Transcript The Art of Search Committees: Increasing the Quality and Diversity of our Faculty and Staff Kevin Jacobs, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Human Resources University of Colorado.

The Art of Search Committees:
Increasing the Quality and Diversity
of our Faculty and Staff
Kevin Jacobs, Assistant Vice Chancellor,
Human Resources
University of Colorado Denver
Did you know…?
Each year, UC Denver conducts approximately
700 searches, including about 200 regular
faculty searches ---costs range from $500 to over $25,000 each, not
counting committee and staff time.
Given the time and investment, it’s imperative
that the search process produce quality, lasting
results.
What is your department
investment?

How much money and time is spent annually on
recruitment/hiring activities compared to other
department activities?

How does the cost/benefit analysis work– does the
effort on recruitment/hiring pay off?

What is the cost of a ‘bad’ hire (e.g., someone who
leaves within a year or two)?

What defines a ‘successful’ search for your
department?
Search Committee Process
It’s an ART – Not a Science
But there are ‘Best Practices’ and
a few ‘RULES’
Successful Searches

Successful searches begin with successful
search committee members— trained,
dedicated and experienced individuals.

Search committees succeed when they build
highly qualified, diverse applicant pools.

Highly qualified, diverse applicant pools lead to
the potential for outstanding hires which, in
turn are natural recruitment vehicles for the
next searches.
Search Committee Methods
SORT
*Sort thru applications
*Unoriginal, same ad in
traditional posting
locations
SEARCH
*Actively, continuously
search for applicants
*Aggressive, creative
outreach
Timeline for Searches
It’s mostly dependent on committee
members availability and level of
commitment!
TIP:
Review timeline at the first meeting to
ensure everyone begins with realistic
expectations and can commit to the
schedule.
Search Committee Myths
Fact or Fiction?
The few candidates of color are being sought out by
numerous institutions, and are not affordable.
Fiction!
Reality ~ Candidates often weigh
location and job environment more than salary
—so market our assets!
Research on fellowships indicates that only
11% of minority scholars were sought by more than
one institution at a time—89% were not subject to
competitive bidding wars. (Wolf & Busenberg, 1996, AACU)
Fact or Fiction?
Faculty of color won’t select academe—they choose
more lucrative positions in government or industry.
Fiction!
Reality ~ Minority and women PhDs are no more or
less likely to work in academe than other PhDs.
Fact or Fiction
White males have no chance of getting positions
due to the focus on minority applicants.
Fiction!
Reality ~ Recent hiring statistics show otherwise.
Note: In 1989 75% of tenured faculty were white
males; in 1997 77% of tenured faculty were white
males. (Chronicle of Higher Education, 2001)
Role of Compliance
Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
(OFCCP) monitors compliance towards Executive
Order 11246, as amended
When and how?
All federal contractors must do an annual Affirmative
Action Plan (AAP) to:

demonstrate efforts toward affirmative action

determine whether employment practices are
potentially discriminatory
School/Department Commitment to
Diversity
Searches are most successful when hiring
department/school has a diversity plan to
guide the search committee.
School/College/Dept Diversity Plans
Sample diversity plan initiatives to
recruit and retain underrepresented
groups

Invite minority and women scholars to present
symposia, serve as visiting scholars, etc.

Provide mentoring and other resources for junior
faculty, esp. women and minority faculty.

Build cultural competency into clinical and
educational experiences.

Build diversity into curriculum.
Sample Diversity Initiatives, con’t

Messages start with words and behavior of leaders
(deans, department chairs, etc.).

Build networks and resources/ continuous recruiting.

Develop the ‘business’ case for diversity, and build
that into the school/dept mission statement.

Identify one or more persons who receive EEO/AA
training and serve on all search committees.
Sample Diversity Initiatives, con’t

Review dept. climate, policies, practices, and physical
environment to ensure retention/support for women,
minorities and other underrepresented groups.

Grow the pipeline—invest in underrepresented graduate
students, medical residents, post doctoral trainees, etc.

Build in diversity accountability by making diversity
efforts part of faculty expectations, evaluation, and
promotion/compensation practices.
Search Committees
Generally 5-7 members, but may be smaller
(n=3) or larger
•
May identify other individuals to evaluate
candidates during interview process
•
Search Committee Composition
The composition of the search committee is
critical to its success. Involve diverse people
with fresh ideas and diverse viewpoints.

Note: Departmental faculty and staff not on search
committee still play critical role in search process.
Search Committee Composition
Include women and minorities wherever possible—may
use community members.

Include members with track records for hiring
underrepresented groups and/or educated in
affirmative action policies and procedures.

Contact Diversity or HR Office for assistance with
identifying trained, effective committee members.
RULE
The Appointing/Hiring Authority/Supervisor
is NOT a search committee member.
Hiring Authority Charge To
Committee – First Meeting

Describe title, job description, essential and
preferred criteria (make sure these are in the job
description and evaluation criteria)

Salary and benefits budget

Describe position’s scope and
challenges/opportunities
Hiring Authority Charge con’t

Give realistic timeframes

Preferred # of finalists, form of finalist feedback
(ranked, random)

Committee support (administrative assistance,
travel budget, etc.)
TIP

Particularly for high level, leadership
positions --invite department leaders, affiliate
partners, and other interested parties to
share their views about the position. This
gives committee members a better
understanding about the position, and the
qualities necessary for successful
candidates.
Committee Member Responsibilities

Be an active recruiter

Consistently and fairly evaluate all applicants

Show up at meetings!

ALL search committee members share responsibility
to attract diverse pool and ensure fair and equitable
treatment of all applicants.
Search Committee Chair

Should be person at same or higher level than
vacant position

Chair must ensure diversity accountability for
members

Chair must ensure proper recordkeeping

Determines committee process, including voting
vs consensus for decisions
Search Committee Chair, con’t

Serves as liaison between hiring authority
and committee.

Ensures committee charge is carried out.

Keeps Hiring Authority informed.
Staff Responsibilities

Ensure hiring process is followed, including
appropriate, timely entries into HR system.

Respond to applicants on behalf of committee chair

Schedule committee meetings and applicant
interviews

Maintain applicant confidentiality
RULES
CONFIDENTIALITY

All discussions among committee members are
confidential. Be particularly careful about internal
applicants.

Applicant names and materials should be kept in
secure location.

Confidentiality breeches should be disclosed to
committee chair.
RECRUITMENT PLAN
•
Job Description and other position/campus
information
•
Job ad(s) and posting locations
•
Outreach activities
Note: If search firm is employed, most of these
activities will be handled by firm.
Recruitment Plan—Why?
Consider the search process as first step in
the retention process.

How well you match the person to the
position will determine their success in the
position.

TIP
Cast a Wide Net
Some associations or institutions may exclude
potential candidates. Tapping these resources can
make you a victim of their exclusionary thinking. That’s
why it’s important to recruit from a wide range of
sources and use a variety of methods to cast a wide
net.
Recruitment Plan, con’t
Applicants must be educated about the position –- it’s
as important as the committee learning about the
applicants.
TIP:
Remember… Outstanding candidates often do not
apply for advertised positions—you must ‘court’ these
potential applicants.
Job Postings, con’t
Announcements should include proactive
language targeted toward applicants of color,
women, people with disabilities and veterans.
Job Postings, con’t

Consider including:
Mentoring activities/opportunities for
underrepresented groups

Campus commitment to building a culturally diverse
educational environment

How multicultural issues have been incorporated into
courses/clinical work
Practicums/internships

Job Postings, con’t

Opportunity/support for minority support/training
grant

Access to special groups/resources (e.g., American
Indian reservation, migrant workers, unique library
collections, etc.)

Mentoring opportunities
Outreach Activities

Telephone calls

Personalized letters to potential applicants

Personalized emails

Talk face-to-face with people who might nominate
candidates
Outreach Activities, con’t

Approach potential candidates at professional meetings

Consult with diverse faculty and staff members on campus
about outreach activities

Contact traditional professional organizations that have
affiliated groups for women, minorities, and other
underrepresented groups.

Other ideas?
Outreach Activities, con’t

During each outreach activity stress the institution’s
commitment to diversity.

Attend to language and image in all printed and
verbal communications.
Applicants

Treat all applicants consistently and fairly.

Acknowledge receipt of application.

Be courteous and prompt in correspondence.
Remember your own experiences as an applicant.
RULE
Applicant Definition:
Someone who submits all required materials
for a posted position.
Do not count references as required materials
for initial evaluation steps.
RULE
Applicants are confidential until they reach
‘finalist’ level – must follow Colorado Open
Records Act.
SELECTION PROCESS
1. Develop evaluation process
2. Conduct initial applicant evaluation
3. Develop interview format
4. Conduct interviews
5. Conduct reference checks
6. Select finalists
Evaluation Criteria

Must be based on job description and ads

Must be written, available to committee members,

and saved as part of the committee materials
Does not need to be numerical—can sort
applicants into groups and rank order
(Recommend committee members do initial
evaluations on their own, then reach consensus
through group discussion)
RULE
Committee must establish selection/evaluation
criteria and scoring process before reviewing
any applicant materials.
Evaluation Methods
Options--select one or more
 Telephone interviews
 In-person interviews
 Videoconference interviews
 Applicant presentations
 Applicant written response to set of questions
 Curriculum vitae/resume
 Cover letter
 References
 Applicants’ published or other written materials
Evaluation of Internal Applicants

Should meet same levels of qualifications as
external applicants.

Should not be given ‘courtesy’ interviews—it raises
unrealistic expectations for internal applicants.
RULE
Internal applicants should not participate in
the evaluation process of other applicants.
Evaluation, con’t
TIP:
Evaluation notes from individual committee
members should be considered ‘personal
notes’ and not distributed among committee
members or kept as part of the official search
file.
Interview Format
Formal evaluation interviews are conducted by the
search committee and sometimes additional
evaluators.



Must be consistent for all applicants.
May conduct phone interviews first to determine
number of in-person interviews.
Develop questions that cover major job functions
and desired skills/abilities.
Interview Format, con’t



Must ask same basic set of questions of all
applicants, but can ask varying follow up questions
depending on applicants’ answers and/or
experience/education.
Use interview questions to probe ‘potential’ using
‘what if’ type questions.
Probe actual behaviors (vs. theoretical responses)
by using scenario questions such as “tell us how you
would…”.
Interviews
•
Committee members who miss some or all of the
interviews should not participate in discussions of
rank ordering of applicants, but may provide
comments on those interviews that they attended.
•
Typically interviews are best conducted within 45
minutes with 8-9 questions and time for the
applicant to ask questions at the end.
When an interviewer is not a
member of the search committee…

Make it clear to both the outside person and applicant whether or not
the outside person is being used in the evaluation process.

If the outside person is being used for evaluation, make sure s/he is
briefed on the job description AND the evaluation criteria.

During a campus visit, the hiring authority may meet with the
applicant– however, s/he should not share their impressions with the
search committee.

These additional interviewers/evaluators should adhere to the same
rules for interviewing as search committee members must.
RULE
All contact between applicants and search
committee members (as well as any
outside evaluators) is considered
‘interview time’.
Applicants are always ‘ON’.
Interviews, con’t
Inappropriate interview venues:
Sporting events
Your home
Dinner with spouses
Skiing
Party
RULE
Do not ask about or discuss the following (even if
applicants volunteer the information):
- age
- sexual orientation
- marital status
- religion
- children (present or future)
- ethnicity/culture
- veteran status
- disability status (except may ask if the applicant can
perform the essential functions of the position as listed on
the job description and posting.)
Ensuring a positive campus visit

Arrange for applicants to meet with other faculty of
similar interests or backgrounds on campus.

Prepare ‘welcome packet’ for campus visits (e.g.,
employee handbooks, school/dept policies, benefits
summary, web site info, annual reports, chamber of
commerce materials, etc.).
Use an evaluation form to gather campus input.

Interviews, con’t

If applicant reveals disability, inquire as to whether
they can fulfill the essential job functions.

If you or the applicant have questions, refer to
Human Resources. (See ‘Campus ADA Policy’)
Reference checking—DO IT!!
BE SURE TO GET APPLICANT’S PERMISSION—and let them
when you will be making contact!
Options for reluctant references:




Ask applicant for copies of recent performance evaluations
Ask applicant for written references
Conduct site visits to former employers/colleagues
Ask references if they have ideas for additional reference
Selection of finalists
Definition of finalists:
Candidates that are recommended to the
Hiring Authority. May be more than one
name (except in certain high level
positions— see Regents laws).
When the search is over…
Search committee should debrief:

What worked, what didn’t work?

Are there highly qualified applicants that can be
encouraged to apply for other UCD positions?
(Contact Human Resources for assistance.)
Human Resources
Kevin Jacobs, Asst. Vice Chancellor
303-315-2700
QUESTIONS?
Presentation handouts
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Job Description Template
Search Committee Charge
Job Ads
– Template
– Sample
Search Guidelines