Hiring at MIT

Hiring for a critical position? We can help.

For all positions, first complete Hiring at MIT: An Overview. This self-paced, web-based workshop provides an overview of the hiring process at MIT, including best practices, tips and resources to help you with this important responsibility. (30-45 minutes)

Before posting a job, you will need to complete the following steps:

• Review (or write) the full job description. See our guidelines.
• Draft the job requirements for posting. Posting descriptions should be no more than 250 words and should follow our guidelines for ensuring bias-free job postings.
• Get all required approvals from your DLC. Approval processes vary by School/Area. If you are not sure of the process for your DLC, check with your Administrative Officer or HR Coordinator. If you don’t know who those individuals are, please contact your Human Resources Officer (HRO) in central HR.
• Determine who will be involved in the screening and selection process, including who should have access to candidates in the Applicant Tracking System. When determining who should be included in the interview process, consider the role and responsibilities and include the people best suited to help you assess an applicant’s ability to be successful in the role. Ensure that your process includes people who are different from yourself and who represent the diversity of people and experience in your work team.​
• Develop a plan for recruiting, including how you will reach out to a diverse pool of candidates. See Advertising and Diversity Outreach below.

 Search Jobs

 Manage Jobs

Help is available: Visit our ATS information guide for detailed instructions on creating a requisition in the Applicant Tracking System. 

Advertising

In keeping with MIT’s commitment to promote an inclusive workplace that welcomes people of all backgrounds, experience, talents, and ideas, MIT job postings appear in places that reach diverse audiences.  Jobs are automatically posted on the following websites at no cost to DLCs:

• CareerOneStop
• DirectJobs
• DiverseJobs
• Glassdoor
• HigherEdJobs
• Indeed
• JuJu
• LinkedIn
• MassHire JobQuest
• National Labor Exchange
• NEHERC
• Our Ability
• US Military Pipeline

To advertise elsewhere, complete the Advertising Request Form.

Diversity Posting Guide

We also offer a Diversity Posting Guide (find it under Resources below) for those who would like to share their openings with a wider, more diverse audience. This guide includes organizations that provide job listings for their members. They invite employers to post jobs for a fee. If you need suggestions or have questions about where to advertise, please contact Talent Acquisition.

Diversity/inclusive outreach

In addition to advertising, hiring managers are encouraged to:

• Ask department staff to circulate job opportunities to the membership of academic or professional organizations they belong to
• Ask the Talent Acquisition team to highlight open positions at upcoming career fairs or networking events. (Contact Talent Acquisition for details.)

Visit our ATS Information guide for detailed instructions about viewing resumes in the Applicant Tracking System and moving candidates through the hiring workflow. Please encourage all candidates to apply online so that records are all in one place and we are in compliance with all legal requirements.

Evaluating candidates’ equivalent experience and education

HR has developed guidelines for hiring managers to assist them in consistently evaluating candidates’ experience and education against minimum job qualifications. Equivalent combinations of education and experience, as prescribed in these guidelines, may be used to evaluate candidates against minimum job qualifications except for certain jobs requiring advanced knowledge of an academic subject.

Information regarding the MIT vaccination requirement for candidates and new hires

See our hiring and onboarding vaccine requirement guidance to help you communicate with candidates during the interviewing process and with new employees during the onboarding process.

Ensuring bias-free hiring

Workshops in the Learning Center

• Hiring at MIT: Conducting Interviews
• Hiring at MIT: Bias-Free Practices

Tools

• Bias Interrupters
• Identifying and Interrupting Bias in Hiring
• Interviewing: Legal Do's and Dont’s
• From WorkWithoutLimits: Tips for Interviewing Candidates with Disabilities and help providing Accommodations for Candidates with Disabilities

More interviewing resources

Find more guidelines, checklists, and reference materials to help with the interviewing process under Resources below.

Review best practices for video interviewing.

For more assistance, please contact us at talentacquisition@mit.edu.

Before extending an offer, check 2-3 references, verify the person's education and employment history, and record the results in the ATS. (Find a guide to reference checking in the resources below.)

Additional language to include when confirming a verbal offer of employment in an email or when making a written job offer:

MIT currently requires Covid-19 vaccination (all doses in a primary series plus one booster when eligible) for all MIT employees. Individuals may request exemption from the vaccine requirement. More information on the requirement and exemptions may be found on the MIT Now website. This offer of employment is contingent on your compliance with MIT's Covid-19 vaccination/exemption requirements.

See our hiring and onboarding vaccine requirement guidance for more.

When you extend a verbal offer to a candidate, move them to the Offer folder in the ATS.

Once your finalist has accepted the job and you have agreed on a start date:

• Move the person into the Hired folder in the ATS
• Disposition and communicate with all other applicants, if you haven’t already
• Submit the hire transaction in Atlas.

Once a new hire transaction has been entered by a hiring department, an email is generated to the newly hired employee that directs them to obtain their electronic credentials. They can then access the Atlas for New Hires application, which allows them to complete major onboarding activities. Activities include those required for Institute compliance such as completion of the I-9 and the Preventing Sexual Harassment course. Learn more about onboarding.

Benefits-eligible employees are invited to register for an MIT Benefits Orientation session, in addition to any local orientation and onboarding activities you organize.

All employees are invited to register for a New Employee Meet and Greet.