Guide to Faculty Searches

Table of Contents

1. Message From The Vice Dean And Senior Associate Dean For Academic Affairs
2. Expanded Table of Contents
3. University Policy Statements
4. Current School Demographics
5. School and University Resources for Faculty Recruitment
6. Things to Know Before Initiating a Search
   1. Overview
   2. Conditions
   3. Special Circumstances
7. The Search Initiation Process
   1. Components of the Search Request
   2. Transmittal Memorandum
   3. Source of Salary and Resources
   4. Search Committee
   5. Advertising
   6. Outreach Efforts
8. Managing the Search
9. Reviewing Applications
10. Interviewing Candidates
11. Post-Interview Deliberations and Outcome

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IV. Current School Demographics

IX. Reviewing Applications

A. Comparing Pool Against Availability Data

The composition of the candidate pool should be compared with the gender and race/ethnicity availability pool data for the discipline prior to beginning the search process. If available, these data (which are generated by the Association of American Medical Colleges) will be presented at an early meeting of the search committee by the Office of Diversity and Leadership.

If potential women or underrepresented minority applicants are not present in the pool at about the rate of estimated availability in the field, then departments should review whether recruitment and outreach procedures were sufficiently broad and, if not, consider expanding more inclusive recruitment efforts.

B. Maintaining Diversity throughout the Review Period

As stated in Section VII.D.8. Guarding Against Unconscious Bias, it is strongly recommended that the search committee, under the direction of the diversity officer, take efforts to avoid prematurely ranking candidates based on positive and negative stereotyping. Committees are encouraged to consider candidates from a wide range of institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, and to carefully examine all of an individual's accomplishments, his or her potential for growth, the diversity of perspective that he or she will bring, and any unique contribution the candidate would make to the department. Search committees are encouraged to consult with the Office of Diversity and Leadership regarding the ways in which diversity can be maintained throughout the review period.

C. Screening Applications and Narrowing the Field of Candidates

Departments should establish procedures for selection that require applications to be read by at least two (and preferably more) members of the committee, which should minimize the possibility that qualified candidates may be overlooked. Care should be taken to examine all of an individual's accomplishments, his or her potential for growth, the diversity of perspective that he or she would bring, and any unique contributions the candidate would make to the department. Search committees must be on guard at all times against biases that may unconsciously intrude into their evaluation of a candidate. The search committee should apply uniform standards in retaining or rejecting candidates and may want to develop a rating form based on job-related criteria.

The position description should be the basis for the initial evaluation of the applicant pool. If the position description did not state any requirement or preference for training in a specific area, then candidates without such training should not be ruled out. Generally, the initial screening determines if candidates meet the minimum criteria for the position. Rather than waiting until the conclusion of the search, courteous rejection letters should be sent at this point to candidates who do not meet this criteria. A template letter is available on the Office of Academic Affairs website. As a safeguard, the chair of the search committee should read all applications rejected in this initial screening, and the letter should be sent out under his or her signature.

Depending on the size of the applicant pool, some departments create a "long short list," which includes all potentially strong candidates. In order to narrow the field to the definitive pool (that is, the group of candidates who will be invited for an interview), the search committee may wish to conduct telephone interviews to elicit more information about the candidate's background, to assess the candidate's interests and to provide more information about the position than can be contained in an advertisement. If phone interviews are conducted, a consistent set of questions should be asked of each candidate and careful notes should be taken. Video conferencing or webcam interviews may also be used to narrow the field of candidates.

It is important to keep especially careful notes at this stage of the selection process as the search report will need to include a brief justification for each female or ethnic minority candidate not included in the definitive pool.

The search committee might consider expanding the definitive pool to include consideration of candidates who would contribute to diversity, especially in departments where the desired diversity may not exist (such as, for example, where women or minorities are underrepresented in relation to the relevant applicant pool at either entry or senior levels). Personal interviews may allow qualified individuals to demonstrate previously overlooked strengths.

The search committee should also become familiar with potential resources, such as the Faculty Incentive Fund, which can be used for the recruitment of women, minority and other scholars who would bring diversity to the professoriate, and the Gabilan Provost's Discretionary Fund, which is used primarily for the recruitment and retention of women faculty in the sciences and engineering.

It is strongly recommended that the committee as a whole reach a consensus about which candidates will move into the definitive pool. Candidates not selected for further consideration at this stage of the search should be notified by letter.

D. Small Applicant Pools and Permission to Proceed

Small applicant pools often raise concerns about overly narrowly defined position descriptions, about qualified applicants not applying because of the perception that a pre-identified Stanford candidate would get the position, and about the ability to calibrate the qualifications of a proposed candidate in the absence of a larger applicant pool.

In cases where the total applicant pool is five or fewer, the search committee chair should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs to discuss the committee's efforts to obtain as large and diverse an applicant pool as possible, as well as the possible reasons for the small number of applicants. After this discussion, the department will either be asked by the Senior Associate Dean to expand its search strategies or will be given permission to proceed to the next step in the process.

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