2017-03 Performance Audit Report: County of Hawai'i's Department of Human Resources Hiring Practices

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the term is used here, refers to those employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement (HRS §76-14).) Second, it appoints and may remove the Director of Human Resources.4 What is the merit principle? The merit principle is the selection of persons based on their "fitness" (i.e., the quality of being suitable to fulfill a particular role or task), their ability for public employment, and the retention of employees based on their demonstrated appropriate conduct and productive performance. What is the County's policy in filling vacant civil service positions? The County should fill all vacant civil service positions with the most suitable applicants available for the positions based on the merit principle using lawful, fair, and uniformly administered procedures. Selections for the positions should be impartial and based on the needs of the County, free from coercive political influences, as well as applicants' fitness and ability for public employment. The County uses the Request to Fill (RTF) form to document the process of the filling the vacant position. (Appendix 8) What is the difference between an eligible list and a referred list? An eligible list is a list of qualified persons from an open -competitive recruitment who are placed on the list for a minimum of six months. Generally, all eligible candidates remain on the eligible list for 12 -months from the date they became eligible. Whereas, a referred list is the official document through which qualified individuals from an eligible list are referred for employment consideration to departments. All qualified individuals referred from an eligible list for a vacancy are based on the applicant's availability for work location and duration of employment, including availability to work in a lower level class of work. How does the County assess an applicant's qualifications? The Department of Human Resources refers all the names from the eligible list who meet the minimum qualifications to hiring departments. The referred list is based on a specific work location and availability for a vacant position. County departments use this particular list, as well as their established skill set criteria, to identify applicants to be interviewed. 4 Merit Appeals Board (MAB) Fact Sheet http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/88859/Pagel.aspx Background 3 1 P a g e