Recruiting and Hiring Postdocs
The international and postdoctoral services office assists with the appointment of all postdoctoral fellows - regardless of whether the postdoc will need a visa. Each of the sections below is designed to assist you as the PI or department administrator in the processes associated with postdoctoral recruitment, appointment, and termination.
The typical postdoc appointee:
The Senior Postdoc title was created to allow hiring units greater flexibility in staffing and the ability to differentiate between new graduates and experienced researchers. The Senior Postdoc is a postdoctoral graduate researcher with more experience than a recent graduate. Therefore, the minimum qualifications for this position are a PhD in an appropriate science field and 3 or more years of post-degree experience.
Contact your HR generalist for assistance. To establish the postdoc position, use the Postdoc PCF.
Tips
Have at least a brief phone interview with your candidate(s). This may be difficult due to time differences and costs, but it can be invaluable in assessing the candidate’s ability to communicate in English and discuss the scope of his/her credentials. Unfortunately, emails and CVs can be puffed up and even completely falsified.
It is the responsibility of the hiring unit to verify the educational credentials of the postdoc candidate by a Foreign Credential Agency. Some companies that provide this service: educassess.com, www.ece.org, www.gceus.com, www.lisano-intl.com, www.jsilny.com, www.wes.org.
If the postdoc candidate will need an H-1B visa, a credential evaluation is required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It will cost your candidate approximately $100, but you will get a sense of their commitment to working with you. Some of these agencies will also verify the documents for authenticity. As you may know, transcript fraud has become easy and even commonplace in some countries. We strongly advise against simply relying on the CV as evidence of the candidate’s background and experience.
Did you know that if you hire a non-native English-speaking postdoc on a J-1 visa, you are expected to assess their English language skills prior to employment? If they get to the consular interview and cannot communicate in English, the entry visa may be denied.
DEFINITIONS
Credential Verification: A review of official, original academic credentials for the purpose of confirming that the individual did in fact complete the specific degree at the specific school as stated on the candidate’s CV or resume.
Credential Evaluation: An assessment and analysis of academic credentials to provide a comparability statement of individual qualifications (e.g. the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery are equivalent to a U.S. MD).
It is not unusual that a postdoc may decide to transfer to a new lab at Augusta University. If you have a postdoc vacancy, please contact your HR Generalist, and then use the following IPSO guidelines when hiring an internal transfer postdoc:
A current Augusta University graduate research assistant (GRA) may be recruited through an expedited process developed by HR. Please talk with your HR Generalist about position classification and recruitment. To appoint the GRA to the postdoc position:
Please notify IPSO when a postdoc is leaving Augusta University or moving to a non-postdoc position.
Salary Negotiation:
As of early 2020, Research Administration and Human Resources set a salary range for AU postdoctoral fellows of:
Postdocs are regular employees and are eligible for all benefits.
Postdocs hired pursuant to J-1 or H-1B visa authorization may have to be appointed at a higher starting salary to meet certain federal immigration regulations. Also, Augusta University postdoctoral mentors should strive to compensate postdocs in a range consistent with comparator institutions and in reasonable accordance with National Institutes of Health Guidelines. NRSA and NIH training grant postdocs must be paid per NIH Guidelines for the year they were hired. See the Salary Cap & Stipends webpage on the NIH website.
Salary Increases:
Pursuant to BOR policy and federal grant-funding requirements, postdocs may get annual salary increases, at the discretion of the mentor that are consistent with the timing and amounts given to other personnel at the employing institution. Augusta University policy requires that recommendations for merit increases be accompanied by an annual performance appraisal.
Postdocs authorized for employment based on J-1 or H-1B status may need salary adjustments during the fiscal year and off the budget cycle to meet certain federal regulations. Mentors retain ultimate authority over the hiring salary and subsequent increases for Augusta University postdocs, given the above parameters and individual budgetary constraints. If the salary increase is in the original budget for the increase on market and equity, the IPSO director's approval is not required.
Postdoc salary increase requests should be routed by memo for signatory approvals from the hiring manager, through IPSO, to the Augusta University-MCG Dean's Operations Office or other Colleges' Operations Business managers. The memo should clearly identify the funding source.
