, respectively).   
2. Obtain Position Number(s) to add to your pool.  
   • Instructional pools may request B#s via this process. (Instructions) 
   • Other pools (research, clinical) will need to submit position-specific PDs (instructions) which will be assigned a B# during PD approval. As a note, please be sure to select “pool hire” as the reason on the PD. 
3. Review and consider applicants 
   • For each position available, review your pool for qualified applicants.  
   • Have a process for evaluating qualified candidates and document that process. (see example here)  
     1. This can include reviewing materials, interviewing selected finalists, checking references, and/or asking applicants to perform a job-related task.  
     2. Be sure to apply veteran’s preference for any qualified veterans in your pool. This means that you will need to offer an interview to any veteran if they meet the minimum qualifications. This process will need to be repeated for every available position that the veteran qualifies for. 
   • Do NOT advance candidate dispositioning in MyTrack past “qualifications review” unless you are hiring them. You’ll want to leave them available for future opportunities. You may disposition candidates that don’t meet minimum qualifications for any of the posted ranks.  
4. Once you have selected a finalist, make a contingent offer. Once a candidate accepts the offer, move them to “contingent offer accepted”. This will alert Talent that you are making a hire and kick off the background check process.  
5. Upload your search documentation to the requisition that demonstrates:  
   • you reviewed all qualified candidates.
   • which steps candidates went through (e.g. candidates A – Z were reviewed, candidates A, D, and Y were interviewed).
   • veterans' preference was applied appropriately.
6. Enter the offer card.  
   • Make sure you are entering the offer card on the correct position number (for instance, if you have one position numbers from a research assistant PD and one for a research associate PD, enter the research associate offer on the research associate B#).
   • Be sure to select “yes” under Position Type for the question “does this position have an end date.” All pro tem positions have end dates.
   • Select the correct rank from the drop-down menu.
   • Correct the FTE if needed.

Adding Positions to a Pro Tem Faculty Pool

Process 1: Pro Tem Instructional positions only

1. Run the Active Pro Tem Instructional Positions report in Cognos to determine which position numbers are available for assignment to the new pool. 
   • Enter those position numbers into the Position Number Assignment Spreadsheet. 
   • If you don’t have any (or enough) open position numbers, you can also use the spreadsheet to request additional position numbers (B#s). 
   • Send the completed spreadsheet to Talent@uoregon.edu and attach approval from your academic Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or cc them so they can respond with their approval.  
2. HR will add new and existing position numbers to the open pool requisitions. 

Process 2: Pro Tem Research Positions, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Pro Tem Clinical Positions

1. As soon as the specific job responsibilities for any individual position have been identified, and before any offer of employment is issued, create a new, job-specific position description and submit it for approval. Use the reason “faculty pool hire.” Do not wait until you’ve identified your finalist to submit the position description. 
2. If you’re hiring a Postdoc, please indicate whether the position is on the NIH scale in the notes. 
3. Include a proposed salary for the position. This is critical to ensuring we are evaluating the position correctly for FLSA status. 
4. For research and clinical positions, the position description must describe in detail the specific research project or clinical function/center and activities that will be performed in the position. 
5. Once the job-specific PD has been approved, email HR at talent@uoregon.edu to request that the position number (B#) from the approved PD be added to the pool requisition. Please give the specific PD and requisition numbers in your request. This step enables you to complete the hire and ties the job-specific PD to your finalist.