Inclusive Search and Selection
Wake Forest maintains a diverse and inclusive environment to enable all participants to contribute their full potential in pursuit of University objectives and personal success. With that in mind, online and virtual courses have been developed to assist in the search and selection of faculty and staff positions.
Our commitment
The final report of the President’s Commission on Race, Equity, and Community outlined 20 strategic recommendations and introduced the RIDE Framework, which grounds our institution-wide inclusion and equity goals. As an outgrowth of the recommendations regarding equity and employment and sustaining a more welcoming campus climate, all hiring managers for permanent position vacancies — both academic and administrative — must participate in this educational opportunity on inclusive hiring.
Our guiding philosophy
Reflecting the diversity of thought and life experiences of the full range of Wake Forest students, alumni, faculty, staff, and the local and global community in which we are engaged is fundamental to the realization of Pro Humanitate. A first step in creating and sustaining cultural change is exploring personal and institutional practices that have the power to undermine equity.
Online Workday Modules
Begin the Inclusive Search and Selection Process by first completing the Online Workday Module (asynchronous) and then joining an optional Virtual Inclusive Search Lab (synchronous) if you would like supplemental support in your search process. Click the appropriate link below to learn more about inclusive search and selection strategies for…
Recruitment Support
Consultation and Tailored Presentations: HR and PDC team members are available to host tailored meetings and/or offer individual consultation sessions to review inclusive search best practices with search chairs, search committees, departments, and larger academic units. Email askHR@wfu.edu to request assistance
Recruitment Sourcing Support: Your WFU-HR Recruiter is available to discuss diverse recruiting databases and sourcing resources. Email wakejobs@wfu.edu to request assistance.
Before, During, and After the Search:
Wake Forest maintains a diverse and inclusive environment to enable all participants to contribute their full potential in pursuit of University objectives and personal success. This toolkit, which accompanies the “Inclusive Search and Selection” course, outlines practices for structuring searches that are consistent, transparent, and equitable. Use the tabs to explore each phase of the search, as outlined below:
- Before: Search Committees; Position Descriptions; International Hiring; Advertising
- During: Recruitment Tactics; Reviewing Application Materials; Pre-Screening; Interviewing
- After: Offer; Demographic & Equity Data
Search Committees
Form a committee with diverse representation, 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.
Include diverse representation on the committee
Assemble a committee with diversity across group dynamics, faculty and staff representation, a shared commitment to inclusion, and experience with searches. Include a diversity advocate who will serve as an ally for underrepresented groups.
Make inclusive search and selection a priority
Discuss how unconscious basis 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. Discuss what constitutes “diversity” in an applicant pool. Invite leadership to join a search committee meeting to reiterate the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. 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 who should continue in the process.
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. Use interrelated, mission-critical terms such as: diversity, inclusion, and excellence; refer to openness, excitement about different perspectives and disciplines, valuing each colleague’s talents and passions, and committing to nuanced and creative problem-solving.
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.
Resources:
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:
- Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
- Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status?
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 diverse paid channels available and can provide standard verbiage to convey the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Additionally, WFU-HR Recruiters attend strategic outreach events and job fairs that target underrepresented groups 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 prospective candidates in underrepresented groups to apply or to send their resumes to review.
- Solicit referrals of qualified candidates in underrepresented groups from current faculty or staff and your professional networks.
- Utilize industry listservs or social networks – such as LinkedIn, PRISM, 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 that attract underrepresented groups.
- Develop pipelines and partners at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (e.g., Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina Central University), Hispanic Institutions, other universities with diverse populations, and civic organizations that serve underrepresented groups (e.g., Hispanic League, Urban League, National Black MBA Association, National Society of Hispanic MBAs).
- Send departmental representatives to discipline-specific conferences for diverse and underrepresented students and faculty.
- Actively recruit talent in underrepresented groups 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.
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. Creating an evaluation matrix or rubric will streamline the resume review. Recommendation letters should be reviewed and evaluated for unconscious bias and “doubt-raiser” language.
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.
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:
Offer
Once the candidate is identified, it is time to extend the offer and welcome the individual to Wake Forest.
Demographic & Equity Data
It is important to track demographic and equity data, compare trends over time, and determine the success of referral pipelines. Additionally, evaluate whether the advertising channels produced diverse candidate pools, as this information will help the University evaluate where to invest in the future.
Hiring managers and search committees are instrumental to enhancing the search process for future applicants.
Resources
The following resources appear throughout the toolkit and are archived here.
Checklists
- Search Committee
- Job Description
- Recruitment Tactics
- Reviewing Application Materials
- Pre-screening
- Offer
Samples
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious (or implicit) bias refers to social stereotypes about groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. One’s age, gender, gender identity, physical abilities, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, socioeconomic status, geographic location, political affiliation, personality, education, family status, physical size, and many other characteristics are subject to bias.
Research studies indicate that women and underrepresented groups are more likely to face unconscious bias in the hiring process, which may manifest through phrases such as:
- “The applicant isn’t a good cultural fit for campus.”
- “The applicant doesn’t possess a degree from schools from which we typically hire.”
- “There’s just something strange about the applicant that I can’t put my finger on.”
- “The applicant’s accent seemed odd.”
- Five Steps Toward Recognizing and Mitigating Bias in the Interview and Hiring Process
- Diversity at Work
- How Diversity Can Drive Innovation
- The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity & Inclusion Pays Off
- The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace
- Evidence That Gendered Wording in Job Advertisements Exists and Sustains Gender Inequality
Wake Forest University Human Resources
P.O. Box 7424, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
askHR@wfu.edu | P 336.758.4700 | F 336.758.6127