Inclusive Search and Selection

Search Committees

Form a committee with a range of different perspectives and expertise, the proper training to lead an equitable search, and well-established timelines and roles, including:

• Hiring Manager: Sets the tone for an equitable process; appoints the search committee Chair and members; collaborates with the Chair to determine who will review and narrow down applications.
• Search Committee Chair: Guides the committee throughout the recruitment process; oversees the professional and timely operation of the committee; leads committee meetings; serves as a liaison between the committee, hiring manager, and the Recruiter (Human Resources); updates all parties throughout the search process.
• Search Committee Members: Generate a strong pool of candidates; advise the hiring manager of candidates best qualified to meet the needs of the University and the school or department; play a major role in the recruitment, interviewing, screening, and evaluation of applicants; participate fully in committee activities.

Practice inclusive search principles
Discuss how unconscious bias impacts assumptions about candidates based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, family/marital status, etc. Raise awareness about conscious bias like academic pedigree or being a “fit” at Wake Forest. Invite leadership to join a search committee meeting to reiterate their needs and expectations related to the position. Invite your WFU-HR Recruiter to meet with the committee and consult on best practices.

The search committee’s role is not to hire a candidate, but to recommend to the hiring manager a list of most qualified candidates.

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Position Descriptions

Use the Position Description Toolkit to help you think through all the essential functions and additional considerations that should be included in the position description.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to differentiate between the Essential and Other Functions of a position. A function may be considered essential for any of the following reasons:

• The reason the position exists is to perform the function;
• There is a limited number of employees available to perform the function;
• The function requires highly specialized expertise or ability.

Be mindful of the minimum requirements (education, knowledge, skills, and abilities) outlined in your position description. These requirements should truly be the minimum required to move forward in the candidate pool. Having extraneous minimum requirements can limit the candidate pool by automatically over-screening based on the position description.

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International Hiring

Each department should determine whether their budget can support Visa sponsorship. According to the Department of Labor, an employer is not required by law to sponsor an H-1B visa for a candidate who is not eligible to work in the United States. An employer may have a policy, applicable to all positions, that it does not sponsor employment visas, or it may list specific hard-to-fill positions that are eligible for sponsorship.

Only the following questions may be asked of the candidate, and only on the application:

1. Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
2. Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status?

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Advertising

When a job requisition is created in Workday, it is automatically posted to Diverse Jobs, Higher Ed Jobs, Indeed, Inside Higher Ed, and LinkedIn. 

You may also request a priority position in our #WakeAtWork Newsletter, posting positions through LinkedIn Talent Solutions, or a post on the University’s LinkedIn profile or other @WFUtalent social media accounts.

Your WFU-HR Recruiter is also available to discuss additional paid advertising options and can provide standard language to convey equal opportunity and the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Contact HR or work with your recruiter on a list of recommended advertising sites and listserves.

Additionally, WFU-HR Recruiters attend strategic outreach events and job fairs throughout the year. If you would like to join the HR team at these events, email askHR@wfu.edu.

Recruitment Tactics

As the search committee identifies talent, there are immediate and ongoing recruitment tactics to consider.

Immediate recruitment tactics:

• Invite qualified prospective candidates to apply or to send their resumes to review.
• Solicit referrals of qualified candidates from current faculty or staff and your professional networks.
• Utilize industry listservs or social networks – such as LinkedIn, Inside Higher Ed, Chronicle of Higher Education, or DiversityJobs – to solicit applications.
• Share the position within your networks via email, social media, or text message.

Ongoing recruitment tactics:

• Make personal connections and generate prospect pools at professional meetings and conferences even when the department is not actively recruiting.
• Participate in research-specific fairs or outreach events, or discipline-specific conferences.
• Actively recruit talent at conferences, poster sessions, and during visits to other institutions.
• Develop a standard elevator pitch to use at events to articulate the University’s commitment to an inclusive workplace.

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Reviewing Application Materials

Beginning with the criteria in the position description, the search committee should decide how it will define and weigh each candidate’s essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. An evaluation matrix or rubric will create an objective, consistent review tool for the resume review.

Checklist

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Pre-screening

Inevitably, search committees will encounter common social assumptions and biases that can influence the evaluation of applicants. Pre-screen the candidates via Spark Hire, WebEx or telephone, applying the criteria the committee agreed upon in the recruitment plan, to create a broad initial interview list. Avoid ranking candidates until after the interviews.

Checklist

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Interviewing

Interviews, particularly on-campus visits, provide opportunities to showcase the department and the University community. Maintain equity throughout the process by establishing consistent logistics, providing a matrix for interviewers to record their impressions of each candidate, and referencing the following sample interview questions:

• Sample Interview Questions (Competency-Based)
• Sample Interview Questions (Department-Based)
• Legal vs. Illegal Interview Questions

Offer

Once the candidate is identified, it is time to extend the offer and welcome the individual to Wake Forest.

Checklist

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