1. Faculty & Professional Searches: Training
Office of Human Resources
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Fall 2018

2. Guiding Principles Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
Support a process to ensure the best candidate is hired
Support an equitable process
Confidential
Search Committees to drive the process

3. Requisition and preparation
Department discussions, allocations for positions
Requisitions completed and approved
Includes minimum and preferred qualifications
Includes rubric
Some include interview questions
Advertisements
Ensuring that ads are placed
Encouraging a strong and diverse applicant pool

4. Search Committee Composition of the team Confidentiality
Roles and responsibilities
Confidentiality
Equal voice of members
Conflicts of interest
Review of job qualifications to determine group approach & weighting
Impact of Implicit Bias

5. Implicit Bias: Key Characteristics
Pervasive
Mental Constructs
Alignment with declared beliefs
Favor our own in-group
Malleable
Implicit biases are pervasive. Everyone possesses them, even people with avowed commitments to impartiality such as judges.
Implicit and explicit biases are related but distinct mental constructs. They are not mutually exclusive and may even reinforce each other.
The implicit associations we hold do not necessarily align with our declared beliefs or even reflect stances we would explicitly endorse.
We generally tend to hold implicit biases that favor own own in-group, though research has shown that we can still hold implicit biases against our in-group.
Implicit biases are malleable. Our brains are incredibly complex, and the implicit associations that we have formed can be gradually unlearned through a variety of debiasing techniques.
Kirwan Institute,

6. Steps of the Search Process by the Search Committee
Job ads confirmed & Applicants apply
Search Committee reviews applicants using rubric
Search committee sorts applicants
Tier 4 – not qualified
Tier 3 – qualified, but others are better
Tier 2 – All those desiring to phone interview
Telephone Interviews
Determining Tier 1 candidates & creating tier rationale
On-campus interview/Reference checks
Strengths and Weaknesses summary document
Work of the Search Committee is completed

7. Job Ads Confirmed and Applicant’s Apply
Percentage of applicant’s who clicked “apply now”
Confirmation of ads placed – did you see them online or in print?
Share the ads via social media, other listservs, etc.
Typically applicants have 3-4 weeks to apply for the position.
Missing information from applications

8. Reviewing Applicants & Sorting
Remember to use the rubric – qualitative
Each committee member needs to review applications
How do you manage 300+ applications?
Reminder about implicit bias and the impact on the process
Sorting into appropriate tier folders
Chair moves the candidates
These can change as the process continues

9. Telephone Interviews Can use Skype or other online platforms
Two or more members of the committee must be present – at least one is the same throughout all interviews.
Can record the interview for other members to review
Inform the applicant ahead of time.
Questions approved ahead of time by DEI
Okay to ask follow-ups, individual questions to candidates
Opportunity to expand on what is missing or not able to determine from applicant materials
Search Committee’s choice to send questions ahead of time

10. Tier Rationales
Post telephone interviews – committee determines who will now be listed as Tier 1 – invite to campus.
Tier 2 are alternates and could be pulled up if someone in Tier 1 withdraws.
It’s okay if someone who was tier 2 is now 3 or 4 after a phone interview.
Rationale uploaded to IE in “review notes”
Alphabetical order with Tier 1 & 2
Includes bulleted list or paragraph identifying “why”
Approvals – includes DEI, Dean/Director, VP

11. On-Campus interview/References
What does the interview entail? Who should meet with the candidate?
Presentation, teaching demo, etc.
Meeting with the Search Committee – approved questions
Reminder about down-time, airport runs, and dinners
Assessment of the candidates
Reference checks

12. Strengths & Weaknesses Summary
Opportunity for the search committee to compile all information related to the Tier 1 candidates.
Should be listed in alphabetical order
Can include if candidate is “acceptable or unacceptable”
Approvals

13. Next Steps In consultation with leadership team – offer extended
Consult with HR regarding potential visa sponsorship if available.
What happens if candidate says no or withdraws?
Are other tier 1 candidates acceptable?
What about tier 2 candidates?
Going back to the pool
Request to Hire initiated by Department
Appointment letter sent by VP
Pre-employment Screen
Search Committee Chair notifies other candidates of non- selection
templates in Interview Exchange

14. Things to keep in mind Avoid unlisted references and cold calling
Avoid Googling candidates
If you know something or hear something about a candidate outside of the process – contact HR
Documentation should be kept in Interview Exchange
Destroy individual prints after position closes
Clear data on downloaded documents on computers

15. Interview Exchange Review
Items to review:
Accessing applications
Accessing the requisition, rubric, interview questions
Moving candidates into tier folders
Adding notes and accessing “review notes” section
Messages to individual candidates
Group s through Interview Exchange

16. Questions?
This is the final slide and should be posted on the screen at the end of the session for a question and answer period.