Transcript URI ADVANCE
URI ADVANCE Recruitment Toolkit The University of Rhode Island has taken great strides in diversifying the campus. In its efforts to diversify the faculty, the University hopes to create an atmosphere of “mutual respect for all students, faculty, and staff that will allow them to realize their full potential” (COE mission statement). This handbook will assist in the selection of candidates for faculty positions, in trying to promote women and minority members. Efforts to recruit, retain, and promote women faculty in science and engineering have produced slow and uneven results. National percentages of Female Faculty in the Social Sciences, Sciences, and Engineering: 1987 – 1997 from the National Science Foundation 50 40 30 1987 1997 20 10 0 Social Sciences Sciences Engineering Importance of Diversity Diversity among faculty members directly affects the diversity among students. Female professors may create better relations between male and female students. Female professors serve as mentors for female students. Increasing percentage of female faculty helps to reject the idea of science careers being “unattractive for females.” Steps to Recruitment Search Committees Advertise Review and Evaluate Applicant Pool Interview Hire and Final Evaluation Search Committees •Importance of Search Committees •Forming a Committee •Planning the Search Importance of Search Committees Recruitment begins with the search committee. A more diverse committee is more likely to look for a more diverse applicant pool. If there is not enough diversity in the department, explore other options. -look to other offices and departments for diverse faculty Forming a Committee Search committee includes the university’s commitment to diversify the workforce The committee itself should be diverse One member has participated in a diversity recruitment workshop Two or three members will serve as advocates for women and minorities All requests and inquiries will be referred to the chairperson Determine means in which the committee members will communicate with one another Planning the Search Meet with faculty and staff to review specific needs of the department Develop a position description differentiating between what is needed and what is desired (minimum qualifications and desired experience) Answer questions such as: which classes must this individual teach and which classes can be taught by someone else already in the department? Is a Ph.D. necessary, or would experience in another area add something new to the department? Recognize that a candidate may have sufficient education and experience to teach a course, even though his or her primary area of expertise is in a related field. Advertising Advertising may be the most important part of the recruiting process. Without effective advertisements, the qualified and necessary staff may never be located. • Steps to Advertising • Actively Advertising • Proactive Language in Advertising Advertising Steps Determine what will be used to market the job announcement (professional networks, web site, and publications) Set a closing date at least 30 days after the appearance of the ad Develop two information packets One to send to all candidates One to send to only those selected for an interview In this packet, include brochures of the University and community It is not simply enough to wait for applicants to come to you. Take an active role in seeking potential candidates. Importance of Actively Advertising Search committees often report that they cannot find qualified women or people of color to apply for their positions. Research shows that there is success when the search process is refined. This includes being proactive about building a diverse applicant pool Therefore, committees must do more than wait for people to respond to ads. Actively Advertising Acknowledge all applicants in writing upon receiving application Hand out pamphlets and brochures during professional conferences. Make announcements to job referral services. Web sites and organizations have been created for the specific purpose of recruiting minority members. Contact colleagues at other institutions to see if they would like to recommend anyone for the position. Use existing faculty and graduate students to market open positions. When doing this it is important to encourage them to seek candidates beyond those who are most like themselves If recommendations are received, contact by phone to welcome the candidate. Initiate recruitment trips to universities which prepare a significant number of minority Ph.D. graduates The Advertisement In the advertisement, make it known that the staff is interested in diversity. It might be helpful to include the University’s policy on affirmative action and equal opportunity: “ The University of Rhode Island prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national origin, disability, or sexual orientation, and discrimination against disabled and Vietnam era veterans, in the recruitment, admission or treatment of students, the recruitment, hiring Proactive Language in Advertisement Proactive language can be used as a job qualification or summary statement at the end of announcements. Examples: “Candidates should describe how multicultural issues have been brought or will be brought into courses.” “Candidates should describe previous activities mentoring minorities, women, or members of other underrepresented groups.” “Women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply.” “Successful candidates must be committed to working with diverse student and community populations” “The campus is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and/or service” Review and Evaluate the Applicant Pool All committee members should be included in the evaluation process. There should be predetermined selection criteria to rate applications on minimum and predetermined qualifications. Avoid gender stereotypes Applicant Pool Rank candidates on several different criteria, rather than using a single ranking list. Consider re-opening the applicant search if the pool lacks female or minority candidates who will be seriously considered by the search committee Predetermined Selection Criteria Develop selection criteria: Examples research ability, references, performance in seminar, ability to interact with colleagues. Neither age nor personal circumstances are appropriate criteria. Ensure the criteria are applied consistently for all candidates. Guard against the “moving target” syndrome: changing the requirements as the search proceeds in order to include or exclude particular candidates. Avoiding Stereotypes Research has shown some characteristics in men are seen as positive while in women are seen as negatives Assertiveness is rewarded in men while it is evaluated negatively in women Successful achievements by men are attributed to ability while success by women is considered hard work Make sure to review non-traditional career paths. This includes time spent raising children or getting particular kinds of training, unusual undergraduate degrees, and different job experiences. There is evidence that men frequently go up when they have such work experience, while evaluations of women with the same kind of experience go down. Interviewing the Finalists Phone Interviews Conduct reference checks Conduct campus interviews – Consider how the department will represent itself to candidates Telephone Interviews Determine if it is necessary to conduct telephone interviews for a short list of semi-finalists (10-12). Develop a consistent set of questions to be asked of each candidate and determine how the answers will be rated Reference Checks Conduct reference checks before candidates are invited to campus Secure permission from the candidate before contacting references. Develop a consistent process for checking references A consistent set of questions is essential for phone references Representing the Campus and the Campus Visit The campus visit allows the department to show their serious interest in the candidates. Arrange visit carefully in order to make a good impression It is important to consider how the department will represent itself as a place in which women faculty can thrive. Factors that can make a campus more appealing to women include: Distributing information about relevant policies Dual career, maternity leave etc. Mentoring resources for faculty, female faculty in particular A plan to promote gender equity within the department Interviews Schedule interviews with adequate time and spacing between each. Allow equal time for each candidate to meet with the same personnel. Allow candidates to interact with faculty in several ways. Take into consideration that non-alumni candidates do not have the same advantage here. By not knowing the people on campus, they may need to spend more time to feel comfortable. Question and Answer Sessions and other less formal interactions Use a set of common questions with all candidates to allow comparative judgment and to insure that pertinent information is received. Interview more than one woman. Women are evaluated more fairly when there are multiple. When there is only one woman, she is far less likely to succeed than women who are compared to a mixed-gender pool of candidates. Hiring and Final Evaluation Keep records of hiring practices Question as to why certain candidates were chosen and why certain candidates did not accept Examine the Applicant pool Examine the Final Candidates If the department hires a woman/minority candidate, consider the factors that may have enabled it do so. Keep records of good practices and weed out those that were less successful. This will enable successful searches in the future. If women /minority candidates were offered positions and did not accept, find out why. Consider as many identifiable factors as possible. Can the department make itself more attractive to these candidates? Share this information with department heads for future searches. Examine Applicant Pool Was the applicant pool large, qualified, or diverse enough? Could the job description be rephrased in a way that would have attracted a more diverse applicant pool? Was active recruitment used enough? Were there criteria that were consistently not met by women or candidates of color? By identifying these factors, it will help ensure greater success in future Questions References “Faculty Recruitment Toolkit.” (2001). University of Washington. http://www.washington/edu/admin/eoo/forms.ftk_01.html “Massachusetts Institute of Technology Faculty Search Committee Handbook.” (2002). MIT. http://web.mit.edu/faculty/reports/FacultySearch.pdf “University of Michigan ADVANCE Faculty Recruitment Handbook.” (2003). http://www.umich.edu/~advproj/handbook.pdf “US Firms’ Evaluation of Employee Credentials in International Business”” (2002). http://www.owit.org/pdf/salarysurvey.pdf