Using proactive recruitment, search committees can seek out and attract the best faculty from all over our state, nation, and the world. Each search committee member should take on the responsibility of building a candidate pool and personally reaching out to prospective candidates. In fact, the work should be divided strategically among committee members so that no individual committee member is overburdened by the time required for proactive recruitment. Search committee members can build a list of potential candidates by searching for relevant recent publications, grant or award winners, comparable programs, and other avenues appropriate to the area of specialization. Committee members should keep inclusion in mind when creating the candidate list. Once created, the list can be divided among committee members so each member contacts several potential candidates detailing the reasons why this position is so attractive and encouraging them to apply. This should be done with a personalized email or phone call.
Proactive recruitment takes time, but it works. A new faculty hire is one of the most important investments departments make for their future, so it is worth investing the time to proactively recruit. Proactive recruitment can generate a representative group of talented people from which to select a colleague, it signals to applicants that the UA is the kind of highly engaged creative community they want to join, and once an offer is made, candidates are more likely to say yes.
Resources
Faculty Search Committee and Recruitment Plan Form (Short Form)
This form must be submitted along with the faculty job requisition to Talent.
UArizona Faculty Search Committee Guidelines 2023
These guidelines are designed to serve as an organizing tool for faculty search committees as they move through the process of faculty recruitment and hiring.
The matrix helps committees reach agreement about what is needed for candidates to meet each qualification, how/when we will evaluate candidates on those requirements, and reduces bias in the process.
The matrix rating sheet is a tool to compile individual candidate ratings and summary evaluator ratings in one document and should be used in parallel with the criteria matrix.
The evaluation tool offers a method for department faculty to provide evaluations of job applicants. It is meant to be a template for departments that they can modify as necessary for their own uses.
UArizona Human Resources Guide to Successful Searches
This guide provides a comprehensive look at the search process and important background information regarding laws, regulations and policies that inform best practices.
Group agreements for workshops and meetings - Seeds for Change Org. Resource
They help a group to come to an agreement on how it will work together respectfully and effectively. This in turn enables people to interact more co-operatively and maintain respect for each other.
Interview questions
A practical UArizona Human Resources library of interview questions and questions to avoid during a job interview.
Importance on Pronoun Use - My Pronouns Org. Resource
Using someone’s correct personal pronouns is a way to respect them and create an inclusive environment. Go to the website.
UArizona Guidelines for Shared Governance
Memorandum of Understanding that documents the principles of effective decision-making and shared governance at The University of Arizona and is entered into freely by a faculty and an administration committed to a common vision of the mission of the University.
UArizona Faculty Demographics Report
Faculty composition trends from 2019-2020 and includes a nine-year representation analysis for sex (male/female) and race/ethnicity.
Gender Stereotypes in Letters of Recommendation
UArizona Commission on the Status of Women handout to identify where stereotypes might show up in faculty letters of recommendation.
Respectful Pronoun Use in Recruitment
UArizona best practices handout on pronoun use in recruitment.
- Bhalla N. (2019). Strategies to improve equity in faculty hiring. Molecular biology of the cell, 30(22), 2744–2749. https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E19-08-0476.
- Bilimoria, D., & Buch, K. K. (2010). The search is on: Engendering faculty diversity through more effective search and recruitment. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 42(4), 27-32.
- Crutchfield, A. (2022, March 28). 8 Ways for Search Committees to Be Inclusive. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved July 5, 2022, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/8-ways-for-search-committees-to-be-inc...
- Liera, R. (2020). Equity Advocates Using Equity-Mindedness to Interrupt Faculty Hiring's Racial Structure. Teachers College Record, 122(9), n9.
- Liera, R. (2020). Moving beyond a culture of niceness in faculty hiring to advance racial equity. American Educational Research Journal, 57(5), 1954-1994.
- Liera, R., & Dowd, A. C. (2019). Faculty learning at boundaries to broker racial equity. The Journal of Higher Education, 90(3), 462-485.
- University of Michigan. (2018). Handbook for faculty searches and hiring, 2009-2010. University of Michigan. Retrieved on January 10, 2022 from https://advance.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Handbook-for-Faculty-Searches-and-Hiring.pdf.
- Smith, D. G., Turner, C. S., Osei-Kofi, N., & Richards, S. (2004). Interrupting the usual: Successful strategies for hiring diverse faculty. The Journal of Higher Education, 75(2), 133-160.
- Tuitt, F.F., Sagaria, M.A.D, & Turner, C.C.V. (2007). Signals and strategies in hiring faculty of color. Higher Education: Handbook for Theory and Research, 22, 497-535.