Make an Offer

Ensure you have completed all prior steps for recruitment before proceeding.

Once you have completed interviews and obtained references, the next step is to extend an offer to your top candidate. It is important to prepare for the offer to ensure the likelihood of acceptance. 

VERBAL OFFER

1. Consult
  • Before proceeding, ensure the Consult your Partners hiring approval step has been completed (if not already done).
  • Should you require advice on making an offer, please contact your HR Partner   for guidance (this offer is legally binding).
    • For MAPS positions, there is a requirement to consult with your HR Partner before making a job offer.
2. Prepare
  • Know what you are able to offer based on the following:
  • Be prepared to discuss the following:
    • Position details
      • Job title
      • Position type (including union, if applicable)
      • Salary (including pay frequency)
      • Department name
      • Reporting structure
      • Probationary period
    • Work schedule
      • Regular working hours
      • Location (e.g. in-person, hybrid or remote)
    • Benefits Overview
      • Health and dental
      • Holidays and closures, vacation, leaves, etc.
      • Pension
      • Professional development
    • Proposed start date
    • Moving and Relocation Support (if applicable)
  • Creating a script can ensure that crucial information isn't overlooked, increasing the likelihood of the candidate accepting the offer.
    • Example: I really enjoyed getting to know you and learning about your experience during the interview process. I think that you would make a great addition to the [faculty or department name] at the University of Alberta. I am excited to extend to you an offer of employment as [job title]... 
  • Extend the job offer promptly to remain the candidate's top choice amidst potential competitive offers.  
3. Call the candidate
  • Be prepared to leave a message or schedule a convenient time to connect.
  • Express excitement in your tone and words.
  • Don’t expect immediate acceptance.
    • If the candidate requests time to consider, inquire about their timeline (approx. 2 business days is reasonable).
    • Negotiation may occur; connect with your HR Partner for support.
  • Ask if they have any questions
  • Advise that a formal offer letter will be forwarded for signature
  • If they accept, express your enthusiasm about them joining your team
  • Provide contact information for further questions
  • Follow up with an email summarizing the call. Connect with your HR Partner  and use the template .

OFFER LETTER: Appointment + Re-appointment Processes

This process is called Employee Appointment (new, promotion, transfer) or Employee Re-appointment (rehire or extension).

Secondment requests do not follow the below process, they must be submitted through the Staff Service Centre.

New Offer, Promotion + Transfer - Employee Appointment Process
  1. Review APS Employee Appointment Process End User Guide.
  2. Gather information from the applicable Employee Type QRG in the Guidelines below.
  3. Confirm signatories for offer letter – Contact your HR Partner.
  4. Initiate Employee Appointment (Refer to the Payroll Deadlines for initiation timelines).
    • There is a requirement to be connected to VPN to initiate an appointment.
  5. Shared Services will:
    • Prepare the appointment letter and coordinates signatures.
    • Enter the appointment information into PeopleSoft, which prompts IST to create CCID for employee.
  6. Set up pay for new employees.

NOTE: Effective April 2024, all appointments that have been completed and are older than 90 days will be automatically archived in the university’s enterprise contentment management system, Alfresco Content Services, and will no longer be visible on the APS dashboard. Previous offer letters can be obtained through eForm (see instructions) or through a request to the Staff Service Centre.

Extension - Employee Re-Appointment Process
  1. Confirm with faculty/unit you are proceeding with reappointment.
  2. Review APS Employee Reappointment Process End User Guide .
  3. Gather information from the applicable Employee Type QRG in the Guidelines below.
  4. Initiate Employee Reappointment (Refer to the Payroll Deadlines for initiation timelines).
    • If you are signed up for re-appointment notifications, you will receive email and link 60 days in advance of expiry date.
    • If you are not signed up for re-appointment notifications, please contact the Staff Service Centre for access.
  5. Shared Services will:
    • Prepare the appointment letter and coordinates signatures.
    • Enter the appointment information into PeopleSoft.

If you are not extending the appointment, you are required to provide Auxiliary Salaried staff 30 days' notice, and recommended to provide similar notice to other employee groups.

Casual 1, Casual Full-Time Student Appointment, Excluded Students
  1. Gather all information job details to complete the submission. 
  2. Confirm signatories for offer letter – Contact your HR Partner.
  3. Refer to your faculty or departments Casual Appointment Bulk Upload template.
  4. Follow instructions on how to complete the template .
    • Note: The template MUST be completed in Google Sheets.
  5. Submit the completed template directly to Shared Services by selecting 1-Send to SHS in Column A.
  6. The system will validate your submission, return a status update of 2-Received By ShS. If the sheet has errors, E-Error status will appear. Correct any errors and resubmit selecting 1-Send to SHS in Column A.
  7. After Shared Services has reviewed your submission, you will be able to monitor its progress by referring to Column A for status updates or by searching the process ID in the APS dashboard.
Foundational Recruitment Resources

Tools

This section provides a list of the different Employee Appointment applications or tools available to you along with directions on how to use them.

Job Code Directory

Job codes are used to define the type of work performed, the grade level, and hours of work per week.

View the Job Code Directory web page which will assist you in navigating to the appropriate job code search, based on the employee type being appointed.

HR Terminology for Supervisors

This document provides a description for specific HR terminology that may help with understanding what is being referenced.

View HR Terminology for Supervisors

Forms + Documentation

This link takes you to our document management system which contains additional information.

Forms + Documentation

Guidelines

This section provides direct links to important information which will help guide you through the Employee Appointment process.

Academic Employee Types

In this section you will find a link for each academic employee type which will take you to a quick reference guide explaining the fields you will see in the Employee Appointment process, what should be entered in these fields, and some tips around entering this information.

Support Employee Types

In this section you will find a link for each support employee type which will take you to a quick reference guide explaining the fields you will see in the Employee Appointment process, what should be entered in these fields, and some tips around entering this information.

Graduate Assistant

In this section you will find a link for each support employee type which will take you to a quick reference guide explaining the fields you will see in the Employee Appointment process, what should be entered in these fields, and some tips around entering this information.

Other Employee Types

In this section you will find a link for all other employee types which will take you to a quick reference guide explaining the fields you will see in the Employee Appointment process, what should be entered in these fields, and some tips around entering this information.

Supplemental Pay

This reference document provides the basics around Supplemental Pay and the earning codes used.

View Supplemental Pay

Probation

Probation is an assessment period for a new employee usually for a specified period of time.

This section provides links to the specific probationary guidelines:

Need Support?

Shared Services can provide recruitment support related to the following:

  • Job postings
  • Recruitment folder set-up
  • Initial screening
  • Immigration
  • Recall and duty to accommodate
  • Reference checks
  • Moving and relocation
  • Records management
  • Offer letters

If your faculty, department, or unit is a Recruitment Pilot participant, learn more  about how to access services for your hiring needs.

Your HR Partner  can provide support for interviews at the leadership level and any other questions throughout the steps for recruitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I am entering an appointment for a future date, is the eform approved and will system access (CCID, payroll, etc.) be active when the process is complete?

Appointments are prioritized based on the appointment start dates and payroll schedule. Employment Services’ goal is to review and process appointments before the effective start date. So an appointment for a later date will be entered into the system before that date and will be active on the effective start date.

Some faculties have their own salary scales—are these included? (e.g. Dentists work on an enhanced salary scale) How or where would this be identified in the appointment request?

Faculty or Dept specific salary scales are not published on the website and hence Employment Services will need to be notified that the salary provided on the appointment request corresponds to the faculty scale. The salary field is an open text field. The Initiator can type the respective salary amount directly into the appointment request form based on the applicable salary scale. Also entering a comment in the "Notes" field would be helpful to identify for the Employment Lifecycle Advisor that the rate is an enhanced salary scale for that Faculty.

There is an option to enter speed codes and combo codes. Do I have to enter both? Which code is preferred?

You must enter at least one of the codes. If you only enter the speed code, Employment Services will do the leg work on the back end to convert the speed code to the correct combo code. If you have both the speed code and the combo code please enter both.

Is there an option to include other required documentation as attachments in our offer letters, such as supplementary conditions?

Yes, this is possible. On the main tab click on "Select a File" and choose a document(s) to upload. The attachments will append to the offer letter for signatures.

In the event that we submit the appointment request as a casual student and it needs to be changed, how do we change the employee type?

If there is an error in submission where you intended the employee type to be Casual II but sent in as Casual I, submit a ticket to the Staff Service Centre. If this is to convert employee type to AUX or regular may require consultation with HR Partner. Regardless of the situation if the circumstances change or the Initiator learns that a change is needed, the Initiator should reach out to the Staff Service Centre requesting that the letter and eform be updated.

Is there a way to reject or deny the appointment?

Yes, the hiring manager/initiator can decline the letter and will be prompted with a popup box where they can enter the reason for declining. Also, the prospective employee can decline the letter. Employment Services may also reach out to the initiator identifying the offer letter needs fixing.

Can we do a batch of multiple appointments at one time?

At this time, you can submit batch appointments for Casual 1, Casual Full-Time Students, and Excluded Students only. Currently all other appointment types must be submitted through the usual APS appointment process or via eforms. 

How do I get access to the Casual Appointment Bulk Upload template?

A casual appointment bulk upload template has been provided to faculties and departments who typically have high volumes of casual hires, and access has been granted to their general administrators/initiators.

If additional access is required, the unit manager can provide the name of the employee(s) who require(s) access to the template, Employee CCID, Department Name, Dept ID, Name of Supervisor and CCID of Supervisor to the Staff Service Centre.

Is there an autofill for re-appointments or appointments for people with a CCID instead of having to look up all the information in the appointment letter or eform section?

This is in progress. We are working on integrating the PeopleSoft data in the re-appointment portion of the project and will begin testing this functionality shortly.

Is there a way to switch user profiles in Alfresco?

No. You would have to close the browser you are working in completely and sign in again with the desired login credentials. Alternatively, you could have 2 different browsers going and be logged in with a different CCID on each one. Or have a private browsing session which will let you log in again when prompted.

How do I obtain a copy of an employee offer letter?
Offer letters are stored on the university’s enterprise content management system, Alfresco Content Services. If you are a hiring manager, you can obtain an employee offer letter through eForm (see instructions). All other requests for employee records can be submitted through the Staff Service Centre.