1. Final Candidate Interviews and On-Campus Visits
Lori Anderson Snyder
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology Distinguished Faculty Fellow, Office of the Vice President for Research
* Indicates I intended to include a handout or other information in the final presentation.

2. Purposes for Interviewing and Campus Visits
Select the best candidate
Persuade candidates about OU
Balance both purposes
Ensure the candidate’s qualifications maximally meet the position criteria
Provide the candidate with a broad perspective of the resources and opportunities at the University

3. Preparing for Interviewing
The campus visit is a complex situation; attempt to effectively collect information needed to select the best candidate
It is tempting to use intuition and information collected informally to draw conclusions, but research has shown that structured interviews and evaluation of the candidate’s campus visit result in more valid and unbiased hiring decisions
Dedicating even a moderate amount of time to this effort will enable better support for hiring decisions and the products are likely to be relevant to future searches as well

4. Preparing for Interviewing
Search Committee Steps
Review established (first and second screening) criteria; determine those criteria on which additional information is needed and/or interviewing is likely to provide useful
• Education
• Teaching experience
• Publication record
• Recognition of research in field
• Past funding achievement
Experience teaching and/or interacting with diverse populations
Cultural competence
Effective strategy for obtaining future funding
• Leadership performance
Experience and success in collaborative projects
Mentoring effectiveness

5. Preparing for Interviewing
Search Committee Steps
2. Develop a set of interview questions relevant to the criteria
Describe your vision of your research program for the next five years.
What strategies have you employed in teaching and working with a diverse population of students?
3. To the extent possible, develop a rating scale to evaluate candidates on interview questions
4. Determine how the search committee will conduct the interview (e.g., each committee member asks all candidates a particular question and completes the evaluation)
5. Establish a weighting system to combine ratings of various questions

6. Conducting the Interview
Best Practices for Structured Interviewing
Ask identical questions for each candidate and attempt to limit prompting, follow-up questioning, and elaboration on questions
Take notes on each candidate’s responses
Be sure that all interviewers are well-versed on appropriate and inappropriate questions and the impact of implicit bias
Try to avoid discussing candidates or their answers with others between interviews (discussing candidates can result in different standards for later candidates)
Search committee interview evaluations should be combined and the final hiring decision made based on the agreed-upon weighting system

7. Communication with the Candidate
Many resources are available about Norman and OU; provide these to the candidate prior to the campus visit
Sooner Way and Live Well at OU
Determine what activities the candidate will engage in (e.g., job talk, classroom presentation, tour of campus/city, meals, and social events)
Clearly communicate to the candidate the scope of expectations two to three weeks prior to the campus visit and provide a detailed itinerary as soon as possible

8. Marketing OU to the Candidate
Be sure to ask about any needs or preferences the candidate may have, including a desire to meet with particular individuals or any dietary needs
When making lodging and dining plans, consider candidate requests and how the choices will reflect on OU and Norman
Various sources provide top rated lodging and dining options
Schedule meals in varied areas, such as campus corner, downtown Norman, and Brookhaven
Consider broadly who the candidate will meet with and provide relevant information, including the position description/ad to each individual

9. Marketing OU to the Candidate
Design an itinerary that provides for a spectrum of experiences highlighting the opportunities at OU, while allowing the candidate down time as well as time to prepare for any presentations
Consider inviting a broad audience to the candidate’s job talk and coordinating such that all candidates have a chance to meet with a diverse group of individuals within the department and across campus
Provide candidates with opportunities to seek information from knowledgeable sources not directly involved in the search

10. Concluding Suggestions
Consider the dual purpose of the campus visit in all decisions
Rely on position criteria to develop interview questions
Elicit information from the interview and evaluate responses in a structured way
Carefully plan the campus visit itinerary to create an experience for the candidate that highlights opportunities at OU