Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

II. GENERAL SEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES

• Forming the Search Committee
• Planning the Search
• Recruitment of Candidates
• Evaluating and Responding to the Applicant Pool
• Preparing to Interview the Final Candidates
• Interviewing the Final Candidates
• Finishing the Search Process
• Suggested Language for Advertisements/Career Goal Statements

These recommendations are suggested best practices and are more fully discussed in the section on roles of Deans, Department Chairs, and Search Committee Members. The search process must be in alignment with University policy, unit needs, and the position advertisement. Faculty recruitment and retention is very competitive for excellent faculty; therefore, providing a supportive institutional environment is critical from the beginning of the search process and throughout the candidate's career. There is a recognition that best practices may vary between colleges, but these are general recommendations in sections II and III.

Forming the Search Committee

• Identify internal and external representatives to serve as members.
• Create a committee that is diverse (i.e., race, gender, discipline, years of experience, perspectives, different ranks).
• Review "Role of search committee members" in this document by the Department Chair, Committee Chair and Committee members.
• Receive direction from the Department Chair as to the committee role, i.e., search process and form of any recommendations to the Committee Chair and members.

Planning the Search

• Follow institutional guidelines developed by the Human Resources Office http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/r&e/homepage.shtml and the Recruitment and Hiring Guidelines for Faculty Vacancies (Section VIII)http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/ISUOnLine/Faculty.shtml
• Know policies for hiring, including international hiring http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/r&e/faculty_recruitment.shtml.
• Develop a position description that addresses the needs of the department and accurately describes the expectations of the position.
• Develop a position description that addresses the minimum, as well as preferred qualification of the position. Use "preferred" as much as possible for flexibility.
• Identify objective selection criteria by which candidates will be evaluated (Suggested criteria are in Appendix 1).
• Develop a position description that will attract a diverse pool of candidates in alignment with the institutional goals for diversity. This will be facilitated by balancing the needs for the position and incorporation of flexibility for qualifications. (See Suggested Language for Advertisements in the section below)*
• Be aware of how language in the advertisement may adversely impact a diverse pool of candidates if the requirements are too restrictive.
• Determine and communicate the search timeline, budget, administrative tasks (i.e., collection of application packets, conducting phone interviews, scheduling meetings, contacting references, etc.) at the first meeting (Appendix 1,2).
• Determine a plan for record keeping of all materials, including but not restricted to applicants, candidate contacts made for the search, number of minority and women applicants, references, etc. Discuss confidentiality requirements.

Recruitment of Candidates

• Discuss ways to obtain an excellent and diverse pool of applicants, including criteria to attract top tier diverse candidates. These discussions should include networking, especially at conferences and meetings to identify future and current leaders in the discipline area. Also, have the diversity representative of the College, Department, or Unit discuss relevant materials/policies with the committee.
• Expand networks to identify the best candidates, especially using the networking of women and faculty of color.
• Plan for marketing and advertising the position, placement of ads, etc. (See Suggested Language for Advertisements in the section below)*
• Develop materials to send to all applicants, and separate/additional materials to send to interviewees to promote the community, local and university resources, etc. This may include materials from the Chamber of Commerce, phonebooks, university directories, etc. Also, it is recommended to develop a list of websites for the prospective candidates (example Appendix 7).

Evaluating and Responding to the Applicant Pool

• Evaluate and rate the applicant pool based on the established criteria for the position.
• A suggested template form is present in Appendix 1.
• Acknowledge all applications in writing, communicate with candidates during the process and keep them informed.
• Inform the faculty within the limits of confidentially, and inform the Dean and other administrators about progress of the search process.
• Document the screening process.
• Refer to the checklist provided by Human Resource Services, Recruitment and Hiring Guidelines for Faculty Vacancies (Section VIII) http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/ISUOnLine/Faculty.shtml
• Note that the OEOD review of the matrix is required prior to contacting applicants for scheduling interviews.

Preparing to Interview the Final Candidates

• Provide advance notice to the department and campus community about upcoming campus visits.
• Provide copies of the candidates' curriculum vitae to departmental members and anyone meeting with the candidates.
• Provide the candidates with an itinerary prior to their visit with information including who they will meet with, travel arrangements, and the expectations for the visit, e.g. seminars, etc.
• Provide flexibility and consideration for the unique aspects of each candidate to ensure a positive experience by providing varied options for the visit. Options may include: providing a rental car or picking up at the airport; inquiring about touring the community with a realtor; arranging informal receptions; setting up meetings with specific faculty and community members they may wish to meet.
• Make sure that the candidates receive any additional information they require about the community, resources, etc. Put together a packet to mail to the candidate ahead of time, which may include: information from the Ames and surrounding community from the Chamber of Commerce, telephone and campus directories, resource directory of websites (see Appendix 7).

Interviewing the Final Candidates

• The interview should be systematic, consistent, and job-related. Ask the same questions of each candidate. The answers to the interview questions should provide specific work experiences and demonstrate the skills needed to succeed in the position.
• Provide evaluation forms for each candidate's visit (Appendix 3).
• Follow up to make sure that the candidates receive any additional information they require about the community, resources, etc.
• Keep accurate records.
• Follow up after the visit and keep in contact with the candidate. Tell them the timeline for the decision and the method of notification about the hiring decision.

Finishing the Search Process

• As a committee, submit list of finalists to the Department Chair.
• Contact Human Resources Office OEOD to complete the final faculty hiring required paperwork (the matrix) http://www.hrs.iastate.edu/r&e/homepage.shtml.
• The Department Chair will follow up with OEOD regarding the hiring matrix. When final, the Chair or a representative selected by the Chair will notify the selected candidate and will send a departmental letter to non-selected candidates in a timely fashion.
• Meet with Chair of the Search Committee to evaluate the search process (Appendix 6).

*Suggested Language for Advertisements/Career Goal Statements

Proactive phrases in job qualifications, summary statements in job positions, or requests to address these issues in career goal statements may be used to encourage the application of candidates who are diverse and understand diversity. Examples follow:

• Iowa State University especially seeks candidates who are interested in contributing to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and outreach.
• The University is responsive to dual career couples.
• The University is committed to building a culturally diverse educational environment.
• The University is committed to building a culturally diverse environment and applicants are requested to include how they will further this goal in their cover letter.
• Candidates should describe how multicultural issues have influenced and/or been a part of their teaching, research, or/and outreach.
• Candidates should describe previous mentoring of women, under-represented faculty, or minority faculty.
• Successful candidates must be committed to working with diverse student, staff, and community members.

Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, 1550 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011-2021
Phone 515-294-9591, Fax: 515-294-8844