Strategic Hiring for Diversity Workshop on Faculty Searches August 26th, 2016 Presentation by Wayne Riggs

Strategic Hiring for Diversity In the context of hiring for a more diverse faculty, our options are somewhat limited. We can’t just take race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, etc. into account directly as a criterion for hiring. We have to be more indirect.

Strategic Hiring for Diversity Before getting to some specifics, here are a few general points to keep in mind. None of the things I mention later will happen on their own. We have to be motivated and active. Good intentions are not enough.

Strategic Hiring for Diversity We must practice and promote epistemic humility. We are all very impressive with our PhDs and lab coats and whatnot, but we are subject to all the same cognitive biases as every other human on the planet. Expertise introduces its own biases as well, so we have special challenges to overcome.

Strategic Hiring for Diversity This is just repeating the last point, because many of you didn’t get it the first time. No, really, I mean that YOU are subject to cognitive biases. Even when you don’t FEEL biased. Nobody ever FEELS biased! And those biases can influence every aspect of the search and hiring process.

Strategic Hiring for Diversity You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. There’s starting to be a fair amount of research on this. (Just for a recent example, see the May 2015 Harvard Business Review.) Plus, there’s this workshop!

Getting down to specifics 1. Increase the diversity of your applicant pool. Beat the bushes. Are there ways to advertise your position that you haven’t thought to use before? Write your job ad carefully. Don’t just do what you’ve always done. Think about what you can say to (honestly) communicate your unit’s commitment to inclusivity.

Getting down to specifics THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, Norman, OK. Assistant Professor of Philosophy beginning fall semester, 2013. AOS: Metaphysics. AOC: Open. Candidates with interests in Philosophy of Race, Advanced Logic, and/or Medieval Philosophy are especially encouraged to apply. Our department is open to diverse approaches to philosophy. Ph.D. prior to appointment. Four courses (undergraduate and graduate) per year…   [Emphasis added.]

Getting down to specifics 2. Reduce implicit bias in your search and selection process. This requires serious commitment and the will to make it happen. The first thing you need is buy-in by faculty that implicit bias is a real problem. This can be a struggle.

Getting down to specifics Have the search committee develop a list of criteria to encourage uniform evaluation of all candidates. Make available to all faculty anonymized versions of all preliminary short list candidates’ writing samples. Have a member of the R & D committee contact all invited candidates to invite them to communicate any special needs they have. Conduct the interview from a pre-established roster of questions that will be identical for all candidates within the same search. Make the list of questions available to all candidates in advance of their visit to campus. Prior to any deliberations subsequent to campus visits, search committee members and all faculty should revisit and review again the candidates’ dossiers.

Getting down to specifics 3. Provide interview conditions under which everyone can give their best performance. What interview activities will allow you to see qualities that are relevant to the job you are hiring for? Inform the candidates about the job, the interview process, and the campus visit itinerary before they arrive. Google “solo status” and “stereotype threat” to begin finding out about these phenomena. See letter to candidates and interview questions in handout.

Getting down to specifics 4. Present your unit as welcoming and inclusive. A welcoming and inclusive department is one in which the practices, norms, policies, expectations, etc. contribute to an environment in which all faculty, students, and staff have a reasonable and equitable chance to thrive, succeed, and derive satisfaction from their work. Handily enough, doing 1-3 and explaining it all to your job candidates goes a long way towards accomplishing this.

Bottom Line To improve the diversity of the faculty in your unit, you need to: Create a diverse applicant pool. Reduce the effects of implicit bias in the search process. Conduct interviews in a way that promotes seeing everyone’s best (relevant) performance. Present your department in a way that will make the candidates you want to attract want to be there.