S.A.M PANEL INTERVIEW PROCESSIMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR PANEL MEMBERS

Recruitment Department

HIRING MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES

SEPTA would like to thank you for participating in the S.A.M. panel interview process.

As a hiring manager and panelist, you have accepted a very important role in assisting the Authority to fill vital positions. Matching the right people with the right jobs is one of the basic ways of creating and maintaining a top-notch work force. Please be aware that there are also certain responsibilities that are required as a panel member.

It is also important to understand that all of the supporting documentation related to the recruitment/placement effort, including panelists’ notes, evaluation forms, rankings, etc., will be contained in a requisition file and held for three years. These files will be subject to production by SEPTA in response to discovery requests or subpoena made under any litigation arising out of the Authority hiring/promotion process.

You and your panelists must pay close attention to the selection criteria which will be utilized for the hiring process. They should review the finalized questions and answers as well as the structured rating and evaluation systems which will be used for the interview.

WHICH POSITIONS REQUIRE PANEL INTERVIEWS?

Panel interviews are required in the selection process for all S.A.M. positions.

The panel will consist of three (3) to five (5) members with the hiring manager serving as chairperson of the process.

PANEL SELECTION

Selection of the panel members is made by the hiring manager in conjunction with the Recruitment Department and the EEO/AA Department.

The panel must be diversified to reflect the Affirmative Action goal(s), if applicable, and/or the potential candidate pool.

Panel members should not all be from the same hiring department, and need to be at least the same grade level or higher to participate in the hiring process.

CONSISTENCY OF PANEL Membership of the panel must

be consistent throughout the panel interview process.

If a panel member withdraws from the interview process, please contact the Recruiter immediately. The Panel interviews must not continue unless authorized by the Recruitment Department.

ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN RAPPORT A job interview is a stressful

experience for many applicants. The primary goal in an interview is to establish a cordial and open relationship with the candidate.

This rapport is developed by greeting the person warmly, displaying sincere interest, and listening carefully to what he or she is trying to say. Candidates who are not relaxed and comfortable are unlikely to communicate with the openness that is necessary for a meaningful exchange of information.

DISCUSSION OF CANDIDATES AMONG PANEL MEMBERS

The role of each panelist will be to independently evaluate each candidate based upon the established selection criteria.

However, discussion is encouraged among the panel members to prevent inconsistencies in the scoring.

TAKE NOTES

Note-taking is required during the interview process in order to document the qualifications of candidates. If panelists take notes, they should make notes on the subjects that are important. They should also compare the candidate’s responses to the suggested responses in the answer guide developed by the hiring department.

Please be advised that as a panel member, your handwritten and/or transcribed notes taken during (or subsequent to) individual interviews will be subject to production by SEPTA in response to legal discovery requests or subpoena made under any litigation arising out of the Authority hiring/promotion process.

ALL PANELISTS’ NOTES MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE RECRUITMENT DEPARTMENT AFTER THE INTERVIEW PROCESS IS COMPLETED.

SCORING & RANKING OF CANDIDATES BY PANELISTS

The panelists will numerically score each candidate based upon the selection criteria which was established at the pre-panel meeting on the EMPLOYMENT EVALUATION FORM. The candidate's numerical scores under each criteria are then added together to receive a Total Score. The Total Score is used to determine a candidate’s rankings. The candidate receiving the highest Total Score is ranked #1, the next highest #2, and so on. TIES ARE NOT PERMISSIBLE. IF A TIE OCCURS,IT IS BROKEN PER THE DIRECTION OF THE HIRING MANAGER.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

Panel Interview Evaluation Form

Requisition No. Position Title Interviewer Division/Department 15-116-EMC Sr. Project Engineer EMC/Power Eng.

Name

Selection Criteria Q # 1

10 Q # 2

10 Q # 3

5 Q #4 10

Q # 5 5

Q # 6 5

Q # 7 10

Q #8 10

Q # 9 10

Q # 10 5

Total Score

Rank

1. Joe Smith 6 7 3 9 4 3 8 7 7 2 56 2

2. Sue Tate 7 6 3 8 4 2 7 7 6 4 54 3

3. Jim O’Doul 5 8 4 7 2 3 5 6 8 4 52 4

4. Kunta Morris 8 9 4 7 4 3 6 7 7 3 58 1

FINAL RANKING/SELECTION The successful candidate is determined by the

Ranking Tally as recorded on the CONSENSUS PANEL RANKING CHART.

The panelist individual rankings for each candidate, taken from the panelist’s EMPLOYMENT EVALUATION FORM, are listed in the respective column. The individual rankings will then be added together for a Total Rank Score. The Final Rank is derived from the Total Rank Score where the lowest Total Rank Score is ranked #1, the next lowest is #2, and so on. In the event that there is a tie in the Total Score between candidates, the tie is broken per the direction of the hiring manager.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority CONSENSUS PANEL RANKING CHART

Position Title Interviewers Department

Sr. Project Engineer

EMC/Power Eng.

Name Panelists Rank Total Final Rank Panelist #1 Name Panelist #2 Name Panelist #3 Name

Joe Smith 2 3 1 6 2

Sue Tate 3 2 2 7 3

Jim O’Doul 4 4 4 12 4

Kunta Morris 1 1 3 5 1

CONFIDENTIALITY

It is imperative that panel members maintain confidentiality regarding the interview and selection process.

Please note that after the panel has made a selection, the employment offer of the selected candidate is not finalized until approval is received by the following parties: Hiring Division’s AGM, Compensation Department, EEO/AA Department, Budgets, AGM of O&HRD&T and the General Manager.

THE SELECTED CANDIDATE WILL NOT BE NOTIFIED BY THE RECRUITMENT DEPARTMENT UNTIL ALL OF THE NECESSARY APPROVALS ARE RECEIVED.

VERIFICATIONS

Do not contact Candidates for any reason at any time during the entire interviewing and hiring process. Leave all communications to HR and the Recruiter. There are no exceptions.

Background checks are conducted by a third party agency through HR. Employment verifications, education, criminal checks, driving record checks are done by the agency.

HR and/or Hiring managers do not conduct ‘reference checks’. This is accomplished via background checks.

COMPENSATION

The Compensations Department prepares all salary offers.

Paperwork for all offers (called Offer Authorization) is sent internally for approval and sign-off. It is the start of the approval process.

The recruiter presents the offer to the finalist after all internal approvals are received and the background checks are completed.