Recruitment of post-doctoral fellow
Support for managers
This page provides support and information on the recruitment process for post-doctoral fellows.
Recruiting a new postdoctoral researcher is a strategic decision and often a major investment for the department. A well-run recruitment process increases the chances of a successful recruitment and minimizes the risks of recruitment failure.
A postdoctoral position is a merit-based position that is primarily focused on research. It is an initial step in the academic career and is regulated by a central collective agreement, the Postdoctoral Agreement.
Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor (Arbetsgivarverket)
It is important to use the University's recruitment tools and to take into account the special circumstances of a postdoctoral position.
Content:
Distribution of responsibilities
In a recruitment, the head of department/equivalent has the ultimate responsibility and is the one who will make the formal decision to recruit. Without approval from the head of department/equivalent, the recruitment may not be carried out.
An HR function should always be present to provide professional recruitment support such as labor law and administration.
NOTE! At some faculties, LFN has the main responsibility for postdoctoral appointments and may then have its own recruitment process for postdocs that must be followed.
Review panel
In the case of a postdoc recruitment, a review panel (or equivalent) must be set up in accordance with Lund University's employment regulations, Chapter 5.2.
The group works together on needs analysis, requirements profile, interviews and selection. Remember to handle any conflict of interest situations that may arise during recruitment
Needs analysis
Before starting the process of recruiting a postdoctoral researcher, the institution should analyze the need and possibility of hiring a postdoctoral researcher by conducting a needs analysis. Questions that should be asked are, for example, whether there will be changes in the staff group in the near future that should be considered now? What is the funding situation and is there a plan for how it will be maintained throughout the period of employment? Can the need be solved without hiring a postdoc (e.g. restructuring of tasks)?
When a recruitment involves international cooperation with other universities, funders or other partners, the regulations regarding global responsibility should also be considered by completing the checklist for global responsible engagement.
Go to the checklist for global responsible engagement (Staff pages)
Use the needs analysis template to analyze needs and conditions for recruitment.
Content:
Requirements profile
The next step in the recruitment process is for the recruiting organization to produce a requirements profile as a basis for the advertisement. The requirements profile should be based on the needs analysis and the university requirements profile template should always be used. The requirements profile should contain clear information about:
- the organization in which the employee will be located
- work tasks to be performed by the employee
- responsibilities that the employee will have
- qualification requirements and merits regarding education, experience, knowledge and skills
- eligibility requirements/assessment criteria for postdoctoral researchers
Vacancy announcement
The vacancy announcement is the guiding document throughout the recruitment process, and it is on the basis of the vacancy announcement that the choice of candidate will be justified and any appeal will be measured. It is therefore important to clearly define the qualification requirements against which the candidates' competence will be measured. To avoid the risk of discrimination, it is also important to consider whether the requirements are objectively justified based on the tasks.
The vacancy announcement should be based on the requirements profile and should be designed in a clear and measurable way. A well-written and clear vacancy announcement increases the chance of getting the “right” candidates and a manageable search field.
The vacancy announcement should always
- be advertised on the university’s and the employment service’s website
- advertised for at least two weeks
- advertised in Swedish
- advertised in English via Euraxess
The vacancy announcement is created in the recruitment system by the HR function in consultation with the recruiting manager. The HR function is responsible for ensuring that the advertisement follows the university’s templates and regulations and that it is written in a way that appeals to the applicants.
Selection questions
In the recruitment system, it is possible to use selection questions, which can facilitate selection work at a later stage. There are also examples of ready-made advertisements that can be used as a starting point. Contact your HR function for support in terms of selection questions, design of the advertisement and which information channels may be suitable.
Vacancy channels
Once the vacancy proposals has been finalized, it is important to consider how it will be disseminated. What is the target group and how and where can it best be reached?
Several vacancy channels can be accessed via the recruitment system, other sites should be used via our contracted advertising agency.
Contact your HR support to get help with which vacancy channels might be appropriate
Content:
Selection procedure
The selection of candidates is to be based on the qualifications mentioned in the vacancy announcement. This is to clearly see which candidates fulfil the specified requirements, but also to make an objective, equal and non-discriminatory selection.
The focus should be on merit and skills, and candidates who meet the requirements of the advertisement will be selected in the first instance.
All applications must be read in full and the whole selection board should be involved in the assessment of the applications. The recruitment system provides several ways of sorting and scoring candidates, otherwise the selection matrix may be helpful. Contact your HR function for assistance in your selection management.
Selection matrix template (Word 14 kB, new tab)
International staff
When appointing international staff, the individual may require a residence permit to work in Sweden. Extra time for applying for a residence permit should then be included in the process. Extra time for applying for a residence permit should then be included in the process. It is important that the documentation submitted to the Migration Agency is complete and correct, otherwise there is a risk that the processing time will be even longer.
Keep in mind that it is illegal to employ a person from a third country before they have a valid and correct residence permit!
Updated information, templates and checklists on residence permits and appointing international staff can be found here (in Swedish)
Interviews
The aim of the job interview is to assess the candidate’s education, experience, knowledge, and competences (ability, skills, and approach) in relation to what is described in the vacancy announcement An equally important purpose is to inform the candidate about the workplace and the conditions and expectations of the position. Remember to provide a positive but realistic picture of the workplace and work duties so that the candidate’s expectations match the reality.
Interviews are most effective if they are standardised and structured. This means the questions are predetermined and all candidates are asked the same questions. In this way, we can treat all the candidates equally and avoid discrimination. At Lund University a competence-based interview technique is used.
Contact your HR officer for support in the design and implementation of the interview.
Interview guide template (Word 126 kB, new tab)
Tests and work samples
A good complement to the interview is to use work psychology tests and work samples. At Lund University, several testing tools have been procured and your HR officer can provide more information about tests, work samples and other selection instruments.
Read more about tests and work samples
Reference checking
References should always be checked as it is a way of obtaining complementary information on the candidate, confirming information obtained during the interview as well as clarifying any remaining questions. The focus should be on evaluating the qualifications specified in the vacancy announcement. References are only obtained at the final stage of the recruitment process and the candidate should always be informed about which references you are taking.
Use the reference checking template and contact your HR officer for more information on reference checking.
Reference checking template (Word 18 kB, new tab)
Compile
Be sure to make a structured assessment of the final candidates based on the information obtained during interviews, reference checks and any testing. It is important to consider the extent to which the candidates live up to the advertisement. Feel free to use the assessment matrix.
Template assessment matrix (Word 58 kB, new tab)
Content:
Salary setting
The department’s salary proposal is submitted by the salary-setting manager, according to the delegation rules at the relevant faculty/equivalent via the HR officer Salaries may NOT be offered to candidates before they are approved by the head of department/equivalent and the faculty/equivalent.
Salary setting is to take account of:
- the degree of difficulty and responsibility of the position
- the individual’s personal skills
- the significance of the individual’s performance for the results of the organisation
- the salary level at the department/faculty/LU
- market sensitivity (potential competition/risk of defection)
Statement
Before a decision of employment is made the department/equivalent must prepare a statement. The statement is to provide a clear account of how the selection process was conducted and which qualifications were decisive in the choice of candidate. The statement is an important document in case of appeal or report for discrimination and the university’s template for the statement must always be used.
Statement template (Word 82 kB, new tab)
ID and residence permit checks
Before an employment decision is made, an ID check must always be carried out on the person to be employed to verify identity and the right to reside and work in Sweden.
The candidate must therefore provide a copy of a valid ID (passport or international ID card) and potential residence permit. This is handled in the recruitment system by the HR function in consultation with the recruiting manager.
Decision on appointment
It is important to be aware that oral agreements are valid. Therefore, the recruiting manager and head of department/equivalent must always check with the faculty/equivalent (often via the HR officer) before a final offer of employment and salary can be sent to the candidate. An decision of employment can be appealed, but only by the candidates who applied for the position (read more about appeals).
The decision on appointment is created in Primula by the HR officer in consultation with the recruiting manager.
Feedback
It is important that candidates who do not receive employment at Lund University get a positive impression of Lund University as a workplace. Therefore, all candidates who have been interviewed at Lund University should receive verbal feedback as to why they were not offered the position. Candidates who have not been interviewed are to be notified via the recruitment system.
Introduction
First impressions of the workplace can be crucial to the future work performance and relationships with colleagues. A good introduction to the new workplace creates a sense of well-being and belonging. It allows the new employee to settle in quickly which is a benefit for the organisation both in human and financial terms.
It is mainly the recruiting organization that is responsible for the new employee’s induction. Use the university’s introduction process with associated templates and support materials when introducing a new employee.
Contact
Contact your nearest HR function at faculty level/equivalent.
Via the HR Division's case management system, it is also possible, based on your role in the HR work, to ask questions to the HR Division in different areas.
Log in to the case management system
Your HR function
HR support is organised differently in different parts of the university, which means that HR functions may be located at departmental, institutional or office level.
If you do not know who your nearest HR function is, please contact the HR manager at your office.