Ro McKinney’s first catch for UC Merced was her favorite.
McKinney, a member of Human Resources’ talent recruitment team, was tasked with finding a biologist. Specifically, a biologist certified to monitor more than 7,000 acres of grasslands and vernal pools. A biologist capable of working with and filing reports to state agencies. A biologist who “would be able to halt construction if they find an owl giving birth on the ground,” McKinney said.
She found her match at Caltrans, where Francesca Cannizzo was working as an environmental planner. Cannizzo joined UC Merced in October 2016 as campus biologist. In addition to all the tasks above, she leads tours of the Merced Grassland and Vernal Pools Reserve, the land adjacent to the northeast of campus.
Cannizzo is just one example of what makes finding talent so rewarding and so unique for UC Merced’s recruiting team.
“You’ll have the ability to do things and work on projects early in your career that some people wait their entire careers to work on,” said McKinney, who joined the team in 2016.
As recently as five years ago, UC Merced used third-party agencies extensively to recruit candidates for management and mid-level positions, Talent Acquisition Manager Rubi Turner said. It was necessary for a growing campus that was still building its human resources capabilities. The university brought its first in-house recruiters aboard in 2016. A year later, the campus saved $198,590 in recruiting costs.
Outside agencies are still used in searches for senior leadership positions. But the major work of shaping UC Merced’s workforce falls to its own recruiting team. And the members of that team wouldn’t want it any other way.
Emily Lee joined the team in 2016, three years after graduating from UC Merced with a bachelor’s degree in management. She said the university’s evolving culture makes it unique among UC campuses.
“It’s kind of like a startup company,” she said. “You want people who are going to bring their ideas and help contribute to the growth and establishment of the campus.”
UC Merced is working on a major upgrade to its online staff acquisition platform. The existing system, PAWS, will be replaced by Talent Acquisition Manager (TAM) for staff recruitment. Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, TAM remains on schedule to launch June 1, in tandem with UC completing its systemwide final deployment of UCPath.
TAM will streamline the process, making it easier for job searchers to scan and apply for positions. It also will improve recruiters’ ability to find, track and connect with future colleagues. TAM arrives just in time; the campus’ workforce is growing alongside the Merced 2020 Project, which is scheduled for completion this summer. Turner recently hired two more recruiters, Julia Crowley and Ashlee McNeill, bringing the team to five.
The recruiters work in tandem with staff members across campus who hire employees or create new positions. Recruiters process and screen applicants based on pre-established minimum qualifications and recommend candidates to interview.
“We’re trying to find people’s motivations for why they want to work here,” said recruiter Janette Herrera, who marks her 10 years with UC Merced in June.
One of the university’s many hiring managers appreciates the collaboration.
“Our campus recruiters deftly guide our hiring managers through the complexities of the search process,” said Sharon Butler, assistant executive vice chancellor and provost for finance and administration. “They have encouraged me to look at candidates’ experiences through an expanded lens, not always looking for the traditional fit.”
“We give (hiring managers) a different perspective,” Lee said. “They know we have their best interests at heart.”
The responsibility for helping shape UC Merced’s workspace has a unique resonance for Hererra, who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley.
“To see this place where I used to play at Yosemite Lake, to see this Oz rise up,” she said. “To see it change so many people’s lives in my community — that’s something I’ll never experience again.”
