Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
1069.0
RECRUITMENT
PROGRAM
1069.1.0
Implementation and Modification
1069.1.1 The Department of Human Services
(DHS) Career Opportunities Policy and the procedures that implement it will be
administered without regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, religion, national
origin, disability status, veteran status, or political affiliation.
1069.1.2 Applicants with disabilities are
invited to request any needed accommodations to participate in this program.
Alternate formats (large print, audiotape, etc.) will be provided upon
request.
1069.1.3 This policy and
the supporting procedures apply to all positions within DHS and all applicants
for employment with DHS, unless otherwise stated as exempt or
ineligible.
1069.1.4 DHS
Recruitment shall have primary responsibility for the implementation of this
policy and shall propose and coordinate any modifications to these procedures
for approval by the DHS Executive Staff.
1069.2.0
Definitions
1069.2.1
Covered
Positions - This policy applies to all regular, classified
positions, full or part time and permanent Extra Help positions. See
Section 1069.9 for procedures concerning employees classified as
Professional/Executive Pay Plan positions. This program does not extend to
Emergency Hire appointments, temporary Extra Help appointments, Interim
Appointments or any other temporary appointments.
1069.2.2
Eligible
Applicants - All DHS employees and all non-DHS employees are
eligible to apply for DHS positions except for the following:
A. DHS employees who are on disciplinary
probation, or who are terminated with codes, 02 (involuntary termination) or 21
(gross misconduct).
B. Employees
who have not completed six months in their present position or if their present
position requires completion of a formal training period, the employee must
complete six months in the position after completing the training program.
Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, with the approval of the
division director or designee.
C.
DHS employees who have been suspended cannot apply for six months from the date
of the suspension.
1069.2.3
Minimum Qualifications
(MQs)- Applicants must meet the stated minimum
qualifications for a position. MQs are the job related background and
preparation: Either education, experience or a combination of both from which
one acquires the necessary knowledge, abilities and skills to satisfactorily
perform the job at entry. MQs are established by the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM), Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), and are
listed on each state job specification. DHS Recruitment or the appropriate
Human Development Center (HDC) will screen the State of Arkansas Employment
Application and determine if the applicant meets the minimum qualifications for
each particular position.
1069.2.4
Veteran's Preference - Ark. Code Ann. §
21-3-301 et seq. bestows a
preference in state employment on eligible U.S. military veterans who have been
honorably discharged from a tour of active duty (unless the tour was for
training only) or who have served honorably in the National Guard or Reserves
for a period of at least six years. In order to receive veteran's preference
for DHS employment, eligible veterans must submit required
documentation.
1069.2.5
Register - A list of qualified applicants, based on
the MQ screening process, will be sent electronically to the hiring official
and designee(s) listed on the Job Vacancy Request (JVR). Each register has an
identification number, and is tied to a JVR, which is tied to a position
number.
1069.3.0
Advertisement of Vacant Positions
1069.3.1 After release from court ordered,
DHS Reduction in Force (RIF), and Americans with Disabilities Act reassignment
considerations, positions will be advertised on www.arstatejobs.com. The
website will contain two types of advertisements: Continuously Advertised
Positions and Specially Advertised Positions. Positions that are approved for
an emergency hire by the DFA/OPM Administrator need not be advertised
(See DHS-801 Hiring Procedures). All other positions must be
advertised with DHS and with the Department of WorkForce Services.
1069.3.2
Continuously Advertised
PositionsA. Continuously
Advertised Positions are those classifications that are advertised at all times
with no closing date. These classifications do not appear with a position
number, and applications for these jobs are always accepted. When a vacancy
occurs in one of these classifications, the current pool of applicants is used
to compile the disposition listing
(register).
B. Determination of Continuously Advertised
Position classifications will be based on such factors as frequency of job
vacancies, availability of qualified applicants, special recruitment and
departmental needs. This list will be updated and revised annually or more
frequently if necessary to help reflect the job availability and opportunities.
Division directors may request that classifications be continuously advertised
by forwarding written justification to the DHS Recruitment Manager.
1069.3.3
Specially
Advertised Positions
All positions not continuously advertised will be advertised
when a vacancy occurs. In accordance with Governor's Policy Directive 8,
managerial and professional positions will be advertised for a minimum of ten
working days. All other positions will be advertised for a minimum of five
working days. The managerial and professional designations as determined by OPM
will be used in determining the minimum advertisement period. Hiring officials
may request additional advertisement periods. When a holiday occurs within the
advertisement period, the closing date will be adjusted accordingly for a like
number of days. After advertising, if there are five or fewer qualified
applicants, the hiring official may request re-advertisement by contacting DHS
Recruitment.
1069.4.0
Submission Procedures
1069.4.1 When a vacancy occurs, the hiring
official completes and submits Hiring Freeze Form, unless the position is
freeze exempt. Next they submit an electronic Job Vacancy Request, using the
DHS Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
1069.4.2 Supervisors may submit:
A. a Hiring Freeze Exception Request form
upon receipt of a pending vacancy notice (notice must be a written resignation
or termination)
B. an OPM-0100 form
upon receipt of a pending retirement notice (notice must be in
writing)
1069.4.3 If the
vacancy request is for a Continuously Advertised Position, an electronic
register will be prepared from the current pool of applicants and an email link
to the electronic register will be forwarded to the hiring official and
designees with all relevant application information in less than 24 hours from
receipt. If there are five or fewer available applicants, the hiring official
will be contacted and may either accept the list for interview or request that
the position be advertised. If advertised, a new register will be available for
the hiring official within 3 working days after the closing date.
1069.4.4 All other vacancy requests will be
advertised for the minimum advertisement period. The hiring official will be
provided with a register within working 3 days of the closing date.
1069.4.5 If an individual selected for a
position resigns within sixty days, the hiring official may select the second
highest qualified person without submitting a new Online Job Vacancy Request. A
new freeze submission/approval by OPM is required.
1069.5.0
Certification and
Referral
1069.5.1 Minimum
Qualifications
A. To be considered for a
position, the state requires that the applicant meet the MQs that DFA/OPM has
established. The DHS Recruitment Office or HDC will certify that these
requirements are met (on the basis of the information provided on the current
application and any supplemental documents). Certain positions also require
that established special requirements be met for the applicant to be minimally
qualified. Examples of special requirements are licenses, certifications, and
official college transcripts. The MQs and Special Requirements are to be
published for both Continuous and Advertised Positions.
B. Meeting MQs is determined by the
education, experience, and other relevant information, e.g. licensure,
certification, etc. listed on the application. Thus, it is very important that
an applicant provide accurate information on the application form. Applicants
may submit a resume to DHS Recruitment without a State of Arkansas Application,
and it will be processed to the extent possible. However, a State of Arkansas
Application must be completed for the application to be complete.
C. A notice informing that the applicant does
or does not meet the MQs will be sent electronically from the DHS Recruitment
Office or HDC to the email address listed on the application. If an email
address is not provided on the application, then a notice will be forwarded to
the address provided on the application. To request an appeal of a
determination that an applicant does not meet MQs, a written notice must be
forwarded to the DHS Recruitment Office, with a determination of
reconsideration to be made by the HR Consulting Team. Final appeal is to the
State Qualifications Review Committee (QRC). If an applicant desires to make an
appeal to QRC, a written request must be made to the DHS Recruitment Office,
along with additional relevant information that is requested or which supports
the applicant's case. A register or hiring decision will not be delayed pending
an appeal to QRC.
1069.5.2 Interviewing and Referral
All qualified applications will be forward to the hiring
official on a register and the hiring official must attempt to contact all
referred applicants for interview. Only those applicants contacted and desiring
an interview must be scheduled for an interview. If a register of qualified
applicants contains more than ten applicants, the hiring official may choose to
benchmark the applications. Benchmarking is a process of sorting applications
into groups according to job related criteria developed in advance by the
hiring supervisor. Only those candidates whose applications meet or exceed the
benchmark criteria will be scheduled for an interview. If this method is not
used, then all minimally qualified applicants on the list must be
interviewed.
1069.6.0
Application Procedures
1069.6.1 All applicants will use the state
application form. Both DHS employees and other applicants are required to
properly complete and sign the application form. Current DHS employees are
required to complete and sign the DHS Addendum Forms DHS-1143 A and B, and
submit the forms with all applications. Incomplete applications will be
returned to the applicant. All applications submitted via the Internet should
be signed and dated at the time of the interview.
1069.6.2
To Apply for a
Continuously Advertised Position
A. Eligible applicants must submit a properly
completed and signed State of Arkansas Employment Application Form and DHS
Addendum Form, DHS-1143 B for each classification title for which they wish
consideration. Only ONE classification title may be entered per
application. Applicants must indicate in the Availability Section of the
Addendum Form, DHS-1143 B the specific counties and divisions within DHS in
which they would accept employment. Failure to indicate such designations or
failure to properly complete any portion of the application form may result in
the application not being completely processed.
B. Applications for Continuously Advertised
Positions will be accepted at any time. An application must be active at the
time a Continuously Advertised Position register is requested. Applications for
Continuously Advertised Positions will be active for sixty days. Once the
application becomes inactive, applicants desiring further consideration must
submit a new state application form at the end of the sixty-day
period.
1069.6.3
To Apply for a Specially Advertised Position
A. Applications will be accepted only during
an advertisement period, and a separate application must be submitted for each
specific position number. If an application is submitted after the closing
date, the applicant will receive a notice to that fact.
B. If the classification is on the
Continuously Advertised list, DHS Recruitment will enter the application into
the Continuously Advertised Pool.
1069.6.4
Submission of
Applications
- Completed
applications must be submitted in one of four ways:
A. Applications may be sent via the Internet
to Arkansas Government Jobs website at
http://www.arstatejobs.com (This is
the preferred and most efficient method of submission).
B. Applications may be faxed to the DHS
Recruitment Office at (501) 682-6569.
C. Applications, if mailed, must be mailed
directly to the DHS Recruitment Office at:
Arkansas Department of Human Services
OFA/OHR/ Recruitment and Placement Section
Donaghey Plaza West
P.O. Box 1437, Slot W301
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1437
To be considered for a Specially Advertised Position, the
application must be postmarked by the closing date of the advertisement.
D. Applications may be submitted,
by the advertised closing date, in person to a Human Development Center
(HDC).
E. Applications should not
be submitted directly to a contact person, hiring official, work unit, or any
other DHS office.
F. Americans With
Disabilities Act Accommodations - Alternate formats (large print,
audiotape, etc.) will be provided on request. It is the applicant's
responsibility to advise the OHR/HDC of the need for special
accommodations.
1069.7.0
Veterans Preference in
Hiring
1069.7.1 Applicants desiring
veterans preference in accordance with Ark. Code Ann. §
21-3-302, "The Veterans Preference
Law," should submit the necessary documents with their application on-line or
provide at interview when applicable. If a numerically scored examination,
evaluation, questionnaire, or similar instrument is given for the purpose of
establishing a register, and an eligible veteran obtains a passing grade, he or
she shall have five or ten points of the maximum possible points added to his
or her final score according to the criteria below:
1069.7.2 "Veteran" means:
A. Any person honorably discharged from a
tour of active duty, other than active duty for training only, with the armed
forces of the United States;
B. Any
person who has served honorably in the National Guard or reserve forces of the
United States for a period of a least six (6) years, whether the person has
retired or been discharged or not.
1069.7.3 The veteran's status shall be
considered on questions of hiring, promotion and retention of
employees.
1069.7.4 A veteran who
voluntarily submits official proof of his or her status as a veteran, disabled
veteran, or a surviving spouse of a deceased veteran who remains unmarried at
the time when the preference is being sought shall be entitled to employment
preference in a position over other applicants after meeting substantially
equal qualifications.
1069.7.5 The
person requesting the preference must be a citizen and resident of this
state.
1069.7.6 The qualified
veteran or surviving unmarried spouse shall have five (5) points added to his
or her final rating score. Disabled veterans or veterans over the age of
fifty-five (55) and their surviving unmarried spouses shall have ten (10)
points added to his/her final rating score.
1069.7.7 If a hiring official passes over
that name of any service-connected disabled veteran appearing on an interview
or employment list, the hiring official must submit in writing the reason and
attach it to the employment application. The written reason shall become a part
of the employment application records of the department and be retained for the
same period of time as all other employment applications.
1069.8.0
Application Status
1069.8.1 Applications for Continuously
Advertised Positions will be active for that classification title for sixty
calendar days from the date of submission. At the end of that sixty-day period,
a new state application form must be submitted. Applications for Specially
Advertised Positions will be active for the period of time required to process
a register for that position.
1069.8.2 An application will be removed from
further consideration for the position when the applicant:
A. Fails to attend a scheduled
interview
B. Cannot be contacted by
the hiring official at the telephone numbers and email or physical addresses
given
Note:The hiring official is required to attempt to
contact applicants by phone at least three times over a two-day period. A
hiring official may contact applicants in writing; therefore, it is extremely
important that applicants notify the DHS Recruitment Office or HDC in writing
of any changes to email and physical addresses or phone
numbers.
1069.8.3
The acceptance of a position cancels all of an applicant's active applications,
and places the new hire on a six month probationary period. During this period,
no new applications will be accepted for that applicant. A new application may
not be submitted for a new position until the end of the six month probationary
period.
1069.8.4 The letter of
acceptance for a position will contain the following conditions of employment:
A. The employee will not apply for other DHS
positions until satisfactory completion of the DHS new-hire probationary
period. However, within his or her division, a division director may make an
exception (in writing) to the six-month probationary period, on an individual
basis. For changes involving more than one division, the DHS Director will make
the final decision if there is a conflict between the potential losing and
gaining of division directors.
B.
DHS new-hire employees will be required to pass a drug-screening test. The cost
of the drug test will be paid for by the DHS hiring division.
C. DHS employees who are selected for
positions identified as requiring a formal state and/or federal criminal record
check will be advised of this requirement as a condition of employment.
(
See DHS Policy 1080 - Employee Criminal Record Check).
Additionally, formal background checks may be required such as:
a. DHS 1114 State police
b. CFS 316 Child Maltreatment
c. APS 0001 Adult Maltreatment
d. Driving Records
The employee must submit a Disclosure Statement if he or she or
an immediate family member (spouse, father, mother, sibling, or child) is a
current or former (within two years) member of the Arkansas General Assembly, a
Constitutional Officer, or a state employee.
1069.9.0
Guidelines For Employees Classified as Professional/Executive Pay Plan (N900
grade series) Positions
1069.9.1
Applicability
All division and office directors will follow these guidelines
in hiring.
1069.9.2
Notification Concerning Professional/Executive Pay Plan
Positions
Division and office directors will advise the DHS Director of
any Professional/Executive Pay Plan position vacancy
prior to recruitment of applicants.
1069.9.3
Selection of
Professional/Executive Pay Plan Positions
Directors at their discretion may or may not utilize the normal
DHS procedures for recruitment and selection of applicants for
Professional/Executive Pay Plan positions. Once a candidate has been selected,
the Division or Office Directors will inform the DHS Director who must approve
the hiring decision before any commitment to hire is made except in cases of
board appointments. The DHS Director has the option of arranging an interview
with the candidate. No appointment to the position shall be made prior to the
DHS Director's concurrence, except in instances of board appointments. In such
cases, the DHS Director shall be notified of any appointment immediately
following selection.
1069.10.0
Drug and Alcohol Use
1069.10.1 It is the policy of DHS that all
employees are prohibited from using or possessing controlled substances or
alcohol while on duty or working with the presence of alcohol or illegal drugs
in the employee's body, or abusing legal drugs. Employees who engage in drug
and alcohol abuse face the risk of unemployment and the forfeiture of worker's
compensation medical and indemnity benefits.
1069.10.2 Refer to DHS Policy 1087, DHS
Employee Drug and Alcohol Prevention, for complete policy.
1069.11.0
Initiating
Section/Department
Office of Administrative Services
Human Resources/Support Services Section
Donaghey Plaza West
P.O. Box 1437 - Slot W403
Little Rock, AR 72203-1437
Telephone: (501) 682-6249
