Faculty Recruitment and Hiring

Search Committee Responsibilities

Committee Charge

In charging the search committee with its specific responsibilities, the hiring authority should: a) review the required and preferred qualifications with the search committee; b) brief the committee on the unit’s diversity goals and on strategies for meeting those goals; c) identify recruitment and pool-boosting strategies that the committee should follow; and d) review the rules concerning confidentiality.

Search committee functions are detailed in EOAA and Effective Searches, section II. Search committee chairs should also be familiar with the Administrative Policy, appendix D, Getting the Most From the Search Committee Process.

Confidentiality

Search committee members are expected to maintain confidentiality throughout the search process. All personal information about applicants and nominees obtained during the pool evaluation and screening process is considered private, except for those individuals selected by the hiring authority as finalists.

Private information consists of names of applicants and nominees; information in search committee files about applicants; information about finalists (except information expressly identified as public); and information on Form 1599’s. Public information consists of the position description; the names of search committee members; the essential and preferred qualifications; information about the process followed by the search committee; names of finalists selected by the hiring authority; veteran status, job history, education and training background of finalists; and information about the selection outcome.

Recruitment

In reviewing search materials, the college will look for evidence of specific recruitment strategies that reflect an active recruitment effort on the part of the search committee. Discussion of effective recruitment strategies should take place among search committee members early in the search process.

Active recruiting on the part of the search committee is essential to developing and maintaining a large pool of qualified candidates and to ensuring that the search yields an outstanding appointment. The college expects search committees to actively identify and recruit potential applicants into the pool, and to recruit finalists to the University of Minnesota.

Search committees should tap into personal networks and seek nominations from faculty within the unit, and from colleagues throughout CLA and the University. Additionally, it may be appropriate in certain circumstances to solicit nominations from individuals outside of the academy. Search committees should review all nominations and contact personally those individuals whose nominations the search committee wishes to pursue. Units may wish to develop and maintain a database of members of under-represented groups who may be potential candidates now or in the near future, and should make a concerted effort to recruit those individuals into the pool of candidates.

Applicant Pool Evaluation and Candidate Screening

To evaluate the effectiveness of search strategies and recruitment efforts, the search committee must screen applicants to determine which candidates meet the position’s essential qualifications, which of those satisfy the unit’s selection criteria, and to identify a tentative list of candidates to interview and include in the pool submitted to the college for approval.

Search committees must evaluate applicants according to pre-defined standards to determine who will be considered viable candidates for the position. The two sets of standards used to evaluate applicants are essential qualifications and selection criteria. Essential qualifications are specific attributes required to perform the position successfully and are used to determine which applicants are minimally qualified for the position. Selection criteria (preferred/desired qualifications) are used to assess and compare the quality and breadth of education, experience, knowledge and skills as they relate to the specific duties of the position.

In the course of reviewing application materials, screening candidates, and interviewing finalists search committee members may become aware of personal information not related to the essential qualifications and selection criteria. Examples of such information include marital status, age, visa status, or disability status, to name a few. Such information should not be considered as search committee members evaluate the pool of applicants and screen candidates.

Reasons for Non-Selection

If an applicant does not meet the essential qualifications, the search committee must be able to identify the essential qualifications lacking. If an applicant meets the essential qualifications, but is not moving forward in the selection process, the committee must be able to identify the selection criteria not sufficiently demonstrated.

Interviews and Campus Visits

The on-campus interview is an occasion for faculty and students to learn more about the candidate; it is also an opportunity for the candidate to learn more about the unit, the College of Liberal Arts, the University of Minnesota, and the Twin Cities. The most successful searches are those in which the campus visit is treated as an occasion to recruit the candidate to the University. Candidates should be welcomed to campus and treated with hospitality during their visits. Units should provide candidates with information about the unit, the college, the University and the greater community. It is appropriate to ask candidates if they would like to meet with faculty in other units or would like information on any particular aspect of the University or the Twin Cities area.

Next section: Search Documentation & Approvals