Faculty search committees are integral in hiring quality faculty members from diverse backgrounds. They manage the hiring process to ensure equity in hiring academic staff. The search committee is a hiring committee dedicated to positioning a higher learning institution to attract and engage the best possible candidates.
Whether you’ve been asked to be a member or are applying for a job through one, it’s best to understand what the search committee is and what they do. Then you can comprise a list of questions to ask your search committee and develop a strategy aligned with your end goal.
A higher education institution appoints a faculty search committee to oversee the recruitment and hiring processes for multiple or specific vacancies. They handle every aspect of the recruitment process, from creating the original job posting to reviewing applications, interviewing shortlisted individuals, and selecting successful applicants.
Within the recruitment and selection process, the faculty search committee is also responsible for recruiting diverse talent for their faculty. They guide in encouraging a diverse pool of applicants and selecting the person or people best suited to the culture and requirements of the institution.
There should be a senior faculty member in every search committee — generally an associate professor or professor — with a formal designation as an equity representative, along with other trusted representatives of your institution. Often, a hiring committee has between five and seven members and votes on the final applicant selection.
The search committee is responsible for all phases of the hiring process, from job posting to filling the position. They must follow recruitment best practices and have recruitment training to make the most significant impact. Committee members have several duties to complete in this role, including:
The search committee often creates the best language for a job posting to attract the highest-quality applicants. When they have defined what they want, they select the sites and publications they want to advertise in, intending to attract diverse candidates, many from underrepresented groups.
Occasionally, the hiring department creates the job description before they appoint the search committee, in which case the search committee is responsible for posting the opening on the most valuable sites and publications.
The search committee establishes the criteria it will use to rank applicants beforehand. They use selection criteria based on departmental priorities, and these predetermined criteria ensure fairness throughout the application process.
Once candidates have started applying for the position, the search committee reviews the applications. It creates a long list of applicants to request additional information from, such as sample syllabi and teaching evaluations. They will contact unsuitable applicants in this phase to inform them that their applications were unsuccessful.
The search committee discusses and rates the applicants based on the predetermined evaluation criteria. They may also conduct interviews to narrow the applicants and create a short list of finalists.
The finalists undergo on-campus interviews. These often include a tour of the campus and a teaching demonstration for the students. During the visit to campus, the search committee will have set up several meetings with administrators and department members, including an opportunity for candidates to present their research.
After the on-campus visit, the search committee will reconvene, having gathered all the relevant information from administrators and department members who met with the candidates. They’ll consider all the information, weigh it against the evaluation criteria, and vote for the successful candidate. They also document the final selection and the basis for this decision.
Often, the dean of the hiring department will approve the search, and the search committee is formed after that. The dean will select the search chair, who proceeds to select the remaining committee members. Some guidelines faculties try to abide by when creating a search committee include:
The primary role of a faculty search committee is to seek quality candidates from a diverse pool of applicants. They must follow strict processes to ensure impartiality and define the selection criteria before beginning the search. Some of the essential attributes that search committees look for include the following:
First and foremost, the committee wants to establish which candidates best fit the position. They want to focus on competent candidates who meet the department’s needs. Candidates can be helpful to the department in more ways than meeting teaching needs. They can also take on student advising responsibilities and actively participate in university service.
Search committees are interested in the ability of candidates to form rapport with students and other faculty members. Candidates must cope with the required work and fit within the department. Candidates involved in service activities are often an excellent fit, as they are interested in campus events and tend to share the department workload equally.
Candidates applying for full-time academic work pique the search committee’s interest if they are also good tenure candidates. They could have publishable dissertations and straightforward post-dissertation projects. The committee will look into the future and establish whether you could achieve tenure in six or seven years.
If you are applying for a faculty position at an institution of higher learning, you want to make the best impression possible. Your unique priorities and values shape the questions you ask, but some general questions you can ask the search committee in your meetings are:
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